So the next several days are going to be busy, but also very fun. I’m excited to be headed back to Chicago – a city that has really become a second home for me. I’m looking forward to spending time in the city, talking in person with people whom have become my normal “cast of characters” on Twitter throughout the day, and feeling the Duranie energy come alive again. For me, this past year has been so quiet on that front, and I know I’m not alone when I say that I’ve really missed seeing the band, going to shows and even seeing long distance friends. While the band won’t be present at the convention, there is something about bringing Duranies together in a room – we create our own energy, and I really hope to glean a little bit to take home!
It isn’t quite time for reflection just yet, but I’ve learned so much from planning…I thought I would share just a few thoughts.
First, the practical things:
- It really does take a lot of time to plan an event like this. Amanda and I started working on this event, just by talking about our vision, back in late November last year. I won’t know if all of our ideas worked until Sunday, but I will say that the basic framework for what we had in mind still stands…and I’ll also say that we’ve said that we’d change some things for future conventions!
- I have learned more computer software programs in this past year than I think I have learned in the ten years prior combined. I’ve designed web pages, learned Pixelmator, designed and printed a booklet (which is a LOT tougher than it sounds), created a slideshow using a combination of a few different pieces of software (Final Cut Pro, iMovie and iDVD)…just to name a few.
- I’ve become much more adept at reading contracts and understanding the fine print. I know how to book group or convention space at hotels, and I am MUCH better at being able to forecast things such as attendance! I have a much better understanding of what makes a hotel/restaurant unreasonable to work with, as well as what makes for a great convention space.
- By the end of the weekend I’m going to be brilliant at hooking up audio/visual equipment, or else we will be sitting and twiddling our thumbs at the banquet…so this had better go well.
And then there are the “not so practical, but still worthy” things:
- Having a committee to help can work, but only if people are willing to take ownership and commit. Funny how the word “commit” makes up the word committee. Not everyone is able to give the same sort of time and commitment, and this isn’t necessarily a problem. It’s a matter of expectations, and that is something that needs to be well-communicated up front by all parties.
- Support doesn’t necessarily mean being right beside you, physically, every step of the way. When we first started planning the convention and it became clear that some of my oldest friends in this community weren’t going to be coming – I did take it personally. I very much wanted and needed their support, and none of them seemed to bother. That hurt me, and I won’t lie about that. I have no doubt that they made the decisions they did based on whatever was going on in their own lives at the time, but it still stung. I couldn’t decide if it was that they didn’t want to support me or if it was that they didn’t want to bother for the band. For a while, I very much felt alone on a limb, but there have been times since that I have needed to ask for help or lean on several of them, and they’ve been there when I needed. Not everyone can be exactly where you need them, but they are still with you in spirit.
- Your real friends, even those that you don’t necessarily realize, will come through for you every single time. There have been times, recently actually, where both Amanda and I have been a near panic. (Who am I kidding? We were in a complete panic.) That happens when there are thousands of dollars…your own dollars, actually, on the line. One night in particular, those friends, people who aren’t even on the committee and really shouldn’t have to worry about what is going on behind the scenes here, stepped forward to comfort and remind both Amanda and I that we are not alone. I am completely indebted to them, and if nothing else good comes from this whole weekend – it is that I learned exactly who my friends are. I love all of you.
- You can love a band with all of your heart and soul, but when it comes down to planning a convention, very little of that feeling comes into play. Whether or not that actually helps or hurts your fandom depends upon the person. In my case, I have to say I think it’s hurt how I felt about the band this past year. It’s not that I feel wronged by the band, that’s not it at all – it’s that something like this creates a lot of stress even in the best of situations, after all, a lot of this planning comes down to dollars and cents and becomes pure business. During those times of stress, *I* forgot that this was supposed to be fun. There are a lot of reasons why it might not have been so fun for me, and those are things that if we decide to do this again, we’ll look at and probably change, but my point is that I’m really looking forward to having FUN!
- A convention can be planned down to the last note of music that will be played, and yet the one variable that cannot be controlled is people. The entire way through this process, we really had no idea what to expect. It hasn’t always gone as we had hoped or thought, but somehow now – as I sit here contemplating on what suitcase to bring or how I’m going to dress up on Saturday night (no, I still don’t have my costume completely set), I think I have peace with how it will turn out. I really do believe everyone is going to have a great time, and that despite some really tough things we’ve experienced this past year, the weekend will be a success.
All of that said, if I dare mention ideas for a convention next year while I’m at Durandemonium for the weekend, someone should buy me a drink and tell me to stop thinking!
-R
