OrangeCon 2003 by Richard Dowhower

The Orange County chapter of IPMS hosted OrangeCon2003, held in Buena Park, California on October 19, 2003.  The contest was located at the Sequoia Conference Center, an immense complex with multiple ballrooms, meeting areas, gym and food area.  There was plenty of parking and several restaurants in the area

The contest was located in 3 large rooms.  The first room was for entry fees, registration, awards and raffle.  A door leading into the largest room was for the model display.  A second door lead to the vendors.

The entry fee of $7.00 was reasonable, however I think the cost was somewhat high for spectators.  The fee was offset by the low cost charged for entries, $1.00 per model with young adults and juniors being free.  There was more paperwork involved during the registration than I have experienced at other contests, but again reasonable.  Plenty of pens were provided.  No personal information was displayed with the models (never a good idea!!!).

Raffle tickets were sold at 4 for $1.00.  Very cheap.  However this is where I have a problem.  Numbers were drawn three times, 11am, 1pm and 3pm.  The numbers were posted on an easel board for a period of time.  The winning stubs were taped to individual raffle items.  In other words you had no choice as to what you won.  I won decals for a NASCAR vehicle, something I do not build.  Personally I like raffles where the individuals have the choice of picking the item he or she wants, not assigned.  This makes for a much more fun raffle.  Also for being such large club I was surprised at the small number of raffle items, big and small. 

The display area was large; the aisles were wide and offered plenty of room to move about.  More than enough tables were provided for all entries, however they were very low.  The 1/48 aircraft category was large (as always!!) and could have been spread out over a wider area.  The lighting could have been better.

The vendor area was also large.  There were many of them selling a wide variety of kits, aftermarket items, tool, books and the like.  One vendor was selling what appeared to be country store items (potpourri, baskets, and perfume).  I think this would have been more appropriate at a home and garden show (go figure!!).

No food was provided at this contest except for water. Not really a problem.

Judging was relatively quick and smooth.  There were some individuals who didn’t seem to understand that when judging is taking place they should not be in the area.  There were many volunteer judges, I being one of them.  I enjoy doing this and I wish more clubs in the Southern California area would allow our peers to be involved in the process.  It speeds up the time it takes for judging and prevents club “sweeps” (clubs are familiar with their member’s models). No PA system was provided for the awards but the presenter was loud enough.  The name of each winner was announced.  I know many people do not like this as it takes time, but I think it’s a good idea to recognize the accomplishment of each builder.

With the exception of the raffle this was a very good contest.  This is one that I will attend next year!!