Rocky Grass Tarp Line policy?

[Eric St Vrain]

I had a good idea for the line in the morning, as it seems some people were choosing to not try to sort themselves out by number "I'm not moving". It would be a minimal effort to print out some big numbers and staple them on the posts- <100 ahead of the first fence post, 100-200 between the first and second posts, etc, maybe 2 posts per 100 numbers. My friend Keith told me "you should just do it yourself". And I just might.

[McMike]

Here's what I wrote to PBG a while back.....

I understand that you guys wrangle with this issue quite a lot.  So I am sure you understand that the uncertainty and apparent arbitrariness of the current random card system leaves many of your customers with feelings of angst, anxiety, disengagement, and ill will – not to mention exhausted every day - marring an otherwise professionally organized and extremely pleasant and very special event.

Pain points.  The “no waiting until midnight” rule is routinely ignored.  In the morning, some people mysteriously appear with stacks of good numbers while others missed out entirely because they went to pee or gave up and went to bed.  Everyone in line misses out on the jamming and the energy back at camp.  The older folks and those with children resign themselves to either exhaustion or opting out and feeling excluded.  Each day at the fest, many of your customers spend far too much time speculating and hypothesizing and strategizing; trading rumors and horror stories with their neighbors; drawing straws to determine who’s turn it is to suffer; and then nursing hangovers and narcolepsy the next day as a result of staying up to late and/or getting up too early.  Many people skip at least the last musical act each night simply to get back in line, angering everyone else who leaves at the end and plays by the rules.  Once in line, everyone must sit and wait, wondering if the numbers will arrive at the relatively palatable 12:30 am, or the horrendously painful 3:30 am.  In addition, I suspect that this system is somewhat unpopular with your staff.

There is so much negative energy and contradiction of the Planet Bluegrass culture swirling over this single issue throughout the weekend.  So, is system this indeed the best you can do?  I would expect that an organization that pursues excellence and leadership with the zeal of as Planet Bluegrass would not give up on this unfortunate exception to their achievements.

Here’s my two cents (coming from a professional human/workflow systems expert who has been analyzing and implementing human-centric workflow systems for almost thirty years).

... It’s time to automate it a bit.  Via a pre-issued numbering system.

It’s time to “let go” of the premise behind the current system which (as I perceive it) seeks to somehow reward those people willing to stay up until 2:00 or 3:00 am (increasingly only to get what may turn out to be a lousy number), and to perhaps capture some of that “waiting in line” feeling of community that many of us remember from our youth and days gone by.  However, it strikes me that the “cost” of the current system in terms of customer alienation now outweighs those intangible benefits, which I believe are regrettably being eroded by the process anyway, and are a thing of the past no matter what you try.  The fact is, the success of your events has forced you into a new operational reality, and the old informal systems have become counterproductive and “costly” to operate, nostalgic as they may linger in our memories.

It’s time to automate it.  Print out random numbers on the wristbands, or hand out a second random number wristband when people pick up their tickets.  Then, have a drawing each day, and announce the results at a break - or post the results at the gate precisely at midnight (in order to retain a bit of the mystery and the communal gathering after-hours).

The benefits of this system include reduced hassle and headache for the staff, and reduced uncertainty and exhaustion for the customers.  There will be a period of adjustment and discontent from some fans for sure, but once that is past, you will have a fair and workable system that can be relied on indefinitely into the future, and you do not have to revisit this issue every year (at least for a while anyway).

The highest benefit will be the elimination of a significant source of negative energy.  (I am not promising that negative energy will go away, but it may have to find a new host to infect for a change).

Alas, you will lose the illusion that you can reward your most loyal fans for their extra effort, but to my taste this approach somewhat resembles masochism contest.  If this loyalty reward is indeed an important feature to PB, I suggest you could come up with a contest (or contests) to issue the first fifty or hundred spots on a more subjective basis.  (You could have fun with it - camp site awards, costume awards, dancing awards, lottery drawings, essay and photo contests, sustainability awards, on-line lottery drawings and trivia contests during the winter... you could offer a chance at these prime spaces to the people who purchase their tickets early)  This approach would be more work and prone to accusations of arbitrariness, but at least it comes at the issue from a positive and possibly fun place, rather that the current system that is an arbitrary solely from a negative space.

Anyway, thanks for your time,

McMike



Proposal Details.  The challenge is how to devise a method to print, issue, draw and then sort out in line the pre-issued numbers without too much cost and complexity.

