Author Topic: *** Freeplay Florida 2023 Game Donations! ***  (Read 4902 times)

Offline ibis

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*** Freeplay Florida 2023 Game Donations! ***
« on: October 01, 2023, 03:05:13 PM »
*** Freeplay Florida 2023 Game Donations! ***

Its that time of year folks!  FPF is in full swing and we are excited to present to you another banging show full of special guests, weekend fun and gaming!  All of this can not happen without you, the collector!  Because of your support through your generous game donations we can produce such a high quality show that FPF has become.  This community is why this show exists and FPF is forever grateful for your efforts in supporting the show!

We think we’ve got some really fantastic incentives to offer for bringing your games to the event!  Some of them are Weekend Passes to the show, killer merch, admission to the after hours party on Saturday night, Raffle entries to win amazing prizes, VIP party access and more....
1 Game - 1 weekend pass
2-4 Games - 1 weekend pass per game and 2 merch choices (shirt, koozie, coin, cup, pin, hat, etc)
5-9 Games - 5 weekend & vip party passes, 2 merch choices (shirt, koozie, coin, cup, pin, hat, etc), $50 cash card
10+ Games - 5 weekend & vip party passes, 2 merch choices (shirt, koozie, coin, cup, pin, hat, etc), $100 cash card for gas - Free booth for vendors bringing 10+ games (please let us know if you will be taking advantage of this option)
Raffle ticket per game for all donor levels

Couple of links for you to read with all the details and information:

Freeplay Florida Web Site
https://www.freeplayflorida.com/

Game Donations Link/Application
https://www.eventeny.com/events/applications/application/?id=1798

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Bobbi D and Steve who are managing all the game donations.  They can be reached at:

bobbi@freeplayflorida.com
steve@freeplayflorida.com

Looking forward to seeing everyone! 

Offline hawknole

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Re: *** Freeplay Florida 2023 Game Donations! ***
« Reply #1 on: October 01, 2023, 03:39:57 PM »
Cool, plan on bringing at least 2, will reach out per above as we firm it up

Offline ratsflif

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Re: *** Freeplay Florida 2023 Game Donations! ***
« Reply #2 on: October 03, 2023, 01:08:25 PM »
Ok, so to be clear, if you bring 1-4 games you don't get a pass the the VIP party?

Offline ibis

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Re: *** Freeplay Florida 2023 Game Donations! ***
« Reply #3 on: October 04, 2023, 04:12:12 PM »
Ok, so to be clear, if you bring 1-4 games you don't get a pass the the VIP party?

That is correct, we try to find a good balance of incentive for the game bringers who go the extra mile to support the show.  The After Party is Saturday night and everyone is welcome to purchase a ticket for that additionally as well.  The last few years it has become an increasingly popular event! 

Offline ratsflif

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Re: *** Freeplay Florida 2023 Game Donations! ***
« Reply #4 on: October 04, 2023, 05:50:02 PM »
That is correct, we try to find a good balance of incentive for the game bringers who go the extra mile to support the show.  The After Party is Saturday night and everyone is welcome to purchase a ticket for that additionally as well.  The last few years it has become an increasingly popular event!

Well that's a strange and disappointing decision. And, it's quite contradictory to your open paragraph:

"All of this can not happen without you, the collector!  Because of your support through your generous game donations we can produce such a high quality show that FPF has become.  This community is why this show exists and FPF is forever grateful for your efforts in supporting the show!"




Offline ibis

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Re: *** Freeplay Florida 2023 Game Donations! ***
« Reply #5 on: October 07, 2023, 11:12:55 AM »
Well that's a strange and disappointing decision. And, it's quite contradictory to your open paragraph:

"All of this can not happen without you, the collector!  Because of your support through your generous game donations we can produce such a high quality show that FPF has become.  This community is why this show exists and FPF is forever grateful for your efforts in supporting the show!"

You and a small handful of others are very active on other forums, discord, etc. expressing your distaste for what we are trying to do.  Yet you provide no thoughts, ideas, solutions about the things you think are wrong.  Armchair quarterbacking at its finest.  Feel free to reach out to me, Ive offered to talk to others on here as well.......silence.  Hopefully someone actually takes me up on it instead of continuing to talk behind a keyboard. 

