Britcon and Roll Call 2013 - The BHGS needs YOU!

[TimChild]

You may have been wondering why we at the BHGS have not yet published details for Britcon and Roll Call. Unfortunately, we have a major manpower problem, and possibly also an issue with increased cost of the Britcon venue this year, which means that we simply do not currently have the personnel resources available to run either event at the moment.

We have been able to see this issue as a potential problem for some time, and raised the topic with some possible candidates personally over the last year but without success. Unfortunately, despite having organised a great Britcon in 2012, Nobby very sadly felt that he isn't able to carry on in his role with the BHGS this year and our fears about available manpower have come all too true. If you want Britcon and Roll Call to happen this year, we need volunteers who are willing to give up their own gaming for a weekend to help run the events.

For the avoidance of any doubt, Challenge, The Scottish Open and the Doubles are all "safe" for 2013 - these events are definitely happening and we look forward to seeing as many as possible of you there!

For Roll Call, we can resource most of the pre-event organisation etc., but we do need at least one person to help with that and to organise and deal with admin over the weekend (which will almost certainly involve not being able to play) and several more (ideally lots more!) solid, reliable helpers to assist with the set-up and take-down on the Friday before and the Sunday evening afterwards.

For Britcon, in its current format, we need a lot more! As well as someone to take up the organisational reins and lead the event, we will need a team of about 6 overall during the weekend, able and willing to take responsibility for organising and running the competitions, manning the bring and buy, assisting and supervising the traders and providing admissions and "security" on the door. As those who have been to Britcon will appreciate, these roles are full-time during the event and, again, will involve not being able to play in the competitions.

The University is also looking to increase the charge for the venue this year. That means either that the price per competitor will have to increase (quite a bit), or that we need a new, cheaper but similarly-sized venue, so we need suggestions in that respect.

Anyone able to volunteer to act as the lead organiser for the event will need energy and experience in relation to event-organisation, whether wargames-related or not.

If these events are important enough to you for it to be worth your while volunteering to help, please make contact with us urgently. The BHGS Committee members are:-

Bruce Brown
Tim Child
David and Lynda Fairhurst
James Hamilton
Matt Haywood
Hunter Hope
Jer Morgan

Please speak to or email any of us personally to discuss what is needed and how you could help.

[grahambriggs]

Tim, do you have dates for either comp (might help people assess whether they can help)? I imagine Britcon would be "if we stay at UMIST". Is there a venue booked for Roll call?

[azrael86]

It's disappointing to hear that the new team didn't see fit to negotiate with Manchester for more than a year, for an event that has been running for over a decade and more than 5 years at Manchester. Assessment of other venues may be advisable, and with a strategic focus (3-5 yrs) - although the delay is likely to make this more costly than had this been done in October, say. There is obviously a premium if commitment can be for several years, and as the premier tournament Britcon should look to maximise this.

Again, six months is not much notice for the level of effort required. Is it too much to ask that last year's team raise this at the time ?

If someone can tell me when/where Rollcall is, then happy to help subject to other commitments.

Regards

Jon

[TimChild]

Hi Jon,

Thanks for the offer re Roll Call. It is intended to be sometime in June (but not yet actually booked unless we know that we have the manpower to put it on - so there is a bit of a chicken and egg situation there) and the venue would be the same school as the last couple of years, in Cranfield (near Milton Keynes).

From your comments, it sounds as if you have experience of booking and organising events such as Britcon? Are you able to offer to help with Britcon itself?

Nobby and Hammy did an excellent event last year (according to feedback I have had - sadly my personal domestic arrangements don't extend to Britcon), but were themselves picking it up fairly late in the day and after the end of a previous long-term booking arrangement. It was the end of that arrangement that enabled the change allowing greater flexibility in accomodation, which was much appreciated, for example.

We are where we are now and from here is where anyone volunteering for Britcon has to start - there is no point in those not involved to date chirruping at what they might think someone else could or should have done; it is neither helpful nor conducive to others vounteering to put themselves in the firing-line for such future criticism ... that kind of comment nearly prevented Britcon from happening at all last year and is one of the reasons it is difficult to recruit and retain volunteers. As I explained in the initial posting, we have been looking for help ever since last Britcon and have raised the issues with people who we hoped were likely candidates. That not having worked, we are going public now with the issues, so that you know what the position is and so that all angles for offers of help can be explored.