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Maybe small potatoes to the rest of you....but seems like a money grab to me.
It's not a money grab, but has always been part of the IPMS USA Nationals. No show in Canada has ever really tried to compare and IPMS Canada isn't run the same way as IPMS USA. It is the membership fees that, in part, allow them to put on the show. However, if you don't want to pay IPMS USA, a membership in any IPMS National organisation is accepted. As a past member of IPMS Canada, that has been good enough to get in to three past Nationals.
As a member of the executive of another modelling orginisation (AMPS) I can tell you that the economy is hitting hobby organisations as well. The line has to be drawn somewhere and given that major shows like the IPMS Nats are planned and partially paid for well in advance, a stable funding formula has to be applied. The organisation can't afford to change what they charge based on future economic conditions.
I do get your point that, for you, the $25 would be better spent buying another kit or a meal or two, but the other side of this is that the $25 allows there to be a show where you can buy the models & compete. Without the money (from allsources) the show would fade away and you wouldn't have to worry about driving, spending, models or membership.
If you are that concerned abut minimising the cost of such a membership, I'd joint IPMS Canada for the (I think) sum of CDN$25 as opposed to paying the international IPMS/USA rate of US$30, which they will charge you as a Canadian member whether you sign up in the US or from Canada.
Paul
(who founded the IPMS/Nfld club lo these 30 years ago...)
The "FORCED" $25 for an IPMS membership at the show goes to help pay for the show???
What is the other $30-$45 to enter to compete at the show, or the $5-$10 entry fee just to be a spectator go towards then?
I would think that the entry fees, whether a competitor or spectator would be what pays for the show. The membership fees would be for other club functions.
While I am not a founding member of our local club, I am one of the executive, and know what it takes to put on a show. Granted....not to the extent of a national show, however our show has probably doubled in size in the last 5 years, and is arguably the largest show east of Ottawa's bi-annual CAPCON show.
Does it have the numbers of kits, people and vendors? Heck no, but that is to be expected out here in the Maritimes, considering the population of NB, NS, PEI and NFLD is probably smaller than Toronto alone, its pretty impossible to have a show the magnitude of CAPCON, nevermind IPMS Nationals.
Our entry fees are no where near that of the national show....but that is understandable....however at the same time I know that if we charged our entry fee, and then because you are not a member of the club, charged you another fee.....well our show would soon have not many entrants.
As far as freebies from companies to support the shows. I thought with the recession that we would be scrambling for prizes this year (as I am also the person that looks after getting the prizes), however in the end, despite a couple of companies that have been staunch supports, not partaking this year because of the recession (who will remain nameless), we probably had more prizes this year than in ever. Everyone went home happy. Granted there weren't as many "Big Ticket" prizes to go around, but what we lacked in that area, was made up in others. Heck we even had a couple of companies that we have dealt with for prizes contacting us, months before the show to see what we needed, long before I ever sent feelers out to look!
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*From the IPMS website:
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Manufacturers have ceased supplying these kits to IPMS free of charge, but several have continued to support our efforts by providing a much appreciated and large discount on the purchase of models. Even with this discount, the last order for 900 kits priced out at $3,908.89. If IPMS were to continue supplying kits and supplies at this rate in 2009, the cost for Make N Take could approach the $10,000 figure. Shipping costs have also increased recently, with charges last year totaling $961.97. Your help will be greatly appreciated.
I am not sure what they are referring to for Make N Take kits, however if it is the Revell Make & Take sets which are 24 snaptite kits in a box, 900 of them would be no where near $10000. They run about $75 for 24 kits, and I am sure if you were buying that kind of quantity...that you could get a cheaper price out of Revell for them.