Offline ratsflif

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Re: *** Freeplay Florida 2023 Game Donations! ***
« Reply #6 on: October 07, 2023, 01:31:24 PM »
You and a small handful of others are very active on other forums, discord, etc. expressing your distaste for what we are trying to do.  Yet you provide no thoughts, ideas, solutions about the things you think are wrong.  Armchair quarterbacking at its finest.  Feel free to reach out to me, Ive offered to talk to others on here as well.......silence.  Hopefully someone actually takes me up on it instead of continuing to talk behind a keyboard.

What a strange response from an event coordinator.  And it didn't even tackle the issue that was presented.  Here's an idea, how about you incentivize people to bring games to the GAME show.  After last years abysmal game showing you would think that you would be coming up with incentives to encourage people to bring games, not take incentives away (that's just stupid).

So now you're going to charge the people who brought games extra money to access their games at the after hours party (but the show can't happen without them), and how dumb is it to call it a VIP party if anyone can just buy a ticket for it.

How about you get someone new in charge of advertising because they suck.  All the ads are about how much junk you can buy, what non-game "celebrities" are attending, buy VIP get koozies; BUY BUY BUY nothing about the Arcade and Pinball games that the show is supposed to be based on.

How about not waiting until the last minute to say that there isn't a hotel and there will be no group of rooms (I bet the organizers got their rooms before the hotel next door was booked and then decided posted about it)

Southern Fried Gaming Expo sold your their entire 400 room hotel block in two days (9 months before the show) So stop trying to deflect blame when people bring up legitimate issues.  And you know what, maybe it is only a few that are speaking loudly about it, but I've heard countless of issues from long time Freeplay attendees in private because they don't like upsetting their "friends".  Well, you know what, a real friend will tell you when something is fucked up.

I offered to discuss it more with you in private in another thread and you choose not to follow up.  And, you said that most of the Board members for Freeplay aren't on the Village (which again is strange since this is where your main audience of game bringers is found).

I was going to bring 3 games this year and a high score QR system but if my only incentive is to save $75 on a weekend pass then you know what.  I'll skip taking a day off work to pack up and transport games and then not have to wait until after 4 on Sunday during the mad rush to collect my games.




Offline bjones

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Re: *** Freeplay Florida 2023 Game Donations! ***
« Reply #7 on: October 07, 2023, 04:17:35 PM »
You and a small handful of others are very active on other forums, discord, etc. expressing your distaste for what we are trying to do.  Yet you provide no thoughts, ideas, solutions about the things you think are wrong.  Armchair quarterbacking at its finest.  Feel free to reach out to me, Ive offered to talk to others on here as well.......silence.  Hopefully someone actually takes me up on it instead of continuing to talk behind a keyboard.

My phone still rings last i checked. 

Offline WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot

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Re: *** Freeplay Florida 2023 Game Donations! ***
« Reply #8 on: October 07, 2023, 04:22:21 PM »
So now you're going to charge the people who brought games extra money to access their games at the after hours party (but the show can't happen without them), and how dumb is it to call it a VIP party if anyone can just buy a ticket for it

The VIP event is separate from the after party and you can't buy a ticket for it.

Offline bjones

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Re: *** Freeplay Florida 2023 Game Donations! ***
« Reply #9 on: October 07, 2023, 08:12:47 PM »
The VIP event is separate from the after party and you can't buy a ticket for it.

This right here is a perfect example of how the event is being communicated this year.  Just think about it outside the echo chamber inside the event.  Nobody has any idea what pinball/arcade/console/computer content is happening with just a few weeks left to go.  THIS is the core community that made the show survive through growing pains, covid, tight financial markets etc.  The words you just used Leon are not you, have never been you, don't let them become you.

Offline MilitiaMan

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Re: *** Freeplay Florida 2023 Game Donations! ***
« Reply #10 on: October 10, 2023, 11:34:25 AM »
Jax crew will be there with at least 5 games, maybe more. It's always kind of last-minute with us WHICH games are coming, but we will be there with games.

Running a show is hard work. Getting people to bring games to your show can definitely be challenging. I appreciate those involved with organizing and executing an event of this magnitude.

