As a speaker last year, I was second on in the morning, after Dennis Vilfort and before Bob Cordell. I seem to recall speaking to a near-full house, so I can't complain about that
Am hoping to bring another presentation to the next Burning Amp whether it's online or in the flesh!
NICK
PS. If Mr Jeffery Juice is listening in, I'm running low on your hot-sauce. I literally use it on everything that isn't breakfast cereal. I'd like to arrange a shipment to the UK, if possible. Thanks!
It was my first time in 2019. Great time, despite the 4am buses to get there. I think I went to every presentation. On the other hand, I didn't get anything from the auction or raffle.
This is a friend's local operation. I like their sauces. If Jeffrey juice can't , I'm happy to ship a selection to you.
Burns and McCoy - Fort Collins, Colorado's award winning hot sauce – Burns and McCoy Sauce Company
This is a friend's local operation. I like their sauces. If Jeffrey juice can't , I'm happy to ship a selection to you.
Burns and McCoy - Fort Collins, Colorado's award winning hot sauce – Burns and McCoy Sauce Company
I did pop in and out of the presentations all day. The room was usually at least half full, and there were a lot of presentations. So I think if someone actually went to most of the presentations (and many did!) they wouldn’t think that it was “all about Pass” And an online virtual show will certainly allow many time more people an opportunity to watch all the presentations.
On a previous year I scheduled someone after Nelson, actually as a sign of respect. That didn’t work and it was a bit shocking as almost everyone jumped up and left. Rather weird. I think the dynamic was that there were a lot of people who had been there all day and were ready to go, but hung around for the Pass talk, then bolted! So the lesson is to always schedule Pass last...
The raffle started on time, but I guess we didn’t schedule enough time for the talk to run on. Then I’m sure there were lots of questions. The schedule was pretty tight as there were lots of presentations.
As I mentioned the Saturday presentation was sold out. A huge success! We purposely had the preamp build camp at the same time, as very few people were going to be able to participate in that. So of course people wanted to do both, but the chances of being in the Preamp Camp were slim, as it was less that 20 people. so most people couldn’t do both even if they were scheduled at different times. And of course renting lots of rooms is expensive, and we weren’t too sure how many people would come on a second day. Our calculation was a majority of the attendees come from the surrounding Bay Area and don’t stay at a hotel. We weren’t sure how many people would want to stay at a hotel even one night or drive to the event 2 days in a row.
Tom has the official Organizer duties now, I just opine at the planning stage and scurry around helping out, at the event. He wanted to try using Saturday, and it had a big turnout. And Sunday had maybe too many presentations packed in.
So we’ll discuss it but once the event becomes “real” again, I think there should be about 3 presentations on Saturday plus a “Camp”. That way on Sunday, there’s more time for people to look at and listen to the systems on display and talk to each other as well as go to presentations . I agree with the idea that the best thing about BAF is meeting your online friends in person!
Due to a change in policy by the management at Ft. Mason, we had one less room last year, so things got a bit chaotic! Especially for the raffle! Splitting up more activities to both days should help. There are always people suggesting that we use another venue, but does anyone suggest another practical site to use? Nope. Our needs are somewhat different than what most venues offer. We need lots of rooms the size of a typical living room. Most venues have a few very large rooms....
School buildings have worked, but schools don’t tend to want people wandering into their classrooms.
Anyway, Tom has plenty to decide and I think he should plan on a big turnout when we can do it in person once again!
Mark
On a previous year I scheduled someone after Nelson, actually as a sign of respect. That didn’t work and it was a bit shocking as almost everyone jumped up and left. Rather weird. I think the dynamic was that there were a lot of people who had been there all day and were ready to go, but hung around for the Pass talk, then bolted! So the lesson is to always schedule Pass last...
The raffle started on time, but I guess we didn’t schedule enough time for the talk to run on. Then I’m sure there were lots of questions. The schedule was pretty tight as there were lots of presentations.
