Symposium Reflections

[John Van Domelen]

I am Still in Richmond, in the hotel. I wanted to post thoughts before I forget things.

First off, the video guys seemed to have a much better handle on things this year. In fact, in many of the sessions, I didn’t notice the video guys at all due to how smooth the camera angles were being selected. Kudos!

The one complaint I have was the lighting. It was poor at the front of rooms. I feel the AAW should have anticipated this and had some form of better lighting in the rooms. Instructors in several sessions had to stop what they were doing to fiddle with inadequate lighting. The large black metal light truss and lights our local club owns and takes to SWAT every year was very modest in cost. Something like this could be purchased for the rooms and worth the investment for the AAW to have and bring to the yearly symposium.

It was great to see old friends, meet new ones and put faces with the names of people met online.

I especially enjoyed the POP sponsored programs and attended many of these. Many honest, fresh and varied concepts and points of view were presented. The dialog between the panels and audience was especially valuable.

Spent way too much money (though less than last year when I purchased a big lathe). 😀


Looking forward to next year in Albuquerque!

 

[Charlie Knighton]

symposium

i'm home, i'm drained, a highlight 😀

 

[Gil Jones]

Glad y'all had a good time (hope I can attend the next one).
Who won the Phil Brennion Benefit [lathe and tool] Raffle, and how many tickets were sold?

 

[Ed Davidson]

Gil,

You'll find that info here: Banquet and EOG Benefit Auction

 

[Gil Jones]

Thanks, Ed.
Congratulations to the raffle winners!!, but mostly to Phil Brennion.
I am pleased to see that the raffle turned out very well.
Gil

 

[James McClure]

Rotation Schedule

I liked the roataion schedule! On Saturday and Sunday, there was more time between the rotations. This is the first year that I felt like I had enough time to walk through the trade show and instant gallery and not miss a rotation. I hope the AAW powers that be decide to continue this scheduling.

If I remember correctly, in years past the trade show opened on Thursday night and it did not do that this year. It would be nice for the trade show to open Thursday evening and maybe stay open a little later on Friday night.

 

[hockenbery]

Hi James,

I think we'll keep this basic schedule for next year and ...

Regarding Thursday night for the trade show.. I know it happened once.
It probably won't happen again.

This was one item we discussed when we were tweaking the schedule and setting times that would feature the trades show, instant gallery, and resident artists. We decided against it because we would have to have to start setting up on Wednesday and have to rent the hall for another day. It also adds a day to the vendors costs. Not a popular idea for a few hours.

-Al

 

[Doug Thompson]

Al, what was the attendance for this symposium? It would be nice to open on Thursday night but many booths spend all day setting up and work hard moving equipment this would be to much to ask of them.

 

[Brodie Brickey]

From the trade show perspective, we had some serious dead time Friday morning early and Saturday morning. I would recommend not starting the trade show Friday and Saturday until 9 or 9:30. Anyone up early enough on Friday is either attending the opening or the first demonstrations. Saturday is pretty much the same. Once the first demonstration is done things get a little livelier.

Friday we were open until 7 Pm and it was pretty busy until the end there, Saturday closed at 5:30 with the dinner/social starting at ~6:00 PM. Open on Sunday at 8:00 since, the final day most everyone clears out after 2:00 PM.

I too would be interested in the attendance count. I met a lot of people and received some great feedback.

 

[Doug Thompson]

I liked the early starting times and talked to enough people to make it worth while. The more hours it's open the better because it gives people more time to look around without rushing.

 

[hockenbery]

Hi Doug,

Unofficial Attendance was close to 1600 (two less than Portland).
Maybe we'll find a few more registrations.

We Also had quite a few walk-ins visit the trade show and instant gallery.
This is based on questions at the registration desk and some informal counts of visitors to the Instant gallery.

We encourage those not attending the symposium to come for a day and visit those sections open to the public. An article in the Richmond paper also mentions that th trade show and galleries were open to the public.

