SGDQ2015 Budget Overview

Cool Matty

Edit history:

Cool Matty: 2015-05-10 12:00:48 am

2015-05-09 06:56:31 pm

Crawlathon WR, get down on my level.

Sorry for the wait, we wanted to make sure we had our route optimized for maximum efficiency before making this public.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/19sbWnHjuOLTxUxPd1vVmvQ9Kg1_zgjTgrwd87e6tHZ0/pub

The document is our budget overview of SGDQ2015 for GDQ LLC. If there is any confusion on a particular section, let us know and we can edit it for clarity.

Edit: 5-9 11PM PDT:

We would also like to address that Mike Uyama will not be paid for SGDQ2015, as he is on medical leave. Additionally, his pay for AGDQ2015 scaled to match his work hours; his pay covers work that he performed before his illness took over, such as: game submissions, hotel searching, and the like.

Thread title:

PEACHES_

2015-05-09 07:55:09 pm

I'm just trying to impress you.

I feel like I must be misreading this so to clarify I'll ask for either of two questions to be answered --

- Why are you repurchasing all that equipment if you already bought it for agdq
or
- Why are you quoting things that you already purchased in this marathon's budget?

Cool Matty

Edit history:

Cool Matty: 2015-05-09 08:06:19 pm

Cool Matty: 2015-05-09 08:06:12 pm

Cool Matty: 2015-05-09 08:03:03 pm

2015-05-09 08:02:42 pm

Crawlathon WR, get down on my level.

Some equipment does not travel well, either because it's extremely bulky to move (projector screens exceed UPS/Fedex shipping limits) or because, even with packaging, they have a high risk of damage (computers, projectors). The alternative would be a full truck move which is extremely expensive for that distance. Other equipment is shared between events (microphones for instance) because they are small (so I can take them in my car) and will survive the trip just fine. Items that are shared are marked with a *

Edit: Also, if it wasn't clear, everything listed there is being purchased for SGDQ2015. If it's *, that means it's coming back home to go to AGDQ 2016.

PEACHES_

2015-05-09 08:28:34 pm

I'm just trying to impress you.

Quote from Cool Matty:

Some equipment does not travel well, either because it's extremely bulky to move (projector screens exceed UPS/Fedex shipping limits) or because, even with packaging, they have a high risk of damage (computers, projectors). The alternative would be a full truck move which is extremely expensive for that distance. Other equipment is shared between events (microphones for instance) because they are small (so I can take them in my car) and will survive the trip just fine. Items that are shared are marked with a *

http://www.upack.com/moving-quotes/quoteview.asp?id=5805451295&v=t

Cool Matty

Edit history:

Cool Matty: 2015-05-09 08:59:39 pm

2015-05-09 08:34:12 pm

Crawlathon WR, get down on my level.

Quote from PEACHES_:

Quote from Cool Matty:

Some equipment does not travel well, either because it's extremely bulky to move (projector screens exceed UPS/Fedex shipping limits) or because, even with packaging, they have a high risk of damage (computers, projectors). The alternative would be a full truck move which is extremely expensive for that distance. Other equipment is shared between events (microphones for instance) because they are small (so I can take them in my car) and will survive the trip just fine. Items that are shared are marked with a *

http://www.upack.com/moving-quotes/quoteview.asp?id=5805451295&v=t

We are moving our SGDQ2014 equipment from Denver. This is not equipment we already have in Denver.

Edit: And you changed the quote on me without saying anything. That's not cool, PEACHES_.

$2000+ for a single unit that doesn't appear to be large enough, one-way, is not wise. In addition, their available insurance does not cover the full value of the equipment that would be stored. We also run the risk of not being able to replace some equipment in time for the event if there was a shipping accident, depending on shipment time. Finally, we would need to pay that for every upcoming event, instead of having a single up-front cost.

We've looked into this before, it's really not a good idea.

[quote="PEACHES_"][quote="Cool Matty"]Some equipment does not travel well, either because it's extremely bulky to move (projector screens exceed UPS/Fedex shipping limits) or because, even with packaging, they have a high risk of damage (computers, projectors). The alternative would be a full truck move which is extremely expensive for that distance. Other equipment is shared between events (microphones for instance) because they are small (so I can take them in my car) and will survive the trip just fine. Items that are shared are marked with a *[/quote]
 
http://www.upack.com/moving-quotes/quoteview.asp?id=5805451295&v=t[/quote]

We are moving our SGDQ2014 equipment from Denver. This is not equipment we already have in Denver.

