Hastings Midnight DVD event

I just talked talked to the manager at Hastings and he is excited about the club particpating in their event also. We can help put on the store's trivia contest and handout flyers. If anyone has any other suggestions let me know and I will talk to him. He seems pretty cool. He said the store will probably stay open until about 12:30 a.m. So it's only going to take a half hour or so but we will be sure to meet more hardcore types because that is the only reason anyone would go there at midnight on that night.
The manager fif mention the possibility of a costume contest if there were enough people interested in that.
The prizes that wil be given out that night are special lithographs.
I hope people feel free to attend both the Hastings and Suncoast events, I think its going to be a big day for both groups.
May the Force be With You!

 

I think Ill go to both events. Somebody print out a huge stack of flyers, the small kind.

 

I will bring a newer version of a flyer to the meeting on saturday. That way if we need any input, we can have it done by the DVD release parties. I can make bunches of copies too, don't worry.

 

So is the IFSWA still planning on participating in the Suncoast event? I haven't seen much posted in that thread. I need to know ASAP if you folks will be running the trivia contest or not...Please let me know as soon as you can...

Doug

 

I'll be there... at least to get my SW DVDs at midnight!! YEE-HAW!!!!

 

For Hastings, I am going to bring copies of IFSWAa newpaper articles, and a complete list of upcoming events including Boba Fett and movies in production. (I am also bringing my EL saber for emphasis) Anyone who shows up at midnight is obviously a fan, and we have to use every tool we have to get them in the club. I have a big speech planned.

For Suncoast, our biggest draw will no doubt be Vader and the Trooper, and our best bet there is to show up with a polaroid or digital camera to have people get pictures with Vader. THAT WILL have them lined up around the block. I will have my camera phone for that purpose. I will also offer to give the fans their own pic with a Cgi SABER in it.

 

Sounds very cool Barry, way to go man!!

 

The manager I talked to is out of town until this weekend. I did talk to the eployees and they said we can use the bathroom there for anyone that needs to change into their gear. Our particiation is already confirmed so its not a real big deal the manager is gone but I will be sure t catch him when he gets back.
I'm still planning to write up trivia questions for both events.

 

Eric,
What time can I be there to change? It does take about 15 minutes to get everything on, and I will need help with the cape and helmet.
Will we be inside the store when it opens?

 

Eric,
Any word back from Hastings about when I can get there to change into Vader?

 

If you want to get there a half hour early that would work.

 

ok, just make sure someone is ther help me with the cape and mask

 

no problem. Everything sounds cool over there. They are going to help us get set up.

 

I was really happy with the DVD event at Hastings we met some really cool people there and hopefully we will see a few of them at upcoming events. I will defintely look at setting up something with Hastings when the ROTS DVD comes out next year.
Any thoughts or ideas on how a future event can be better?

 

well, i guess if you consider 1 person in costume (vader), and another showing up,uninvited, (TIE Figher Pilot)and everybody in the club standing in corner huddeling together as everybody passed by, a success then way to go guys....

 

HI Nick, We were glad you could make it. We probably should have been a bit more clear about when things were happening. By the time you got there much of the activities had already happened and most of the fliers had been passed out to the customers and we had already bought our copies of the trilogy. It was cool to have you and Mike there in costumes. Costume isn't something the club focuses on, but its always cool to see them. After you lkeft we had some good conversation outside the store with a guy we hadn't met before that was pretty enthuisiastic. So overall I enjoyed it and hopefully others did too.

 

I think the event did go over very well. We met a lot of nice people - some of whom where in their own costumes - and passed out our flyers. The trivia contest also went well. A few people seemed interested in what we're doing.

I'm sorry you got another impression, Nick. Unfortunately, you arrived just as we had all paid and were in front of the door, ready to leave.

Thanks, by the way, for showing up in your costume. You, too, Mike. You both looked great.

 

I was able to get to both Hastings and Suncoast, and felt that both pretty well, especially for basically first-time events. I do think there was more person-toperson contact at the Hastings thing, because it's hard to do anything in those masks, other than look cool...

 

Considering that it was a mere DVD sale, we got far more exposure than I had hoped. Nick, I made sure I had planted myself buy the front door and pushed flyers into the hands of the patrons before they had three steps into the store. The flyer I passed out had websites for here and for the alpine garrison, and I passed out at least 20. That is in addition to Erin's flyers. Far more people showed up than I predicted, and people werent in much mood to chit chat that late at night (something I did predict, hense the flyers with our web addresses, so they can lurk here at their hearts content). Most of the patrons who came were there at 11:30, which is when we did most of our hard core recruiting. When you got there it was all over but the shouting. Dont have a bad feeling jsut for that. 11:30 was a mad house.

 

Well, it could be said that both sides have their own opinion of how the DVD release should have been handled.
I think the Club officers should have had name tags to identify themselves with the group, with something on them that said, "Ask me how I can become a member of the IFSWA".
I think a table with refreshments for those brave enough to come out at Midnight would have been a plus, and made people show the group cares.
A collage of photos of past events that the group partakes in would show the fun the group has, besides meetings.
A little more Hoopla would have gotten people more into it, than just waiting for Midnight, so they could go home.
They should have been playing Star Wars music over the speakers.
Before the Club showed up, the Store Manager asked me how many costumed members were going to be there.
I told him I honestly did not know, so I dont know if he was expecting more also. He might have assumed more costumes because it was a Fan Club.
I think the Store could have advertised it alot better also.
Good Luck on your next event, hope some of this is helpful.

 

Those suggestions help quite a bit. We'd never done anything like that as a club before, so it was definitely a learning experience. the manager thanked us for coming as he closed up so Iprobably ought to send a thank you note over there. I think we can work with them in the future and all the suggestions you made certainly would make it better. For a first time deal, I don't see how it was a failure, but it could it have been done more effectively? Sure it could.
It seems like we tried for years to get stores to work with us for previous DVD releases and product releases for Episode III and kept running into brick walls so in some ways it feels like a breakthrough groups in the area are getting cooperation. Hopefully some new opprtunities come our way between now and Revenge of the Sith.