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Matthew, Of course there are some variables in here....is the meet near a shopping area? Do I have a rental car? Do I arrive the day before and leave the day after? I average approx. $900.00 (US$)per meet.
This includes lodging, extra meals, munchies and beverages for the room, car rental or cabs if necessary, shopping (clothes for grandkids, items I forgot, etc.)
-------------------- Susan Banasky Source Signs Nanaimo, British Columbia sourcesigns@shaw.ca
When in need....go directly to the "Source"!
Proud Supporter of this "Knowledge Network"! Posts: 1324 | From: Nanaimo, B.C. Canada | Registered: Oct 1999
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Dixie. I spent 80 for rental car 150 for the room. 25 entrance fee 25 for eating out 75 for plane ticket.
I went on a very restricted budget..
I left with a world famous sign kit, a load of gold leaf, nice load of brushes, a load of foam samples, some sample blast mask, some rapid tac products samples, and a really nice sand blasted sign panel.
I made out like a bandit.
-------------------- Leaper of Tall buildings.. If you find my posts divisive or otherwise snarky please ignore them. If you do not know how then PM me about it and I will demonstrate. Posts: 5278 | From: Im a nowhere man | Registered: Jul 2001
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Generally, downunder, it's about $250-260 registration, plus accommodation (cheap sleep on the floor, to motel fees maybe $100+ per night), plus breakfast, plus travel (car or plane, usually 1000 km or more), plus glass panels for the gilding ($30ish).
Our 2007 meet will have accomodation & breakfast included, for those who're happy with the accom we provide.
-------------------- "Stewey" on chat
"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7016 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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Usually 3 nights acommodations, & whatever meals aren't included..... so somewhere around $300 average. However, I always drive, so my costs are a lot more than just the meet. 2006 Dixie meet was about 4000km round trip, so that would have been $360 in gas, as well as more meals & rooms.
-------------------- Rodger MacMunn T.R. MacMunn & Sons C.P.207, Sharbot Lake, ON 613-279-1230 trmac@frontenac.net Posts: 478 | From: Sharbot Lake, Ontario | Registered: Nov 2003
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Hiya Matthew, I understand where you're trying to go with this, but there are a lot of variables that need to be addressed. A meet like "Jill's Jamboree" in the middle of the boone docks will be a lot more affordable than the "Head West Walldogs" meet in Lodi California. I forget the exact numbers, but I think I spent about $400, including travel, for the full weekend at Jill's. A 2 night stay at the local motel was under $100 and all the meals were included with the registration costs. Since there really wasn't much else in the immediate area, we maybe spent $50 locally on junk food and miscellaneous "stuff". So, perhaps you should be asking your questions differently? I would think you would want to know answers to questions like... How many nights do you stay over while attending a meet? (Normally 2, sometimes 3 depending on the lenght of the meet) How often do you "dine out" while at a meet? (At least once) Do you visit other tourist attractions, sites or events while at a meet? (No) How much do you spend on local attractions, (outside of dining) while attending a meet? (By myself - $100; with my wife - $250) With these numbers, you should be able to use the average costs associated with your area to better determine how the community could benefit directly from hosting such an event. One last thing, when I can save $$ on my accomodations, such as staying with a host family, I put those savings towards purchasing gifts for the host family and I'll definitely end up spending more money locally, while at the meet.
Havin' fun,
Checkers
-------------------- a.k.a. Brian Born www.CheckersCustom.com Harrisburg, Pa Work Smart, Play Hard Posts: 3775 | From: Harrisburg, Pa. U.S.A. | Registered: Nov 1998
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Thanks for the updates everyone. Hopefully we'll get more responses. Checkers good points! But I don't need this to be overcomplicated. Simple is best. You got it right
Bottom line I'm assembling what an "average" attendee spends locally. Variable-Schmariable
It's a point often missed that I will make sure is brought front and center.
-------------------- Matthew Rolli AdCraft Sign&Design Hudson, WI Posts: 280 | From: Hudson, WI | Registered: Aug 2003
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Okay, well once I get there- usually about $200 for the room. I usually find another woman (or sometimes two or 3) to room with. Which is very helpful. But I would say on average $200 for the room. I also spend about $125 for the meet, on average. Some are more, some less. Usually that amount includes my meals. But I generally need about $100-$150 for spending other than that. The big cost is getting there though Matthew. And I'm afraid that is rather important. Are you trying to find out how it will benefit the area economically?