Edit: And you changed the quote on me without saying anything. That's not cool, PEACHES_.

$2000+ for a single unit that doesn't appear to be large enough, [b]one-way[/b], is not wise. In addition, their available insurance does not cover the full value of the equipment that would be stored. We also run the risk of not being able to replace some equipment in time for the event if there was a shipping accident, depending on shipment time. Finally, we would need to pay that for every upcoming event, instead of having a single up-front cost.

We've looked into this before, it's really not a good idea.

PEACHES_

2015-05-09 08:46:42 pm

I'm just trying to impress you.

The non-asterisked items add up to like $8,000 there's no way it would cost more than that to move it, no matter where it's coming from. This just seems like a really really big waste of money especially if it's going to sit in storage for the next year and go unused at the next agdq.

Cronikeys

2015-05-09 08:57:09 pm

Does the ad revenue include money from sponsors and year-round subscribers? Also why is $6,500 being paid to the sponsors? I've never heard of something like that before.

Also, I find it hard to believe that it's cheaper to buy all new equipment like PEACHES_ said. Are receipts or quotes available upon request via PM like last year (IIRC)?

Oh, and is a budget for AGDQ 2015 going to be released? The last time one of these threads was posted was for SGDQ 2014 I think, and it included a much more detailed Excel document.

Cool Matty

2015-05-09 09:03:42 pm

Crawlathon WR, get down on my level.

Cronikeys: ad revenue is just ad revenue. We can address AGDQ2015 when Mike returns.

Last year's budget sheet was post-event. We haven't bought the equipment yet, so we cannot provide anything more precise.

Stingrayy

2015-05-09 09:05:51 pm

Quote from Cronikeys:

Also why is $6,500 being paid to the sponsors? I've never heard of something like that before.

Can you answer this please?

PEACHES_

2015-05-09 09:09:34 pm

I'm just trying to impress you.

Oh, didn't realize I was changing the quote. Never used that site before and was just messing around with different cities.

I suppose I understand the idea of having upfront costs instead of paying to ship it every time, although if you're currently paying $3,600 for two locations worth of storage, seems like half of that should cover enough of one-way shipping (including a more expensive service with more expensive insurance) that it would take a decade of marathons to go over another $8,000 of costs. But I get that this would make the logistics more complicated.

Having said that, if you're already moving all of the SGDQ 2014 equipment from Denver, why is so much being spent on this equipment? I seem to remember most of the itemized equipment existing at last year's event.

Naegleria

(user is banned)

Naegleria

Edit history:

Naegleria: 2015-05-09 09:21:28 pm

2015-05-09 09:19:36 pm

So does the GDQ staff plan on purchasing new shit for every marathon? (edit: major shit, stuff that costs more than $1000 like)

3 of the items are listed as "same" or "similar" to AGDQ2015 (projector, screen, and rack), are these meant to be used annually for SGDQ or will new ones be bought each time?

"Second camera for “off the couch” material" - Didn't AGDQ2015 already have two cameras? Both of which could rotate? If the camera can rotate by remote, I don't get why you would want/need more than one, nor why you should buy another.

"Biohazard Gear" - what the crap? i get office supplies, why is Biohazard Gear listed with that?

"Equipment storage (per year): $3600" - How much equipment we talkin here? Could it be split up and stored in GDQ staff's homes? If somebody has a storage room, that could save a decent chunk of money if they are willing to let GDQ stuff be stored there.

Cool Matty

Edit history:

Cool Matty: 2015-05-09 09:34:06 pm

2015-05-09 09:26:56 pm

Crawlathon WR, get down on my level.

Quote from PEACHES_:

Having said that, if you're already moving all of the SGDQ 2014 equipment from Denver, why is so much being spent on this equipment? I seem to remember most of the itemized equipment existing at last year's event.

There might be similarities but it's either upgrades or expansions. Projector from SGDQ2014 was very small and the screen was a rental (as the one we bought never showed up and we got a refund, that's listed on the SGDQ2014 budget, btw). We reuse the equipment for other areas, such as the projector now being used in the lobby/eating area so people can watch the event better.

