Slashdot Mirror
Anatomy of a LAN Party?
malfaetor writes "My colleagues and I are interested in improving on an annual public LAN Party that we first held last year. Before the event, I asked Slashdot, and received some terrific suggestions. The event ended up being quite a bit of fun, and we had very few technical issues. However, there were some non-technical improvements that could be made. We did not break even financially, and ended up having to divide the loss among the seven of us. The biggest financial killer for us was insurance, at nearly $500 for the event. What have other LAN party organizers done about insurance and legal issues? Has insurance (or lack thereof) come back to haunt anyone in the past?"
"We've also had trouble deciding which network games would be the most popular. Our group has tried to focus on games that are the most familiar (or at least the smallest learning curve), and that most individuals already have installed. What games have been the most popular at LAN parties you have attended in the past six months? We know many individuals with consoles, but are unsure if promoting the console gamers would be a large draw. Have consoles been a common sight at the LAN Parties you have attended? If so, have you had any problems related to having to juggle both console and PC players?
Advertising was also an issue. We ran a grassroots advertising campaign because radio and TV advertising were too costly to be considered. However, we were concerned that the flyers we created and the postings we had on certain websites were not reaching enough local gamers. Strangely, local game shops have been very hesitant to allow us to place flyers there. What creative ways have other groups used in the past to get the word out?
Our webmaster has done a great job so far in getting sponsors. Sponsors have been very good to us, but other events that have been around longer seem to have quite a bit more swag to give away to the attendees. Is the real trick to getting sponsors to have longevity, Get Big, or have the organizers donate a whole bunch more money toward the cause to purchase these prizes themselves? Do local sponsors tend to give more than big national sponsors? Does anyone have any tips or tricks for approaching sponsors?
Lastly, has anything changed in the LAN Party scene in the past year? Has anybody seen or been involved in any noticeable trends, or have experiences worth mentioning?"
Advertising was also an issue. We ran a grassroots advertising campaign because radio and TV advertising were too costly to be considered. However, we were concerned that the flyers we created and the postings we had on certain websites were not reaching enough local gamers. Strangely, local game shops have been very hesitant to allow us to place flyers there. What creative ways have other groups used in the past to get the word out?
Our webmaster has done a great job so far in getting sponsors. Sponsors have been very good to us, but other events that have been around longer seem to have quite a bit more swag to give away to the attendees. Is the real trick to getting sponsors to have longevity, Get Big, or have the organizers donate a whole bunch more money toward the cause to purchase these prizes themselves? Do local sponsors tend to give more than big national sponsors? Does anyone have any tips or tricks for approaching sponsors?
Lastly, has anything changed in the LAN Party scene in the past year? Has anybody seen or been involved in any noticeable trends, or have experiences worth mentioning?"
Just give them a EULA to sign saying you aren't responsible for anything that you do to them, works great for Microsoft.
Click here or a puppy gets stomped!
Has insurance (or lack thereof) come back to haunt anyone in the past?
No. Lack of insurance has never been a problem for anyone. Ever.
There are no trails. There are no trees out here.
Don't do what the poor buncha' college kids did in my town a while back. The motel where they booked the room wouldn't let them plug into their AC outlets for some reason. They had a generator, but hadn't planned the load well or gotten it setup before people arrived. I finally asked for my $ back and split after the third time the power to my lan box was cut : (
Simply because it *is* so old-school
<stares at screen>
"old-school"? Counterstrike?!
Belief is the currency of delusion.
Girls?
The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
Seymour Skinner: Parent that waives the right to sue says 'what'?
Parent statemen could't be further from the truth. At all the LAN parties I've run for example, there wasn't one single instance of software piracy.
We were too busy copying Mp3s and movies...
THANKS, FOLKS! I'LL BE HERE ALL WEEK!
HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
I believe his buddy Murphy would be the one pissing on the broadband connection. Moore would be doing processor upgrades ;-b
If you can't see the value in jet powered ants you should turn in your nerd card. - Dunbal (464142)
"When someone hands me a flyer, it's like they're saying, 'Here, you throw this away.'" - Mitch Hedberg
> Compare the tone of my post with the moderation. I was joking, not trying to be insightful....
;)
A joke can contain insights.
And no karma is given for "Funny" mods, so you should be thankful
The unofficial
>> I felt evil when I had to tell a woman that she could not post a sign asking for help finding her runaway daughter
Is that because when you got home, you opened the door and yelled, "Honey, your mother's looking for you"?