[vcf-midatlantic] VCF East 2021 Pay Per View Recommendations

[RETRO Innovations]

On 9/21/2021 10:01 PM, ☼ wil lindsay ☼ via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
> I think this is a great fund-raising/support opportunity  --not bad optics.
> You might be surprised at how many local people would take advantage of
> this.
I wouldn't be surprised, as I know a lot of folks would, for the 
specific reason you note below.  Lots of folks are still skittish about 
traveling to group activities.
> I have folks who work with me (here in NJ) that will still avoid any group
> activities due to health/Delta Variant concerns.
Exactly!
>
Again, I'm not suggesting it's a bad idea.  And, I doubt the 
participants will complain, ala HOPE and K-Fest.

That said, VCF East is the flagship VCF show, and I believe it, more 
than any of the other shows, bleeds into the mainstream. Maybe it's not 
important and/or maybe no one will cast the group in a negative light in 
the more mainstream areas of the media for doing a PPV.  That's a rather 
big if, though.

A few other things prompt my response, though I was hesitant to bring 
them up:

  * The production quality of the 2020 show was not that good.  It was
    perfect for a free live show, but if you PPV it, I think the quality
    needs a marked improvement, and that's tough to do on such short
    notice. I went back and rewatched some of it the other day (to find
    the Mensch presentation), and the memory is fresh.  I mean no
    disrespect, as it's a volunteer effort, etc. Still, if you charge,
    the expectations rise.
  * Do physical attendees to the show get a free pass to the live
    shows?  If not, that's concerning, because someone of us use the
    live feeds to help with presence at the physical show.  But, doing
    so makes for more work, and so I assume the answer to this is no.
  * It seems like a short runway to make this successful, given that the
    show is less than 3 weeks. Again, people will be fine with a best
    effort free live feed, but PPV folks will expect more.  Have all the
    presenters been prepped for a live virtual feed so they can prep
    their materials to look best for both in person and virtual
    presentation?  Split screen?  Demo screens? I know if I were a
    presenter, I would not want to show up, do my regular prez, find out
    later it was part of a PPV feed, and then have the people who
    watched my prez complain that they could not see the materials
    because they were not optimized for the virtual feed.
  * Relatedly, are the big presenters OK with monetizing a virtual
    version of their presentations?  Probably they are not, but I think
    they should be asked and have agreed before the show begins.  I know
    Michael is touchy about his materials and their use (personal
    experience here).

Again, I'm a fan of the idea in general, but there's a lot to consider, 
time is very short, and I am sure there are a half dozen more things I'm 
not thinking about that someone needs to consider.

Jim