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Message: <blockquote data-quote="BastionPress_Creech" data-source="post: 1736171" data-attributes="member: 12016">Okay, as I am interpreting this, we are basically searching for a way for an outside entity to subsidize the entire cost of the Ennies (other than what Peter onates at Gen Con) that doesn't involve the taxation of the existing EN World membership or additional cost to the publishers other than what they already incur. No solution will mean no Ennies for next year. Correct?Alrighty then. One step in that direction has already been mentioned by Morrus in that someone needs to be appointed as operations manager for the Ennies. My suggestion is that whomever takes this position be given the authority to make the Ennies work and be encouraged to think outside the box without having their hands tied and needing permission to do every little thing. That person's suggestions and decisions should carry the same weight as if Morrus himself made the decision no matter how popular or unpopular the decision may be. Only Morrus should be able to override the operations manager's calls.Now having said that, what is the greatest cost incurred with the operations of the Ennies? As I understand it, it appears that the shipping of products to the five judges (which is a major sticking point of conversation in this threa) is the culprit. So, how do we reduce or eliminate this cost? >1. Eliminate the judges from the equation and rely upon the public at large to nominate and choose the winning products.  This has been done successfully in the past with other awards (both within and outside the gaming industry). The Pen & Paper Fan Awards (<a href="http://www.pen-paper.net/awards.php" target="_blank">http://www.pen-paper.net/awards.php</a>) are completely driven by public nomination/voting and the results are quite similar to this year's nominees for the Ennies in terms of variety and quality. Another bonus to this option is that you no longer have the problem of companies not entering (such as Wotc). Since the public inputs the information, any company is eligible. The 800 lb. gorilla can compete against the 400 lb. gorilla and no one is the wiser until the fial votes have been tallied.>2. If the judges must be part of the Ennies, then a second choice would be having all submissions sent in pdf format (either on CD-ROM or having links provided to download). All print products are initially in electronic format (that's how they go to the printer), so it's not too much of a stretch to ask companies for pdfs of each submitted book rather than actual copies. This reduces the cost incurred by both the publisher and the central Ennies judge who is serving as the pointman to get it all out to the other judges. Bottom line, everything is cheaper all around than it was before with printed material.If neither of these solutions are acceptable, then a way has to be found to bring in money to operate the Ennies and offset the shipping costs that will remain. Again, some ideas could include:>1. EN World Ennies Auction.This could take one of two different forms, both taking place at Gen Con immediately following the Ennies awards ceremony.a.) Publishers/manufacturers exhibiting at Gen Con donate ordinary product or "exclusive" product, such as autographed copies of books by the authors/designers, artists, etc. who happen to be present at the show. This gives participating gamers a chance to score upon a product they wouldn't normally get a shot at unless they took the time to buy the product and obtain the signatures themselves. For example, Wizards of the Coast could donate a copy of d20 Future signed by all three principle authors or Malhavoc could donate a signed copy of Beyond Countless Doorways.b.) The judges could donate all unwanted books that were submitted for consideration to auction. The logistical problem to this idea is that all of this material must be shipped to Gen Con for the auction at even more expense. One solution is to add a $3.00 auction handling fee to every auction total to offset some of this cost. The potential benefits could outweigh the downside if the auction has a good turnout and also depending on how the auction goods are brought to Gen Con. It's certainly worth exploring.>2. Corporate SponsorshipsCompanies can be approached about purchasing 'sponsorships' (in much the same way they are done in professional sports) where for a set (or tiered) dollar amount ad space is given in the Ennies program book and a discount is given for ads in the Gen Con on-site book (if Peter is willing to do this). There are a lot of different options that can be explored with this. The main point is showing publishers/manufacturers that any additional money they spend to support the Ennies will stand to benefit them directly because of the increased exposure (as opposed to just slapping them with an entry fee as proposed earlier). Getting Peter to be involved in this would be a good thing even if it's only to have his advice.>3. Reduced costs for banner ads on EN World for participating publishers.Offering publishers an incentive to participate by giving them a modest discount on banner ads is an option. Right now 100,000 impressions is $49.99. Offer any publisher who submits products to the awards a 25% discount on 100,000 impression banner ads to be bought after June but before August. This means the ads will run during the voting period and during Gen Con.More in my next post...</blockquote>

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