Re: [Harp-L] SPAH

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

I agree that the traditional harmonica club is not the only possible local support group. I always try to point this out when communicating about this aspect of staging a harmonica convention; the local support group has traditionally been a harmonica club but doesn't have to be specifically that, as long as the individuals can work as a coordinated group and can commit to doing the needed work.

Defining and documenting the specific tasks is also a good idea. One of my pushes for the next few months is to get SPAH board and staff to document what they do in some detail, and this extends to what SPAH requires of local support groups. This is especially important as people transition in and out of jobs. New candidates can understand the work, and the board can also reshape jobs by moving tasks around in ways that make sense for the people involved, the workload, and for optimal combinations of tasks.

Winslow
 
Winslow Yerxa
President, SPAH, the Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica


________________________________
 From: Bob Cohen <bob@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Michael Rubin <michaelrubinharmonica@xxxxxxxxx> 
Cc: HARP-L <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx> 
Sent: Sunday, September 1, 2013 2:06 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] SPAH
 

On Aug 30, 2013, at 9:58 AM, Michael Rubin <michaelrubinharmonica@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Create a harmonica club in your city and do the work to sponsor SPAH.

More harmonica clubs would be a wonderful thing Michael but I fear creating and sustaining new clubs with sufficient resources to "host" a convention is a losing battle. To be sure, local clubs have been the foundation of the last 50 conventions, but given the current trend, I wonder if it makes sense to revisit the process of choosing sites and consider other criteria? 

>From what I know about putting on conventions a great many organizations rely on centralized resources to plan and the membership diaspora to execute. E.g., one traditional function of the local club is shuttle talent between the airport and the hotel. The could certainly be accomplished by renting a car and tapping member-volunteers from anywhere. One has to consider the the cost of renting the car but if the site is well chosen, the cost can most certainly be off-set with increased attendance. Likewise, the local club sponsors a hospitality suite. We could still tap active local clubs to stock the suite or perhaps one or more of the vendors?

Perhaps someone can quantify the tasks performed by the local clubs. Then current Staff and the harmonica community can put our collective heads together to see if there are other ways to sustain and grow the great traditions gifted to us by our forebears.

-Bob

Bob Cohen
Writer, Internet Consultant, Teacher
w: bobjcohen.com
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