LEGO Kidsfest Hartford 2011 December 2nd to 4th

I know I missed the last meeting, but I am planning (hoping?) to go. It's going to depend on how space and resources are split. I haven't done a survey of my basement yet but I'm guessing I can fill half of a 10' x 10' space. I'm happy to share hotel space (within reason) and driving (depending on route/etc.). Please let me know what's what!

D_Runyon wrote:I know I missed the last meeting, but I am planning (hoping?) to go. It's going to depend on how space and resources are split. I haven't done a survey of my basement yet but I'm guessing I can fill half of a 10' x 10' space. I'm happy to share hotel space (within reason) and driving (depending on route/etc.). Please let me know what's what!

We haven't forgotten about you Dave and were hoping you would still be interested. Nate is taking the lead coordinating things this year so I'll let him post all the necessary details when he's has them. We have 6 10x10 spaces to fill between MOCs from every one and a small 12x16 train layout Nate and I are planing to bring. Nate has been looking at hotels and may have found a pretty good place to stay at a Hampton Inn and Suites that is within walking distance of the convention.

Cale

Cale wrote:We haven't forgotten about you Dave and were hoping you would still be interested. Nate is taking the lead coordinating things this year so I'll let him post all the necessary details when he's has them. We have 6 10x10 spaces to fill between MOCs from every one and a small 12x16 train layout Nate and I are planing to bring. Nate has been looking at hotels and may have found a pretty good place to stay at a Hampton Inn and Suites that is within walking distance of the convention.

Cale

Thanks for the update! For me, it's going to come down to cost, which I think will hinge (for me) mostly on hotel cost. We are looking at just a few weeks away, so we may want to investigate hotel reservations; also, the sooner I know a ballpark cost, the sooner I'll know if I can come. (Also, my wife is getting stressed out about it 'cause we have to find a babysitter, etc.!) ;-)

P.S.- This was posted over in the Yahoo group:

Hi there guys, this is Dan & Dan Farley from, NELUG, while we do not speak for the entire group, this is just information that we would like too pass along too everyone who will be attending, Lego Kidsfest 2011, taken straight from a post of mine from the, NELUG Forums.


I have the following information for Holiday Inn Express in Downtown Hartford.

The more people that stay at this hotel, is 110.00 Per Night. If we can all agree upon staying there, we can get a cheaper rate due to a group discount. My Dad can do the phone calling, but, he needs to know, asap, how many people are interested in staying at this hotel. Other rooms are 350.00+ for the weekend. Parking here is 12.00 Dollars Per 24 Hours. It is roughly, 7 - 8 Blocks, walking distance & then 4 Blocks over, it is an estimate.

My Dad believes that there is a free shuttle that runs the main streets of, Hartford, at no cost. I think that staying at another Hotel would be more expensive per person. The reasons are as follows as to why we should stay here.

1. Parking is 19+ Dollars a Day, maybe more.

2. We're only sleeping at the Hotel for 8 - 10 Hours a day.

I can't see spending alot of money on a room that we are only going to be using for sleeping in while we are at the Convention Center for most of the day.

Please contact me at, dansteamer@... or my Dad via cell-phone at, 203-592-9929.

My Dad needs too know asap, the sooner the better.

I realize that everyone who is already coming is making there own plans & disusing them, this is just our 2 Cents.

If you guys find something better, please, let us know, we are not being sarcastic, we would just like to find the cheapest priced hotel possible.

Thank you for your time,

-Dan & Dan Farley.

I hope that this can help you all out, also, my Dad has around 30 of the 12 x 12 Inch Storage Containers for 2 Dollars each, just in case anyone wanted anyway.

Dave, the plan is that it should cost you nothing. We get paid for each 10x10 space, and take the hotel cost, and meals (within reason. Probably no lobster dinners) out of that money. We will also try to reimburse travel costs, which shouldn't be an issue for basic gas/tolls, but we will do it after all receipts are collected. I still don't have the setup time for Thursday, but we have two rooms reserved for Thurs, Fri, Sat, and Sun nights. We will be 3+ to a room is the only downside, but that's the way all our conventions pan out. Setup will probably be early afternoon Thursday, until 10 or 11 PM. I don't have the start time yet. If you're still up for going, let me know. Jim wants a list of everyone to expect pretty soon.

Righto. I'll check on things and see what's what. Do you have any sort of cost/money breakdown?

