Why Open Houses?

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CNJ831
Casey, the point I was making was if you haven't participated in a club show/open house and experienced all the difficulties that must be addressed, yet are so fully willing to criticize various aspects of the ones you've attended, you need to take a turn behind the tables and see how difficult it is to do all the right things. Many of the responses in this thread, particularly those with lists of recommendations, are clearly from hobbyists that have never done a major club open house. ...

Well, fair enough. I think we'll just have to disagree here, though that's fine by me, and I respect your opinion.

I suppose I'm simply from the school that says you don't have to be a filmmaker to know what movies you do or don't like; or a chef to determine if a restaurant is good or bad.

At the same time, I do see your point - just as I understand the frustration of the filmmaker who gets ripped apart by a critic who couldn't even manage decent home movies of his kid's birthday.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Paul3

...Maybe I'm just in a bad mood, but I don't get this attitude...

Look, this has got way too overblown already. I was trying to possibly shake out a new perspective and in doing so seem to have offended, which wasn't my intention. For whatever reason, a post I intended to soften with some tongue-in-cheek presentation seems to have come across the opposite way. For that and the offense I've perhaps given here, I certainly do apologize.

I probably have made a mistake in getting too specific to you and your situation rather than sticking to generalities, which obviously makes the danger of creating bad will far greater.

On the macro level, I continue to believe, based on a preponderance of people saying so here and elsewhere in my life, that too many times we as members of this hobby come across as standoffish and clannish. But I've probably said that a few times too many already, so I'll leave it at that.

And for the record, I was truly surprised that you got a sense from me that we should somehow be altruistic or somehow 'saintly'... While I don't want to be confrontational here, I do think that's a case of you putting words in my mouth. I happen to think raising money for the club is a great reason for an open house. I think it's such a good reason, that I went overboard in sharing my ideas on how to pursue it. My thoughts about what pursuing that goal should properly entail will remain my own from here on out...

[Paul3]

kchronister wrote:

QUOTE: So why not simply knock the folks who show up over the head and take their wallets, purses and milk money? I mean, if you just want their money without actually being bothered with the whole thing, that's a much more effective way.

Seriously, you can't say that you're in it for money to a marketing guy... You get posts like this one! It's like hanging raw meat in front of a dog and saying "sit"... Not gonna happen...

I wasn't aware I was talking to a "marketing guy". I thought I was talking to fellow model railroaders. Huh, silly me.

Also, I never said we couldn't be bothered with the whole thing. That's putting words in my mouth, and quite frankly, that's uncalled for. You are making it seem that I resent doing the show, that I dislike the public in our club, that I would rather never open the doors to a visitor. And that's just not so. You asked the question, "why have an open house at all?" And I answered it. What was I supposed to say instead of "money"? That we do it to bring peace to all the world, to feed the poor, to sure the sick, to house the homeless, to bring forth the light of knowledge in this universe of dark ignorance? Instead, I told the truth. Remind me to never do that again...

QUOTE: You, my friend, have a marketing problem. And you are performing the chief A-number-one sin in my personal catechism: Failing to maximize your profit. For shame!

We don't have a "marketing problem", you have a perception problem. That perception is that we should only do open houses for free and out of the goodness of our hearts, not to raise money for our 501(c)3 Non-Profit club.

You know, I was going to go into this bit by bit ("sullen" number writer? I see you're putting more words in my mouth...), but instead, I'll just snip this one quote:

QUOTE: To me, what you have here is a group of people who are paying half your costs in return for 2 days of (very limited and seemingly somewhat grudging) access, while the members get the other 363 days, full access, for the same price... That's a sweetheart deal if I ever heard of one...

Look it, I think it's 99% sure you don't know me, & you don't know our club. You have no idea if access to the public is "very limited" or not (we'll welcome anyone who comes to the club between 7 and 11pm, Mondays and Thursdays, for free, but there probably won't be many trains running), nor do you know if it's "grudging access" or if we give every visitor a kiss and a hug when they walk through the door. And I have no idea what this "sweetheart deal" is. Same price? Each member is paying $26 a month and some are putting in 8 hour days to get the trains to run and have the club look good doing it. Maybe I'm just in a bad mood, but I don't get this attitude...

