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Announcement from Region 9 Coordinator Chris Bucholtz
June 22, 2008
Meanwhile, back in Region 9...
Not much has been going on in our neck of the woods since the extremely successful Kickoff Classic, which set a new record for entrants. However, we're coming up on a busy summer and time is moving quickly. So, before too much time gets away from us...
The Nationals: Get Your Plans in Order ASAP!
The National Convention and Contest in Virginia Beach is being held August 6 through 9, and if you plan to go get your arrangements in order ASAP! You can register on-line at the event website at www.ipmsusa2008.org, and the site will help navigate you toward local hotels as well. Air fare from our parts can be found for less than $500 (how do I know? I just booked my flight yesterday!). But costs only go up and accommodations only become more scarce as time goes by. I encourage you to hop to it if you plan to go - and if you are going, I'll see you there!
Chapter of the Year 2008: Halfway Pole is Reached
It's June, so your club has a great chance to look at where you stand in the CoY race and to look at ways to boost your point total by doing things that will up your score. Remember: it is based on a system designed to even out the big club-little club differences between our various chapters. Essentially, the hardest-working club, regardless of its size, wins! Just by looking at the activities of various clubs, there should be a lot of contenders in 2007 - as long as you chapter contacts submit an entry come next February. Here's how we score it:
1. Host a contest: four points.
2. Organize a public display: two points
3. Conduct a make-and-take: two points
4. Organize a charitable event (model drive, benefit, etc.): three points
5. Host a guest speaker: one point
6. Publish a monthly newsletter: 3 points
7. Produce a website: 3 points
8. Re-charter before Dec. 1: 5 points
9. Re-charter before Jan. 1: 3 points
10. Have a member gain R9 Qualified Judging Status: 1 point per member
For the 2007 award, Chapter contacts must track their clubs' performances and report their results to me no later than Feb. 15, 2008. Anything submitted after that date will be disregarded and disqualified. The reporting year goes from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. The winning club's name is inscribed in perpetuity on the Hugh Silvas Region 9 Chapter of the Year Award; winners then get a chance at the IPMS National Chapter of the Year award.
Psst: Let the RC Know if You Have Contest Plans
Not only are we close to a spate of contests in our region, but we're nearing the time of the year when clubs start getting dates for next year's shows. Don't forget that any events you are scheduling should be cleared with me before you do anything else. That way, I can make sure it does not conflict with any other dates. We try to maintain a two-week window around dates; that way, all our events have a chance to be well-attended and well-competed. Just send me an e-mail (so I have it in writing) and let me know your plans; I can get the date slated or suggest a date that would be better for attendance. Remember - with gas prices way up, people are more likely to choose one show instead of both if the two are scheduled too close together.
Promoting Your Show
There are a lot of things that help determine the success of your club's show. First, and probably most productive, is hitting the local hobby shops with flyers. This picks up all the "low hanging fruit," the people in your area who build models and for whom the show's nearby. But how do you expand past that? Well, you can certainly get the event listed on the IPMS website (www.ipmsusa.org); fill out the handy-dandy form and submit it. That automatically gets your contest into the IPMS Journal, too. But don't stop there: Your club is entitled to a free quarter-page ad in the Journal to promote your show. Contact the business manager Jim Woody (jwoody@ipmsusa.org) to arrange this.
But don't stop there. There are people in your area who don't frequent the hobby shops but would like to see a model show - if only they knew such a thing existed. Your local newspaper may have a free listing section, either in the paper or on their website, where you can list your event. Similarly, many radio stations air short notices about community events; check their websites on how you can get your event on the air.
And don't forget those flyers! Post them in places prospective attendees may be found: at work on the bulletin board, in libraries and schools, at senior centers. Even if a flyer costs 10 cents to print, if it brings a person through you doors it will pay for itself many times over - and could result in happier vendors, a new club member and another modeler brought into the IPMS fold.
Contest Calendar
Here's what's coming up:
July 27, 2008: IPMS/Dragon Lady presents its annual contest at the Plaza Room, 210 Julie Drive, in Yuba City, CA. The theme will be "Speed." For more details, contact Don Terbush at (530) 674-8194 or e-mail him at donaldterbush@yahoo.com, or visit the club website at www.myspace.com/ipmsdragonlady.
August 9, 2008: Kings County Scale Modelers host the 2008 Far West Region 9 Contest at the VFW Hall, 3538 North Blythe in Fresno, CA. For more details, contact Scott Gist at (559) 816-6226 or e-mail him at webmaster@kcscalemodelers.com or visit the club website at www.kcscalemodelers.com.
September 20, 2008: The Oregon Historical Modelers Society presents The Evergreen Air & Space Museum Show and Contest at the Evergreen Air & Space Museum, 500 NE Michael King Smith Way, McMinnville, Oregon. For more details, contact Brian Yee at (503) 309-6137 or e-mail him at byee1959@gmail.com, or visit the club website at www.geocities.com/oregonshow.
October 11, 2008: IPMS/Orange County hosts OrangeCon 2008, the Region 8 Regional, at the Pavillion of the University Conference Center, California State University Fullerton in Fullerton, CA. For more details, contact Nat Richards at (949) 631-7142 or e-mail him at ocipms@aol.com, or visit the club website at www.ocipms.org.
November 1, 2008: The Antelope Valley Group presents Desert Classic XII at Antelope Valley College, 3041 West Avenue K in Lancaster, CA. For more details contact Mike Valdez at (661) 304-4941 or e-mail him at mikevaldez151@msn.com or visit the club website at www.avg-ipms.org.
That's it for now. Now, I'm going to try to assuage my Turkish Euro Cup Soccer Fever with a long session of airbrushing... Gooooooooooal!!
--Chris
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