-------------------- Deri Russell Wildwood Signs Hanover, Ontario
You're just jealous 'cause the little voices only talk to me. Posts: 1904 | From: Hanover, Ontario, Canada | Registered: Dec 1998
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If I go alone I spend about $800; if the wife goes with me the ticket goes up to about $1,500.
-------------------- Ricky Jackson Signs Now 614 Russell Parkway Warner Robins, GA (478) 923-7722 signpimp50@hotmail.com
"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Issac Newton Posts: 3528 | From: Warner Robins, GA | Registered: Oct 2004
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A meet brings revenue to it's host town in many ways.
A meet host will spend money locally on supplies, groceries for meals, soda and coffee, rentals (scaffolding, tables, chairs, porta pottys, etc) prior to the start of a meet. Much of this is covered by the registration fee. These can add up to a sizable amounts and the local vendors will see added income that they would not have without the meet.
Every meet has a wide variety of people at it, and in that respect, the town can see many different spending patterns from meet goers. People tend to go out and try the local restaurants according to their tastes. This spreads the money spent on meals across the area, not limiting it to just one place.
Hotels/motels can quickly be filled if attendance is above average. Though some meet hosts do reserve blocks of rooms or group rates, there are still some attendees who will stay at different lodgings based on personal preferences. Again, the added income is spread to many businesses.
Local stores will often see increased sales from attendees in the way of cigarette, beer, soda, gasoline, munchies...any number of impulse sales.
Many Letterhead meets are also attended to by family members. Although not directly involved with the meet itself, some will visit attractions, antique shops or local stores or points of interest.
At many meets (especially Walldogging events), the town often benefits directly in the form of projects. Wall murals, special signage for businesses who support the meet directly...all done while teaching and learning the methods by which it is made. These become lasting products of the meet, along with beautifying the community.
Rapid
-------------------- Ray Rheaume Rapidfire Design 543 Brushwood Road North Haverhill, NH 03774 rapidfiredesign@hotmail.com 603-787-6803
I like my paint shaken, not stirred. Posts: 5648 | From: North Haverhill, New Hampshire | Registered: Apr 2003
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Guys I apologize if I wasn't clear enough. All I'm looking for is if you had to write down an amount YOU spend ON AVERAGE at a letterhead meet, how much would that be? Do not include air or travel expenses to the meet, just once you're there.
Hint: Answer in $ amounts
I hope nobody's missing my attempt at humor. This data will be used for a presentation.
Thanks!
-------------------- Matthew Rolli AdCraft Sign&Design Hudson, WI Posts: 280 | From: Hudson, WI | Registered: Aug 2003
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More often than not I have been a project leader and my costs are covered. However I think for those planning a meet -- all painters should have their meals and lodgings provided for. Any town wanting to know how much they're going to make off of the dogs who travel far and wide to donate their labor and expertise should have to wait in line ... while those towns who want to embrace the dogs with generous hospitality should step forward. In time the worthy towns will have the meets and the others will wait in the wings until the others get taken care of.
To me an ideal dog meet is one where project leaders get paid for their extra efforts and all workers (who work) should stay in the homes of the citizens of the town and they should be fed and pampered with. There have been a few meets that have come close to this, but with the resume we now have I think we are worthy.
I have a representative from some town -- wanting the dogs to come -- call me at least 4 times a year, and I'm getting the impression that they are lining up, but it kinds of gets to me that they somehow feel its totally free or worse yet "what are they going to get out of it."
The first thing I tell them is it's a minimum of $30,000 and they better get some insurance in case a dog takes a spill. They better have some good pies and candy for us. I like it when they come around with sodas on the hot days. I like it when cute girls deliver those sodies. And I especially like it when they have quality scaffolding, lifts, tents/canopies at each mural sight and porta potties that are close by. Coolers should be well stocked and I have yet to meet a dog who doesn't appreciate some evening entertainment. At Belvediere, we were serenaded by at Mexican band that came from out of nowhere while we were telling jokes on the street corner and smoking our cigars. You know all the comforts of the hut. YeeeeeeHaaaaa!!!!!!
I have made these demands in my own hometown and they somehow can't meet them, so (Hey) they must not be worthy. Corporate sponsorship is often overlooked, but that's a good source of revenue.
