Re: [Harp-L] final words on this recent volunteer debate...Harp festivals/RR shows

["Rick Dempster" <rick.dempster@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Having a (now distant) past as a railfan, or train buff,  as I believe it's pronounced in US, I can say that model trains is, while not without creativity ( I used to build scenery, cars etc. from junk)
 far more than playing an instrument, about consuming. As much as the 'gear talk' on harp-l bores me stiff, 'cause it ain't my thing, it pales, consumption- wise, in comparison with the model train business. Just take a look in your magazine rack at the local news stand some time. So a harp fest can simply not be a big commercially sponsored deal like the model trains mob.
Cheers,
Rick 'whoo whoo! Dempster


>>> Warren Bee <spahpublicity@xxxxxxxxx> 6/10/2010 5:20 >>>
I posted the Amhersy RR Society thing to make a point but it flew way over
head. The numbers just didn't make sense to me. I guess to others they did!
To have 22,000 come through the gates you would neeed a good amount if not
the entire 450 members working. I see that Richard made the point that I was
in fact not really helping my case. I was wondering if perhps i may have
spoken to soon and uninformed and maybe I woiuld have to eat crow. Which I
have done many time in my life by the way! :-)

I did some due dilligance and made some phone calls. I spoke directly to the
show office director. This is what I learned: Their is a Show Director and
the Show Office Director. Thyese are PAID positions. Their main jobs is to
invoice the 500 vendors that come and basically make the show what it is.
The vendors are the show! I didn't think it was my business to ask him the
numbers but I venture to guess that 500 vendors, some of them very large
from what he explained, pay a lot of money to be there. The proceeds must be
huge. My new friend on the phone told me they have volunteers whose job it
is to just count money! I inever did find out the price of admission. There
are some things that go on put on by the society volunteers but minimal
compared to the vending. This is a really big show indeed of big  and small
companys selling railroad model enthusiast "stuff". The paid gentleman did
tell me that many of the members liked to volunteer and direct traffic flow
etc.

So? Apples and Oranges once again. Final thought: how many of those 22
thousand actually got to ride on a train?  I know that 100% of all harp
festival attendees get there chance to ride the reeds :-)

-- 
Warren "Bee" Bachman
SPAH Publicity Director
631-521-0472
www.spah.org