I think the big question has to be 'How do you get at these turners and how do you convince them that the weekend is actually good value'.
Couldn't agree more Graham. We have the workshop idea in the suggestion list, possibly as an optional extra.
As for getting at this unspecified number of solitary turners apart from advertising in WT and other wood related magazines I don't know. And of course advertising costs money which all adds to the cost of the event. Hoping for favours like we did last time from GMC worked eventually but we lost out to other items due to page count on a couple of occasions before it actually got published in full. There is no doubt in my mind that if you want to guarantee space it must be paid for.
Whether my numbers analysis on the thread is valid or not the fact still remains that we managed to excite only 5% of the membership who all know we run a Seminar assuming they read Revolutions. And then there are all the non members in Associated Clubs who also have access to Revolutions that may have seen the information as well that didn't think it was worth attending.
Pete
I can see where you're coming from and I think I may have misunderstood your earlier post but getting non turners involved is a different topic altogether. There are 15 Trustees and three volunteers who run the AWGB. We spend many hours each week keeping it going. The AWGB consists of two limited companies - the Charity and the Trading Company. We are running two businesses - all in our spare time. As John (BHT) says we need help if we are to bring turning to a wider public. We have funds available - not a huge amount but it is there. If anyone wants to put together a worked up idea to the trustees to run an event, or series of events to promote turning we'd be only too pleased to look at it. You're not alone in not knowing where and how. We'd need to know who will run it, costs, venues, information about how safety would be addressed, competencies of the instructors etc, etc.
We run a number of Youth Training events each year and all attendees are provided with membership of the AWGB free of charge. We must teach around 50 to 60 young people each year. How many come to the seminar - two or three at best.
It all sounds easy when people see our work most ooh and aahh and are usually impressed and fascinated but then they would do that over ceramics or paintings - it doesn't make then necessarily want to take up pottery or watercolours.
Realistically, I don't actually believe there is a huge demand to get involved with what we do. I have 5 children, a couple like the things we make, the others aren't that interested. They have their own interests and passions, plus four of them are busy with kids and work. I don't think I'm alone in that regard. It's one thing to have a go at a taster session and people will queue all day. It's quite another to get them to take up the craft. The investment is not high - say less than £1,000 which compares favourably with other pastimes such as golf or playing an instrument. But it does need a shed and when I look around on my travels around the UK I see more houses where a shed is not an option than I do where it is.
Keep those ideas coming!
Cheers Dave