As it says in Jim's email, we will be getting $700 for each 10x10 space we will. We have signed up for six, so $4200. The hotel is locked in at a total of ~$950. Then subtract up front food costs and fuel reimbursements (can't be exact on those obviously) and our individual pay, which should be $100 per person. The rest goes to the club, basically. As long as we get the promised amount on time, we will have more than enough so our only out-of-pocket will be our transportation costs, which will be reimbursed.

We've always come out well on top with these things in the end, so I think we'll be fine this time as well.

Do you guys want me to come up to Hartford for Kidsfest? I would not get there till about 11 pm Friday night, and would have to leave Sunday by about 5 pm. I don't know if I will be enough help for this limited time frame or not. It is over 200 miles each way, so that is about $75 in fuel I would need. Please let me know whether you all want me to come up, or whether having to give me back my gas, tolls, and food would cut too much into club profits. I enjoy it, but it is also a lot of work, and I have to work on Friday and Monday. Let me know ASAP so I can make plans one way or another. KC

KC, we always love having your help and company. The only issue is hotel space. If Dave is coming, that brings us to 8 people, which makes our 2 rooms totally full. I'm not sure we can do 9 in 2. Another room will tack on about $450 to our costs, and if you can't be there the whole time, it might not be worth it to you anyway. I suppose if the other 7 can be there the whole time, it would be my preference to have them, but if someone changes their mind, it would be pretty easy to include you. If it weren't for that issue, I would definitely say come anyway if you wanted to, because the actual manning of the show is going to be a challenge as always.

That said, I currently have 8 names:

Nate
Cale
Chris
Alison
Peter
Mike T.
Francis
Dave

Did I miss anyone, or are any of you on this list not certain at this point? It's coming up real fast now.

I don't mind being #5 in a room, would sleep on my foam on the floor, but I am understanding that not everyone wants to be in a room with 5 people. Let me know ASAP. I can make other plans for that weekend. KC

I suppose I'm ok with the potential crowding, but I'd like to hear from some of the others as well. Beyond that, it doesn't really matter. I'll make sure Jim has your name. The rest should take care of itself.

I don't have a problem with you joining us, KC. I don't think you should feel obligated to come, either.

-Chris

Shuppiluliumas wrote:I suppose I'm ok with the potential crowding, but I'd like to hear from some of the others as well. Beyond that, it doesn't really matter. I'll make sure Jim has your name. The rest should take care of itself.

My inclination is to say no. We have 8 people now to cover our 20ft x 30ft area. I think we'll be ok as far as manpower. Sure it's great to have extra help on hand to run things but the more people we have there the more spread out our financial resources become. If one of the main goals in doing this is to help earn some income for the club then I think we need to be careful about how we spend that income. If we spend all the money we make just covering the costs of having every one there then what have we really gained. If that's the case I'd rather stay home and do something locally than travel 5 1/2 hours each way and spend 11 hour days running a display if that's the case.

Cale

I second Cale's sentiment.

Tony Sties

I will stay home then. My stuff is all elsewhere anyhows. If there are ANY exclusive items, no matter how stupid, like a lanyard, brick, paper crown, etc, will someone PLEASE get me one. Thanks. KC

We've got you covered.

Sorry for the yo-yo on this, but I won't be able to make KidsFest this year due to schedule conflicts. I'm happy to send my stuff along with Cale (or whoever)- just send me a note. :-(

And if there's any brick to be had (like last year's minifig & 2x4, or any good discounts on stuff), could someone grab me something?

That's fine Dave. We would love anything you'd like to send, and you think is fairly easy to assemble. That leaves us with 7, which should be sufficient. We will be in a single area, both trains and individual MOCs, so it should be easier to police than Pittsburgh.

I still haven't heard from Jim about setup time, and have emailed him about it again. In the past, it's been around noon Thursday. I say we plan for that, and if we're early, that's not really a big deal. Jim has hinted we may be able to drive cars on the show floor this year, so hopefully we can make load in/out a breeze. Does everyone have a way up there yet? Chris, Alison and I are going together. Francis is making his own way, and Cale will have the truck. That leaves Pete and Mike T. Do you guys have plans yet? Cale will have a trailer, so if you need extra transport space, he is the one to talk to.

The hotel is the Hampton Inn and Suites East Hartford. It is located right over the Connecticut River from the convention center and, weather permitting, should leave us in easy walking distance of the event. We have the hotel Thursday-Sunday nights, so leaving Monday morning is no problem.