I'd also like to see us make 60 minutes or "CBS Sunday Morning" with Bill Geist. Give me a few minutes and I'll think of more perks. We deserve them and more.
-------------------- Bill Diaz Diaz Sign Art Pontiac IL www.diazsignart.com Posts: 2111 | From: Pontiac, IL | Registered: Dec 2001
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well aside from air travel expense i would estimate about $500-$700. i tend to stay in nice hotels cause i have some weird hang-ups about where i sleep.
-------------------- Karyn Bush Simply Not Ordinary, LLC Bartlett, NH 603-383-9955 www.snosigns.com info@snosigns.com Posts: 3516 | From: Bartlett, NH USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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Our family has enjoyed going a little early and having a little time to see the local sights; maybe camping and canoeing. Once a meet starts it is always intense! We bought a travel trailer for occasions like Letterheads and if it lasts 20 years it will be worth the purchase. It has our own bed and a tooth brush already hanging.We use it for Midwest area meets only. Anyway we spend(spent) about $500 a trip for the experience. Maybe add a couple hundred for the New economy. We used to do Kids Hockey tournements, which are very similar in expenses, but we have weeded out some of that activity.( They still play, just not far & wide)! We have made some purchases out there. We love Cabela's and we bought a Minnesota Weiner dog( thank you diaz's for the weiner dog parade in Atlanta, Ill.!) $700 sounds good; the Mall of America is too close to Hudson...maybe we better git to werk! Goretski's
-------------------- Lauri Goretski Custom Murals N6334 HWY 107 TOMAHAWK WI 54487 CustomMurals1@aol.com Posts: 127 | From: Tomahawk Wi | Registered: Apr 2003
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I'd say on a REGULAR meet, not a walldog, we would spend around $500-$700. You figure $250-$300 goes for the motel and then eating, cooler stuff, doing SOME sort of touristy thing in the area, etc. That would not include travel, driving usually for us. And of course if there are brushes, books, Butler T-shirts or supplies available in the way of vendors, you can add another $200+ to that!
-------------------- Jane Diaz Diaz Sign Art 628 W. Lincoln Ave. Pontiac, Il. 61764 815-844-7024 www.diazsignart.com Posts: 4102 | From: Pontiac, IL USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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Matthew, you need to charge your community for your efforts. That goes for anyone else who has balls enough and is crazy enough to step forward and coordinate a rendevous with the dogs. I have heard figures as high as $8000 for this. But if you get more you deserve it. There are countless hours to get these events up and running.
Incidently I kept rough track on our Buffalo Bill mural in Jacksonville. We had around 124 man hours painting and on site layout. The layout went fast because we projected it at night (thanks Bernie Lohmeyer for your help). The painting on that project went pretty fast, because it was on well prepared concrete block. Some surfaces are very slow as Tom and Kathy will tell you. But if you figure a generous $50/hr that comes to $6200. You could easily double that figure when you add in the design time, the cost for priming and preparing the surface, meetings that would take place to decide on a subject matter, paint and materials and any scaffold rental.
So there you have it roughly $12,000 per mural times an average of 10 murals per meet and you have presented a community with $120,000 worth of work and you were snappy getting it done since it all happened in a 3 day span. And the community was endlessly entertained by the dogs with the likes of myself, Signaholic Meyers, Cisco, Jeff and all the rest. I mean you just got to stop and figure.
That being said what is our efforts really worth considering how it will impact a community. It seems Jay Allen told me Belvediere's tourism shot through the roof after the dogs hit that town. Shoot fire, my town of 12,000 spent $40,000 on a study to see if they could increase business in the historic business district. So what I'm saying is if you're presenting this to your town I would be bold and tell them it's not so much how much are the dogs gonna spend whilst theys hirst, but what kind of continual dollars are going to flow into beautiful and inviting Hudson, Wi after the dogs have gone to behold the beauty and wonderment of what they've accomplished. And man the community will be talking about how wild and crazy it all was.
-------------------- Bill Diaz Diaz Sign Art Pontiac IL www.diazsignart.com Posts: 2111 | From: Pontiac, IL | Registered: Dec 2001
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Tourism dollars increased in Belvidere about 40% the very next year (tracked by revenue increase via sales tax receipts). Part of that was the timing of the calendar year which included the Walldog Rendezvous meet (July to July calendar year). So if you figure $50 per sq. ft. the murals ten years ago would have cost over $400,000 - mostly since the Hueg wall was so large at 34' x 80'. The total budget for the entire festival was $60,000.