Paul A. Cutler III
*****************
Weather Or No Go New Haven
*****************

[CNJ831]

QUOTE: Originally posted by kchronister

CNJ:

I certainly understand your viewpoint, but I don't think Mike was nearly as "condemning" as you seem to think. He asked a lot of questions based on his observation, but seems more to be genuinely interested in the standoffishness he encountered than in being critical or condeming.

That aside, my thought on the substance of your post is this::

You clearly suggest what a hassle you feel the open house to be. Your frustration is nearly palpable. You indicate that it's difficult to operate the trains and deal with visitors at the same time. You suggest that you have people in who are not respectful of your layout or don't understand the proper care that must be taken...

I'm not trying to be critical here. I really do understand all your points, and I really do think those are valid considerations. But in making them, you are clearly conveying that you feel the public visitors and the open houses in general are an unwelcome hassle for you.

Casey, the point I was making was if you haven't participated in a club show/open house and experienced all the difficulties that must be addressed, yet are so fully willing to criticize various aspects of the ones you've attended, you need to take a turn behind the tables and see how difficult it is to do all the right things. Many of the responses in this thread, particularly those with lists of recommendations, are clearly from hobbyists that have never done a major club open house. Personally, I've largely enjoyed the open houses of the two clubs I've belonged to over the past 25 years but it remains totally unrealistic to think that the hosting group should stop everything and run to greet anyone who comes through the door, or hover over them hoping to answer questions. In fact, it's been my experience that approaching 90% of folks attending and asking if they have a question results in a snappy, "Nope" and they quickly move on. If it's a family group, you'll often get a look from them like you are intruding on their experience. Now maybe this is a regional attitude, I can't say, but it's surely the way things are in my neck of the woods. And spend an afternoon getting surly looks from parents who willingly assist in their children's improper or even dangerous behavior in the building and the Mary Poppins goes out of you real quick.

So, I'll say it again, my take on the subject remains if you haven't been a host at a club open house, hold on to your negative comments until you've had a chance to view the situation from both sides. Then I'll be interested in hearing your complaints.

CNJ831

[Anonymous]

Hey, that's a good line, I'll have to use it... Oh wait, I do HO myself. Dang.

This is sorta getting to the point of the debate over whether the media has a liberal bias. One side going "yeah, duh, obviously" and the other side going "what are you talking about, no it doesn't!"... Ain't none of them changing their minds.

So a lot of MRR's are ***ety and standoffish... or they're not... or they're not, they just seem that way to unreasonable visitors... or... okay, whatever. I give. I think it's totally a matter of to each his own view of the world at this point.

[vsmith]

QUOTE: Originally posted by espee3004

I have found that when attending open houses that people prertty much respond as I treat them. If I am a grump, they are a grump. If I am friendly, they are friendly. I have visited the club mentioned by vsmith both as a grump and friendly. Yes I was treated as I treated them. I do take into account that some people are occupied with keeping the trains we enjoy so much seeing running. Dosn't hurt a bit to cut them a little slack. Dosn't pay to say too much unless you have been there. Some clubs are better organized then others. Thats life.

Ralph

Espee 3004, I thought I was being extra nice there, being a guest and all, but I still felt invisable, I did talk to the lady at the entry but everyone inside was so preoccupied they didnt have any time to actually talk or say hello or anything with anyone...Oh well, maybe I just got there at the wrong time so to speak.

Have since given up HO narrow gauge, went to indoor large scale and am much happier. I now joke with the HO guys that the reason there so grumpy is simply cause they cant see their trains anymore, there too small. hehehe [:D]

[espee3004]

I have found that when attending open houses that people prertty much respond as I treat them. If I am a grump, they are a grump. If I am friendly, they are friendly. I have visited the club mentioned by vsmith both as a grump and friendly. Yes I was treated as I treated them. I do take into account that some people are occupied with keeping the trains we enjoy so much seeing running. Dosn't hurt a bit to cut them a little slack. Dosn't pay to say too much unless you have been there. Some clubs are better organized then others. Thats life.

Ralph

[Anonymous]

There are a bunch weirdos in the world, not just in model railroading.