-Al

 

[john lucas]

Well I certainly had a good time but I missed a lot of things because I simply met too many people that I've met on the web. It seemed like every time I turned around there was someone else to talk to. That's what makes these things so great.
I want to thank all the people who so kindly helped Jamie set up the video equipment, run the cameras and take everything back down. I had visions of the two of us doing it all ourselves and really appreciate the help, they were a godsend. I think they did a great job. The two people who ran cameras for me were excellent and really helped the demo. The demo's I went to also had camera people who really tried hard work with the demnstrator and I think they did a great job.
I also want to thank the vendors. I know that's a long weekend but many people come just to see what's there and to buy wood and tools. I hope everyone else over spent the way I always do.
My only real complaint was the price of food but then I guess that's what you run into at venues like that.

 

[Truffuls]

Thoughts from a Symposium virgin

I'll start with the negative so I can end on a big high note. 🙄

I had a bad vibe the minute we hit Richmond. Having the city's main convention center surrounded by burned out/boarded up buildings and a zillion closed or blocked one-way roads, making it impossible to pull into the hotel is not a good first impression. The second impression: I feel safer taking a mid-night stroll through the South Bronx than I did on the streets around our location.

On Saturday morning my purse was stolen from the Instant Gallery. The ctr staff were useless and stood around doing nothing while I ran to the phone, called security (also useless), checked the bathrooms, all the trash cans and ran up and down the street. Security promised to call me as soon as the police arrived so I could return to the hotel to start calling/canceling all my credit cards and bank accounts.

Stolen was my purse, wallet, ~$150 cash, several credit cards, check book, drivers lic., 2 car registrations, a pair of diamond earrings, asthma meds, small purchases, several hundred business cards and other sundry items. I had to chase down security at the banquet and demand an explanation as to why they never called me. The same guy from the morning told me that I had to call the police to report the crime and took off. I cornered a second security person and demanded to speak to the head of the convention ctr. At that point I finally got a phone number for the police. It was not until 11pm that an officer called me back and took my report. I still have not received the copy of the report he promised to fax to me. And, because of this mess, I missed my only chance to see Dixie's "Sprouting Leaves on Wood" demo.:mad:

Warning: I understand 2010 will be in Hartford, CT? Perhaps the crime stats should be reviewed for locations before locking into them... just saying...

Would I go again? Hell yes! but, not next year. Airfare is too expensive, especially considering all the booty I'd have to cart home. I'll go to Hartford but I may carry protection and certainly will refuse to let my purse out of my sight ever again. I would suggest that either AAW hire security or the facility provide secured lockers for our belongings if we are not permitted to carry them on our person. We should have volunteers at each entry point closely monitoring activity. Had some of the ladies been at the doors rather than all standing around the table talking several dozen feet from the door, perhaps my purse would not have been stolen.

Suggestions to the video staff. The screens need to be at least 2 feet taller and the video volunteers need to keep the main action at the top of the screen so people in the back can see. Also, I think better training may be needed for some of them. Several of the sessions felt like roller coaster rides because the cameras were jiggling and flipping angles too frequently.

Aside from the above, I was on cloud nine. 😀Complete heaven. 😉I don't know where to start first. I have so many ideas in my head that I am dizzy and don't know what to play with first.

Dixie Biggs, Nick Agar, Cindy Drozda & David Nittmann, Dale Larson, Michael Mocho, Richard Raffan, Al Stirt, Binh Pho, Mark St. Leger, and all the other demonstrators, you are my idols. Your expertise and sharing nature inspire me to try new things and you have given my creative spirit a new burst of energy that I can't wait to unleash in my little woodshop.

I also learned a hard lesson that it can hurt to let a piece go. I got a call from someone asking about my "On the Brink" spalted Dogwood piece. I had to pry it out of my son's hands as he listened to the call and found out I had just sold it. I really love that piece and I'm almost sorry I put a price on it. Maybe I can salvage the last bit of that wood and make another one.

On the way home we found a domestic & exotic hardwood place that sold scraps/cutoffs. Even though we had a van full of wood we stopped and got some amazing pieces. And then, we crossed paths with a Harbor Freight store. Talk about over indulging!

We took 500 photos and recorded about 15 hours of video.

Alas, I have to go to work in the morning. No play time for me until at least tomorrow night.

