Hello all. For those of you who don't lurk over on Hyperscale, I have the same thread posted there. I'm part of the committee hosting the 2013 IPMS nationals in Colorado next year. We are trying to get your input whether as a vendor or entrant as to what you would like to see. Changes, improvements, suggestions etc. What would you like to see as an award? Plaque, acrylic block, medallion, certificates etc.
I would really appreciate it if you could throw some ideas/suggestions out here so I can gather info and present it to my committee brothers and sisters to digest.
Our convention will run from 14-17 August in Loveland CO. Our website will go hot between 1-15 Sept. Unfortunately,hotel reservations can't be made until the end of the month as the hotel operates on a 50 week booking schedule. We will at the embassy suites in Loveland with a mirrored floor plan of Omaha. Standing by for your feedback. Would love to have you all come join us next year!! "Q"

PM sent.
Mike

Well here is a suggestion....
Entries in a category MUST meet criteria for that category.
Checkout 1st and 2nd place winners for category 722.Large Diorama.
Rules state... must have 2 or more vehicles and 5 or more figures.
Seems like IPMS judges don't know how to count.
I myself did not attend the show...but I am hearing that they wouldn't even judge dio's which did meet this requirement and were entered in this category,why might that be???Did they think that dio was to big???
So give away awards to dio's that don't follow rules and exclude ones from judging because judge thinks dio is to big.
If they take your money and put dio on a table to show then, why not judge them as long as they meet required criteria.

Another suggestion....
How about another category...MONSTER DIO
4 vehicles and 20 figures minimum.Board size 2'x2' minimum.
I myself love Monster Dio's and anyone who attended Auburn Amps this year got to see my Factory.
By the way IPMS if I decide to bring my Church(2'x4') next year to Colorado will you judge it or will it also be excluded for being to large???Or will all my time, effort and money be just a waste????

Mike,
The physical size of the diorama does not come into play, it is what is in the diorama.
If I remember right, your factory dio would be a large diorama because of the number of figures and vehicles and not because of its physical size. It would be in category 722.
I could have a diorama that is 10" x 10" and have 2 vehicles and 6 figures and it would be in the same class as yours.
If I am incorrect please let me know.
Thanks
Mike

you are correct Mike...checkout first and second place for large dio category...I only see 1 vehicle on each...so how could they be judged in large category dio???
Rule states 2 or more vehicles and 5 or more figures minimum!!!!
Both of these dio's are very well done,but do not meet criteria for this category!
Correct me if I am wrong.
Maybe one of the directors for IPMS should make a comment here to clarify all of this.

I do know that they (judges) can move the models around to put them in a different category. That has happened to me on several occasions.
We can discuss this at the meeting next month.
Mike

I too was at the show and can't understand either why the bridge dio was left out of the competition. It was a very well planned and detailed project that met the category requirements.

I also hope the vendor and show room hours will be extended at future conventions.

A little foot note....Category and contest rules being revised?????
Go and see for yourself.
Somebody make a boo boo???

I was looking at the winners and was thinking the same thing most of the entrys only had 1 vehicle for large dio. Now I ask myself do I want to enter any models in there comp if the rule do not applied to all entry or if they move entry around to fit there needs

Rules and Categories will probably be posted when the 2013 Website goes active......

Guys thanks for the input. As to the comments above...The hosting chapter has nothing to do with the categories for the most part. They are dictated by the NCC (National Contest Committee) The only thing we do is establish some splits within those main categories and we are only allowed X amount of those. As to the judging, that is also conducted by the NCC. Our members may assist with a judging team, but for the most part we are there to assist them in other ways...such as checking categories for correct entries, looking for empty categories etc. We are working diligently to get the category list from them (NCC) as soon as possible so we can get that populated and distributed to the masses. Please continue to post your ideas and thoughts here. I'm taking notes and passing the info to my counterparts. I really appreciate the feedback. "Q"

Hey P-Dawg and Slimedog, Good comments, I was wondering the same things.

mil

What's going to be the Convention rate on the hotel rooms?

Mike V

The rate is $124.00 a night plus tax. I would make the reservations as soon as possible. They are taking room reservations now. Made mine yesterday.
Mike

Any idea when website, categories, and rules will go live
Hard to start planning a build and trip with no info.....

I read somewhere that it was supposed to go live on September 15.
Mike

Categories are roughly the same as last year in Omaha. There will be some tweaks/splits. We won't have the official list until later in the year when we receive it from the NCC National Contest Committee. This is out of our control. We will post it as soon as we have it in hand. We are still working on the website, but are close to going live...Please be patient while we get things ready. Thanks, "Q"

Just where can I find info on the 2013 Nationals? Thanks

They are working to get their website up and running. Check the IPMS website for updates.
Mike

Matt,
Anymore updates to the convention? It has been quite awhile since the last one.
Mike

Hi Mike,
I just looked at the site. Considering the viral nature of it, have you thought about a Facebook page? They are pretty easy to setup and maintain and basic info could be added to direct people to the site, etc.

To be honest the whole way IPMS chapters do the web site each year is a bit silly (IMHO). Why create a completely new web site for each show?? Considering early vendor and guest registrations are the primary goal, there are a lot of great service sites out there for this type of thing. They offer all the functionality (picking vendor table locations, paying online in a SECURE way, etc) that you would want and generally what they ask for a management fee is probably reasonable (I haven't investigated the details obviously). Anyways just something to consider.

Cheers,
Jim

On-line registration is open. You can also mail in your registration. I registered this morning.
See you there,

Mike