[ILUG] to ICT or not to ICT or Pimp your ILUG

[Paul O'Malley]

Braun Brelin wrote:

>why do you need someone to donate hardware?  Don't ILUG'ers have their
>own PC's/Laptops?  What exactly does the ILUG need that it can't
>provide for itself?
>Are you not getting the booth for free?
>
>Braun
>
>
>  
>
Hi Braun,

No it is not free it costs. So we want €4000 at a minimum. That does not 
buy us tables chairs CDs or paper that information on it to hand out. It 
is all cheap stuff but it costs when added up.

Last year we ended up supplying all the high end kit ourselves, along 
with the smoke and mirrors.

We have not been able to plan because we don't know what we are getting, 
so we found ourselves without a story. In the past we could not enter 
into arranging a set up or enter agreements until a sponsor is known, 
why because they will want exclusive access to the stand. We have had 
that before, it works to some level.

However if you find out with 24 hours that you are going to have X as 
your sponsor it implies you get to do Y. But there is no relationship, 
no time just a couple of mad phone calls and what have you.

So the objective is to tell the Linux Story according to ILUG, to 
achieve this story we can do it with your laptop and mine and others or 
maybe get a loan of some "big" kit. If we are beholden to others then we 
don't get to engage early and so forecasting what we are going to do is 
not possible. The thing is the reach of the show, its audience, if we 
have something we can tell them in terms of a story, it will become 
obvious that people will want to see it.

The show is expensive in terms of meetings and trying to get a few 
bodies there, it does not happen easily.
Last year Niall W and I spent in well excess of 120 hours in and about 
the show, don't ask, I don't mind that if it is productive. It was more 
like talk about talk. We are there to tell a story to the people who 
turn up, getting to plan it is a good thing.

This is why we took this route.

Regards,

Paul