Committee Meeting 29th January 2006

Attendance: Michael, April, Tom, Paul, Erika, Dave, Tina
Apologies: Stephanie

Agenda:
1.	Committee Positions
2.	Venue
3.	Launch and Launch Video 
4.	Progress Reports
5.	Website
6.	Fundraising:
I.	Chocolate
II.	Tshirts
III.	Movie screenings
7.	Quiz Night
8.	In camera section
Meeting Opened 1820

1. Committee Positions:
-	Steph hasn't attended meetings in a while - by general agreement Paul is the new Secretary. Steph is relegated to general committee position.
-	Coman: Is not in the city, and therefore unable to do the face-to-face part of the position.  Therefore it is decided that he is to be co-liaison with Froggy, so that someone can talk to the venue on location.
-	Erika is now official minion wrangler.

2. Venue: 
-	Need a walkthrough for the entire committee this week at lunchtime.
-	Thursday midday is nominated time - Froggy to make an appointment with the Acting Function Manager

3. Launch Video and Launch: 
VIDEO 
-	Froggy talked to Simon and Dave and they both agreed to participate
-	add to the script where Froggy calls Thatcher to ask about guests: "Thatcher: But what about Simono? I thought we had Simono?"
-	add back in: the bit where Dave and Simon 'not volunteering' and Dave looks shifty/sheepish because he's bidding for 2008! 
-	authors who are dead and/or universally awful for the launch script (Dan Brown, Jules Verne)
-	Erika should also be credited as minion whipcracker or some such in the still shots
-	Saturday morning for Simon and Dave filming.  Can we do the rest of the filming that day? Unlikely, but possible – depends on whether we can get everyone together in the afternoon.
-	Sort out the primary camera (Simon access Murdoch?  Erika has one if we need a backup, as does Dave and Karen)
-	Props: fake blood, costuming, a collar and leash, clothes to shred, the clothes for the corpse and a bad Piers Anthony book, black eye makeup, rope, curtain (sheet) to pull back to reveal Dangerous Dave
-	Props: make a full list and post it on the email list and have people bring what they can

LAUNCH
-	8pm Sunday in full Montana, followed by the awards ceremony
-	Five weeks til launch.  Try to be ready in four weeks.
-	We need: a PR0 and handouts and a video.  Does anyone need to say anything?
-	Lure them in!  Froggy staggering in his bloody clothes to launch.
-	t-shirts to sell
-	chocolates to sell
-	entertainment guide order forms

4. Progress Reports:
-	Call for volunteers (general pool of volunteers we can call on for help when needed) 
-	description of the cons: themes and ideas
-	committee positions: descriptions and who does what (or who we need!)
-	upcoming events (see quiz night, choccies, screenings etc)
-	prices?  Do we need to change the prices? ($130 at the door - explain the two-stage price hike) Prices probably okay to keep the same – maybe a disclaimer that price increases may change at a later date?
-	slide in submission form for panels/point them to an online form -- box on the table on monday to accept submission.  Tommo to write the submission form.
-	Guest and bios of guests (email Russell and Matthew for bio)
-	fan video competition run by Erika
-	short story competition run by Paul. Ask for submissions.  Get subs in early before [Jan 2007 deadline] so we can come with a con book

5. Website:
-	website content from PR0 and online submission forms
-	we don't get the domain until afterwards
-	prepare the content/placeholder so it can go straight up
-	Adam is web minion (if he needs subminions, we can find them from the volunteer pool)

6. Fundraising:
T-Shirts:
-	A new design is needed due to the Limited Edition 2007 Natcon Bid shirt text on old design
-	Design must have “A WASFF Initiative” or something identifying that Swancon is run by WASFF
-	Also needs to have Swancon 32 or 2007 incorporated in to the design.
-	needed ASAP (like within a week of the 29/01)
-	get it to the printer ASAP - need at least two weeks to print
-	Aussie Gold is preferred (by Froggy)
-	attempt to get numbers of past orders for Swancons, then bump up the XL and XXL to ensure they don’t get sold out quickly
-	any other stuff the printer does that we might sell? Hats? Stubbie holders?
-	white on black/dark colour
-	special coloured run for committee and guests
-	Signing Shirt for actual con (Don't worry about that now - scrolling text)

Chocolates:
-	Cadbury fundraising brochures with Froggy.
-	Froggy will look into organizing account (is there a pre-existing Swancon account?)
-	pay up front with a cheque is possible: account is better!
-	setup a Swancon07 account would be best.  Froggy will do this.