As I mentioned the Saturday presentation was sold out. A huge success! We purposely had the preamp build camp at the same time, as very few people were going to be able to participate in that. So of course people wanted to do both, but the chances of being in the Preamp Camp were slim, as it was less that 20 people. so most people couldn’t do both even if they were scheduled at different times. And of course renting lots of rooms is expensive, and we weren’t too sure how many people would come on a second day. Our calculation was a majority of the attendees come from the surrounding Bay Area and don’t stay at a hotel. We weren’t sure how many people would want to stay at a hotel even one night or drive to the event 2 days in a row.
Tom has the official Organizer duties now, I just opine at the planning stage and scurry around helping out, at the event. He wanted to try using Saturday, and it had a big turnout. And Sunday had maybe too many presentations packed in.
So we’ll discuss it but once the event becomes “real” again, I think there should be about 3 presentations on Saturday plus a “Camp”. That way on Sunday, there’s more time for people to look at and listen to the systems on display and talk to each other as well as go to presentations . I agree with the idea that the best thing about BAF is meeting your online friends in person!
Due to a change in policy by the management at Ft. Mason, we had one less room last year, so things got a bit chaotic! Especially for the raffle! Splitting up more activities to both days should help. There are always people suggesting that we use another venue, but does anyone suggest another practical site to use? Nope. Our needs are somewhat different than what most venues offer. We need lots of rooms the size of a typical living room. Most venues have a few very large rooms....
School buildings have worked, but schools don’t tend to want people wandering into their classrooms.
Anyway, Tom has plenty to decide and I think he should plan on a big turnout when we can do it in person once again!
Mark
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I’m sure the expectations for a BAF are as diverse as the backgrounds of the attendees. I can offer some insights from a person that started DIY in 2019 and was fortunate enough to be able to attend BAF 2019.
My expectations were to meet some of the kind people that had personally helped me get started in the hobby through these forums and to shake the hands of some (dare I say) legends that continue to contribute their time and energy to this community of hobbyists.
I could not have been more thrilled. I got to meet a number of people I had previously interacted with on the forum and made a number of new friends. The experienced forum members and the professional community alike took the time answer questions. I second Rush’s comment re: dinner, and I know he was referring directly to my sparkling wit. I hope that informal and formal ways to get together during "off hours" continue.
I chose to attend all of the speaker sessions. I didn’t know there would be a raffle / auction until I arrived. I could have simply overlooked it. Once I knew, I was overwhelmed at the generosity of the community and was fortunate to win a tube tester (that I am still restoring) even though I stayed for all the speakers and was “late”. I even managed to purchase an ACP+ kit to take home.
Once again, I could not have been more thrilled. Some suggestions.
Looking forward to the next BAF whenever and however it takes place.
BTW - I'm the guy on the far left in Ben's post #40.
My expectations were to meet some of the kind people that had personally helped me get started in the hobby through these forums and to shake the hands of some (dare I say) legends that continue to contribute their time and energy to this community of hobbyists.
I could not have been more thrilled. I got to meet a number of people I had previously interacted with on the forum and made a number of new friends. The experienced forum members and the professional community alike took the time answer questions. I second Rush’s comment re: dinner, and I know he was referring directly to my sparkling wit.
I hope that informal and formal ways to get together during "off hours" continue.I chose to attend all of the speaker sessions. I didn’t know there would be a raffle / auction until I arrived. I could have simply overlooked it. Once I knew, I was overwhelmed at the generosity of the community and was fortunate to win a tube tester (that I am still restoring) even though I stayed for all the speakers and was “late”. I even managed to purchase an ACP+ kit to take home.
Once again, I could not have been more thrilled. Some suggestions.
