"Orangecon 2018" Topic

Just got this from the IPMS, who have a model show with contests, vendors and a swap meet (bring and buy) coming up in October. Some of this seems so ridiculous, I was tempted to anger. Then I relaxed, kept reading, and was refreshingly heartened by ingenuity and the ability to reach compromise that seem to missing from so many of our conversations and negotiations. Anyway, here is the (lengthy) message.

Dear Fellow Modelers,
OrangeCon is Here!
By the time you receive this, OrangeCon 2018 will be about three weeks away – Saturday October 13th. We are busy ramping up to the final push so that we will have another successful and enjoyable event this year.
The trophies are in hand, the vendor room is approaching being sold out and everyone we know is building models like mad to participate in the contest.
That said, we need to share with you some critical changes that have been forced upon us "at the last moment" by the venue there at Cal State Fullerton. Sadly, some of this will affect all vendors and attendees. For the record, we don't like it either! But we're stuck with it!
We have just been informed by the new Event Planner of the CSU Fullerton Titan Student Union (TSU) that they have a new cash handling policy (in fact it's so new they don't yet have it in writing!). The main change was that no cash could be transacted in the vendor room or out in the lobby. DON'T PANIC! We have developed a workaround solution and hope you will understand that we have no other choice to do this – other then canceling the event entirely – and there is no way we will do that!
After multiple meetings with the TSU management we agreed to comply changing where we take our general admission and model contest registration fees as well the tickets for our opportunity drawing from the lobby to their built-in ticket booth. The ticket booth is outside the door facing the parking structure many of you are familiar with. We will have signs and volunteers to help direct people to where they need to go.
All Vendors are fully able to sell their items in our vendor room, and all Buyers will still be able to buy that treasure you found for sale, but as Cash cannot be taken inside the vendor room at all, you will need to use the arrangement we agreed to use with TSU…so don't worry. We created a method where you will use a cash substitute. We will have official OrangeCon "play money", good only at OrangeCon on the day of the event. We will have a sign at the entrance as well as volunteers informing everyone coming to the ticket book of the following. "Anyone wishing to purchase items in our vendor room must exchange their cash with officially approved TSU Bucks." Then you can buy and sell just as it has always been. Vendors are allowed to take checks and credit/debit cards directly if they choose to do so.
At any point in the day, up to the end of the show, you will bring all the "play money" you have and come to the ticket booth and exchange it for real cash. AllVendors will not lose out in any sales or profit. AllBuyers will still be able to buy to your heart's content. Neither IPMS/OC, nor CSUF/TSU, is taking a cut or charging a fee to do this.
This also impacts the Raffle – Now renamed – Opportunity Drawing…because CSUF considers a raffle to be 'gambling'. In the Opportunity Drawing EVERYONE will receive one free ticket when they pay their admission. You will still have plenty of opportunity to purchase additional tickets if you wish to increase your Opportunity.
The Contest portion of OrangeCon is unaffected by this wrinkle that has been thrust upon us. More than 50 categories, plus splits, all of the 'Best Of' awards and the Special Best RAF Subject trophy await you winners.
One thing regarding the contest we want to address. There is a rumor going around, and we don't know who started it, but we want to kill it here and now. For more than 25 years OrangeCon has allowed the winning models from the current year's IPMS National Convention to enter and compete. Only National winners from previous years are not eligible to enter. THAT RULE HAS NOT CHANGED! If your model won any award at this years' Nationals held in Phoenix, you can bring it to OrangeCon and enter it.
We're sorry to hit you with all of this, but again, they didn't disclose this information to us until now. It is too late to try for any legal action which we feel we would have won because of the late disclosure. We're hoping to deal with this nuisance and still have a great event on October 13th and then move on to a new venue for OrangeCon 2019 that does not have this absurd requirement.
Please contact us at ocipmstreasurer@gmail with any questions.
We appreciate your cooperation and look forward to a very successful OrangeCon 2018
Thank you,
IPMS Orange County

Just got this from the IPMS, who have a model show with contests, vendors and a swap meet (bring and buy) coming up in October. Some of this seems so ridiculous, I was tempted to anger. Then I relaxed, kept reading, and was refreshingly heartened by ingenuity and the ability to reach compromise that seem to missing from so many of our conversations and negotiations. Anyway, here is the (lengthy) message.