[slotracer]

I haven't been to many open houses but have been to enough shows using various modular groups, just took the family to one in Denver this Month. It's not so much the grumpy get outta here attitude that I see, it is the other point of the original post, the train nerds, goofs and weirdo's. My wife and I spent about an hour at teh most recent show and while she enjoyed seeing some of the nicer layouts with good scenery and structures, she wanted to leave and expressed the sentiment that there are neat aspects to railroads and model trains but she doesn't care to be anywhere near teh train foamers and oddballs.
I'm sure this is noticed by John Q ublic at shows and is a turnoff to newbies when exposed to what people they notice about the hobby....the trekkie RR buff gerf type.
Back about 15 or 20 years ago I got tired of being involved in larger organizations with too large a share of visible gerfs and foamers. I liked trains but I did not want any association with teh odd sector of the hobby's population, so I dropped out of those orgs, did my train thing on my own. We even had a group of modelers who had our own little round robin layout meetings once a month although we proffessed to the RR buff population locall we had lost interest. We did our own thing and were pretty happy with it. Nice bunch of guys with similar personalities and we'd discuss allot of life's interests and good times, even hunting, fishing, go to sabres games etc, a well rounded social deal not just choo choos alone.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Paul3

QUOTE: Originally posted by kchronister
It goes back to the same point - if you're not prepared to welcome the public (warts, kids and all) with open arms, if you're not prepared to focus on the visitors rather than the layout and operation, if you're not prepared to fully focus on preventing... shall we say 'youthful enthusiasm' from causing damage, then what exactly is the point? What are you hoping to accomplish? why have an open house at all?

The point? I can't believe you have to ask. [;)] The reason behind everything is...MONEY. Yep, cold hard cash. [8D] Can't live without it, especially a model railroad club. We charge admission for our Open Houses, and we charge table rentals to any dealers that show up (we can fit about 40 tables inside the club as of now). Our annual club budget is in the $30,000-range, and these Shows/Open Houses bring in almost half of our revenues.

Sure, we get something out of it besides money. We like running trains, sharing our hobby, hanging out with our friends and fellow members, talking trains, showing off our stuff, getting the next generation involved, all of it. But the be-all and end-all is money. Simply put, we need it, and Open Houses and Shows are the best way for a model railroad club to get it.

So why not simply knock the folks who show up over the head and take their wallets, purses and milk money? I mean, if you just want their money without actually being bothered with the whole thing, that's a much more effective way.

Seriously, you can't say that you're in it for money to a marketing guy... You get posts like this one! It's like hanging raw meat in front of a dog and saying "sit"... Not gonna happen...

You, my friend, have a marketing problem. And you are performing the chief A-number-one sin in my personal catechism: Failing to maximize your profit. For shame!

By invoking money, you've moved from the realm of visitors to that of paying customers. And as reasonable as the explanations you give here are, no customer in the history of creation ever gave a Boulder Dam about explanations. But the good news is that by focusing on money, any club, anywhere can - out of sheer self interest - remove any hint of any 'poor attitude' that could occur.

You need to modify your thinking about these folks. They're not visitors, they're giant dollar bills walking up to your door, ready to jump into your pocket. To me, what you have here is a group of people who are paying half your costs in return for 2 days of (very limited and seemingly somewhat grudging) access, while the members get the other 363 days, full access, for the same price... That's a sweetheart deal if I ever heard of one... But you can do better, can't you?

To my way of thinking as soon as you talk about clubs using open houses to make money, then there is no explanation for even one single member of those clubs to have one single second of anything but cheerful, helpful, happy attitude during an open house. You should be grinning like an idiot even as you wave bye-bye to funny hat boy, sullen number writer, and all the other assorted whackos and weirdos. They just paid for your fun the rest of the year! So smile, take the money, and give them their money's worth. Period, end of story.

Frankly, if it were me I'd be at the other end of the spectrum. I'm an absolutely shameless capitalist pig when it comes to these things: I'd be thinking of ways to kiss as much customer tush as possible during those days and see if I couldn't get more repeat customers, referrals, word of mouth and so forth. I'd want my customers to go home, get the neighbors and come back the next day. I'd want them to be going home to mark next year's open house on their calendar as a "don't miss" event.