- To me, it diminished the importance of the first-day speakers a bit by having their sessions overlap the build camp for the ACP+. Since time and space are limited, there could be overlap in the future. If so, I’d suggest possibly limiting the attendance of the camps to self-described “noobs” that could truly benefit from having guidance during their build. If there are a number of kits that will be available for purchase, perhaps make that known prior. That may have been done, and I might have missed it. It may allow more seats for new builders and give those that are confident in their abilities to secure a kit and attend the speakers’ sessions. The only disappointed remarks I heard was the lack of availability for the kits / seats in the build session. For me, it was an easy choice to see the speakers.
- An attendance list (for those who care to participate) posted to the forum or through some other means. I was saddened to find out after I left that I had missed shaking a few hands and thanking a few people personally, simply because I didn’t know what they looked like and didn’t know they were there. Next time, I’ll reach out prior.
- A brief time and a space dedicated to introductions (by choice). Hop in a room for a set time and take 20s or less to say your real name, your DIYA handle and any goals etc. It would need to be time limited, but it could provide an opportunity to put faces with names more quickly.
- One session (perhaps an hour or two) for “noob Q&A”. Personally, I’m not scared (now) to ask some ridiculous questions on the forum, but some may be. Also, as we all know, a real conversation and context can help a lot. It may help attendance for new people to know that there would be at least one slot of time dedicated to helping people enter and stay in the hobby.
Looking forward to the next BAF whenever and however it takes place.
BTW - I'm the guy on the far left in Ben's post #40.
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One problem with the build camp is that someone has to assemble the kit bags from parts. Last year it was Nelson P who donated almost all the parts and also made up the kits.
-I didn’t feel right demanding 50 kits, especially for little cost.
-we didn’t know the turnout on Sat. we figured very popular, but who knew?
-we didn’t know how much handholding would be required.
We did want a mix of newbs and experienced people as when I organized Speaker Camp and Amp Camp in the past (not at BAF) I've found that some experienced people in the mix is helpful as people can ask them questions.
So, it turned out that people didn’t need much help, which will allow us to expand. A lot of people were a newb attending with a more experienced person. It is a lot of fun sharing the experience with someone you know and the experienced one can handhold (usually figuratively!) So it’s hard for me to criticize having more experienced people in the mix. I think the major criticism is “I wanted to build the preamp and I couldn’t” Sorry, that just wasn’t possible, but we’ll probably have a much bigger session next time. And of course the cost will be at least double but still a screaming bargain.
-I didn’t feel right demanding 50 kits, especially for little cost.
-we didn’t know the turnout on Sat. we figured very popular, but who knew?
-we didn’t know how much handholding would be required.
We did want a mix of newbs and experienced people as when I organized Speaker Camp and Amp Camp in the past (not at BAF) I've found that some experienced people in the mix is helpful as people can ask them questions.
So, it turned out that people didn’t need much help, which will allow us to expand. A lot of people were a newb attending with a more experienced person. It is a lot of fun sharing the experience with someone you know and the experienced one can handhold (usually figuratively!) So it’s hard for me to criticize having more experienced people in the mix. I think the major criticism is “I wanted to build the preamp and I couldn’t” Sorry, that just wasn’t possible, but we’ll probably have a much bigger session next time. And of course the cost will be at least double but still a screaming bargain.
And a point that was mentioned already. We should have a bunch of kits available for purchase without attending the class (we did have some last time but they went fast too!)
And if they are available on Sunday, then people who can’t make it Saturday have a way to build the kit at home...
The area on the second floor in Building C was remodeled and we needed to figure out how to use it.
The acoustics have never been very good, but now there is better carpeting everywhere, and more importantly the 2 big rooms now have a folding partition between them. We’ll always leave it closed on Sundays to create the 2 separate rooms, but the awesome thing is that the partition is very sound absorbent, making those rooms actually “good sounding” IMHO.
Of course they’ve jacked the price up again, but at least we”re getting something for it, and it’s still much cheaper than commercial venues. And the location is soooo nice! The big problem is that they won’t let us do ticket sales in the stair lobby now due to the fire code. Which means we need to use a room for that, but we have some “clever” ideas!