Dear Fellow Modelers,
OrangeCon is Here!
By the time you receive this, OrangeCon 2018 will be about three weeks away – Saturday October 13th. We are busy ramping up to the final push so that we will have another successful and enjoyable event this year.
The trophies are in hand, the vendor room is approaching being sold out and everyone we know is building models like mad to participate in the contest.
That said, we need to share with you some critical changes that have been forced upon us "at the last moment" by the venue there at Cal State Fullerton. Sadly, some of this will affect all vendors and attendees. For the record, we don't like it either! But we're stuck with it!
We have just been informed by the new Event Planner of the CSU Fullerton Titan Student Union (TSU) that they have a new cash handling policy (in fact it's so new they don't yet have it in writing!). The main change was that no cash could be transacted in the vendor room or out in the lobby. DON'T PANIC! We have developed a workaround solution and hope you will understand that we have no other choice to do this – other then canceling the event entirely – and there is no way we will do that!
After multiple meetings with the TSU management we agreed to comply changing where we take our general admission and model contest registration fees as well the tickets for our opportunity drawing from the lobby to their built-in ticket booth. The ticket booth is outside the door facing the parking structure many of you are familiar with. We will have signs and volunteers to help direct people to where they need to go.
All Vendors are fully able to sell their items in our vendor room, and all Buyers will still be able to buy that treasure you found for sale, but as Cash cannot be taken inside the vendor room at all, you will need to use the arrangement we agreed to use with TSU…so don't worry. We created a method where you will use a cash substitute. We will have official OrangeCon "play money", good only at OrangeCon on the day of the event. We will have a sign at the entrance as well as volunteers informing everyone coming to the ticket book of the following. "Anyone wishing to purchase items in our vendor room must exchange their cash with officially approved TSU Bucks." Then you can buy and sell just as it has always been. Vendors are allowed to take checks and credit/debit cards directly if they choose to do so.
At any point in the day, up to the end of the show, you will bring all the "play money" you have and come to the ticket booth and exchange it for real cash. AllVendors will not lose out in any sales or profit. AllBuyers will still be able to buy to your heart's content. Neither IPMS/OC, nor CSUF/TSU, is taking a cut or charging a fee to do this.
This also impacts the Raffle – Now renamed – Opportunity Drawing…because CSUF considers a raffle to be 'gambling'. In the Opportunity Drawing EVERYONE will receive one free ticket when they pay their admission. You will still have plenty of opportunity to purchase additional tickets if you wish to increase your Opportunity.
The Contest portion of OrangeCon is unaffected by this wrinkle that has been thrust upon us. More than 50 categories, plus splits, all of the 'Best Of' awards and the Special Best RAF Subject trophy await you winners.
One thing regarding the contest we want to address. There is a rumor going around, and we don't know who started it, but we want to kill it here and now. For more than 25 years OrangeCon has allowed the winning models from the current year's IPMS National Convention to enter and compete. Only National winners from previous years are not eligible to enter. THAT RULE HAS NOT CHANGED! If your model won any award at this years' Nationals held in Phoenix, you can bring it to OrangeCon and enter it.
We're sorry to hit you with all of this, but again, they didn't disclose this information to us until now. It is too late to try for any legal action which we feel we would have won because of the late disclosure. We're hoping to deal with this nuisance and still have a great event on October 13th and then move on to a new venue for OrangeCon 2019 that does not have this absurd requirement.
Please contact us at ocipmstreasurer@gmail with any questions.
We appreciate your cooperation and look forward to a very successful OrangeCon 2018
Thank you,
IPMS Orange County

Just got this from the IPMS, who have a model show with contests, vendors and a swap meet (bring and buy) coming up in October. Some of this seems so ridiculous, I was tempted to anger. Then I relaxed, kept reading, and was refreshingly heartened by ingenuity and the ability to reach compromise that seem to missing from so many of our conversations and negotiations. Anyway, here is the (lengthy) message.