Was that a good return on the money invested? $60,000 to yield $400,000 - plus the intangibles like community pride and an identity. Seems like it, huh? (Belvidere was WAY too ambitious and too big and should never be tried again at that scale - even though it was the International meet that year. Too much pressure on the painters at that scale)
Do Walldog meets help a community revenue-wise? More than anyone can possibly know.
-------------------- Jay Allen ShawCraft Sign Co. Machesney Park, IL jallen222@aol.com http://www.shawcraft.com/
"The object of the superior man is truth." -Confucius Posts: 1285 | From: Machesney Park, IL, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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These have been some really good responses, and you are doing things right as far as being a host. I have worked with Matt and the town he's refering to is HUDSON wisconsin. It is ready for Letterheads, as far back as 2 years ago, Matt was in there prepping them at every meeting he could to get the word out. He's not done, (Are we ever really done educating the general public?)
I will spend an average like anyone else $500 to $1,500 on a meet. Yes, I get some perks for being a project leader or teacher, but it does not cover what I should get for my rate as if i were here working at the shop. Let's look back at when these Walldog and Letterhead Meets started....You had to PAY to be there..yes, I typed PAID to BE THERE. Alot has changed since then. Bill responded to the Walldog issue very nicely and it's those, "break-downs of what it really takes to make it happen" to make the towns understand what they are getting. We as sign people must be constantly aware of what trouble you can get into without being smart...
What do I mean? Well, When you first go into a town that wants a WallDog meet, and you are not the painter or sign shop that lives and works there, you better bring in the local sign people so you don't get the Hornet's Nest riled up! Get them INVOLVED! We are just now turning the corner to make these meets pay us something, it's not enough but it's better than paying in! We are trying to mkae it profitable as any one would. Big Letterhead Meets are not being as well attended as they once were, and the people who organized them and unselfishly turned their lives upside down, are now staying clear of trying to do it again. Being a former International Host Twice myself, I can tell you that it takes YEARS to recover.....YEARS. FOr what? For the better of the Industry, so other people can learn. In WallDogs, the greed factor of towns creeps in and it can be vicious. Emotions can carry you away. You must get BUSINESS done first, then the rest will fall into place. This is what Matt is trying to figure out...
Let's look at today, June 2007
Who's having the International this year stateside?
Can anyone tell me? No?
Because there isn't one. No big deal, but maybe this tells us something, maybe the Big International Meets need to rest for a while. Did they get too big? Some say yes, some say no. Are smaller ones better? Damn right they are! Are people learning anything at these meets? Yes, but not like it was in the early meets. Why? Computers. We all cannot have out computer set-up at a meet ready to flick on the switch and have at it. We can layout a panel and paint it, but many people that do know how to do it, don't want to any more. It's easier to do vynull. We are all guilty of that. So what lies down the road for a Letterhead meet? Are there any young people stepping up and hosting meets? Not really. Is it the same people doing seminars? yes. When will they be relieved and step back and help out in other ways so the industry stays "Fresh" for them? When will new poeple step up and do seminars and host?
Letterheads was founded on one important phill-oss-oh-fee
"To help the novice"
Plain and simple. Can we get back to this....yes we can. Can we use new techniques and tools?, of course we can, we all do it everyday. Can old techniques still be used?, absolutetly.
Everyone wants the easy route, with much gained. It will never be an easy route to have "much gained."
Matt rolli, good on you big Man! I will help you out for this Meet in August 2008 and like we have said before, if Hudson doesn't conform to the way it's gotta be, we'll have one heck of a good time in your back yard!!!!!
WHo's up for a sheep cookout?
-------------------- Mike Meyer Sign Painter 189 1st Ave n P.O. Box 3 Mazeppa, Mn 55956
We are not selling, we are staying here in Mazeppa....we cannot re-create what we have here....not in another lifetime! SO Here we are!!!!!!!
posted
I'd say we spend $300 to $500 each on a meet. I'd venture to bet we're gonna enjoy ourselves so much in Algoma that we might just wanna return for your endeavor, Matt. Mike, I'm always up for good food!
