I received an email tonight inquiring about ArachnoGathering. I'm sure it is just one of many that I will receive, especially as March approaches, so I thought I'd address the topic here rather than answer and repeat myself in individual responses many times over the next months.
First, for anyone who isn't familiar with ArachnoGathering, it is an event that I have hosted in conjunction with the March NARBC show in Tinley Park, Illinois. Since my return to Chicagoland 2 1/2 years ago, I was a vendor at the show both in March and October beginning with the October 2013 show. I asked the show's owners/promoters if they would allow me to put on my own educational event for arachnid enthusiasts and they kindly gave me the facility and A/V equipment to do so. The inaugural event was March 2014 and it has been held twice, the second in March 2015. Each featured four lectures, raffles and an opportunity for arachnofreaks to interact. Whether there will be a 3rd annual in March 2016 is the question here ...
It's actually two questions from my perspective: 1. Do I want to do it now and will I want to do it then? 2. Will NARBC allow me to do it? I appreciate that those who attended may be hoping that it happens again in March 2016, but the truth is that I cannot answer whether it will at this time.
Let's look at the first question. Do I want to? Even if I might be inclined today would I still have the desire six months from now? I don't know. I have other arachnid related projects to keep me involved in the hobby. One is my role with the BTS, which is about to increase (that's all I can say now). Another is this blog and my other writings such as the articles I just published in the BTS Journal. I have outlets to keep me involved in arachnoculture without having to host an event. I've started a new career and my time is limited. I am not sure I'll want to expend the energy on ArachnoGathering #3 and I don't know that I'll want to take time away from work to spend the weekend in Tinley Park. That is my honest feeling today and in six months I have a feeling I will be even less motivated to host a hobby event.
As for the second question, NARBC was gracious enough to give me the facility to have ArachnoGathering at no cost. But then I was a vendor. Michael Jacobi's SPIDERSHOPPE is closed. I will maintain a small collection of tarantulas and true spiders (sparassids and some ctenids) for breeding, but my public and retail sales are mostly phased out. Once everything on my current clearance list is gone, I'm gone. Please help me expedite this ;) Just like my interest or desire in hosting another ArachnoGathering, I have a feeling that in six months I will be even less motivated to breed spiders. As I've written in past blogs, 33 years is a long time to do anything and I am done. Burned out. Over it. But back on point, my not vending at NARBC may make them unwilling to continue to support ArachnoGathering even if I was interested. I can tell you that I did send an email today to Russ Gurley, who is responsible for the NARBC lectures, asking if I could trade a public lecture at the weekend's reptile show for continued support of ArachnoGathering. I expect the answer would be yes. In the past when I did a public lecture during the weekend's show I was given a free booth worth about $400 so I think it would be an easy trade. But we return to the first question: Do I want to?
The answer is that I don't know. I have limited time off now and, to be quite honest, I'd rather ask for days off to go to the BTS Lectures again in February or the BTS Exhibition in May. I'm taking 10 days off (unpaid) to go to Costa Rica in December with my stepdad. These are occasions when asking for time off is worth it to me. Asking for time off to host ArachnoGathering doesn't have the same appeal. Tinley Park is an hour and a half from my house and I'd rather not make the trip without sales to pay for my time and expenses. Since I don't really have paid vacation or official time off, I am asking for a favor each time and I'd rather use it for things more important to me than ArachnoGathering. That's the brutally honest truth. Therefore, I'd have to say that the chance of AG #3 is 50/50 at best and, more likely is about 75% not going to happen. I loved putting on the first two and appreciate everyone who came out especially my guest lecturers. I thank NARBC and raffle donors and everyone who helped. But #1 and #2 happened when I was free, self-employed and focused on spiders. Now I am just a retired hobbyist who is more into other things. I will blog, I will write, I will photograph, I will travel. As I hinted at, I will have more work to do for the British Tarantula Society. These projects will all keep me involved and continuing to share my expertise and knowledge. AG probably won't make the cut.
Best regards, MJ
PS - It has just been brought to my attention that the NARBC schedule for October Tinley Park next month erroneously has retained the info about this past March's second ArachnoGathering giving the false impression that there is an event coming up. I just emailed NARBC owner Brian Potter informing him about the error. Sorry if this confused anyone.
1 comment:
Do it.
Post a Comment