Comments on: Burning Man’s 2012 Staff Retreat

By: TB

TB — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 10:55:50 +0000

Bummed I missed out on last year’s Burn. While I think this year’s theme is highly creative and a great social/economic commentary, it just doesn’t give me that warm, fuzzy feeling like Fertility did. Sadly, I missed out on it due to the lottery. :(

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By: Kasbear

Kasbear — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 10:29:18 +0000

Hey,
I am a three-time burner and I am sure you’re receiving tons of suggestions of how to handle the ticketing situation nowadays. We have this festival in Germany called “Fusion”, with close to 60.000 participants each year. It is more of a “traditional” festival with booked acts and stages. But at the same time also a little like a burn as there are art installations, theme cars, workshops, a cinema,…..
The festival had the same problem as you had a couple of years ago and created a personalized lottery system which excluded scalpers by the max. In case any of you speak German you can check it out on http://www.fusion-festival.de
If not, here’s a brief summary (some steps are the same as the burning man lottery last year):

1. Each attendee signs up for only ONE personalized ticket (ID check at the gate)
2. There’s a 2 week period for signing up
3. There’s the possibilty of peer-forming so you make sure you’re not the only one in your Group receiving a ticket (first person to sign up creates a group with a password so the others can sign up for that group when they register. Fusion festival says the mathematical chance of getting a ticket by yourself or in a big group is the same)
4. There is a first lottery for all applicants
5. If you get a ticket it’s non-transferrable. Every participant has an online account where he can change his shipping information or cancel the ticket up to 4 weeks prior to the event.
6. People not lucky in the first lottery get a second chance in the second lottery which takes place two months after the first and giving out all the tickets that weren’t paid or canceled until then.
7. Any other tickets being returned after the second lottery are given to volunteers (as first time volunteers don’t receive a ticket at burning man, maybe there could be a final last minute sale like last August)

I think especially the fact that there are only personalized tickets combined with the fact that they are absolutely not transferrable will keep away scalpers and minimize the demand of tickets which surely will still stay above supply.

Keep it up!

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By: Dave Rummel

Dave Rummel — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 06:32:47 +0000

I just wanted to say thanks and enjoyed my first experience immensely. I missed out on the ticket purchase, but easily was able to buy a ticket off of craigslist from a Burner who lived in New Orleans and I lived in Lake Tahoe.

Perhaps in order to keep the direction pure it would be better to ensure theme camps, artists, and those that add value to BM get first dibs on tickets. In order to ensure their validity these added value members can make their official requests during and right after the prior burning man.

Once that number has been determined it is open to the public, because lets face it without the art, its just people camping in the desert with music.

Either way I wish the staff the best and thanks again for putting on an event that was an amazing experience.

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By: Peace

Peace — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 23:46:00 +0000

Well whatever you did at the retreat it paid off…GREAT THEME!!!!

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By: Neu Weather Boy

Neu Weather Boy — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 09:56:08 +0000

1st time “Burners” should be afforded ticket opportunities at a higher rate. If you’ve been there and done that, let some of your fellow tribe mates experience please.

Great theme for 2013. I hope to be a virgin.

I postulate that a weather/climate change theme would be excellent for future events. We only have one planet, and it’s ours. Unlike BRC, we can’t pack up and go home.

Somebody who can see the future of our beautiful “burning planet”

A Weather Guy

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By: Peace

Peace — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 18:39:43 +0000

Have you ever though of asking for volunteers who want to attend planning meeting and then, ironically, selecting the participants through a lottery? Certainly certain staff would have to facilitate the planning process due to its complexity, but I think radical inclusion would be better served if the planners didn’t seem so seperate from the participants.

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By: sun dried tomato

sun dried tomato — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 14:41:18 +0000

For a starving artist/farmer like myself, Burning Man represents a HUGE investment of time and money. Planning starts on the trip home from the previous year’s event. But theme-related costumes, camps, and art cars can’t be started until YOU announce the theme! And then there’s the risk of investing lots of time/money on these things and then not winning the ticket lottery. That’s a big gamble. So maybe next time I’ll simplify, skip the artistic efforts, just bring my tents, camping clothes, bike; and focus all my energies and efforts on the ticket quest…be a tourist, not a participant…Gee, I never thought that going to BRC would be a depressing concept.

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By: Evan

Evan — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 04:46:43 +0000

Nevermind. User error.

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By: Evan

Evan — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 04:46:16 +0000

I think I’ve been banned from the blog from the powers that be.

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By: Evan

Evan — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 04:45:29 +0000

It always amuses me how hard you try to make it sound like your job is harder than everyone else’s.

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