Threads tagged #EJC2015

Dee - 8/13/2015 21:33 #

Finding Enrico Rastelli's tomb

On my way home from #EJC2015 my route happened to have a full day in Bergamo with two other jugglers. We couldn't resist making the trip to Rastelli's tomb. Despite others having made the pilgrimage, there was a lack of clear description of how to get there and whether it is difficult to find.

It is very easy. Go to the main cemetery - nearest tram stop is Bergamo S. Fermo (two stops from the tram terminus at the main train station) - but we only went a single stop and walked as this was covered by the cheaper day ticket..

Then, asking the very helpful attendant at the entrance, who was quite enthusiastic when he realised what we were looking for, we found that it is very simple to find. In this map of the graveyard, I have marked the location of Rastelli's tomb by the circle. The cemetery is very exposed to the sun, so you probably don't want to spend too much excessive time wandering around on an August day during peak sun!

If you do have a few hours to spare in Bergamo, I can recommend a trip out to the cemetery [how long you'll need will largely depend on how much time you want to spend at the tomb - travel time from the main station is perhaps 10 minutes].

Dee - 8/13/2015 10:56 #

Lessons from #EJC2015

This will be a small series of posts [which, individually, may be quite long] on some of the transferable lessons from the EJC just gone.

Registration:

This went remarkably smoothly, but I think that some efficiencies can be achieved. The combined single queue that split at the last minute worked well in ensuring that no one was stuck in the “wrong” queue.

The QR system worked really well in enabling fast processing, without requiring bar-code scanners. I would, however, have called it a ticket rather than an e-ticket, as the organisers wanted people to print out the ticket and sign the disclaimer. In my head, an e-ticket is not something that needs to be printed.

Having sufficient floor space really made a difference. This meant that the queue could be managed in a less frenzied manner [especially in comparison to Toulouse] and people had room to manoeuvre.

I would like to have a few (perhaps 2) express desks: adults pre-registered for the full week only. This reduces the number of options required for the desk and could speed-up the process [enabling you to use your volunteers with more languages for more complex interactions]. Under 18s require a range of different permission slips, making the process slightly slower and more complicated.

Another desk (note that this desk would also take standard pre-registrations) for those arriving with a large number of youths [e.g. youth circuses] – rather than splitting to individual desks; this is because those working at the desks must check ID etc. from those acting in loco parentis – often a limited number of people that then need to go from one desk to another if split out, slowing up all desks.

The passes this year were great: sufficiently long to go around the leg, with a sufficiently generous metal clamping bit to allow the pass to be easily reassembled if someone wanted to put it on their leg – this has been an issue in the past – the passes were long enough to go around the ankle, but could not fit across the heal without coming undone and then were almost impossible to reassemble in situ. To make this process more efficient, I would have a clamping station away from the registration desks – mainly for those wanting it on the leg [the wrist clamping didn’t cause any delays]. The name of the manufacturer and the specification of the passes should be passed on to other organising teams.

The six-odd hours of making up the registration packs on the Friday before the convention started was worthwhile when it came to speeding up the registration queues. There are always people onsite on the last day that aren’t really in a fit state for heavy lifting – this is a highly practical use for those bodies.

I would also note that those working on registration desks should not put gala show tickets into these packs; rather that they should physically hand over the gala show ticket to the person registering [more likely to be put into a safe location].

The day ticket passes this year were difficult to work and caused confusion for volunteers on badge control points. The day passes were also a woven wrist/ankle band, with those clamping the pass required to alter the point of the clamping bit to indicate the validity of the pass. This is surprisingly tricky when done on the wrist and really tricky on the ankle. Then those on badge control weren't sure if the clamping point indicated the last day of validity or the day after the last day [with some slippage when clamping, it could possibly have meant either].

If possible (not sure how compatible this is with Andi’s system), I would have those paying for more than a single day enter their own details into the system [would require more computers, but not necessarily ones able to scan and process QR codes] to avoid someone having to do this at a later point. This is particularly important if someone then wants an official receipt [which could be issued later in the week, when registration is quieter] as their details of when they arrived and how much they paid would be already on the computer system.

orcus25 - 7/27/2015 17:08 #

Hi everyone! My name is Mario, I'm from Spain and I'm going to stay in Bristol this summer. I like diabolo, clubs, devil sticks and balls. My favourite is diabolo, I learnt a lot of tricks some years ago but when I got into the university I couldn't continue practicing. Last thing I was learning was doing tricks with two diabolos.
I would like to learn and teach some tricks here in Bristol.

See you soon!

Mïark - 4/5/2015 14:02 #

EJC 2015 pre-registration is now open, if you are planning to go to European Juggling Convention in Bruneck this summer and want to save up to €80 per person - pre-register before the end of April. EJC this year has been organised at short notice and they need money for deposits etc. They want to know that enough people will be going to make sure that the event will be viable - so make sure you pre-register if you want the event to happen.

www.ejc2015.org/registration/

#ejc2015
#events

IJA pre-registration also started on 1st April (jugglers love auspicious dates), but their price goes up on 18th April.

Mïark - 2/7/2015 15:29 #

EJC 2015 website is now live with lots of information and there are still plenty of volunteering opportunities.

Pre-registration will start in April, so you have plenty of time to start saving up as the preliminary registration period (for maximum discount) only lasts a month.

#EJC2015

_{thank you to Andy via facebook for alerting me to this information}

Orinoco - 1/4/2015 19:14 #

Update from the EJC 2015. Big thing: prereg should be available from April. Don't leave preregistering until the last minute otherwise the event might not happen.

#ejc2015

Aidan - 8/1/2014 17:00 #

I noticed in the calender of events that the venue for EJC 2015 is down as squirrels. I tried google and all I got was the apology from the Karlsruhe team. This is a little surprising because at the EJC business meeting we voted to go to Brnic, in Southern Tyrol, in Italy. This isn't a rumour, it was a public meeting. Apparently they held a unicycle convention there in the last couple of years. They only have a year to organise it, so I wish them luck. Also we might not expect all the shows and add ons that we've become used to. I for one won't mind.
Also we voted to go to the Netherlands in 2016, to a small place just outside Amsterdam. The important feature was a nearby beach :)