National Event, what should the timing be?

Dreamingfurther

Dreamingfurther

Exemplar
So some of the thoughts that folks have been sharing on the other question thread that I posted got me thinking. What sort of timeline do people think would be fun/attainable for a national event?

Would a regular long weekend over labor day like has been run in the past be 'enough' for making a flight or long *** drive or other long travel plans worth it? Or would folks like something that is more mid-week leaving the weekends on both ends for travel/resting/whatever? Could there be some in-between length of time that is part weekend part not that would be worth it? If planned long enough in advance how reasonable do people think taking mid week time off work would be for a national event? In the interest of trying to keep topics focused lets try to keep this discussion aimed towards what sort of timing we think would work well for a national event.

Personally I'd love the idea of using some mid-week game time. It feels like it would leave the weekends on either end so that people have ample time/space for travel and the event doesn't feel 'rushed' because everyone is trying to fit everything into a long weekend and then rush back home for work or whatever. I think I could personally get the time off work for some mid-week game days, at least 4-5 months in advance.

What about others?
 
Mid-week game time means taking a full week off work if you want to attend the entire event. That'll be a drawback for the players not still in school.
 
Well it wouldn't have to be all week long.

Honestly I'd think it would be worse for players in school...
 
The way my vacation works, I have to take my full two weeks consecutively. So a mid-week thing would either annihilate the spare sick/personal days I get which are few enough as is, or I'd have to blow my entire vacation for one big event.

Going from a Friday through a Monday/Tuesday works for me as a 9 to 5'er as I think it would work for most people in the same boat. Of course it's different for everyone, but that's what I would see working out best. Traveling Thursday Night, playing through Monday/Tuesday and then leaving that night leaves ample recovery time/travel time to resume our oh-so-exciting normal lives.

As for actual dates, I'm in for whenever. Holiday weekends obviously grant some freedom but some people always have long standing plans to see family/big gatherings or what not.

Just my 2 cents.
 
I think that always having it the same weekend every time sucks, to be blunt. Some companies - they can't afford to give time off on Labor Day (mine included). Perhaps being willing to switch it up? Or shoot for the 4th of July weekend, or for Memorial Day?
 
Having it the same weekend helps every one plan better, seeing how you know when it is far in advance. Having it on a holiday weekend might hurt it though.
 
Speaking as someone who will more than likely have to fly to any national event, booking flights on holiday weekends usually means paying about 50% more than non-holiday weekends. But there are more factors involved as well (needing to take an extra day off to get out to the east coast in time for game on in the evening, etc.) and I believe that those of us west of the Rockies often make up a small percentage of the attendees so not sure how much our needs figure into things.

With that being said, I think the most important thing is to set a date early enough so that plans can be made around it to attend. I also believe, being a national event that it should take place on a holiday weekend to make it a 3 day event and help lessen the amount of time away from work.
 
So, personally, having it during the week would we great. I basically work every weekend so LARP has become a pain for me to schedule in general. Having it start Monday and wrap up Thursday would work out very well for me. That said, keeping it to the weekend if that works best would be perfectly fine for me too, just a preference.

As for when in the year, I would like to see it happen in the spring or fall. Lets not do a game when its super hot out...
 
4th of July Weekend/Week

Next year, the 4th of July is on a Wed. My company hasn't posted the holiday schedule that week, but most likely people will be taking off the entire week anyways.

Here's my suggestions:
1) Friday June 29th through Wed July 4th (5 day event)
2) Tuesday July 3rd through Sunday July 8th (5 day event)

The event is long enough so that if people cannot make it the first few days or last few days they will still be able to participate in the majority of the event.

Thoughts?

EDIT: Summers arn't as hot in MN as they are in other areas of the US, just saying :)
 
Silly Minnesotan, no matter where or what time we have it, you are going to think it is too hot. ;)

I second it not being on a holiday weekend. (for better travel price rates, and some not so cool jobs 'holiday' just means a required work day)
 
Even MN gets hot during July... Maybe something the weekend before labor day would be a little cooler? It also probably depends on the weather of the week around the event too, and that's pretty much just a crap-shoot...
 
If you don't want it to be hot and are not slaved to a holiday weekend, why not late September or October? You could even make it a Halloween event!
 
I would rather have it be a 4- or 5-day event not on a holiday weekend (mid-week or over a weekend doesn't matter to me). My work situation is different than most in that I get a ton of vacation days which I hardly use throughout the year, and I can take them as-needed so long as I give a couple weeks notice.

-Luke
 
Mid to late August is your best bet if you want it up here in Minnesota.

It'll be warm, but not too hot, and generally really nice out at night. Granted it does get to be about 80 degrees out, it's still not that bad. Also there aren't any major holidays that go on in August that I'm aware of, so vacation time shouldn't be too hard to get off for most people.
 
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