I want them to pay 150% of the club costs! Use the extra to expand, buy new stuff, or just divvy it up amongst the members as payment for all the time and labor they've put in!

Gimme a busload of weirdos wearing various silly hats and carrying steno pads to write down car numbers - as long as their money's as green as the next guy's I'll greet 'em with an ear to ear grin.

And if some folks get turned on to the hobby at the same time (or at least don't get turned off it), that would be just awful too, no?

[vsmith]

Paul

Does your group have members who when they are not activley doing something on the layout, mill with the visitors answering questions and such, as I said in my post above, doing so actually makes the visitor feel like the club is actually glad to see you and talk to you. Let the operators operate, but also have members to "operate" the visitors, so to speak.

[Paul3]

gvdobler wrote:

QUOTE: If your club is going to have an open house then it should be an open house not an operating session with people watching.

New people want to see trains run.

Aren't these mutually exclusive terms? How can you run trains if you can't have an "operating session"? I'd guess that most club layouts aren't the "ring around the X-mas tree" mainline. They require a certain amount of attention, especially if you have more than one train running at a time.

QUOTE: Have some running that don't require mission launch attention and have people with no other function than to greet guests.

I'd hazard to say that it's impossible for most large clubs to have trains running that don't requite a certain amount of attention (especially in front of a public that can derail a train through ignorance, ie., "Please move your elbow, sir, the train is coming."). But I do agree with the idea of having "hosts" that can field questions and be the PR man for the club.

kchronister wrote:

QUOTE: Too many 'open houses' I've been to really should have been called "we want you to stand in awe of our amazing layout, shut up, and watch us play"...

And at the same time, there seems to be the feeling on this forum that clubs ought to stop everything when a visitor has a question. Maybe each member should have a megaphone and yell, "Silence, please!" and turn the layout off whenever we're approached by a visitor with a question, so that each visitor will have the undivided attention of a couple hundred people. [:D] (our Open Houses routinely get around 1000 visitors over two days)

No matter what, it seems that club's can't win. If we stop the train to talk to someone, we risk a rear end collision and disappoint anyone waiting for a train to go by. If we keep the train rolling while we talk to a visitor, we run the risk of running into a train ahead of us or missing a big derailment. If we "blow off" the visitor by not getting into a long conversation about the benfits of DCC, nickel-silver track, scenery methods, etc., and say, "Sorry, I have to keep going.", then we look like a bunch of "grumpy old men" who aren't friendly to the public. (doing my best Rodney Dangerfield) I'm tellin' you, we just can't win...

CNJ831, I agree with you 100% (I think that's a first, isn't it? [:)]). My favourite two "oddities" are as follows: We have one guy who comes to our club for each open house, and wears the goofiest hats. Seems to be a nice enough guy, just that his choice of hatwear is rather odd. Let's see...one year he wore a "cat in the hat" hat, last year he wore a pumpkin hat. This year, it was Santa Claus. Nothing wrong with the guy, but we do get a chuckle each time he appears.

The other one is the gentleman who used to write down all the reporting marks and car numbers on all the trains that were running around the layout in a small notebook. Haven't seen him in a while, but every year, he used to do this. Why? We don't know. Harmless, but definetely odd.

kchronister wrote:

QUOTE: I certainly understand your viewpoint, but I don't think Mike was nearly as "condemning" as you seem to think. He asked a lot of questions based on his observation, but seems more to be genuinely interested in the standoffishness he encountered than in being critical or condeming.

He said, "I just came back from the fourth open house hosted by one of the clubs in my local area and this will probably be my last. I know this is going to open up a lot of impassioned discussion, but for the life of me I can't figure out why clubs open their doors to the public." That sounds pretty condemning to me. He made no attempt to mollify his comments, to "see the other side" of his complaint. And that's fine, it's his opinion after all. But don't say that it wasn't condemning.

QUOTE: You clearly suggest what a hassle you feel the open house to be. Your frustration is nearly palpable. You indicate that it's difficult to operate the trains and deal with visitors at the same time. You suggest that you have people in who are not respectful of your layout or don't understand the proper care that must be taken...