Feedback is also good. And is required to keep improving things year after year. I appreciate those willing to voice their opinions to improve these events each year.

Looking forward to another fun weekend with games and friends and also rather excited about a new venue (which should make things interesting). Being in a hotel 3 miles away from the event does suck a little bit, but we will figure out how to work around it.

Steve
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Offline ibis

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Re: *** Freeplay Florida 2023 Game Donations! ***
« Reply #11 on: October 10, 2023, 06:07:05 PM »
You obviously have an axe to grind and there would never be any satisfying you, so be it.  And yes, it's frustrating.  Especially after the incredibly hard work these people have done to put a show on for you and the great people of this community and the state of Florida only to be bashed by someone who doesn't have a clue what it takes to pull this off.  So yes, this 'organizer' is standing up for them and everything we do.  Im very proud of them.

Over the years on top of free entry, we have given out merch, we throw and after hours party, given hundreds of dollars out to each donor to say 'thank you, here's some gas money', given out Marco-Parts Gift Bags, threw an ice-cream social, provided hotel nights for large game bringers, paid for box trucks and gas to the tune of $800-1000 in cost to help fellow collectors bring their collections, etc. etc. etc..  We are doing our best, so Im sorry if it doesn't measure up to your standard even though it's on par with about every other show in the country, and in some cases even better. 

I will lastly say, dealing with a hotel in Orlando/Florida is completely different than the North West side of the beltway in Georgia.  Dealing with them here has always been a nightmare for the past 12 years and we could only be so lucky as SFGE and TPF to not have contracts pulled for bigger fish or a space large enough to help the show grow thats under 60-90k.  Everyone loves Orlando, and we do to and want to be back.  Hopefully we can find a venue thats big enough that can be affordable too.  After looking at 12 properties we still haven't found a home we can afford or fit in.  This hotel thing seems to be big thing for you.  Want to go visit another 10 with me and talk to the sales staff about rental contracts, electrical costs, catering budgets, security requirements, pipe and drape rental, room booking attrition-requirements, parking fees, Fire Marshall requirements, down payments schedules, etc. etc. the list goes on..... I assure you, Orlando is not easy to deal with.  Just ask the peeps from Spooky Empire.  Largest horror-con in the south and they have moved all over Orlando like we have for similar reasons over the years and they are HUGE!  These hotels and resorts could care less who you are.

Again, sorry you feel this way, we never said we were perfect but we try our hardest to put on a great experience.  Wish you the best.


 

Offline ibis

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Re: *** Freeplay Florida 2023 Game Donations! ***
« Reply #12 on: October 10, 2023, 06:07:49 PM »
Jax crew will be there with at least 5 games, maybe more. It's always kind of last-minute with us WHICH games are coming, but we will be there with games.

Running a show is hard work. Getting people to bring games to your show can definitely be challenging. I appreciate those involved with organizing and executing an event of this magnitude.

Feedback is also good. And is required to keep improving things year after year. I appreciate those willing to voice their opinions to improve these events each year.

Looking forward to another fun weekend with games and friends and also rather excited about a new venue (which should make things interesting). Being in a hotel 3 miles away from the event does suck a little bit, but we will figure out how to work around it.

Steve
MM

Thank you Steve, looking forward to see the Jax Crew again!  Dont forget to bring the handle!

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Re: *** Freeplay Florida 2023 Game Donations! ***
« Reply #13 on: October 10, 2023, 07:49:24 PM »
Personally, I hate Orlando and all of the traffic and tourists that come along with it.  FPF is the only reason that I ever visit that Hell hole.  However, I do wish that the venue had a hotel/resort attached.  I will be driving over for Saturday but won't be staying the night.  I appreciate all the work that goes into this.   
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Re: *** Freeplay Florida 2023 Game Donations! ***
« Reply #14 on: October 11, 2023, 01:31:57 AM »
Personally, I hate Orlando and all of the traffic and tourists that come along with it.  FPF is the only reason that I ever visit that Hell hole.  However, I do wish that the venue had a hotel/resort attached.  I will be driving over for Saturday but won't be staying the night.  I appreciate all the work that goes into this.   

im pretty sure i have an extra bed, i was able to book a room attached to the convention center when the deets were posted, your free to crash if you need.
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