-------------------- Nancie W. Phillips White Dove Painting Studio 74 Dacula Road, Dacula, GA 30019 678-887-3339
posted
I'd say I spend an average of $750. But I almost always incorporate at least a few extra days holiday in there.
I know this is off topic Matt, but I'd like to comment on Mike's comments. I've had a few inquiries as to why we didn't take the international title. We talked about having it in Moose Jaw - but when we inquired into what made the international "The International" it just didn't seem to fit us. I think the fact that we picked a date back in 2005 and advertised early maybe made some feel we were candidates. But after discussion amongst those co-hosting we decided we would leave it to someone else. I think some of that decision was based on the responsibility of living up to the reputation, the rest was a personal decision by our group. Perhaps in retrospect we should have grabbed the opportunity....maybe the title would have helped attendance. We have a wonderful group of project leaders, seminars and attendees, but registration was way down from what we originally expected. From an initial list of 73 from a year ago who said they were going to do their utmost to come only 13 of them are registered. We have picked up others and I think there will be a comfortable amount of work, we wanted to make this meet about learning, to allow time to take in seminars, and leave ample time to kick back and panel jam and enjoy letterhead fellowship. It was very important to me that those attending this meet would leave feeling what they had gained was well worth the money it cost them. We'll still be doing that, just for fewer people. Did we overestimate the allure of our meet? Has the price of gas, the need for passports and the rise of the Canadian dollar played a part. Is being sandwiched between a prestigous Walldog event two weeks before and a encore of a great Canadian event a month later cutting attendance? I suspect all of the above...but we are going to have a really comfortable group and I think in the long run it will be all the better for that. It just makes it kind of tough for planning purposes.
This isn't a beef or a complaint about anything or anyone....things just are what they are.
Moose Jaw will be an incredible experience for those of us who are there, and we have enough participants that it won't be a marathon. Free food with the registration, all the projects in one licensed venue (which also has a lounge and restaurant) a block from the hotels, billets and camping for those who don't have the budget for a hotel room, a shuttle service from the Regina airport...I don't think we could have made it more affordable or comfortable. The fun thing is that those who are newbees are going to have a wealth of heads eager to teach them...it kind of reminds me of my first meet at Pat Welter's....being overwealmed by the amount of talented people coming at me. Well with one month to go - what am I doing sitting here ....gotta get to work!
-------------------- “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” -Winnie the Pooh & A.A. Milne
Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
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Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. — Charles Mingus Posts: 6806 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Matt, since this is my second stateside meet I can say that I intend trying to do some decent shopping for stuff that I can't get in Ireland or that is far cheaper in the USA (thank you China!) I'm bringing a bigger than I need suitcase and intend to spend up to $1000 on the staying and the shopping.
-------------------- Miles Cullinane, Cork, Ireland.
From the sometimes sunny south of Ireland, Posts: 914 | From: Cork, Ireland | Registered: Jul 1999
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This is a little off topic from the original $ question but on the same vein as Mike and Bill's comments. As some of you know I had announced a Minneapolis Walldog meet for Fall 2007. As most of you don't know this has now been rescheduled for 2008, partly because we were trying to do too much too quickly. I also began to wonder how we can have the same feel as the Walldog meets I have been at in small towns, in an urban setting. I know a lot of folks are understandably less than thrilled about coming to a large city where the feel would certainly be different, so I have sort of the opposite problem as some of the small town meets, in that the two urban neighborhoods I am working with are very enthused, and out raising money, and want to know what they can do to make us happy in terms of events and amenities but I do wonder whether a large city can draw enough people.
What I'm seeing is a real interest both by small towns and large cities in having Walldog meets and I'm wondering if while many of us are in Algoma we might have some kind of forum to look at the future of this and how we can make it worthwhile for everyone involved both in smaller towns and larger ones. I think together we might be able to come up with some kind of urban model for a Walldog meet that also draws more from painters in the community as a city tends to have that resource and tends to be very supportive of art related events and activities. At least Minneapolis is.
In answer to the original question, I'm pretty frugal and usually camp so with a few meals thrown in and maybe some gifts for my kids I probably spend $50 or less a day, not including the gas to get there.