Quote from Stingrayy:

Quote from Cronikeys:

Also why is $6,500 being paid to the sponsors? I've never heard of something like that before.

Can you answer this please?

They're not the same type of sponsors, and we're reimbursing expenses, not paying for their services. World9 for instance, at AGDQ2015, traveled halfway across the country with a trailer-load full of consoles and TVs for us. They are doing the same again for SGDQ2015 with even MORE consoles, TVs and other gaming equipment for us. They were absolutely awesome and a huge value to all the runners and attendees at the event. They manage the equipment around the clock for the entire event.

Then for Pro Audio, they're providing their professional services on-site for free, with a staff to man the audio the whole event day and night, significantly reducing the workload and stress for our volunteers and improving audio for the stream. Plus, these guys work with game developers and are familiar with speedrunning, so they're not oblivious to what is going on.

Quote from Naegleria:

So does the GDQ staff plan on purchasing new shit for every marathon?

3 of the items are listed as "same" or "similar" to AGDQ2015 (projector, screen, and rack), are these meant to be used annually for SGDQ or will new ones be bought each time?

Used annually, just as we are reusing equipment from SGDQ2014.

Quote:

"Second camera for “off the couch” material" - Didn't AGDQ2015 already have two cameras? Both of which could rotate? If the camera can rotate by remote, I don't get why you would want/need more than one, nor why you should buy another.

This is something we're looking into. If we do it we will make an announcement on it. Needless to say, it's not going to be anywhere near the couch, so we clearly couldn't use the same cameras. If we don't do it, we won't buy it at all.

Quote:

"Biohazard Gear" - what the crap? i get office supplies, why is Biohazard Gear listed with that?

We make sure to buy multiple copies of Resident Evil 4 just in case Carcinogen shows up.

(The usual hand sanitizer, wipes, cartridge cleaner, etc.)

Quote:

"Equipment storage (per year): $3600" - How much equipment we talkin here? Could it be split up and stored in GDQ staff's homes? If somebody has a storage room, that could save a decent chunk of money if they are willing to let GDQ stuff be stored there.

Well, we have ~25 CRT TVs at SGDQ. That should give you a small idea.

[quote="PEACHES_"]
Having said that, if you're already moving all of the SGDQ 2014 equipment from Denver, why is so much being spent on this equipment? I seem to remember most of the itemized equipment existing at last year's event. [/quote]

There might be similarities but it's either upgrades or expansions. Projector from SGDQ2014 was very small and the screen was a rental (as the one we bought never showed up and we got a refund, that's listed on the SGDQ2014 budget, btw). We reuse the equipment for other areas, such as the projector now being used in the lobby/eating area so people can watch the event better.

[quote="Stingrayy"][quote="Cronikeys"]Also why is $6,500 being paid [i]to[/i] the sponsors? I've never heard of something like that before.
[/quote]
Can you answer this please?[/quote]

They're not the same type of sponsors, and we're reimbursing expenses, not paying for their services. World9 for instance, at AGDQ2015, traveled halfway across the country with a trailer-load full of consoles and TVs for us. They are doing the same again for SGDQ2015 with even MORE consoles, TVs and other gaming equipment for us. They were absolutely awesome and a huge value to all the runners and attendees at the event. They manage the equipment around the clock for the entire event.

Then for Pro Audio, they're providing their professional services on-site for free, with a staff to man the audio the whole event day and night, significantly reducing the workload and stress for our volunteers and improving audio for the stream. Plus, these guys work with game developers and are familiar with speedrunning, so they're not oblivious to what is going on.

[quote="Naegleria"]So does the GDQ staff plan on purchasing new shit for every marathon?

3 of the items are listed as "same" or "similar" to AGDQ2015 (projector, screen, and rack), are these meant to be used annually for SGDQ or will new ones be bought each time?[/quote]

Used annually, just as we are reusing equipment from SGDQ2014.

[quote]
"Second camera for “off the couch” material" - Didn't AGDQ2015 already have two cameras?  Both of which could rotate?  If the camera can rotate by remote, I don't get why you would want/need more than one, nor why you should buy another.[/quote]

This is something we're looking into. If we do it we will make an announcement on it. Needless to say, it's not going to be anywhere near the couch, so we clearly couldn't use the same cameras. If we don't do it, we won't buy it at all.

