LARP

As Gordon Olmstead-Dean has pointed out, Intercon Mid-Atlantic has transformed from a venue to develop innovative and unusual LARP into something of an albatross that has waned in its attendance and community support.  What would it take to create a sustainable venue that meets its obligations while being responsive to the community it serves? 

1.       Remove the focus on one organizer.   By placing the leadership and financial focus on one person or a small group of closely interconnected people, the project will tank if the cost of time or money become too great for that organizer to maintain.  By having responsible individuals in an organized structure (Nonprofit or for profit business structure to insulate individuals from losses and the project from “taking my toys and quitting” behaviors,) the project is thrust into a many hands make light work situation.  The kudos for a good event is borne by this group but also the blame for a disaster as well.  The focus should *not* be on profit taking, but on creating art and ‘art byproducts’.

2.       Buy in, buy in, buy in.  By stating it three times I am emphasizing that the buy in has to come at three different levels.  Initially the project organization will need start up money, for incorporation, insurance, and the first two to three events.  The first buy in is by the individuals running the project.  As such, they receive shares to the project and some oversight capabilities, and the duty to protect their investment.  The second level of buy in is that the content providers buy into the event at a minimal fee to help cover the following: housing, run space, and other items such as event insurance, and when possible food and goodies.  This could be a yearly membership fee in the concept of a co-op in that they pay once and run at your events (note the plural) for that fee for the year.  This is not to say that they bear the weight of the cost of the event, but that they offset some of the cost for their participation.  If they can push registrations to the event with a SOLID number of referrals who actually pay, this buy in is offset and ignored, due to the fact that they just brought 20 door fees to you for little to no work.  It also creates an environment of bringing quality work to the event as they are investing their funds into the creation of their event and no one wants to waste money.  The last buy in is for the consumer of the project/event.  You have two ways you can generate this funding: admission fees and patron memberships. Your admission fees are buy in for a particular event or series of events and are should eventually be your bread and butter.  Patron Memberships are purchased by supporters who are unwilling or unable to make the larger commitment of sharing in the project’s operation but believe in the mission.  These are the people you need to acknowledge and freely thank early and often.  If they are at your event and they are amenable to it (some aren’t,) thank them at the end or another appropriate time.  Give them the free T-shirts or swag that you use for in house sales. Take care of them; hold a special event for them once a year that recognizes their contributions.  To wit, money is what makes the event possible.  Money is the elephant in the corner that no one likes to talk about; in this context it is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY to acknowledge.  We are all grownups, and it is time to start treating our hobbies like we are.  If you want to shuffle your feet and pout in the corner about how LARP should be free, go somewhere else, I don’t care.  Like it or not, all art requires funding of some kind; LARP requires more than most, since it is designed to interact with you in a meaningful way.  I am past the age where PB&J, ramen, and pizza are acceptable fare to sustain myself and I bet most of the people who read this are of the same bent.

3.       Interact with other communities and events.  The project should endeavor to build contacts with other groups; attend some of the events in the region that LARPers don’t normally deal with directly.   Anime cons, comic cons, and other events are all good places to buy a spot in the program or see if you can drop off fliers.  Run LARP if they have that capability, bring things that are fun and inclusive and not filled with regional in-jokes and Byzantine LARP crap.  Help with other LARPs in your region and try to foster good will.  Participate. It won’t always be easy, but it will pay off.  Ponder the inclusion of those communities into your event to offset costs.  Sometimes a cheap joint venture appeals to the folks who are looking for a second event without the planning overhead associated with a full convention or event.  You may not pull the general public, but you will get exposure among people who are at least open to different experiences.

4.       Have a plan.  A business plan is a must.  Other things including the ability to say no, stay within the budget, and a strong leadership who can make firm decisions while being responsible for their success or failure are also vital to making this work.  Who will you deal with the invested people who want to leave?  How will you maintain the organization when the inevitable schism occurs?  This and more has to be codified at the outset and hardwired into the organization. 

This is just a few of my off the top of my head thoughts about what could come after IMA, or how to ‘fix’ it.  I think that NEIL has done a fine job for their convention, and that their structure works well for the location and audience that they have.  IMA has been a different animal with greater overhead and lower payoff to the organizers and needs a mercy killing or an evolutionary step to better serve the people associated with it.  I spent a lot of time on money stuff, mainly because of the aforementioned overhead that mid-Atlantic conventions bear when trying to be within a decent distance of a major transportation hub and in a facility that isn’t a roach motel.  It may be that an organization like the one I propose would have to begin as 30 people running and playing 4 hour games in a community center on a Saturday and Sunday, crashing at friends’ homes; but it is better than being on an untenable path of one person or couple being slowly ground down over a number of years supporting an event until they burn out or lose their assets trying to prop up a second priority event.