 

[Doug Thompson]

Truffuls, I am sorry to here that your purse was stolen, it had to be someone off the steets. Do we need a package check at the IG?

Thanks Al, I was wondering what it was. Everything was figured on 2,000 people before the symposium so the numbers were right (including the number of bags leftover) LoL

The walk-ins did visit the vendors area, one even bought one of the two displays...

 

[Gordon Seto]

Demonstrator Handouts

Nice job well done. Since nobody wants to read long post, I am not going to list the things that were done better.

I have a bone to pick is the Demonstrator Handouts book. IMHO, it should be included in the registration package. I was not aware of this book, until almost the end of the first day. Many of the demonstration titles were very illusive. If I have the chance to read the handouts first, I might have picked different choices.
The purpose of the handouts is to save time, so the demonstrators can use the precious time to show us more complicated steps. To add insult, the demonstrators had to write what was on the handouts book on the board for the benefit of those who chose not to purchase the book or were not aware that the book existed.
In the past, if there were handouts, they were free. We have paid to have the privilege to attend the rotations to learn. If the vendors knew the book would be distributed to every attendee, they might be more willing to place ads in it. Other than Thompson Tools was the only one. I seriously doubt whether Doug knew his ad dollar would only appear in limited quantity.
To give credit where credit is due. I think the handout book is a bright idea, just don't keep it a secret. Offer for purchase or give out during the registration was the better way to go. When I attended the #11 rotation (last), there were still people didn't know about this handouts book. I believe if all attendees knew about his book, it won't be on sale on the last day at $2 discount.
The main goal of AAW is education, why not go out all the way to provide the necessary information to benefit the members?

I have to praise some volunteers. Some of them went out all the way, holding the Moffat light by hand to give illumination for the demonstrators, in order to dim the room lights, so the projection screens didn't have wash out effects. Dimming the room lights helped us to see the coloring and texturing details tremendously.
THANK YOU, you know who you are.🙂

 

[Jim Stoppleworth]

I have to agree with you on the Demonstrator Handbook. I didn't hear about it in any of the rotations on Friday and learned about it by accident around noon on Saturday. I also agree it should be part of the registration package.

Like me, of the 1600 attendees I wonder how many were first time attendees?
The demonstrator handbook would have been a big help in choosing rotations better at least for me.

Had a great time at the Symposium. Look forward to going again in the future.

Jim

 

[Truffuls]

demo notes book

I didn't know about the book until Saturday when they mentioned that the first run was rejected and they were being reprinted.

What was disappointing was that some of the artists had little or no info in the book at all. I think they should be encouraged, and perhaps assisted in creating valuable handouts.

If AAW is all about education, then perhaps a group should be established to help artists in creating support documentation for their demonstrations.

I would certainly be willing to help out on such a committee. I've done tons of documentation/catalogs/brochures, etc... and would love to help my idols/mentors create a better demonstration.🙂

 

[john lucas]

Wow sorry to hear about your purse. Having had my wallet stolen a couple of times I truely understand what all you had to go through and the frustration of dealing with the police. They do try but there really is so little they can do.
I was leary of leaving my camera bag on the table at the instant gallery. I did take the camera out but there was still a few dollars worth of stuff in the bag. I don't know the best way to handle this. I didn't know we couldn't take a bag in and didn't want to run all the way back to the hotel to leave the bag so I crossed my fingers and laid it there. 99.9 percent of all turners are honest but we've had things stolen from a group club gathering and from other symposiums. It only takes one bad apple.
I hate to have the poor volunteers have to take a give out claim checks on baggage and store the bags behind some sort of barrier. That would put them in a position of responsibility they may not want to do but I don't know of a better solution other than posting big warning signs about the possibility of bags being stolen.

There were several problems in the rooms that unfortunately will always creap up. We couldn't find any way to raise the screens. Jamie looked for tables and such but they were either too small or too large to do the job. The front lights couldn't be dimmed in some of the rooms because this same row of lights were in 3 or more rooms that were adjacent to one another. We didn't discover that until we unknowingly turned down the lights in the room next to ours and they needed them on. Something to keep in mind for the next one.

 

[Jim Stoppleworth]

I didn't know about the book until Saturday when they mentioned that the first run was rejected and they were being reprinted.