All true to a limited extent. It's not like everyone is a bad apple, but there are just enough to have you question the goodness of humanity from time to time. [:)]

QUOTE: It goes back to the same point - if you're not prepared to welcome the public (warts, kids and all) with open arms, if you're not prepared to focus on the visitors rather than the layout and operation, if you're not prepared to fully focus on preventing... shall we say 'youthful enthusiasm' from causing damage, then what exactly is the point? What are you hoping to accomplish? why have an open house at all?

The point? I can't believe you have to ask. [;)] The reason behind everything is...MONEY. Yep, cold hard cash. [8D] Can't live without it, especially a model railroad club. We charge admission for our Open Houses, and we charge table rentals to any dealers that show up (we can fit about 40 tables inside the club as of now). Our annual club budget is in the $30,000-range, and these Shows/Open Houses bring in almost half of our revenues.

Sure, we get something out of it besides money. We like running trains, sharing our hobby, hanging out with our friends and fellow members, talking trains, showing off our stuff, getting the next generation involved, all of it. But the be-all and end-all is money. Simply put, we need it, and Open Houses and Shows are the best way for a model railroad club to get it.

MAbruce wrote:

QUOTE: 1. Come up with a point to it all. It’s got to be more about showing off your trains. Perhaps showing off the hobby? Create a theme for the open house.

A theme? You mean like a Holloween theme? Decorate the club for X-mas? I don't understand...

QUOTE: 2. Once you have your purpose (point), then it’s time to accommodate it. Place your most outgoing people (who shower regularly ) at a place where they will effectively engage the visitors. Keep your old “grumps” and more intense members on the throttles in the background. HINT: If you are the type of person who gets bothered by a visitor asking a question while you're on the throttle - then stay in the background because you are likely a grump.

First, I'd have to know what a "purpose/point" is before I can accommodate it. As in, northeastern railroading in the 1950's? That's what we're already doing. Is that our "purpose"?

And BTW, we can't keep any grumps away from the public because we have walkaround DCC control...anyone running a train has to be in the public. The only other place for them is running the White Elephant Table or working the ticket counter (which is probably not the best place for a grump). I suppose we could make a dispatcher our of them, but we only need one of those at any one time...

QUOTE: 3. Clean the place up. Remove all clutter and/or obstacles.

Aboslutely. The last week before our show is usually reserved for cleaning up the place: sweeping, vacuuming, washing floors and bathrooms, picking up trash, etc.

QUOTE: 4. Consider running guided tour groups at intervals.

I don't think that would fly for us right now. While our layout is pretty big at the moment, it ain't that big. A regular guided tour would be wasteful. But in the future, when the layout is 6300 sq. ft., it's a thought.

QUOTE: 5. If your club is tight for space (as most are), consider controlling how many people are allowed in at any given time. Nothing turns off people more than a crowded room in which it gets too frustrating to move around.

We had that problem at our old club, built in 1953. Our new club has 6' aisles, with a minimum of 4' in spots.

QUOTE: 6. Anticipate kids. Know that they will inevitably reach and try to touch things, and that their parents won’t be attentive to them. Put fragile items out of reach. Consider putting up Plexiglas around those sensitive areas so they can look but can’t touch.

It's impossible to protect everything. Some things like signals and the like need to be near the track. And, I recommend Lexan vs. Plexiglass. Plexi will snap if bent and yellow over time. Lexan can bend without breaking and remains clear. Put it this way, at our club, we need either 1/4" Plexi or 1/8" Lexan to protect our layout.

QUOTE: 7. Place plenty of benches and/or step stools for kids so they can see the layout.

Absolutely. We have a large collection of stools and benches...

QUOTE: 8. Clearly mark areas that people should not be in, but don’t go overboard. The last thing you want is too long a list of DONT’S. It leaves a bad impression with people.

Actually, all we do is close the doors. That usually gets the point across. Sometimes we spread some yellow tape around areas under construction, but that's not too often.

QUOTE: 9. Remember that it’s a public showing, and if it’s not kids it will be careless adults causing potential trouble. So use some common sense and rethink running your expensive brass or prize trains unless there is little chance of them being interfered with.

Tough to do. Just about everything these days has a lot of fragile parts and the like on it. So unless one wants to run old Athearns, there's really not too much choice.

QUOTE: 10. Look like your having fun. People DO pick up on this.