[quote]
"Biohazard Gear" - what the crap?  i get office supplies, why is Biohazard Gear listed with that?[/quote]

We make sure to buy multiple copies of Resident Evil 4 just in case Carcinogen shows up.

(The usual hand sanitizer, wipes, cartridge cleaner, etc.)

[quote]
"Equipment storage (per year): $3600" - How much equipment we talkin here?  Could it be split up and stored in GDQ staff's homes?  If somebody has a storage room, that could save a decent chunk of money if they are willing to let GDQ stuff be stored there.[/quote]

Well, we have ~25 CRT TVs at SGDQ. That should give you a small idea.

Naegleria

(user is banned)

2015-05-09 09:31:30 pm

With respect to TVs in particular, a handful of the TVs at SGDQ 2014 and AGDQ 2015 that were brought in were broken. A handful of people marked these TVs and set them aside, but I'm guessing they are going to be shipped back and forth anyway. I think it would be worth the GDQs interest to test TVs out ant the end of a marathon and throw out the ones that dont work, that way you dont waste money storing TVs that are broken.

Cool Matty

2015-05-09 09:35:03 pm

Crawlathon WR, get down on my level.

Quote from Naegleria:

With respect to TVs in particular, a handful of the TVs at SGDQ 2014 and AGDQ 2015 that were brought in were broken. A handful of people marked these TVs and set them aside, but I'm guessing they are going to be shipped back and forth anyway. I think it would be worth the GDQs interest to test TVs out ant the end of a marathon and throw out the ones that dont work, that way you dont waste money storing TVs that are broken.

We throw them out if they're found to be broken.

Kotti

2015-05-09 10:49:42 pm

So you're spending a lot of money on a lot of equipment that you use for a week and then some more money to store it for a year. I feel like the obligatory dumb question is, why don't you rent the stuff?

Cool Matty

2015-05-09 11:05:40 pm

Crawlathon WR, get down on my level.

Quote from Kotti:

So you're spending a lot of money on a lot of equipment that you use for a week and then some more money to store it for a year. I feel like the obligatory dumb question is, why don't you rent the stuff?

Most equipment, the rates for rental are over 50% the cost of buying for the length of time we really need them (over a week). In addition, the selection is limited, rental insurance is fairly expensive and the pricier equipment holds a decent resale value if we ever decide to stop using it. We've looked into it several times, it just never makes much sense if we plan to use something for more than a single year, which is about 99% of our equipment. Even if we upgrade, we reuse the old equipment for something else.

Cool Matty

2015-05-10 12:01:04 am

Crawlathon WR, get down on my level.

Added to first post: We would also like to address that Mike Uyama will not be paid for this event, as he is on medical leave. Additionally, his pay for AGDQ2015 scaled to match his work hours; his pay covers work that he performed before his illness took over, such as: game submissions, hotel searching, and the like.

Naegleria

(user is banned)

2015-05-10 02:33:07 am

Quote from Cool Matty:

high risk of damage (computers, projectors).

I remember at SGDQ 2012 that the computer had a special case made for travel. That no longer an option?

If it's not, the parts of the computer can be disassembled and shipped separately with <<1% chance of anything breaking.

Omnigamer

2015-05-10 07:57:00 am

All the things

Quote from Naegleria:

Quote from Cool Matty:

high risk of damage (computers, projectors).

I remember at SGDQ 2012 that the computer had a special case made for travel. That no longer an option?

If it's not, the parts of the computer can be disassembled and shipped separately with <<1% chance of anything breaking.

A lot of that has already been discussed here:

https://forum.speeddemosarchive.com/post/concerning_my_contract_with_pcf_36.html

Naegleria

(user is banned)

2015-05-10 12:01:56 pm

Another alternative would be to host AGDQ and SGDQ in the same city. SGDQ is becoming less of a "western" AGDQ so hosting in the same place could save money and hardship.

sagev3

Edit history:

sagev3: 2015-05-11 09:34:54 am

2015-05-11 09:02:18 am

Other than trying to host them in the same city, it would be a good idea to make sure that we stay in the same place for SGDQ like AGDQ is done. I know there were complications with trying to get to a more western area for SGDQ this year, but switching from Salt Lake City to Denver was a little odd when AGDQ never moves. The only reason I say this, is because all of this separate equipment has already been purchased it seems. Might as well have two areas if there is equipment for two areas. Just make sure that we can use the equipment every time in that area. I already expect that next year's SGDQ will be moving to yet another area, so it would be a good idea to plan for moving the Minneapolis equipment to a new Western area ahead of time.

