Spoolin415

iTrader: (4)

Thats a shame people take things like message board posts so seriously, but like I said, I don't take any of this to heart. Some people have 'off' personalities, but its nothing I'd ever seriously dislike them for. Well, maybe a few here and there, but they're the exception, not the rule.

Thats a fair price for a cartered event at a nice locale, IMO. This place is like the VWPoortex classifieds when it comes time to coughing up a few bucks.

soggynoodles

iTrader: (50)

I just hate you all.

nokio

to all the in this thread!

OneManArmy

iTrader: (7)

$20... wtf?

I guess I'm riff Raff.

bluwrxwgn

iTrader: (3)

$20 for a catered event would be good. But $20 for backyard BBQ where food can and has a few times run out is not ok. But if it were catered with Tri-Tip and all the fixin's for $20, then yea I could see it being worth the $20.

OneManArmy

iTrader: (7)

I can't speak for everyone that has complained about monetary issues and BAM but I can speak for most...

None of the people I have personally spoken with and I don't think I could count them on two hands have no issues with the organizer making money. They just want it out in the open.



As for the MRI.... you can still get and MRI dude. And beyond that, the best person to ask about that is a doctor. Good luck getting better, you need a period of good health in a serious way.

bluwrxwgn

iTrader: (3)

I would agree that it is fair to receive some compensation from it and wouldn't care if the person did. If the person owned up and said they did then I would care at all. More power to them.

Spoolin415

iTrader: (4)

I believe this was the issue with rescuer wasn't it? I vaguely remember some drama with pricing for different vendors, etc.

Either way, I still don't care about BAM. I didn't go, I probably won't ever go and if I do go I don't care who makes what in the process. Money issues should be between the vendors and organizers. The only thing Joe Blow should worry about is if the promised perks of admission are delivered upon payment of admission.

I don't know why I debating BAM, paint drying is of more interest to me, my original point of posting had nothing to do with BAM.

OneManArmy

iTrader: (7)

I don't know that dude....

brucelee

iTrader: (6)

The one year I actually made money from the event, I made just shy of $100 and with that money I invited all the people who helped with the event to a pizza/beer party at Mission Pizza in fremont. There were about 20 or so of us and we had a great time. The last two times I organized the event (in 2007 and 2009, I didn't do the 2008 event) I donated every cent to two animal charities. Furry Friends animal rescue was the main charity that we donated to, and last year we raised $2,500 for Furry Friends which supplied a lot of animals with medical care so that they were able to be adopted. Last year alone BAIC was responsible for saving the lives of over 30 dogs and cats, animals that wouldn't have been able to be put up for adoption because of their health problems... The health problems weren't serious and were completely treatable and thanks to people like you (thank you BAIC) we were able to get them the attention that they needed and ensured that they were adopted. I know some people complain about the fact that the money went to animal charities but you cant make everyone happy and regardless of what you do there will ALWAYS be someone there to complain.

The reason the event isn't free is because we have 500 people to cater to and that requires money. The food alone is a HUGE part of the event. we could just serve hot dogs and be really cheap about it but this is our once a year event and I want it to be nice, which is why we have good sausages, chicken wings/thighs/breasts and burgers (we used to have tri-tip). I really dont understand the people that complain about $5 for entree + food, etc, especially when the event is a fund raiser aimed to save the lives of animals. What is there really to complain about? If the event were free we wouldn't have food (and yes, sometimes we temporarily run out because its really hard to estimate the amount of people but we always run to the store and buy more when we run out, so it's not that we're running out, just delaying the food by a little bit, and tahts why stafford lake is so great because its 5 mins away from a grocery store), and if the event were free we'd have a lot of unwanted people at the event. The $5 entree fee pretty much ensures that only the real BAIC members show up and we can be assured that the SRT4 club wont be there to ruin our fun.

The reason I organize this event is so that everyone can have fun... No matter what I do and how smoothly things go, we ALWAYS have that small percentage of people who will complain about something. Me and the BAM volunteers go through hell trying to make everyone happy and to be honest, it doesn't feel nice when you have someone talking a bunch of smack to you regarding the event that you worked so hard on organizing. Why do you think I don't like organizing it anymore? If I made so much money from the event then why would I be trying to pawn it off on someone else for the last 5 years? The only satisfaction I get is seeing people with smiles on their faces and the people that genuinely thank me for the hard work that me and my team put into the event...

I would absolutely LOVE it if one of the people who complains the most about the event would take over and attempt to do a better job than me, which means that they'd have to provide all the food, drinks, events AND do it for FREE... I've offered it to so many people and yet no wants anything to do with it, and those who do want to change the entire event into something that resembles a large UCKK event (no food, no drinks, no music... Just a bunch of people in a parking lot, what fun is that?).

Here's all that goes into making this event: (Keep in mind you need to provide all the following for 500 people!!!)

1. Food. A good variety of food such as quality sausages, chicken thighs/breats/wings, quality hamburgers and everything that goes along with everything (buns, bread, condiments/sauces). 500 people worth! (that alone is $$$$$)

2. Sides. Things like individual bags of chips for everyone, potato salad, cookies/brownies and other snacks. You need to have something for everyone

3. Drinks. Each person must be able to drink at least 3 drinks, so for 500 people that means 1,500 cans of soda, bottles of water. Its enough to fill up the bed of a pickup truck just with drinks!

4. Supplies. You need to think of EVERYTHING from raffle tickets, to duct tape, to BBQ supplies, and everything in between. (forks, knives, napkins, plates, lighter fluid, coals, etc, etc) You also need to bring sun shade like easy-up's, etc. It''s your responsibility to have as many as possible and that might mean asking others to bring their own, etc. Don't forget about the massive amount of coolers, ice, etc that you need to keep things cold. Supplies are key and without them you are screwed so make sure you have everything.

5. Park fees. Not only do you need to pay to rent the site (and we dont just rent our site but we rent the site next to ours so we can have the parking lot to ourselves). Since we have so many people the park requires us to have insurance for the day, and if you've ever dealt with insuring an event you know what a headache it is and how much it costs. Thankfully we have vendors supporting us and allowing us to be able to do this. It's a big fat headache regardless

6. Music and other fun things. You need to make sure there is electricity for the DJ's (and dont forget about booking the DJ, lol) and supplying people with fun activities so that they can be occupied. Things like soccer, frisbee, vollyball, etc.


Those are the fundimentals of the event... There is a lot more to it then that but those are the areas of focus. The organizer of the event is responsible for everything so he/she will be running around the entire day to make sure that everything is going smoothly... From the parking to the trash, everything needs to go smoothly.


After all that work and sacrifice, the organizer has to deal with people belittling him/her, accusing him/her of making money for working really hard (I have a job and I can make money in a MUCH easier way then this! This is not easy and if I were doing it for the money I'd have to make a lot more then $2,500 ,which is what we donated to furry friends last year).

Those who have been in the trenches with me during the event planning know how difficult it is to run something like this single handedly and without the help of some REALLY great volunteers, there's no way I'd be able to do this, so here's a big fat thank you to the people who have made it possible to run this event each year. I also want to thank those people who have been positive and supported me/us through the years, you guys are the reason that I still do this.

To the people that sit there and complain... You have an open invite to organize this event yourself with my supervision... If you think you can do better and make it cheaper, then by all means lets do it! The less work for me the better! (all proceeds will still go to furry friends animal rescue regardless).


(I didnt proof read that and didnt correct any of it... AND I typed that all with two fingers! lol)

smyamaha

you tell'em!!!! We may have some differing opinions, but you did a great job with BAM and it was awesome..... THANKS

soggynoodles

iTrader: (50)

sweet picture. hehe