Missed Opportunity

I'll be posting on my book arts classes this week, but I need to share a little disappointment with the Symposium that MCBA ran this week. MCBA is located at Open Book, one of the most amazing buildings I've ever visited for people who love books and the word. (Full disclosure: I was on the board for MCBA in the late 90's and a finalist for the MCBA Ex. Dir position 4 years ago.) The facility was brilliantly designed from three early 20th century brick buildings and traces of its history can be found in stairs that lead nowhere and panels of old wallpaper located throughout the 3 story builidng. To link its current use to its past, there is a symbolic alphabet burned into the wood floor in various places and a lovely staircase with a handrail made of luminous book "pages" designed by book artist Karen Wirth. The building is home to MCBA, Milkweed Editions and The Loft (a literary center) with a wonderful coffee shop (of course!), several galleries and a rental space for readings and other events. I walk into Open Book and even after 7 or 8 years, am delighted by the space and its use.
MCBA is the visual anchor to the building and has 2 1/2 floors of print, papermaking and binding studios...truly the loveliest facility I've ever worked in. (Now here's the "but) But despite the wonderful teachers they brought to Minneapolis this week and the students who came from out of town, there was a real lack of energy outside of the classes themselves. So because I spend a lot of time paying attention to how to bring people together, let me offer some simple ideas for next time:
* Come say hello! The staff was around through the whole symposium but never came into classes to say welcome or introduce themselves.
* Add city and classes to nametags. The nametags were a great idea, but include our home cities and registered classes as well. They're great conversation starters.
* Welcome signage. I spotted one 8 1/2 x 11 sign that simply said "2007 MCBA Symposium." Nothing feels as good as being welcomed and big signs that say "we're thrilled you're here" can go a long way. It also lets others know that something fun is going on and they're missing out.
* Strong communication. I heard so many complaints about this and sadly, a lot of "not my job" responses. The letter in advance of the symposium did not include all of the classes I'd registered for and again, was dry and non-welcoming. I heard that some students never were informed of what materials they needed for class. The final event of the Symposium was the construction of a long accordion book over Minneapolis' beautiful stone arch bridge...a brilliant idea! But neither the letter or the web site told me how I could participate in helping to create this book. I did find the information in the folder of materials, but only late on Saturday night after it was over. That's something that a staff member could have mentioned if they had dropped by to visit the class.
* The biggest disappointment was the attendance at the Trade Fair. It was heart wrenching to see vendors and book artists (who had paid for their tables) in a room with only 2 or 3 customers. The promotion of this event was minimal and was not even listed on the symposium schedule on MCBA's web site.
I know how much work goes into events like this and it's nearly impossible to get all the details just right. But I think the "Field of Dreams" philosophy is wrong ("If you build it, they will come"). "We're so glad you're here" is the spirit of a successful event.