Sir VG

2015-05-11 09:30:53 am

Fucking Weeaboo

Quote from sagev3:

Other than trying to host them in the same city, it would be a good idea to make sure that we stay in the same place for SGDQ like AGDQ is done. I know there were complications with trying to get to a more western area for SGDQ this year, but switching from Seattle to Denver was a little odd when AGDQ never moves. The only reason I say this, is because all of this separate equipment has already been purchased it seems. Might as well have two areas if there is equipment for two areas. Just make sure that we can use the equipment every time in that area. I already expect that next year's SGDQ will be moving to yet another area, so it would be a good idea to plan for moving the Minneapolis equipment to a new Western area ahead of time.

SGDQ has never been in Seattle. It started in Salt Lake City, Utah, but had to move from its original location as it was in Essentia's house (where RPG Limit Break is now) and outgrew the space.

sagev3

Edit history:

sagev3: 2015-05-11 09:35:37 am

2015-05-11 09:34:13 am

Ah whatever it was when it started. For some reason Seattle was on my mind, but my point still stands, because from what I remember, AGDQ has always been in relatively the same area, outgrowing the old space every year.

Sir VG

2015-05-11 09:40:54 am

Fucking Weeaboo

Quote from sagev3:

Ah whatever it was when it started. For some reason Seattle was on my mind, but my point still stands, because from what I remember, AGDQ has always been in relatively the same area, outgrowing the old space every year.

Well, it would have been in Denver again this year (it was there in 2013 and 2014), but the search had some complications. Part of it was due to the hotel being a clusterfuck last year (look up the SGDQ 2014 threads to see why) and partially due to not finding anything else suitable, as they were already booked up. What I've seen in romscout's posts indicates that moving to MN wasn't intended, just what they ended up having to settle for. Not that there's anything wrong with MN. Smiley

sagev3

2015-05-11 09:48:59 am

Quote from Sir VG:

Quote from sagev3:

Ah whatever it was when it started. For some reason Seattle was on my mind, but my point still stands, because from what I remember, AGDQ has always been in relatively the same area, outgrowing the old space every year.

Well, it would have been in Denver again this year (it was there in 2013 and 2014), but the search had some complications. Part of it was due to the hotel being a clusterfuck last year (look up the SGDQ 2014 threads to see why) and partially due to not finding anything else suitable, as they were already booked up. What I've seen in romscout's posts indicates that moving to MN wasn't intended, just what they ended up having to settle for. Not that there's anything wrong with MN. Smiley

I know, I mentioned that in my post. If you read back through Romscouts post about locations for SGDQ, he mentions that moving farther east may be in the future if I'm not mistaken. It has to do with the amount of east cost participants vs west coast for each SGDQ. I just felt like saying that if we have the equipment for the west coast, we should use it, and try to stay in the same place every year.

[quote="Sir VG"][quote="sagev3"]Ah whatever it was when it started.  For some reason Seattle was on my mind, but my point still stands, because from what I remember, AGDQ has always been in relatively the same area, outgrowing the old space every year.[/quote]

Well, it would have been in Denver again this year (it was there in 2013 and 2014), but the search had some complications. Part of it was due to the hotel being a clusterfuck last year (look up the SGDQ 2014 threads to see why) and partially due to not finding anything else suitable, as they were already booked up. What I've seen in romscout's posts indicates that moving to MN wasn't intended, just what they ended up having to settle for. Not that there's anything wrong with MN. :)[/quote]

I know, I mentioned that in my post. If you read back through Romscouts post about locations for SGDQ, he mentions that moving farther east may be in the future if I'm not mistaken. It has to do with the amount of east cost participants vs west coast for each SGDQ. I just felt like saying that if we have the equipment for the west coast, we should use it, and try to stay in the same place every year.