What was disappointing was that some of the artists had little or no info in the book at all. I think they should be encouraged, and perhaps assisted in creating valuable handouts.

If AAW is all about education, then perhaps a group should be established to help artists in creating support documentation for their demonstrations.

I would certainly be willing to help out on such a committee. I've done tons of documentation/catalogs/brochures, etc... and would love to help my idols/mentors create a better demonstration.🙂

Melissa,

I would volunteer also.

As I said previously I found out about the booklet by accident when a guy sitting next to me in a rotation took it out to check something.
When I went to purchase one they were nice to me at the AAW table, told me the price was $10 or two for $15 but all I had to do was to wait a minute or two and someone would come along looking for it and we could pair up. Took less than 30 seconds.

Jim

 

[Charlie Knighton]

mishaps

😱

Truffuls, I am sorry to here that your purse was stolen

, i was lucky and did not have any problems, that is til i arrived home from work today, dad said a tool place had called and my credit card had been refused,
i made 3 purchases from this vendor of which one he has to make when he gets home and ship to me, i have the other two. anyway i had called my credit card company before going to the symposium and told them i would be making several purchases and there would be no cash advanves, jewerly, or 10 gas fill ups in 20 minute timeframe. the vendor did not put the charge in til today (it was for $70.73) and i had given a time frame ending on monday, but i was no where near my limit, anyway i will talk to the vendor tomorrow and have talked to my credit card company

i still do not understand credit card mindset😕

 

[Bernie Weishapl]

I just arrived home from Richmond and had a wonderful time at the symposium. This was my first so didn't have anything to compare to but it was good for me. Got to meet a ton of turners and demonstrators so all is good.

 

[Dave Bowers]

It's really too bad about the purse being stolen. As for the demo books, I think some of the suggestions about including it next year have already been taken. I don't think it helped that the print had issues with the first run.

Overall I had a great time, attended some very informative demos/panel discussions, re-united with many friends, and made some new ones. I just wish I had more time to meet more of you. Somehow I held onto money except for a Micro Sander. I didn't even buy wood this time. Thanks to all who made it work!

 

[Jake Debski]

I had a satisfying experience at Richmond. Lots of great people and really idea laden demos.

As for the video work, I think this year was the best I've seen. The guys, by and large, manning the cameras were doing just that, manning the cameras. In the past watching the demo from a prime location was more important than the audiences view.

Concerning The Demonstrators Hand-out book, Al Hockenberry was making the rounds of the demo rooms during early Saturday rotations. He gave the demo assistants a copy of the book and asked that they have the demonstrator, or they themselves, announce its existence and its availability and price. Under the circumstances, short of a large sign in the lobby, not much more could be done. Every event is bound to have some glitches.

The SIG night is a great concept that I hope they can and will continue.

 

[John King]

Bag Check

It's a shame that Truffuls had her purse stolen from the Instant Gallery. I was not comfortable leaving my briefcase on the table at the entrance to the Instant Gallery. It was obvious to me that there was no security in place to protect the purses, backpacks, etc. So, it comes as no surprise to me that Truffuls lost her purse.

As our family of woodturners and those interesed in the art/craft of woodturning grows, it should come as no surprise that a criminal element has entered our community. The criminal element could be within our family. It could be outside our family. It makes no difference. We must put in place appropriate security measures to prevent (or at least deter) events such as the stolen purse.

I recommend that future Instant Galleries implement a "coat check" type of security system. When a person wishes to enter the Instant Gallery, they check their purse, briefcase, backpack, etc. at the gate. The item left is tagged and the owner gets a claim check that matches the item's tag. The item is then placed in an access controlled space. When the owner wishes to retrieve the purse, briefcase, etc., they must present a claim check. No item will be returned without a claim check matching the tag on the purse, briefcase, etc.

I recognize that the "coat check" system will require more volunteers and perhaps more space, but it would be a small price to pay for increased security of itmes left outside the Instant Gallery.

