thoughts for future workshops

At the end of the PDC today people were giving feedback.

The PDC was free for residents and $400 for non residents. No food would be provided.

It sounds like people VERY MUCH liked the idea of a lower price for the event without food. But they did think it would be cool if there was an industrious resident selling organic foodstuff and maybe even organic meals.

Somebody suggested that they would like the opportunity to join me for at least one meal. Maybe several.

On this PDC, I fed and housed the instructors and the VIPs (Howard and Nong, Jeremy (assistant to howard), Jacqueline and Joseph Freeman, Nathan, Luse and Luna Crane, Daniel and Krissy, Stewart, Estar, Morgan, Devin, Sergei, Dave and Matt Hunter, Thomas Elpel and Wren, Josho and Bridget, .... and maybe some others I am forgetting). Between event preparations, cleaning before during and after, food and all the other expenses, my math says that this event cost me about $5000 and my gross income is/was $0.00. Although I did get a lot of people that picked up a lot of bounties which was excellent. I'm not counting those bounties in this - I am saying that without the event those bounties might not have been done for many months into the future.

So, for this event, there were 21 students. About $238.10 per student. I suppose if there is an event like this in the future, I could say that I need to be paid $1000 plus $200 per student. Or, a more precise formula might be $1000 + $100 per student + $10 per day per student. And this is just to allow somebody like howard to put the event on here. Howard still does all of the registrations and airport deliveries and stuff.

And then if people show up early, they can collect a bunch of bounties on stuff getting prepped. And maybe if people are staying late, they can pick up bounties on getting stuff cleaned up.

Anybody else have thoughts and suggestions?

Paul it seems to me you have done other events offsite, maybe your bunch of teachers would get a bigger crowd if you could hold the event in various parts of the country?

I know control would be harder but maybe a bidding system could be implemented. What I think I mean would be, the workshops have "completed projects", like the wofati, rmh'rs, etc. Some permies are more well-healed or more flush than others. They may jump at getting to host an event.

I know you mentioned someone could host an event with your expenses paid in Hawaii.

Sure people would need shelter, feeding, etc. but maybe it might have possibilities.

Also maybe some of your permaculture site compatriots might love to get Paul Wheaton's bunch to their compounds, some host-beneficiary relationships.

Just some thoughts.

I think I need more sleep. The first time I read "$1000 plus $200 per student, I thought you were saying $1200 per student, and that seemed. . . excessive. But I think you're saying that if there are 15 students, you would want $1000 plus $3000. Or $1000 plus $1500 plus $1600 for a 14 day event.

Right?

Hawaii: I still have only rumors about something happening in hawaii. It would be great if I was holding tickets and an itinerary for jocelyn and i.

Julia, yeah: your math is almost correct. 15 students for 14 days would be $1000 (event prep) + $1500 (smells like gapper fee, 15 * 100) + $2100 (15 students * 14 days * $10) = $4600.

So we would do everything for the students that we do for gappers: airport rides, tour, cleaning up after they go, etc.

And we would make sure things are prepared for the space and manage accommodation for the teachers. Plus clean up after the teachers. And we will shift our work stuff to work around the event. That's the $1000.

Then the $10 per student per day has to do with the day-to-day stuff that is always coming up. So if there are 15 students, we have $150 per day for cleaning and dealing with mail, tool burn and stuff like that.

- - -

Speaking of tool burn. We REALLY need to do that thing that so many other workshops do where they list off all the tools and stuff you need to bring. Today Jocelyn was pointing out that I don't seem to have a preference for which towel I use. I told her I used to, but I haven't seen my favorite towel in over a year - so it must have left with a workshop person.

And I hear that if you make a ridiculously long list of stuff that people need to bring to a workshop, about a third of the people coming forget to take home SOMETHING and you start to accumulate all of the tools and things you need for workshops instead of those things disappearing. DAMN SMART!

I probably should start a new thread for this, heck maybe there already is a thread.

Idea
Here's the premise, you have tool shrinkage and the stuff wears out. You had a great
generous giver that gifted you with the gift cards back when.

My premise a "Gift Registry", sort of like a baby registry where mom and dad put up a list of stores where
they have items they would love to welcome the new baby with. I guess they have them for
marriages too.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_432439222_1?ie=UTF8&docId=1000626061

I wonder if anyone has suggested to Amazon of starting one of these for groups? It sure would be nice to get 1% of that
action for being the one to make them oodles. Heck 1/10th of 1% would keep you in tools.

What do you think?