Dearborn, MI
Thanks for being flexible, Clay. This sounds like an optimal solution, everyone gets a choice.
(Topic ID: 242363)
The summer option (Friday/Saturday during July/August, virus dependent) will be *way* different than the usual show event. How it works...
50 guests maximum per night for 4 hours.
There's no orange shirts for this event.
There's no food staff (hot dogs at bar).
There's no bathroom staff.
There's no parking staff.
There's no techs.
There's no front door staff (and no money exchanged).
Basically everyone checks-in electronically.
First they sign up electronically via a web page for a date.
Then pay their remaining money due via paypal.
An armband WITH THEIR NAME will be where they can pick it up and put it on themselves.
They also get a card with my phone number for text messages regarding game issues.
Basically we won't fix broken games. We will probably do stuck balls and add credits, simple quick stuff. But we are limiting our interaction with the public at the summer nights. You are pretty much on you own and can do the social distancing thing as you feel (or don't feel.) With only 50 people in a 10,000 sqft facility, you should be spaced out pretty well.
The actual fall event (again virus dependent) will be our standard show type environment.
Quoted from pinwiztom:Well I just sent $50 to Clay via paypal, no strings attached as a donation,
to his [email protected] address, to help fund the cause, hopefully email address is still active.
Whenever the 2020 VFW showcase T-Shirts for sale happens
be it a normal show shirt or commemorative shirt;
just announce the details and I will sign up and pay for one.
This was awesome of you. I will follow suit.
You EM guys are a classy bunch, seriously. That's why I still can't wrap my head around that trophy story. HAHA!
Classy but also VERY competitive I guess?
I refunded Tom's donation.
if you guys *really* want to donate the proper email is [email protected] (the other email is my personal email, not appropriate for this.) But right now, you don't need to do this. Now if we have NO show, ok fine. but right now we are planning on a show!
This would be my first show to attend and very excited for a few months now. Looking forward to any chance we can get in there with the safety of all involved.
As someone who happily flies in every year from out of state to attend the best pinball show of the year, I really appreciate you still giving the option of a full weekend in the fall, Clay. It makes the airfare and hotel worth it. And I know this requires even more work on the part of you and your team so I doubly appreciate it. Thanks so much Clay! Our community is lucky to have you.
Quoted from cfh:I refunded Tom's donation.
if you guys *really* want to donate the proper email is [email protected]
Sorry for the confusion and hassle of sending it to wrong paypal acct email address,
I should have known better and searched for the vfwpinball email address first.
Hope all works out in the end for everyone, organizers and participants.
Hamilton, ON
Quoted from cfh:It's becoming pretty clear the April 25/26 date is not going to work.
The May 16/17 date may work, but came up with another idea...
What if we break the show into smaller pieces during the summer? that is, have a friday and/or saturday night of 50 or 75 people. It would run from 8pm to midnight. That's about half the time of a normal show day, but you would have the whole facility essentially to yourself (with only 50 or 75 people.) The cost would be the same price.
we could run these through the summer and chip away at all the ticket reservations that were purchased.
what do y'all think of this idea?
I really like the sound of this idea, it means a nights stay for me but I think it's worth it to get such great access!
I jumped the gun on my reply as I read through the rest of the thread... I will fall in line with whatever is proposed... if they let us Canadians into the US any time this year and things are cooling down with the virus I'll be there... if things don't cool down or the show is cancelled please just keep the deposit I've paid for the tickets, happy to donate that money too. Whatever works.
Still hoping for some t shirt options...
Scariest part right now is the Canadian dollar sinking down the toilet.
I’m in for any of Clay’s ideas. I would probably choose the summer weekend option first, over the full fall event. I’d be in for a the shirt or the raffle too. Thanks Clay for trying to keep this afloat. I’m sure you’ll have a long line of people willing to donate this year if all the shows get cancelled due to the virus. Sometimes people have to the right thing to support something this special.
Quoted from ss-pinball:Watching for developments.
Looking for two tickets...
I kinda wondered with multiple 4-hour nights over the summer, should there be a fall show would there be additional tickets up for sale since some will not wait that long to go?
We will just have to see how things are in July/August first. And then how popular the whole 50 people a night thing really is. My guess is that it won't be that popular, and probably won't run (the potential) 8 weekends.
Also thinking about either selling these or giving one of these to every entry. Have to see if i can find them at a reasonable price....
Quoted from cfh:We will just have to see how things are in July/August first. And then how popular the whole 50 people a night thing really is. My guess is that it won't be that popular, and probably won't run (the potential) 8 weekends.
Also thinking about either selling these or giving one of these to every entry. Have to see if i can find them at a reasonable price....
[quoted image]
the mask or hat ???
Quoted from cfh:Also thinking about either selling these or giving one of these to every entry. Have to see if i can find them at a reasonable price....
I've been using a gray one, nice and thin, but it would be effing hot & musty to wear in July/Aug/Sept. I mean, they're sold as neck warmers. Maybe by then good ol' cheap N95 masks will be readily available.
Quoted from bob_e:the mask or hat ???
The hat. If the barber shops don't open soon, we will all be looking like Joe Exotic.
Quoted from cfh:We will just have to see how things are in July/August first. And then how popular the whole 50 people a night thing really is. My guess is that it won't be that popular, and probably won't run (the potential) 8 weekends.
Also thinking about either selling these or giving one of these to every entry. Have to see if i can find them at a reasonable price....
