JIB6 :: The Organization & My Decision to Try
One of the things I'm learning about is the organization (people) behind the JIB convention. While I'm still figuring all this out and may not yet fully understand, what I've seen so far really impresses me. This post is describing what I've learned about the organization and how I decided to take the plunge.
On the JIB site is a page about the organization. I found an old post I made in 2010 where I had an exchange with Daniela, the main con organizer, and she mentioned then that it was a non-profit organization. But I had forgotten that fact. The page I linked here mentioned the convention organization is not set up to make a profit, just to deliver the best fan experience. Even the terminology used for the convention is geared towards a non-profit bent. Tickets are called passes. Buying a seat is referred to as making a contribution; the pass costs are listed as minimum contributions, for example. The seats are "assigned" not "purchased." And so on.
A fan who has been to JIB as well as Creation and other SPN cons commented on one of my posts of yesterday that I will likely notice a more personal experience, even in the correspondence with the convention organizers. And I have already noticed this.
The sign up process was easier for me than it was for my friend bflyw, who was generous enough to not only go through the adrenaline rush and stress of composing the request email but to time the submission just right to increase our chances of getting a pass.
I've been to 11 North American based SPN cons. All Creation cons. I obviously very much enjoyed them. But they have become predictable for me. I'm REALLY looking forward to a new experience. My decision to sign up for JIB was a bit unexpected for me. Each year I watch all the great reports and photos and see the guests appear to be more relaxed than at a Creation con (although they are getting more and more relaxed there each year, especially with Rob's band playing.) And I would wish I was there. But spending the money, time, and travel effort to go overseas for an SPN convention just seemed so ... extravagant.
This year the lighting and photos were even better than before. And I wanted to go even more. So I started asking my friend bflyw about how to get tickets. I had read the JIB site, but I was intimidated by a process for which success seemed unlikely due to both the demand for tickets and the need to have "an invitation" to even apply for a ticket. Basically you either had to have gone before or find a friend who was willing to take a chance on getting you in with them. Normally my friend partners with someone else, but I guess the gods were smiling down on me this time, as bflyw offered to add me as her "+1".
Even as I was chatting with bflyw I honestly thought I would not end up doing this. Several times I just about said, "No, forget it." Money, time, process, and some silly internal fears, all pretty much assured me I couldn't or wouldn't do this.
Two things finally put me on the YES side. First when my husband, Bob, said he would go to Rome with me. I didn't expect that (for many reasons too long and boring to go into). Then as I considered the age-old question of whether I would regret NOT trying or NOT going. And also later I realized that even if I did happen to be lucky enough to get a pass, I could still sell it later if circumstances evolved that I could not attend after all.
So I took the plunge. And I'm very happy I did.
More later on the process of getting a pass.
╚══════.♢.═╝
On the JIB site is a page about the organization. I found an old post I made in 2010 where I had an exchange with Daniela, the main con organizer, and she mentioned then that it was a non-profit organization. But I had forgotten that fact. The page I linked here mentioned the convention organization is not set up to make a profit, just to deliver the best fan experience. Even the terminology used for the convention is geared towards a non-profit bent. Tickets are called passes. Buying a seat is referred to as making a contribution; the pass costs are listed as minimum contributions, for example. The seats are "assigned" not "purchased." And so on.
A fan who has been to JIB as well as Creation and other SPN cons commented on one of my posts of yesterday that I will likely notice a more personal experience, even in the correspondence with the convention organizers. And I have already noticed this.
The sign up process was easier for me than it was for my friend bflyw, who was generous enough to not only go through the adrenaline rush and stress of composing the request email but to time the submission just right to increase our chances of getting a pass.
I've been to 11 North American based SPN cons. All Creation cons. I obviously very much enjoyed them. But they have become predictable for me. I'm REALLY looking forward to a new experience. My decision to sign up for JIB was a bit unexpected for me. Each year I watch all the great reports and photos and see the guests appear to be more relaxed than at a Creation con (although they are getting more and more relaxed there each year, especially with Rob's band playing.) And I would wish I was there. But spending the money, time, and travel effort to go overseas for an SPN convention just seemed so ... extravagant.
This year the lighting and photos were even better than before. And I wanted to go even more. So I started asking my friend bflyw about how to get tickets. I had read the JIB site, but I was intimidated by a process for which success seemed unlikely due to both the demand for tickets and the need to have "an invitation" to even apply for a ticket. Basically you either had to have gone before or find a friend who was willing to take a chance on getting you in with them. Normally my friend partners with someone else, but I guess the gods were smiling down on me this time, as bflyw offered to add me as her "+1".
Even as I was chatting with bflyw I honestly thought I would not end up doing this. Several times I just about said, "No, forget it." Money, time, process, and some silly internal fears, all pretty much assured me I couldn't or wouldn't do this.
Two things finally put me on the YES side. First when my husband, Bob, said he would go to Rome with me. I didn't expect that (for many reasons too long and boring to go into). Then as I considered the age-old question of whether I would regret NOT trying or NOT going. And also later I realized that even if I did happen to be lucky enough to get a pass, I could still sell it later if circumstances evolved that I could not attend after all.
So I took the plunge. And I'm very happy I did.
More later on the process of getting a pass.
╚══════.♢.═╝