System #1: Issue sequential numbered wristbands, and then draw the starting number each day.  The line starts with that number then goes in sequentially, circling back around to number one at the end of the list.  That’s the simplest system.  You draw #2,023, and that’s the first in line, then #2,024 is second, etc.  The next day, you draw #364....

System #2: issue color coded-bands printed in groups of letters and/or numbers.  You print perhaps 20 copies of each group.  Then, all the “A’s” go first, then all the “B's” etc, (the actual sequence somehow assigned or drawn randomly).  This system is a little flashier and it sorts the line into “waves” for a sort of Monte Carlo start.  But is somewhat more complex to administer.

[Rapids Rock]

A philosophical look: The tarp line thing sucks

practical suggestion:  hand out all the tarp line numbers, randomly, on thursday afternoon when 3-day passers can get their bracelet.  same number for all three days so no nightly line.  Not there thursday afternoon or don't have a three day pass?  tough.  have more than one number among you and your friends?  Great! - keep the best number and share the highest numbers with others who didn't get one.  Late to the party?  tough.  lost your number after getting it on thursday?  tough

More philosophy:  Dancing happens

practical suggestion:  have a designated dance area up front, and on the website and on each pass, print:    "we expect that some people will actually have fun including dancing in a designated area up front near the stage.  That shit happens at bluegrass festivals. If that's not your thing (i.e. you want to be boring or complain about others having fun), you should consider playing bingo at your local event center or maybe going to FolksFest or, if you insist on being at RockyGrass, locate your tarp on either side of the stage to avoid those fun-havers, or just stay the hell away cause you're a frickin' killjoy and you will be ousted from BPG forever if you say stuff or throw shit at people who are there to have fun.  Any questions? ..."

PBG should hire me to do this - don't you think?

RR




 Listening to: some spoiled chick outside a coffee shop, creating drama by complaining about some friend who isn't there.  Not the festivarian type

[BanjoBoy]

The OBVIOUS solution: utilize the unique numbers printed on each wristband.

Print the last 3 digits in 48 point font for easy visibility.

Draw a random number from 1 to 999 on the 1st day of the fest.

That's the starting place for Day 1.

Next day, the number advances by 333

Etc.

So simple, no added cost or hassle!

[jjwood64]

>> But in front, please NO! 

I agree with LuAnna 100%! I'm a dancer myself,  but being just over a couple of years from
hitting 50, I also appreciate the opportunity to sit down when I choose. 

If anything, I'd be for widening the dancing area by a good two feet, which would allow for
more dancers without obstructing views.

 Listening to: Graham Nash - Wild Tales

[wbcohen]

Ok so I read it all and I am no less confused about what is going to happen on on July 27th. No changes? Midnight line and numbers given out sometime after? Something else?
 

[BluegrassDustin]

No changes? Midnight line and numbers given out sometime after? Something else?
 

Correct.

[djgreen]

The OBVIOUS solution: utilize the unique numbers printed on each wristband.

Print the last 3 digits in 48 point font for easy visibility.

Draw a random number from 1 to 999 on the 1st day of the fest.

That's the starting place for Day 1.

Next day, the number advances by 333

Etc.

So simple, no added cost or hassle!

MORE DANCING SPACE, PERIOD. And I like the wrist band idea, where 1 number is drawn and the next day you ad 333 or whatever the 1/3 of the total numbers would be. Not that hard, I would be willing to pay $5 more to implement any changes. JUST DO IT PB. AND please have more dancing room this year!!!!! Pathetic the only places to dance many times last year was in the walkway to the dance section because it is plum full. I feel there should be dance section on both sides, same size as the on on the east has been. I love having a place to sit, but I'd rather have a place to dance. It is MUSIC, not a movie.

[njinco]

I'm no soils expert or land engineer, but I wonder if it would be possible for PG to "dig" a slope or even a "pit" right in front of the stage for dancing.  That way, anyone sitting just above that area could see just fine and dancers could come and go to that standing room only area throughout the day or night.

Maybe that's just weird.  But so is dancing in a tiny walkway off to the side of a stage.

[Eric St Vrain]

That is a good randomization idea, however there are a couple of things: first the ticket serial numbers would also have to be random or else you'd possibly have a situation where the last people to buy tix would have the best numbers. Second, this would eliminate any reward for doing "whatever it takes" to get a number. I don't think it is coincidence that the people up front are the best audience in the world, period, year after year.

I may have said this before, but I'd be for making the poser pit a little smaller and the dance area a little larger.  there is still some area up there that is hardly ever used and not in the sightlines of the audience.