I agree we should start pretty small. But still, I think for the kind of thing we have in mind, which is to draw attention ot playmobil, let the public come in and see and inspire them to buy playmobil, we need to have at least 4-6 interesting to look at dioramas. They don't need to be massive, but they should be creative, and showcase all that you can do with Playmobil.
So, the thing is, the way these exhibitions are usually done, you need a hall for three days. One day for exhibitors only to come in and set up their dioramas, as it takes a while, even if you have practiced several times and are very organized. Then two days for the actual exhibition, for the public to come in and see the dioramas. Finding a place to use for three days is definitely not easy.
Bonniebeth, You make some valid points.
I agree that you need a hall for at least two days...one for set up and another for public viewing. Three days would be ideal so there could be a second day of public viewing. If you want a medium sized show with big dioramas, it will require at least 10,000 sq feet of exhibit space, and you have to worry about tickets, security, parking, publicity, etc.
That is why I think a PM park would be the best place if they have the indoor space.
Otherwise, you have to look for a local hotel with that kind of space. I just reviewed the Marriott properties in the Raleigh/Cary area and only the 2 Marriotts have 10,000 plus sq ft. Their room rates per night for Sept 23-25 are $107. (Crabtree with free parking) and (Downtown Raleigh where parking is not free) for $143.
If you held a smaller meeting and could get by with 1250 sq ft of exhibition space, you could use a Courtyard in Cary or at RDU airport for a room rate of $60+ with free parking.
First you would need to know how many exhibitors were coming and how much space they each needed for their displays. Then you have to decide whether and how long you would open it up for public viewing.
So once you decide whether to go large or small, you can select a hotel. I am not sure how many rooms you have to reserve to get the meeting space for free.
A Lego show in Raleigh attracted 8000. visitors a year ago. Not sure what the number was last month. They use the No. Raleigh Hilton, and it is a large commercial production. The editor of the Lego magazine called Brickworld runs this event called BrickMagic.
With a PM show being a much smaller event, I am favoring a smaller hotel with limited exhibition space the first go round....unless we can get into a Fun Park. A first get together could just focus on the exhibitors, hopefully most of whom are member of PFriends. We could open it up to the public for maybe three hours the second day, and see how it goes. That way a third day would not be needed, and folks could drive home Sunday morning.
Then the following year, we could grow a bit if the first round was successful. It seems to me that BrickFair, the Lego convention near Wash. DC that we attend in August, requires volunteers/exhibitors to be there Th AM-Sunday at 5PM. The seminars run Th and Fr for registrants. Then the public show is Sat and Sun.
That is a very long time commitment. And it takes years to build up to that size and attendance level of 20,000 or so spread over 2 days. It requires about 150 volunteers and months of planning by the organizer, a fellow who shoulders the entire financial burden and now probably makes a few bucks now that it runs pretty smoothly.
The other obstacle we face is that PM is not that well known in the US. If you grew up with it in Europe, it seems natural to go to a show. Most Americans don't even know what it is. Lego is so visible in Target and WalMart that everyone here knows what it is. PM is much harder to find, and not very well known. So your show attendance would be much lower than at the Lego events.
Two cents for what y'all think of this! Cheers, Pgal