Q&A for Cindy K. Candidate for Bronze Usher

[Admin]

This thread is for Cindy K, candidate for the position of Bronze Usher. Cindy, feel free to post an introduction to yourself and your goals as a potential officer.

For those new to our system, the Bronze Usher is the local equivalent of the Gold Usher. The officer is responsible for promotion and PR, as well as merchandise approvals and the maintenance of good information regarding vendors known to the Order in their particular Sector. They work as assistants to the Gold Usher, to whom they will report.

[MadMadamMissy]

Hi everybody. Well, I was going to start with a brief reminder of what the position is about, but I see it's been covered

I've got some ideas for upcoming events we can do, and will actively seek out and repost information on events which our membership may be interested in, whether as an organized group or individually. I'll try to seek out events at different participation levels - not just ticketed events like cons, but other opportunities including free events and costume-optional social events such as a beach picnic and bonfire. We can also play an active role in finding/creating places to cosplay by reaching out to local organizations like libraries and suggesting that we will come to support sci-fi or science-themed events if they'd like to plan one. I've no doubt this role will evolve over the course of the year as our needs as a group change or become clearer, so I'll be ready to help lay the course for future bronze ushers as new procedures and challenges develop.

[The Valeyard]

Please remember to post your questions in the Question thread.

[MadMadamMissy]

First set of Questions from Bank of Mom:

1. What ideas do you have for ways to promote the Order?

>>>> Our first and most effective means of promotion is at conventions like Gally or WonderCon. Obviously the best way to introduce someone to a club is for them to meet members who invite them to come check us out. In that vein, I see local and national leadership as "ringleaders" to encourage and assist all our members, who represent the Order when we gather as a group. Some of this will include making sure people have access to a ready supply of business cards, ribbons and whatever future tools we wish to use to get our name out there into the hands of other Whovians.

Since conventions are only occasional events, and sometimes out of financial reach for some, I would like to see us find other means of gathering as a group. A recent idea came about when a fellow Order member invited me out to a Who-themed tea. They did a nice job, and I checked into the possibility of us arranging such an event for our group. If we arranged the "entertainment" instead of them (and you know we could do it well!), then the price comes down to something pretty accessible for folks. So that's an idea I'd like to develop for late spring or early summer as we already have a couple events before then. Another idea we could develop when con season slows down would be to reach out to local libraries and offer to show up and support them if they want to have a sci-fi or science-themed event. That's less about promoting the Order as it is just doing things for the general good. Then of course, we could look into other just-for-fun gatherings, not relying on someone to create and event for us to show to but simply us creating our own good time. Last year we got together at the beach for a potluck and photo-taking meet which was a lot of fun. This year I'd like to reserve us one of the tables near the fire pits so we can do the full bonfire experience. And sunset is a great time for "Bad Wolf" photos

2. There have been considerable concerns about the growing Whovian community compared to the relatively small number of Whovian centered events in the United States. What could you do as Bronze Usher to get us involved with existing events, and how do you think you could help the Order with encouraging and perhaps creating new ones?

>>>>I think our first good step is the panel at WonderCon. With visibility at generic cons, we not only help to create more places for us to play, but help to grow the Whovian community by helping others get started in the cosplay hobby. We can leverage that visibility to help fill any events we may plan in the future (for example, if we had a Whovian's ball or a mini-con gathering). The growing Whovian community wants more events, but those events require a growing Whovian community to guarantee success. The two happen in tandem. So the more fans we help create, the more support Whovian events will get, and therefore the more viable they will be.

I think there is a lot of opportunity to support smaller Cons by applying for panels there. I also feel that local stores which support our hobby, such as comic book or game stores, would be happy hosts to events. We need not wait to be invited, if we find a bare spot in our calendar, there's nothing saying we can't contact them and suggest a Who event.

Also, I believe there are Who events out there that we are not always aware of. As we learn of these events, we should keep track of them, so even if we do not organize a formal gathering, individual members looking for a night out can find out about them. Case in point: did you know a pub in North Hollywood has a Doctor Who evening on the first Monday of every month? It would be nice if we could start tracking these things as we hear of them.

I also do not know of a catch-all resource for Con dates. As we learn of Cons that are DW-relevant, we should start keeping track of them.

3. Do you serve as an officer in any other costuming club? Please let us know your title/role and the name of the club. Do you feel there is a risk of any conflicts of interest, and if so, how would you deal with those if they arise?

>>>>Nope.

4. How would you go about interacting with other Whovian groups in your area?

>>>>If we start arranging our own events, we'll want to reach out to those groups to promote attendance. Likewise, we'll want to know if they're having an event.

[MadMadamMissy]

Next question:

I just want to further develop our YouTube channel and get us established as a name brand. It's one of the things that I'd like to work with you directly on (and using your position to help me rally folks together to get it done). Would that be OK with you?

-Justin

>>>> Those videos, in addition to being a lot of fun, are good PR for the group. I look forward to working with you on that project.

[MadMadamMissy]

Next question:

Other than the forum, describe how you might connect members in your sector with vendors?

>>>> I would work with the Gold Usher to keep and maintain the master vendor list (including updates if one of our members experiences an issue with a vendor), and also look for opportunities to bring members and vendors together at planned events.