-------------------- Carole Bersin Carole Bersin Painting 3527 24th Av S, Minneapolis, Mn 55406 cbersin@visi.com Posts: 211 | From: Minneapolis, Mn USA | Registered: May 2005
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Good luck to you Matthew on this venture. Good responses here. I wish I was younger, because at my age, getting up and down scaffolding, etc. makes for some exhausted muscles and joints. My days of doing this are probably coming to a close, or at least I would be relegated to scissors lift work or some behind the scenes capacity. It's like with sports ... when you can no longer play, you coach ... and when you can no longer coach you cheer from the stands.
That would be me -- cheering the loudest.
I can't think of too many things that gives you a more satisfying feeling about yourself than to give of yourself unselfishly. That's a mouthful. You good people out there who have taken it upon yourself to give to your community with a walldog experience, need a big THANK YOU from both the communities involved and the walldogs. You are worthy of a spot in heaven.
I wish I could attend all letterhead events, but I simply can't. We've always tried to coordinate a letterhead event with a vacation of sorts when we can. This helps defray costs and helps come tax time, because a walldog meet is an educational/work event that is also a tax write-off.
I'd just like to say there are plenty of us around to help you make good decisions with your community. Be wary of their greed by reminding them of the value of the gifts they are about to receive. I wouldn't know how much we spend as Jane rarely let's me have any money (hahaha). Seriously she pays the bills and gives me what I want, but my needs are puny. As long as I have some beer and ice in the cooler, everything else is rudimentary.
And Carole I would be more than happy to sit with you and study a meet at the urban venue your proposing. On the surface I think the impact of a meet in a small community is undeniable. If the town is small the murals are more saturated. I have also feared that 10 murals for example in large city would not be noticed or make the impact that they would in a small town. I thought Joliet, IL would be too big, as they wanted a meet. That town is 100,000 plus and is also a suburb of Chicago. So it seems like a needle in a haystack.
I have not considered it like you have, Carole, with the neighborhood idea. I can always be persuaded when the discussion is convincing.
Good luck --- Matthew!
[ June 10, 2007, 06:16 AM: Message edited by: Bill Diaz ]
-------------------- Bill Diaz Diaz Sign Art Pontiac IL www.diazsignart.com Posts: 2111 | From: Pontiac, IL | Registered: Dec 2001
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Matthew, you ask for a $ amount... Answer- as little as possible, as after travel, accommodation & registration, I usually want to not spend much more at all, out of necessity. The other replies which aren't specific answers to your question, are still terrifically informative.
-------------------- "Stewey" on chat
"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7016 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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By and large, I betch'a this is really a 'husband-wife' thing and you guys have some knid'a bet goin' on what these things cost, ey??
Seriously Mark, as someone already stated technically you have a great many variables.
Based on an average 3 day meet, arriving on the day of the meet (usually) and leaving on the last day, here is an 'average breakdown based on my limited experience to three US meets which gives you just enough numbers to create average rounded-off figures. (I did not include figures for an overseas meet)
With no personal shopping extras just things pertaining to the meet... Although these figures can be skewed as well since these particular meets were within 8 hours of travel. And you might also consider that I am above average when it comes to penny-pinching or thrift as I prefer to call it, although I personally avoid hitch-hiking, sleeping in my vehicle, or being meet janitor-'head to earn freebies, there are after all many ways to save the almighty dollar...
*Meet registration: $37.50 ($25-$50- an average then would be 37.50)
*t-shirt $10 (sometimes included in the registration)
*extra T for the kid $10 (ya gotta take 'em SUM'THIN')
*Some item for sale:$40 - perhaps a new brush, some book, a CD, I will choose something small like this $30-50
*Meals $60 (2 nights dining out at some nice joint or one night-out and mabey sunday dinner (I'm always compelled to treat some special individual), and this is including at least one, if not two side trips to WF (Waffle House) for just iced tea or hot chocolate.
(Don't forget in the registration usually a breakfast and mid-evening meal are included two days of the meet, so you really usually have no food to purchase, because who really goes to a meet to eat ANYWAY . . . but you always go out evenings WITH 'heads so that pertains to the meet in my opine . . . do remember most hotels provide the free continental thing if your into lukewarm milk, a small apple and/or a stale bagel/cereal.)
*Travel snax $20 (round-trip)(a must for me, I will usually have to have a cappuccino and some sort of 'healthy' breakfast-bar-snack for the drives coming and going and throw in a coupl'a bottles of water and crackers or something. Even if these things were packed ahead for the drive they were'nt free. They pertain to the meet because that's where I'm going in a vehicle for 3-8 hours.
