off topic, I need a few ideas

[Leon]

Hi Everyone.

most of you will not know that after 17 years I gave up my sales career, mostly due to job satisfaction, there was NONE!  and my health the stress levels were outrageous so I gave up. 

I am now the site manager (caretaker) at the local community center, part of the deal is that I am able to concentrate on getting my photography u and running properly, one day I will hopefully be doing it as a job full time. 

what is this post is all about?

I/we need some ideas, do you or would you go to the community center for an event?  if so what would you like to go and see or do, ideas please. 

We have a cafe but are not allowed to advertise, It's strictly for use of people coming in to use the rooms that we rent out.

 

[FUJI]

Hi, Leon,

First off, your career move.....Well done you.

A long time ago now, I too did what you have to set up my own very small business, I gave up 20 years of Social Work/Day Centre Manager After Major changes to policies regarding my client group....had I remained stress would have killed me.  I had to bite the bullet of losing a good salary and part of my pension, but the decision saved my life.

The secret is, to target something you love....in my case it was to research and then to recreate wooden toys, dolls and games from the past....I began by running a stall on my local market, but ended up 15 years later, becoming nationally and internationally known, ran workshops and demos countrywide, with thousands of children and parents....I wrote a book, and got invited to help relaunch the film Pinocchio in Hollywood. 

Your love is obviously photography....a tough area in the days of mobile phones...but it can be done, I have a friend similar to you, who has a pop-up portrait studio in his conservatory .....Start small, be super-family friendly, dont overcharge, be realistic....to boost your income, use a room in your community centre to teach, basic/beginner photography, together with Street-Photigraphy workshops.....make the whole thing a pleasure for you and for your clients.

i postedca video, by top photographer Joseph Lanier on Monday....take a look it, and his other videos are well worth watching....ignore his Sony sell unless you are interested though....he is well worth following on YouTube.

 

To your community centre now...

Obviously the Centre has to cater for the needs of its local population, I don’t know how that is made up, but you do.....The first thing is, again, to make booking a room, easy, as reasonable as possible with flexibility in charges to encourage new groups. A well run diary/booking system is essential..... don’t put the local Jazz-Band practice night next to the Yoga class etc...... send out a flyer to secretaries of all local groups, large and small......Make the place attractive, with no politics or too many official posters etc....aim for neutrality/a warm welcome and an efficient service. Events? Wow! This is a tall order.....you need to target them to your known potential users...Art/Dance/Music/Hobbies/Crafts/Heath and Beauty/wellbeing/Photography & Graphic Arts/........target different age groups.

I hope that a little of this helps in some way...

I wish you well...

 

FUJI

 

 

[Guest]

are you missing one obvious item? photography lessons? you could also do basic pc and internet courses for the older generation, help them get online and keep in touch with their relatives

[Ryewolf]

This is the sort of things a local civic arts centre holds:

Photography Group
Sewing Club
Drama Goups for kids (3-8 and 8+)
Yoga, Mum & Baby Yoga
Dance
Weight Watchers
Adult Craft Club
Line Dancing
Adult Art Class
Singing for Under 16's

[Leon]

On 29/11/2018 at 18:24, Richard said:

are you missing one obvious item? photography lessons? you could also do basic pc and internet courses for the older generation, help them get online and keep in touch with their relatives

only just seen this sorry, I keep getting asked to do photography lessons. I am not sure I am anywhere near qualified or experienced enough to deliver lessons.

and the PC thing is ongoing, we ar applying for a grant to upgrade our 20 PC's and the whole room.

thanks.

[Leon]

On 29/11/2018 at 18:36, Ryewolf said:

This is the sort of things a local civic arts centre holds:

Photography Group
Sewing Club
Drama Goups for kids (3-8 and 8+)
Yoga, Mum & Baby Yoga
Dance
Weight Watchers
Adult Craft Club
Line Dancing
Adult Art Class
Singing for Under 16's

we have the lions share of those groups, they are applying for a grant for sewing machines, they keep asking my misses to do the teaching.  Weight watchers is elswhere on the complex. Line dancing...if we had the room

[Ryewolf]

44 minutes ago, Leon said:

I keep getting asked to do photography lessons. I am not sure I am anywhere near qualified or experienced enough to deliver lessons.

Why not something more informal? Where people with an interest can get together and talk, like a camera club but less formal, maybe a weekly theme where the following week people show their images and talk about how it came about, or maybe something local and what caught their eye.....?

[Leon]

3 minutes ago, Ryewolf said:

Why not something more informal? Where people with an interest can get together and talk, like a camera club but less formal, maybe a weekly theme where the following week people show their images and talk about how it came about, or maybe something local and what caught their eye.....?

we looked into this too, the 3 towns around us have fairly large well established photography clubs.

since I posted this they have chosen to convert one of the rooms into a fully equipped photography studio abailable to rent to anyone by the hour, all backdrops and lighting will be available too!   and I get to use it