[quoted image]
I’m willing to be corrected, but my understanding is that:
Simple cloth face masks are *somewhat* effective in preventing your -19 virus from being projected out into the environment.
Simple cloth face masks are less effective for your personal protection from -19 in the environment.
Totally missed those hats at the last show...if they're available this year, I would certainly buy one 
Quoted from Skipnatty:Totally missed those hats at the last show...if they're available this year, I would certainly buy one
+1, didn't see them there.
We had them a year or two ago up at the front desk. Only sold maybe 6~10 of them.
Given the piece cost to price ratio, it really didn't make sense for the amount of effort to get them made...
Just FYI, quote should be coming in for this year's T-shirts today, so I will have details up soon.
Thanks,
Eric V.
Quoted from cfh:We will just have to see how things are in July/August first. And then how popular the whole 50 people a night thing really is. My guess is that it won't be that popular, and probably won't run (the potential) 8 weekends.
Also thinking about either selling these or giving one of these to every entry. Have to see if i can find them at a reasonable price....
[quoted image]
I figured you'd be going for something more like this to be honest.
Quoted from EchoVictor:We had them a year or two ago up at the front desk. Only sold maybe 6~10 of them.
Given the piece cost to price ratio, it really didn't make sense for the amount of effort to get them made...Just FYI, quote should be coming in for this year's T-shirts today, so I will have details up soon.
Thanks,
Eric V.
When the show T-Shirt details get sorted out,
if there are any (old show) hats left,
I would like to order one of those also, if possible.
cheers Tom
Quoted from pinwiztom:When the show T-Shirt details get sorted out,
if there are any (old show) hats left,
I would like to order one of those also, if possible.
cheers Tom
Tom, 1 large t-shirt bought for my wife, never worn. back side shown
vfw back (resized).jpgI've done raffles and game prizes before (for tournaments). Frankly it just does not work. Most of the time (all of the time?), the winner doesn't like the game being offered, and ask for cash instead. It's just a bad idea unless you are doing a high end game like a new stern.
Quoted from cfh:I've done raffles and game prizes before (for tournaments). Frankly it just does not work. Most of the time (all of the time?), the winner doesn't like the game being offered, and ask for cash instead. It's just a bad idea unless you are doing a high end game like a new stern.
Well, if the winner doesn't want the prize.... Redraw.
Sore winners ain't got no place in my heart.
Why even enter a raffle for prizes you don't want?
Quoted from Meegis:Well, if the winner doesn't want the prize.... Redraw.
Sore winners ain't got no place in my heart.
Why even enter a raffle for prizes you don't want?
for some it's an tax issue
Quoted from Joe_Blasi:for some it's an tax issue
See the last part I wrote.
If winning is a problem, don't enter.
Well that's the problem... we did prizes as a tournament. at the time, (like the Sky Kings Howie posted above), you had to buy a tourney entry, which i think was $10. if we got 30 people, that basically meant we sold the game for $300. And at the time (years ago), it was hard to get $300 for a sky king! so it worked out Ok... providing you wanted a sky king! I remember doing this and the guy didn't want the game, he wanted the money! well we were trying to get rid of EMs (again, probably 10 years ago when $300 EMs were hard to sell!)
i know things are different now... it might work... but i'm not sure it's worth the effort.
We are dying here though. i can't do in-home repairs, so that business is dead. if we can't do the show... then we are really screwed...
Quoted from cfh:Well that's the problem... we did prizes as a tournament. at the time, (like the Sky Kings Howie posted above), you had to buy a tourney entry, which i think was $10. if we got 30 people, that basically meant we sold the game for $300. And at the time (years ago), it was hard to get $300 for a sky king! so it worked out Ok... providing you wanted a sky king! I remember doing this and the guy didn't want the game, he wanted the money! well we were trying to get rid of EMs (again, probably 10 years ago when $300 EMs were hard to sell!)
i know things are different now... it might work... but i'm not sure it's worth the effort.
We are dying here though. i can't do in-home repairs, so that business is dead. if we can't do the show... then we are really screwed...
Makes sense, but also still a sore winner.
If you wanted to do something like this now, just name the game and the ticket price. Winner takes it or passes it along to the next raffle draw.
Make different prize levels as well if you want. You can base prize lots on entry sales.
For example,
$10 per entry.
30 entries sold - draw a couple names for free VFW show entries to use at a future show
50 entries sold - draw 5 winners for a shirt or mug or hat or whatever VFW swag you may have
75 entries sold - raffle off a playfield or backglass if you have something in storage that could be sought after
100 entries sold - a big single draw for an EM machine you have pre selected
Maybe go with different levels, or different prizes, but I think scaling the entry points may get more people interested, and possibly do it for all of pinside rather than just this thread. You may see hundreds of entries sold.
I have other ideas, but thought this might be an interesting way to play it.
Also. One big rule.
If your name is drawn and you do not want the prize at that level, it goes back in the prize pool for another name to be drawn against it. (ie. I win a free entry to VFW showcase but I live too far, pass)
And lastly, you can decide if you want names to be able to be drawn more than once (ie. I won a free shirt, but I'd still like a chance to win the machine draw, do I need a new entry or is my entry still valid for every level)
Food for thought.
Quoted from EchoVictor:OK folks, T-shirt designs and pre-orders are now live;
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/vfw-2020-showcase-official-t-shirts-now-available-for-pre-order
Thanks[quoted image][quoted image]
These are awesome!
Already pm'd
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