![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Bouncing Things Around
Feb. 16th, 2010 10:36 amSo, in the interest of not pointing out problems without also trying to put forth potential solutions, here we go....
There is some significant aggravation (no, it isn't just me) with the fact that Spring Crown is currently locked in for KY for three years and Coronation seems to be happening in the same area with a great frequency. Why is this?
The stated reason is lack of bids from other areas.
If this is so, why?
Possible reason 1: Eliminating the Rotational system means that since it isn't anybody's turn... it isn't anybody's turn. Or, nobody feels a burning need to attempt to put together a bid for any specific event. Many moons ago, if Pentamere was up on the rotation for say, Fall Crown, the idea would get bandied about at local meetings. Other Baronies would be contacted to see if they were putting in a bid. Because, after all, it was Our Turn. Now.... not so much.
Possible solution - return to some sort of rotational system. Something as simple as returning to the regional rotation, or even just splitting the Kingdom in half. North-South or East-West. Or get more complicated and specific - Ask which groups would be interested in the rotation, and then assign events to specific groups. White Waters has Fall Crown 2011, Cleftlands Coronation Fall 2011, Roaring Wastes Coronation Spring 2012...etc. With a "back up" group for each and the stipulation that event dates may be traded with another group. Failure to trade the date or notify your back-up group of your inability to put on the event within 6 months of the event would lead to being dropped from the rotation for X number of years.
Possible reason 2: Many groups are currently putting on too many events as it is. The calendar is overloaded, everybody scrambles to get things on the Calendar WAY early, and nobody has the energy to host a Kingdom event. Or already has an event scheduled that month. Mine own Barony has rather monopolized the month of March for the immediate area, scheduling events on three of four weekends. This is crazy.
Possible solutions:
1 - limit the number of events any given group can hold, excepting hosting Kingdom events. I'm sort of against this, because it's in general rather dictatorial and might prevents some pretty nice one-time events.
2 - eliminate the requirement for EVERY group to throw and event every year. Make it every other? Or allow them to "co-host" with a neighbor. It's pretty hard to even start a group these days because it's so hard to wedge another event into the calendar.
3 - Restrict calendar access - Each group may place up to two events on the Calendar each Calendar year at any time. Additional events may not be placed on the Calendar until 4 months before the desired event date. Which would prevent some of the mad scramble for dates.
4 - Restrict timing of events - No group may throw an event within 30 (or 60 or 90 or whatever) days of another event held by the same group, unless it is a Kingdom event being hosted by that group.
5 - Ask nicely for groups to hold fewer, higher quality events. Which won't work. Everyone will assume that their own events are so well-loved that this suggestion is directed at everybody else.
6 - Encourage certain special interest events to go every-other year or to be "roaming" It seems to work well for the Cooks' Symposium and Bardic Madness.
7 - "Tax" events... For every X number of events hosted, one bid for a Kingdom event is required.
Possible reason 3 - Allowing TRHs to chose their own Coronation site is nice - but really limits the timing Window - since there is usually only about a 6-7 month period from Crown to Coronation.
possible solution - back to assigning groups again. More of a pain for TRHs, but potentially improving the ability to spread the love, so to speak.
Thoughts? Additions? Holes to be poked?
I really do feel like Coronation and Crown have been HARDER to get to, and less equitably distributed since Northshield became a Kingdom and the rotation system fell apart. Interested in what others think.
There is some significant aggravation (no, it isn't just me) with the fact that Spring Crown is currently locked in for KY for three years and Coronation seems to be happening in the same area with a great frequency. Why is this?
The stated reason is lack of bids from other areas.
If this is so, why?
Possible reason 1: Eliminating the Rotational system means that since it isn't anybody's turn... it isn't anybody's turn. Or, nobody feels a burning need to attempt to put together a bid for any specific event. Many moons ago, if Pentamere was up on the rotation for say, Fall Crown, the idea would get bandied about at local meetings. Other Baronies would be contacted to see if they were putting in a bid. Because, after all, it was Our Turn. Now.... not so much.
Possible solution - return to some sort of rotational system. Something as simple as returning to the regional rotation, or even just splitting the Kingdom in half. North-South or East-West. Or get more complicated and specific - Ask which groups would be interested in the rotation, and then assign events to specific groups. White Waters has Fall Crown 2011, Cleftlands Coronation Fall 2011, Roaring Wastes Coronation Spring 2012...etc. With a "back up" group for each and the stipulation that event dates may be traded with another group. Failure to trade the date or notify your back-up group of your inability to put on the event within 6 months of the event would lead to being dropped from the rotation for X number of years.
Possible reason 2: Many groups are currently putting on too many events as it is. The calendar is overloaded, everybody scrambles to get things on the Calendar WAY early, and nobody has the energy to host a Kingdom event. Or already has an event scheduled that month. Mine own Barony has rather monopolized the month of March for the immediate area, scheduling events on three of four weekends. This is crazy.
Possible solutions:
1 - limit the number of events any given group can hold, excepting hosting Kingdom events. I'm sort of against this, because it's in general rather dictatorial and might prevents some pretty nice one-time events.
2 - eliminate the requirement for EVERY group to throw and event every year. Make it every other? Or allow them to "co-host" with a neighbor. It's pretty hard to even start a group these days because it's so hard to wedge another event into the calendar.
3 - Restrict calendar access - Each group may place up to two events on the Calendar each Calendar year at any time. Additional events may not be placed on the Calendar until 4 months before the desired event date. Which would prevent some of the mad scramble for dates.
4 - Restrict timing of events - No group may throw an event within 30 (or 60 or 90 or whatever) days of another event held by the same group, unless it is a Kingdom event being hosted by that group.
5 - Ask nicely for groups to hold fewer, higher quality events. Which won't work. Everyone will assume that their own events are so well-loved that this suggestion is directed at everybody else.
6 - Encourage certain special interest events to go every-other year or to be "roaming" It seems to work well for the Cooks' Symposium and Bardic Madness.
7 - "Tax" events... For every X number of events hosted, one bid for a Kingdom event is required.
Possible reason 3 - Allowing TRHs to chose their own Coronation site is nice - but really limits the timing Window - since there is usually only about a 6-7 month period from Crown to Coronation.
possible solution - back to assigning groups again. More of a pain for TRHs, but potentially improving the ability to spread the love, so to speak.
Thoughts? Additions? Holes to be poked?
I really do feel like Coronation and Crown have been HARDER to get to, and less equitably distributed since Northshield became a Kingdom and the rotation system fell apart. Interested in what others think.
