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awesome day

Started by cw0203, May 15, 2010, 04:12:28 PM

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cw0203

I had a great day at the Faire today. I was the big guy in the Miles Austin jersey. I'll be back tomorrow. Thanks everyone for a great time!!!

Coty
"Can't stand rude behaviour in a man, won't tolerate it" Woodrow F. Call

remission

Yes it was a good day. I have not been to VARF in years. Although not that many people showed it was fun. I rode the motorcycle up from Silverspring, MD and it was a nice ride with the weather. Ill be back for Pirates Weekend Im sure.

Steev

More information! (wasn't able to get to opening due to filial obligations...)

Was attendance unusually low?  Did everything get set up properly and in time? Does anyone have pics?  Crazy, I'm holding a season pass I got last year and helped set up this year but don't know when I can make it.  PUH-Leez someone, give me some dirt to tide me over until I can attend!
Born too late.  But not too late for faires.

GoldenGoose

Actually, attendance was up from last year about 28% for the weekend! Technically speaking, much higher (84%), but since the weather on the Sunday last year was pouring rain, I prefer to use the last year Saturday's attendance, doubled, to give me a feel for whether we're really seeing an increase. Our opening weekend tends to be one of our quieter weekends -- except for the one year we had pirate invasion opening weekend. Which we'll never, ever do again, ha!

The quieter opening gives us a chance to ease into things, BEFORE we're hit with the deluge. Interestingly enough, more than half of the attendees for the weekend said they'd never been to a Renaissance Faire before. Which is great news for us, as it means our marketing efforts are paying off. Even better news, vendors and entertainers seemed to be doing better than expected, as measured against attendance -- and THAT, my friends is the best news at all.

Sure, the money we get from the gate and the tavern are what gives us our next year's budget and the more people through the front door the better. But we owe it to the entertainers and vendors to provide them with good audiences and good trade. So, give me a smaller crowd that's out there tipping and shopping over big numbers who mostly just look. Let's raise a glass to an economy that's recovered at least enough that people feel good enough to treat themselves to something special or tip a great performance!

Steev -- thanks to your help, we were in better shape than we were going to be! The rest of you -- Steev really helped our site crew with the Phoenix Stage improvements. Thanks to him we have a much prettier stage. The shade got up for the audience, although shade for the performers had to wait for this weekend.

We were able to get the "Great White" Tavern Tent up. Big Blue finally gave up the ghost, but at the last moment, Great White's tent poles arrived damaged...agh! Good news is the tent company got new ones to us right before opening, and thanks to some volunteers who were able to come out on Friday, some vendors who pitched in...literally, and a site crew led by Captain Moone, we got her up in time.

The new dining tent, however, had gotten stuck in transit and arrived Saturday morning at 8am....so, she'll go up for this weekend.

I, of course, have a list of things that didn't get done, that we'll continue to work on, but hopefully everyone was having too much fun to notice. We have a lot of great returning performers and vendors, as well as some brand new ones, and it was a blessedly trauma free weekend. I'd like to thank Mother Nature for making sure that the rain was done before we opened and didn't start up again until today. If she could arrange that for the remainder of the season, I would be grateful!

WizOne

Not only did wa have a marked increase in new patrons and 'new to faire' of ANY sort patrons, the way they came to us was almost exclusively 'word of mouth'.  That means our wonderful friends of faire have been out there talking about us.  I actually saw a lady with her hubbbym teen daughter and 10-ish son say "Wait - I've got to make a call", sit down on a bench and call a a friend to say "YES!!  Really!  The Renaissance Faire.  No, it's incredible.  You HAVE to come and bring the kids.  You won't believe all the things they have to do.  Yes, even HE is having a good time and got to march with the military."
That kind of spontaneous praise is priceless.  Making believers out of new to me patrons benefits all of us. ;D

~pixie~

Quote from: cw0203 on May 15, 2010, 04:12:28 PM
I had a great day at the Faire today. I was the big guy in the Miles Austin jersey. I'll be back tomorrow. Thanks everyone for a great time!!!

Coty

It was very nice to meet you, Coty!  Please do join us again as often as possible!
~ Pixie ~
the wicked wench
Rose Seller VARF
IWG #785 Local 42 MDRF
aka: Gold'n Penny
Irish Penny Brigade - Clan White

cw0203

Thanks Pixie. It was a pleasure to meet you and talk to you. This was an amazing weekend. I don't know how it compared to opening day last year, but I was impressed with the turnout. I'll be back every weekend my kids don't have me at a soccer tournament.


Coty
"Can't stand rude behaviour in a man, won't tolerate it" Woodrow F. Call

Steev

Yay!  Well I'm glad it was a great opening.  RE: word-of-mouth, I'm a big contributor to that- I can't tell enough people how great VARF is.  Maybe I'll actually drag a few people OUT THERE this year!
Born too late.  But not too late for faires.

Steev

Made it out today (Sunday 23rd) with lovely wife and kiddies.  Yay!  Weather ominous but in spite of driving down through pouring rain and driving back through pouring rain, only a few drops at faire itself.  In fact, mostly cool and dry.  Charmed?  We had a very laid-back and enjoyable time.  Astonishingly, saw only a fraction of the faire- we went at our girls' pace which means that we rarely made it out of the poppets area and nobles glade... Great to see everything up and running. Wow, maypole actually made it up! Also great to meet & re-meet "The Mistress of Robes", Pixie, Brian the tavern-keeper, Susan the archer, and all of the girls' new friends.

Of note: in first hour managed to drop a pouch full of gold dollar coins (returned by a vendor) and mislay my staff (returned by a PIRATE).  Gawd, I love VARF.

Hope to make it out to see you all again this season.  If not, you are all officially invited to my July 23, 24, 25th ren camping weekend in Warwick, MD. 
Born too late.  But not too late for faires.

will paisley

Quote from: Steev on May 23, 2010, 09:17:52 PM
Made it out today (Sunday 23rd) with lovely wife and kiddies.  Yay!  Weather ominous but in spite of driving down through pouring rain and driving back through pouring rain, only a few drops at faire itself.  In fact, mostly cool and dry.  Charmed?  We had a very laid-back and enjoyable time.  Astonishingly, saw only a fraction of the faire- we went at our girls' pace which means that we rarely made it out of the poppets area and nobles glade...

Ah, that explains why I didn't see you then.  When I go into either of those two places, people usually start screaming for me to leave (and it's Her Majesty doing the screaming in the Nobles Glade ;))

Quote from: Steev on May 23, 2010, 09:17:52 PM
Great to see everything up and running. Wow, maypole actually made it up! Also great to meet & re-meet "The Mistress of Robes", Pixie, Brian the tavern-keeper ...

Brian - you mean Hemloche? ;)

Minstrel, Interrupted, Bard #400 (CD)
Faire Name: "Flo's Husband"
Yeoman-Purser of the Frigate Up Royally

Steev

Ah yes, Hemloche.  Having trouble with the multiple identities thing...
Born too late.  But not too late for faires.

hemloche

Quote from: Steev on May 27, 2010, 07:25:35 PM
Ah yes, Hemloche.  Having trouble with the multiple identities thing...

CC Pale Ale if I my memory serve me correctly.  Yes it Hemloche "Captain of the Lido Deck"  <---only when I am wearing the red wescott as an homage to Isaac of the Love Boat (the real Captain of the Lido Deck)