Now you cannot NOT add the cost of the room and the travel which are by far the two biggest expenses of the meet for each individual.
*Room - 2 nights $50. AVERAGE is the key word here-$ (whether rooming with three in an average $55 convention-reduced-rate room or two in a $47crr, or sleepin' single in a double bed, in which case I might tolerate a cheesier accomodation. )
Gas - by far the most variable expense we can try to figure beacuse this cost could be split with additional riders/drivers but alas, I travel alone so these are my numbers . . .so as an average price I spent about $90 for a 6 hour round trip meet, which includes the many trips to and from the meet as well as to WF.
Grand average total: $412.50
I'm sure I've gotten by on less goin' to Texas to visit my daughter for a week which would include shopping sprees but hey, it's a Letterhead Meet.
posted
I would imagine I spend 300.00 to 400.00 attending a meet. I have had either my son or daughter with me the last few meets, so that drives up the cost a little bit more for meals/lodging/knick knacks, etc.
As a host of 2 meets myself, I know it's important for you to get as much of this information as possible Matt. With hosting any meet, no matter how large or small, I have found that there are so many elements that make each meet unique. Like Mike Meyer once said in prepping me for hosting the first Brush Bash in 2002... you'll NEVER make everyone happy with every facet of the meet, but you can't let that stuff bring you down, you just do the best you can and the good stuff outweighs any of the little insignificant stuff that may happen.
I felt that we were very fortunate in both of our meets with the overall success of the Brush Bash, thanks first and foremost to the hard working signpainters that pulled it all together to get so much work done. Now with more sponsorship of the events, it's great to not have to pay a fee, but looking back, it gives me a feeling of guilt that we weren't able to do the same, but we had to factor in a fee to make sure we didn't go in the tank!
But, with sponsorship of specific projects at the meet come expectations of completing those projects, so I warn you that it may be better to contribute to a general fund rather than such individual sponsorship. Our main street crew really helped garner sponsor dollars, but once those committments were made, there were more projects to do than our painting crew could accomplish, so with the unbelieveable post-meet help of Dale Manor and a few others and myself, we worked for another week to complete or "tune up" some of the murals.
That is probably the hardest thing to esimtate before a meet is the amount of projects vs. the help that will be available. I tend to procrastinate before registering for a meet myself, so it does make for a nervous host wondering how many painters are going to show...and hopefully the weather cooperates!
I already have several community folk asking me when the next Brush Bash will be and I can only honestly think in my mind..."If you only knew how much work before, during and after it takes to host a meet!" I just pause and say, "I'm not sure, but it will probably be a lot smaller in scale and we would have a lot more entertainment for the painters and do a lot less work into the night." I still have to apply the UV clear on some of the murals. We had local sponors provide money to buy the UV clear, and now I have to make some time to roll on the clear, so the meet still continues!!
After all of the hard work was done though, we have received some great recognition for the Brush Bash recently. At the state Main Street awards banquet in Rice Lake this past April, Chippewa Falls Main Street was awarded with "Best Design Committee Project" for the Brush Bash Harmony Courtyard murals. They also tagged me with State Volunteer of the Year.
Good luck Matt. Thanks for helping with our meets and I'll be sure to be in Hudson to help you out as well.
-------------------- Kurt Gaber Chippewa Falls, WI Thank You Letterheads for being a part of both Brush Bashes in '02 & '06!
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I have spent as little as $75 to go to a meet and as much as $2K, depending on the variables of travel (gas, rental car, airfare), meals, motel and registration fees.
If it's in a cool place where I'll want to buy souveniers, I'll spend more. If there are brushes for sale at a meet, I stock up when I can afford it.
Invariably, a Letterhead meet is very good for the host town's economy. Just tell them that, and to trust you. I know it can be tuff to convince the CofC to let you take over their town.
Love....Jill
Posts: 8834 | From: Butler, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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I was going to wait to answer this post until after I had gone to Algoma. As it turned out, I couldn't go. It might be a good time for others to answer, since there are a few meets fresh in the past. A not very specific answer from me would be about three hundred.
By the way, Happy Birthday!
-------------------- Dave Parr Sign Painter USA Posts: 709 | From: USA | Registered: May 2003
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