Dear Fellow Modelers,
OrangeCon is Here!
By the time you receive this, OrangeCon 2018 will be about three weeks away – Saturday October 13th. We are busy ramping up to the final push so that we will have another successful and enjoyable event this year.
The trophies are in hand, the vendor room is approaching being sold out and everyone we know is building models like mad to participate in the contest.
That said, we need to share with you some critical changes that have been forced upon us "at the last moment" by the venue there at Cal State Fullerton. Sadly, some of this will affect all vendors and attendees. For the record, we don't like it either! But we're stuck with it!
We have just been informed by the new Event Planner of the CSU Fullerton Titan Student Union (TSU) that they have a new cash handling policy (in fact it's so new they don't yet have it in writing!). The main change was that no cash could be transacted in the vendor room or out in the lobby. DON'T PANIC! We have developed a workaround solution and hope you will understand that we have no other choice to do this – other then canceling the event entirely – and there is no way we will do that!
After multiple meetings with the TSU management we agreed to comply changing where we take our general admission and model contest registration fees as well the tickets for our opportunity drawing from the lobby to their built-in ticket booth. The ticket booth is outside the door facing the parking structure many of you are familiar with. We will have signs and volunteers to help direct people to where they need to go.
All Vendors are fully able to sell their items in our vendor room, and all Buyers will still be able to buy that treasure you found for sale, but as Cash cannot be taken inside the vendor room at all, you will need to use the arrangement we agreed to use with TSU…so don't worry. We created a method where you will use a cash substitute. We will have official OrangeCon "play money", good only at OrangeCon on the day of the event. We will have a sign at the entrance as well as volunteers informing everyone coming to the ticket book of the following. "Anyone wishing to purchase items in our vendor room must exchange their cash with officially approved TSU Bucks." Then you can buy and sell just as it has always been. Vendors are allowed to take checks and credit/debit cards directly if they choose to do so.
At any point in the day, up to the end of the show, you will bring all the "play money" you have and come to the ticket booth and exchange it for real cash. AllVendors will not lose out in any sales or profit. AllBuyers will still be able to buy to your heart's content. Neither IPMS/OC, nor CSUF/TSU, is taking a cut or charging a fee to do this.
This also impacts the Raffle – Now renamed – Opportunity Drawing…because CSUF considers a raffle to be 'gambling'. In the Opportunity Drawing EVERYONE will receive one free ticket when they pay their admission. You will still have plenty of opportunity to purchase additional tickets if you wish to increase your Opportunity.
The Contest portion of OrangeCon is unaffected by this wrinkle that has been thrust upon us. More than 50 categories, plus splits, all of the 'Best Of' awards and the Special Best RAF Subject trophy await you winners.
One thing regarding the contest we want to address. There is a rumor going around, and we don't know who started it, but we want to kill it here and now. For more than 25 years OrangeCon has allowed the winning models from the current year's IPMS National Convention to enter and compete. Only National winners from previous years are not eligible to enter. THAT RULE HAS NOT CHANGED! If your model won any award at this years' Nationals held in Phoenix, you can bring it to OrangeCon and enter it.
We're sorry to hit you with all of this, but again, they didn't disclose this information to us until now. It is too late to try for any legal action which we feel we would have won because of the late disclosure. We're hoping to deal with this nuisance and still have a great event on October 13th and then move on to a new venue for OrangeCon 2019 that does not have this absurd requirement.
Please contact us at ocipmstreasurer@gmail with any questions.
We appreciate your cooperation and look forward to a very successful OrangeCon 2018
Thank you,
IPMS Orange County

Also, Miniwars 2018 will be held in conjunction with Orangecon

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