I tend to agree with Wes on this one. I don't know about all symposiums and their costs but I do know that at the West Coast Symposium even featured speakers are lucky to get their transportation costs paid for. Most usually trade speaking for entrance fees, dorm lodging and food (and it takes three talks to get all three). Most of the help is volunteer (actually usually a trade for the entrance fee). Vendors are forced to join the trade association to the tune of several hundred dollars if they aren't already members and then it will cost several hundred more dollars at the minimum for beach or booth space (plus an entrance fee for each additional worker). I quit attending as a vendor years ago. In the recent past I traded a talk for the entrance fee mainly because I liked the dance and fun race, but last year I was turned down as a speaker so I bought a one day pass so I could try out about 25 new kayaks I hadn't paddled before. The rates seem outrageous to me too but I believe this is a real profit center for the trade association. In Pt. Townsend they get upwards of 1000 attendees at over $100 each. However, If they lowered the rate a lot at Pt. Townsend they would probably have way to many attendees to handle. You don't have to pay to visit the beach and talk to your friends though, only if you want to listen to the speakers promote their wares in classes or paddle their kayaks. I don't know this for sure but I'll bet the full time trade association workers are very well paid and symposium profits as well as member dues are what pays those salaries. Most of the work is done by "volunteers". I am not a member of TAPS. I do not agree with the policies or goals of this organization and I don't want them speaking for me. They have used the symposium to try to force me to join and for a few years I paid the dues to go to the one symposium but refused to let them list my name as a member. In the face of further pressure to join I quit displaying our kayaks there. We have an uncrowded mini-symposium nearly every day our store is open (we talk sea kayaking, answer questions, and a customer can try our and several other brands of kayaks at our lakeside location and NWOC has many other kayaks and they are almost under our location. We don't need to be at the symposium lugging a lot of kayaks around and paying through the nose for the privilege. What burns me is that in advertising TAPS lists me as a "speaker" ("present and past speakers") is how they put it to be technically correct while misleading the potential attendees. It pisses me off that they will trade on my name but then turn me down when I volunteer to speak. After first accepting they called and claimed the speaking time slots were all full (but then later they invited a member of paddlewise to give a talk on the subject that I had volunteered to speak on, so it smells a lot like politics to me). If TAPS uses my name in their deceptive advertising again this year they will probably be talking to my lawyer and may find they have another expense to take care of. I was one of the handful of vendors that organized the first West Coast Symposium but now I'm sorry I put in the effort. Matt Broze http://www.marinerkayaks.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
The trend toward making the symposiums money making events seems to grow. The Great Lakes Sea Kayaking Association has one that the good people at White Squall Outfitters manage using local talent for speakers and then only paying them if they have a surplus. In short, White Squall makes nothing as they pay their own staff out of thier funds. Fees are reasonable at $45 CAN and a real bargain considering the talent that speaks and provides seminars. I usually get enough to pay my gas (a comment on my seminars I suppose) but I have great fun and always learn a lot. To find out a little about it visit. http://www.whitesquall.com/index01.htm I don't have any connection with White Squall, they don't sell my designs (they sell my competitors) but they are great people, don't use the symposium to sell products (although they do sell their stuff the day before), and I would speak for free. Cheers, John Winters Redwing Designs Web site address, http://home.ican.net/~735769 *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I attended the SF Bay "Paddlefest" last September. The TAPS website now describes this as their "most successful new event" Matt was listed as a "speaker" in the literature given away at the local kayak store prior to the event. I have no recollection of "past and present speakers" being mentioned in that literature. When I got there, he was not listed anywhere on the program. I was extremely disappointed. They had a couple price levels and I paid the upper-end one of $88 for two days. I could have paid more which would have included a "dinner". They also had a lower level $10 per day "beach pass" that would allow one to gain entrance and demo boats. I'm not interested in the "classes" or "speakers" who may not be there. I am interested in paddling different boats, playing with the accessories and talking with the folks who brought them out. On the positive side I got to see and play with all sorts of things I never would otherwise. Some silly: a peddle-powered kayak. Some hazardous: huge seat-backs you can lounge back on and then get trapped in or break your neck on when things get dicey. Some worth getting (to me): Platypus hydration stuff. This September I'll take notes and compose an opinionated review guaranteed to bring flames. I'll pack my own lunch, that little lunch they provided wasn't worth the increased admission price. Bob. ----- Original Message ----- From: Matt Broze <mkayaks_at_oz.net> Subject: [Paddlewise] Symposium rant What burns me is that in advertising TAPS lists me as a "speaker" > ("present and past speakers") is how they put it to be technically correct > while misleading the potential attendees. It pisses me off that they will > trade on my name but then turn me down when I volunteer to speak. After > first accepting they called and claimed the speaking time slots were all > full (but then later they invited a member of paddlewise to give a talk on > the subject that I had volunteered to speak on, so it smells a lot like > politics to me). If TAPS uses my name in their deceptive advertising again > this year they will probably be talking to my lawyer and may find they have > another expense to take care of. > Matt Broze *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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