[Cynnabar] BoC - Comp'ing people overview for the 10/24 meeting

[Cynnabar Seneschal]

Greetings.

 

At last meeting I said I would put out an e-mail to the group about the
discussion of the Barony's policy on comp'ing people at events. I wanted to
try to focus the discussion so it is as productive as possible. 

 

First - We already have a written policy on who the Barony compensates at
events. It's in the financial policy (attached for easy reference). But in
short, we comp:

1.     TRM + 1 retainer each (and feast for TRM only)

2.     TRH + 1 retainer each (and feast for TRH only)

3.     Foreign Royalty + 1 retainer each (and feast for Foreign Royalty
only)

4.     Other "comp'd" or discounted entry determined by the Event Steward,
as long as the number is reasonable

 

Second - Comp'ing people does not cause the site fee to increase for other
people. Comp'ing people means the group will not be making as much profit
from the event. I think this is a key consideration to keep in mind during
the discussion. Also keep in mind, not all people offered a comp takes it.
Many people still pay site fee. 

 

Third - The "special treatment" of one group over another. One the surface,
it's a simple question. Some people spend a lot of time and effort working
at an event. Others spend time and effort working at the event also, so why
should one group get comp'd and not the other? But once you get into the
details it can get involved. Also, I think this is one where the Barony will
end up with people on both sides of the argument (we should comp vs. we
shouldn't comp) and that we (hopefully) can politely agree to disagree in
the end. Due to the level of detail this item can get into, we'll save the
details for the meeting. But the potentially comp'd groups I think we'll end
up talking about are:

-       Event staff (especially core staff)

-       Specifically invited guests (teachers, etc)

-       Value adds (like the Terp musicians)

 

Finally, I think in the end the group needs to decide "Is our current
process broken?". The current process being:

1.     The Event Steward, as part of their event budget proposal, lists who
they plan to comp for the event.

2.     This goes thru the required 3 meeting discussion before the budget
can be brought up for approval by the group. 

3.     The group then decides if it will approve the budget or not. 

This process, which is already in place, ensures that people can see and
discuss any compensations being offered by the Event Steward. If the group
decides that the offered comp is unreasonable, then it's not approved and it
doesn't happen. If only a handful of people do not want the compensation but
the rest of the group does, then it would be approved. The dissenting
opinion(s) may not agree, but in the end the it's what the majority of the
people agree to and it's how our process works. 

 

So in the end, my question will be "Is there a compelling reason to alter
our current policy?". That is, is there a reason we should alter or remove
line 4 from the "who gets comp'd" in our existing financial policy?

 

I apologize for the length of this post, but it is a detailed discussion. I
encourage anyone who wants to partake in this discussion to come to Monday
night's (10/24) business meeting. If for some reason you cannot make the
meeting or are uncomfortable in voicing your opinion in a group setting,
please feel free to contact me directly and I'll gladly listen to any input
and make sure that viewpoint is heard by the group.

 

In service, etc.

Finn

Seneschal, Barony of Cynnabar

610-564-2249 (no calls after 10:PM please)





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