 

[Truffuls]

Demo books & Coat check idea

Concerning The Demonstrators Hand-out book, Al Hockenberry was making the rounds of the demo rooms during early Saturday rotations. He gave the demo assistants a copy of the book and asked that

He "Gave" them a copy? Meaning they didn't have to pay for it? I assisted in 4 demos that I volunteered for and 2 others where the designated volunteer never showed. I had to pay for my copy.😕

I was busy trying to get someone to help me with my stolen purse on Saturday morning.

I like the idea of a coat check system! If nothing else, they tables should have been right by the door so I could have left my purse "checked" until I wanted to leave the room, rather than having to retrieve it and then go visit the Resident Artist area. It would also have prevented the thief's quick exit if they had to maneuver around the tables to leave the room.

 

[Jake Debski]

He "Gave" them a copy? Meaning they didn't have to pay for it? I assisted in 4 demos that I volunteered for and 2 others where the designated volunteer never showed. I had to pay for my copy.😕

I was busy trying to get someone to help me with my stolen purse on Saturday morning.

Truffuls, this may not be an exact quote but " please show this to the audience and tell them the prices, you may keep this copy." I left the hand written price list post-it on the cover and decided to pass it around during the demo. It was never returned and I found the post-it on the floor about half way through the audience, at the end of the demo. I purchased my own copy. Just like your purse but to much less of a loss, there are folks in this world that simply have little conscience. It is truly unfortunate, but how far do we push the honest folk to prevent the few from taking advantage?

 

[Michael Stafford]

I am very sorry you lost your purse Truffuls. No excuse for that.

The demonstrator handouts booklet was only average in my estimation. I went to the NC Symposium last fall and the demonstrator handouts were vastly superior to what was in Richmond. Of course the booklet at the NC Symposium was $15.

Perhaps the most bizarre thing that happened to me happened when I went to collect my boxes on Sunday from the IG. Someone had taken my cardboard box and packing material for my boxes. I had 3 felt bags, one for each box and the cardboard box had three custom sized holes in soft foam for my boxes. I was really angry because I went to a great deal of trouble to prepare a safe lined box for my boxes. Who knows?

But the rest of the symposium was terrific. I had no complaints about anything. The demonstrators were exceptional, the facility was terrific, the vendor area was wallet depleting and the banquet and auction was filling and inspiring. I am ready to leave for Albuquerque....😀

 

[Frank F]

Concerning The Demonstrators Hand-out book, Al Hockenberry was making the rounds of the demo rooms during early Saturday rotations. He gave the demo assistants a copy of the book and asked that they have the demonstrator, or they themselves, announce its existence and its availability and price. Under the circumstances, short of a large sign in the lobby, not much more could be done. Every event is bound to have some glitches.

The SIG night is a great concept that I hope they can and will continue.

I was a demo assistant for two sessions. I didn't get a copy. I didn't know about the Demonstrator's Hand-Out book until Saturday. Then I wondered why there wasn't one in my packet. When I found out why, because AAW was charging for it, I just shook my head in disgust.

$10.00 for the hand-outs?????. What was AAW thinking? Why not bury $10.00 in the registration fee. Or charge vendors for ad space-and not charge us $10 more. But please don't nickle and dime the members for something that should be included in the registration packet. It's a slap in the face to us.

Obviously I didn't buy it. But I would have paid $10 more to attend without a second thought.

The AAW should post a PDF of the book available for download.

BTW: Next year if AAW wants to save money on printing, they should post the handouts for down load to memebers BEFORE the symposium. Just a thought.


Frank

 

[Steve Worcester]

The AAW should post a PDF of the book available for download.

BTW: Next year if AAW wants to save money on printing, they should post the handouts for down load to memebers BEFORE the symposium. Just a thought.
Frank

That's a good idea as everyone who pays the symposium entrance price is either a member or joins to enter.

BTW - Vendor prices went up considerably for next year.

 

[John King]

Way Too Wound Up

In my opinion, you guys are waaaay to wound up about the $10.00 charge for demonstrator handouts. Think about it. It's a trivial expense when compared to what most of us spend in a year on woodturning tools, magazines, wood, etc. And it was an optional expense. I chose not to buy the handouts. I took notes. I took digital photos. In my opinion, my notes and photos are more useful than any demonstrator handout. They focus on what I learned from the demonstrator - not what he thought I needed to know.