I plan to do a full debriefing on Saturday but, suffice it to say, Kidsfest Hartford went pretty well this year.

I wanted to post now to remind those who bought gift cards to buy Lego at the event that they need to pay the club this weekend. If anyone who bought cards won't be there or finds themselves unable to pay on Saturday, we need to make other arrangements as soon as possible.

I'd love to read any debrief notes, as I won't be able to make it Saturday.

Sorry again for the delayed response. For those who could not attend the meeting, I wanted to run down Kidsfest Hartford.

Kidsfest went very well this year. Despite our smaller layout and somewhat lower compensation than in past years, we still brought in a decent amount of money for the club. Now we have more than enough to put in for a new trailer and plexi, which is all we could ask for and then some.

Kevin Hinkle, the new N. American community coordinator, was there along with Jim Foulds. Between them we had a lot of time to discuss the event and ask our questions. I still haven't heard anything official from Jim about attendance, but I will let you know when I do.

I think our combined train/individual MOC layout was a great way to organize the display for this event. We got to experience the whole event as a club, rather than scattered across a venue like we often ate at BrickFair or other large events. It also made policing the tables easier.

I have to say I think I made a good choice with the hotel and, if we do the event in future years, I think we may have managed to work out a plan for it between transportation and hotel costs that will maximize our profit while still allowing us a comfortable stay. The hotel was within walking distance, which allowed us to avoid parking any vehicles in the convention center lot. Especially with the trailer that can get expensive. The Hampton Inn and Suites we stayed at had hot breakfasts every day, which made getting up and getting to the convention center very easy. We didn't have to plan who would ride with who: everyone could leave when they wanted to.

The consensus at the meeting was that the event was successful and doable in the future with similar numbers. I wouldn't want more than 8 for the size display we did this year, but we are certainly capable of larger layouts if we want to do them.

Thanks to everyone who helped me plan the event and run it while we were there!

Shuppiluliumas wrote:Sorry again for the delayed response. For those who could not attend the meeting, I wanted to run down Kidsfest Hartford.

Kidsfest went very well this year. Despite our smaller layout and somewhat lower compensation than in past years, we still brought in a decent amount of money for the club. Now we have more than enough to put in for a new trailer and plexi, which is all we could ask for and then some.

Kevin Hinkle, the new N. American community coordinator, was there along with Jim Foulds. Between them we had a lot of time to discuss the event and ask our questions. I still haven't heard anything official from Jim about attendance, but I will let you know when I do.

I think our combined train/individual MOC layout was a great way to organize the display for this event. We got to experience the whole event as a club, rather than scattered across a venue like we often ate at BrickFair or other large events. It also made policing the tables easier.

I have to say I think I made a good choice with the hotel and, if we do the event in future years, I think we may have managed to work out a plan for it between transportation and hotel costs that will maximize our profit while still allowing us a comfortable stay. The hotel was within walking distance, which allowed us to avoid parking any vehicles in the convention center lot. Especially with the trailer that can get expensive. The Hampton Inn and Suites we stayed at had hot breakfasts every day, which made getting up and getting to the convention center very easy. We didn't have to plan who would ride with who: everyone could leave when they wanted to.

The consensus at the meeting was that the event was successful and doable in the future with similar numbers. I wouldn't want more than 8 for the size display we did this year, but we are certainly capable of larger layouts if we want to do them.

Thanks to everyone who helped me plan the event and run it while we were there!

I agree. Sure there were a few minor hiccups but overall I think this was the best Kidsfest yet. The hotel was awesome and was a huge advantage. Having the whole group together in one space was also great as at other shows I'm usually preoccupied with the train layout and don't normally get to hang out with the other MOC guys. And I would like to thank you Nate for taking the point on this event and organizing every thing.

Sadly I'm not sure if there will be a Kidsfest for us to attend next year. I just got an email from Kidsfest today about 2012 dates Here is what they have scheduled.

Cincinnati, OH: March 23 – 25
Denver, CO: April 27 – 29
Milwaukee, WI: June 15 – 17
Austin, TX: August 31 – September 2
Detroit, MI: October 12 – 14

A sixth and final stop is planned and will be announced in early 2012. Not sure where that one would be though so there may still be an opportunity if the group is interested. But I think there may be other better opportunities for us in 2012 so I'm not too worried about not having a Kidsfest to go to next year.

Cale