Entertainment Books:
-	profit is $10/book.  Have them ready for launch?
-	sell from the launch onwards and at the table.
-	April will organise entertainment books

Wine:
-	the old stuff is crap, and the good stuff may be tainted by the history of bad wine
-	how much do they make as profit on wine?  April to find out
-	if its profitably, find nice wine, or bite the bullet and sell crap stuff

7. Movie Screening:
-	Thatcher has met Jay.  Do we want to do movie screenings on the friday night?  They won't do tues/thurs/sat nights.  Perhaps alternate between weds/sun and friday nights?  Wednesdays are good for pre-releases if we can get them, but not so good for movies released on Thursdays as a larger proportion of people will have already seen the movie.
-	What films do we desperately want to claim?  Thatcher to scour the listings to see what we might want to see.  At least for April and May to be put in the PR0.
-	Thatcher will run the screening (Ju will introduce Thatcher to the various people)
-	are we happy with the location?  The advantage of Reading is that we don’t lose money – if there are under 50 people, we break even; greater than 50, we make money. Thatcher to confirm this financial statement as Froggy has only heard it in conversation.
-	co-run screenings with FTI?  Thatcher to approach Grant Watson.
-	Perhaps run a joint fundraising screening with Genghiscon?
o	how would the profit sharing work in such an arrangement?  [[[Will they stay in WASFF? Does that matter?]]]
o	Explore proportional profit-sharing with genghiscon?  Wait til they come to us, or suggest it for smaller events or events that aren't expected to be that popular (thus boosting numbers past the break-even threshold)

8. Quiz Night:
-	Minions to organizing prizes and distribution of letters, perhaps running sections of the event?
-	30th April?  Two weeks after easter - doesn't clash with UNISFA easter picnic.  Have it from 4pm onwards (most likely over by 8pm)
-	Hyde Park hotel for free and they'll throw in a few prizes.  Froggy to call and confirm
-	need begging letters written by Secretary Paul
-	minions need to be wrangled to distribute letters
-	Tommo, Erika and Thatcher are the questions sub-committee and will run the MCing on the night.
-	$250 budgeted for prizes (get some decent first and second prizes, as well as spot and token prizes)  
-	Raffle a membership

9. In camera section
Guests
-	Greg Bear is still uncertain.  Possibly as early as March or as late as June.  Doesn't mind us saying we're in negotiation with him as a guest.
-	Tad Williams email bounced.  Jonathan Strahan is attempting to get Tad’s private email address
-	Naomi Novik.  Need to be approached. Erika will ask Elaine Kemp to broach the topic with Naomi and see if she is interested, and if such whether she'd help badger the publisher.
-	Ask Harper-Collins if she can be a publisher-guest.  We can probably fly her from within Australia if the publisher can get her in the country.
-	Ian Banks: contacted, no response as yet.
-	China Mieville is no reply still
-	Thatcher will contact Matthew Reilly to fill him in on Swancon progress, and ask him for a bio

Meeting Closed 1930

Action List
Froggy
1.	Make an appointment with the Acacia Function Manager for a walkthrough
2.	Contact chocolate places to organise accounts
3.	Liaise with Simon and Dave for video
4.	Call Hyde Park Hotel and confirm Quiz Night booking
5.	Talk to Adam about website

April
1.	Look in to Entertainment Books
2.	Look in to the feasibility of selling wine – does it actually make a lot of money

Thatcher
1.	Work up a list of upcoming movies that we can/should run screenings for, especially for March and April.
2.	Contact Matthew Reilly and Russell Farr and ask for bios (Damian has already been in contact with Froggy and has been asked for one).

Tina
1.	Come up with design for tshirt ASAP
2.	Retouch artwork from bid shirt that we can use on cover of PR0.

Tommo
1.	Write a submission form for panels
2.	Organise props for launch video

Paul
1.	Write begging letter for quiz night prizes
2.	Come up with rules and submission details for short story competition

Erika
1.	Come up with rules and submission details for fan vid competition