I am opposed to any increase in registration fee to cover the cost of demonstrator handouts.

Steve - Please elaborate on "BTW - Vendor prices went up considerably for next year." What's the connection with the handout issue?

 

[Steve Worcester]

Steve - Please elaborate on "BTW - Vendor prices went up considerably for next year." What's the connection with the handout issue?

Someone had commented about charging vendors for ad space on the handouts.

 

[john lucas]

One of the benefits of the handout booklet was you get the handouts from demos that you can't go to. I think that would be worth the extra money. I've already looked through the handouts of several of the demos that I could not attend.

 

[Truffuls]

demo notes book

I missed my only opportunity to see Dixie's Sprouting Leaves demo because I was canceling all my credit cards and waiting for the idiots to do something.

I was very disappointed that Dixie did not prepare anything other than list a few vendors.

I was her volunteer the day before and she admitted that she needed to do more with her handouts.

That is why I offered to start helping turners create valuable demo handouts. The offer still stands; text, photos, layout, etc.... I'm willing to help.

If anyone took Dixie's Sprouting Leaves demo, I'd be grateful if you would share any notes/photos you took. I loved her Surface Texture demo.

 

[Steve Worcester]

I was very disappointed that Dixie did not prepare anything other than list a few vendors.

That is rather typical because you never know if the organization you are going to demo for is going to pick up the costs of making the handouts. I haven't looked lately but this may still be the case with the AAW, but now they put them all in the book and you (as an atendee) buy the book.

I would like to see them put up on the members only site.

 

[john lucas]

My handout was just as sparse as Dixie's. I was embarrassed and it's my own fault. This was a new demo and I simply had not put together a handout. I scrambled to get something together for Malcolm before the deadline but simply didn't have time to put together a nice one with photos and everything.
I usually have handouts at all of my demos but it can get expensive when you do a 2 or 3 page handout. Then if you do 2 different demos at the AAW symposium and take a wild guess at how many you need which can easily run 150 or more it starts to get expensive.

 

[Charlie Knighton]

handouts

i like being able to have notes on demo's i was not able to attend, the booklet was a first time for the aaw (it was done in greensboro), i believe it will be improved on because this membership is about excellance, by the third or fourth time we have these handout booklets they will be the 2nd thing we ask for, 1st out registration 😀

 

[John Brown]

John. I don't understand. You say it was a new demo and you didn't have time to put together a handout. If I understand correctly the demo applications with descriptions and pictures of your planned demos had to be to the AAW office in Aug. of 2007 and you were notified of your acceptance by the end of Nov. 2007. Not Enough Time!! I think the handout booklet is an excellent idea and I for one have no objections to paying for it. We need 100% participation from the demonstrators.

 

[john lucas]

John You forget that I work a more than full time job plus turning to make a second income. That doesn't leave a lot of time. I also do demos at our club and other clubs which also eats into my time. I had turned a fair amount of Tagua nuts and Banksia pods and done demos of each but not both of them together. You also want to be at your best for the AAW demo so I worked on special pieces whenever I could right up to the last week before the demo. I wanted to be able to open up people to lots of new possibilities with these unusual materials and that took some experimenting. It was a great deal of fun doing this work. I produced about 2 dozen pieces along with my usual production work during this period.
I prefer to do demos that I've done many times because everything goes smoother but I'm not one of the big names so I have to be imaginative to get selected as a demonstrator. In fact I didn't make the first cut. I got a call a few days after they announced the list and was asked if I could do that demo. I hope I did a good job. I think people enjoyed my demos which makes all the work worth it.

 

[John Brown]

I will quote two old time sayings I was taught many years ago that everyone should familiarize them self with. They go hand in hand with one another and one is usually the result of the other. "Don't Bite Off More Than You Can Chew" and "Don't Try To Be Overly Important". Those two things will usually come back to bite you.

 

[Steve Worcester]

Having demoed several times at the AAW symposium, I understand where John is coming from. You want to put together something new, something they haven't seen before. Developing and refining the curriculum and presentation is far more important that the handout. Unless you are doing a real technical program or end result is an article, a handout is last to get developed.