And if they are available on Sunday, then people who can’t make it Saturday have a way to build the kit at home...
The area on the second floor in Building C was remodeled and we needed to figure out how to use it.
The acoustics have never been very good, but now there is better carpeting everywhere, and more importantly the 2 big rooms now have a folding partition between them. We’ll always leave it closed on Sundays to create the 2 separate rooms, but the awesome thing is that the partition is very sound absorbent, making those rooms actually “good sounding” IMHO.
Of course they’ve jacked the price up again, but at least we”re getting something for it, and it’s still much cheaper than commercial venues. And the location is soooo nice! The big problem is that they won’t let us do ticket sales in the stair lobby now due to the fire code. Which means we need to use a room for that, but we have some “clever” ideas!
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HeyBill is loyal staff!
I think it will make sense to just charge the Camp participants for a kit at a higher price. And have an inventory for people to just buy. It will have to cost more because we’ll have to order most of the parts. Last year since Nelson donated most of the parts and I threw in a couple, we could make the price just the admission fee! That was supposed to be a great surprise. And we know how much Nelson loves generous surprises!
I think it will make sense to just charge the Camp participants for a kit at a higher price. And have an inventory for people to just buy. It will have to cost more because we’ll have to order most of the parts. Last year since Nelson donated most of the parts and I threw in a couple, we could make the price just the admission fee! That was supposed to be a great surprise. And we know how much Nelson loves generous surprises!
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Next “real” show we could take over one or both of the big rooms for a Camp after the presentations. People could pay in advance to get a space, and more space means more people. Another point people should keep in mind is that having enough soldering stations and tools is a considerable outlay. Hmm, perhaps we could allow people to pay a bit extra if they wish to buy a basic kit of tools and a simple soldering iron. That would also get some newbs equipped to start DIYing on other projects! Tricky!
Last year was my first BAF and it won't be my last. Just not sure when the next will be. For people out my way, we currently have to stump up a 2 week hotel bill to quarantine on arrival when returning from an overseas trip. Last year was a walk in the park by comparison.
Going was a spur of the moment thing for me. So glad I threw caution to the wind.
There were so many "bonus moments" for me.
I made a comment about spicing up Sunday curry lunch in the event thread and then we were treated with the JeffreyJuice JeffreyJuice. I was fortunate enough to score a few bottles. And while I don't use it as much as Nick, I had some curry tonight that was boosted with some of the good stuff from BAF.
I landed in town on Thursday. Did Alcatraz on Friday and while I was walking back from a solid session on the island, jet lagged and needing food, I passed a bunch of guys and heard a voice I remembered from a BAF video. So, I called out, "Hey, Jim?"
I was then greeted with an enthusiastic welcome from 6L6, Ben, Dennis and ItsAllInMyHead. Who needs a GPS to find BAF buddies when you've got blind luck on your side?
That's just a sample.
Many fond memories. Very grateful to all who helped to make it happen.
Going was a spur of the moment thing for me. So glad I threw caution to the wind.
There were so many "bonus moments" for me.
I made a comment about spicing up Sunday curry lunch in the event thread and then we were treated with the JeffreyJuice JeffreyJuice. I was fortunate enough to score a few bottles. And while I don't use it as much as Nick, I had some curry tonight that was boosted with some of the good stuff from BAF.
I landed in town on Thursday. Did Alcatraz on Friday and while I was walking back from a solid session on the island, jet lagged and needing food, I passed a bunch of guys and heard a voice I remembered from a BAF video. So, I called out, "Hey, Jim?"
I was then greeted with an enthusiastic welcome from 6L6, Ben, Dennis and ItsAllInMyHead. Who needs a GPS to find BAF buddies when you've got blind luck on your side?
That's just a sample.
Many fond memories. Very grateful to all who helped to make it happen.
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