It's hard to concentrate on running and look like your having fun. It's like that old saying, "Have you ever seen a happy jogger?" [:)]

vsmith wrote:

QUOTE: Its an Open House not an operating session. I've been to some are where the layout had 2 (or so) continuous loops, they ran one train in each direction, Yep only 2 trains, at a set speed, every hour they would pull one onto a siding and then move another onto the loop. What this did was allow the operator to just let the train run without constantly adjusting it for fiddling with switches or such, and they were then more free to talk with visitors.

Sorry, but that won't work on our club. People are paying money to see trains run, not to admire the benchwork. [:)] Right now, it literally takes 5 minutes for a train to circle the layout. Five minutes may not seem like a lot, but try just standing, staring at a layout with nothing running for 5 minutes and it's a long time indeed.

So, we usually run about 8 trains at at time, 4 on each loop. That usually keeps the interest of the visitors. But this also means that (especially with DCC) the operators have to pay attention to their trains and not the guests.

Paul A. Cutler III
*****************
Weather Or No Go New Haven
*****************

[grayfox1119]

I just visited the local Open House here in Worcester , Mass two weeks ago, and they had a very nice open house with refreshments, drawings, cars for sale from local RR, people were friendly, answered our questions, and had a seperate little layout that the kids could operate...very nice idea to get them interested in the hobby. They also had much literature and MRR mags there for people to take who might be interested in the hobby. This group did an A1 job of promting the hobby in my opinion.
So I guesss if you have grumpy old men, and no one talks to you, and they don't even offer you a cookie or doughnut, then you have entered the den of the lone wolves who have been "fixed".

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rolleiman
.... And some people wonder why I wouldn't open my Home to the public on one of these tour routes.. This and the experience Paul3 relayed, are good enough reasons for me.. A little off topic I know, I still wouldn't join a group of grumpy old men, I'll be one soon enough myself..

Jeff

I don't wonder in the least. I wouldn't do it either, and I actually applaud you for having the self-awareness to say "that's not for me".

If I leave this thread with a 'take away" thought it is this:

Don't have an open house because you're 'supposed to.' Don't have an open house because you should, because someone told you to, because it's on the schedule, because it's tradition or because someone wants an excuse to bring their personal guests in.

Have an open house because you really want to share your layout with others, and make sure you're ready for what that entails. if you're not, defer to the paragraph immediately above this one...

Or, in the rare case that you MUST have an open house (i.e. someone here who had been given space for the layout on the condition it was periodically open it to the public), then by all means respect the deal you made and do it gracefully. Consider that part of the "price" you pay for your space is to occasionally slap a smile on, act friendly, play 'tour guide/chaperone' and perhaps even compromise your operations in favor of guests. Either that's better for you than paying rent, or it's not (in which case, find a new space and pay for it with money instead of access).

[vsmith]

QUOTE: Originally posted by cwclark

I understand where you are coming from..I also went to two layouts this past weekend and have come to the conclusion that it's the individual not the group as a whole...the first layout i visited was a very well done HO layout but the host was a a bit preoccupied and was more interested in talking to his buddies there than any outsider...maybe it was a fear of strangers in his layout domain..I really can't tell you...the second layout i went to was another well done layout in N scale..the host was very friendly and did a lot of talking and explaining what this was or what that was...I felt right at home in his layout...another thing i've noticed is that it may not be the individual at all, but the cause of the unfriendliness is the layout itself....some of the guys on the throttles where so busy trying their best to keep up with the trains running that they really didn't have time to sit and chat with the guests...you know how that is...walk away from the train and a disaster is in the making....I found this so true ..the guys running the trains were really trying to keep up with them that the slightest distraction would be the makings of a derailment or a car separating from the train...can't really blame them there....chuck

If its a point to point layout I can understand this but if there are continous loops the only real excuss for this is lousy trackwork[;)].

Its an Open House not an operating session. I've been to some are where the layout had 2 (or so) continuous loops, they ran one train in each direction, Yep only 2 trains, at a set speed, every hour they would pull one onto a siding and then move another onto the loop. What this did was allow the operator to just let the train run without constantly adjusting it for fiddling with switches or such, and they were then more free to talk with visitors.

The best set up I've seen was with the Del Oro large scalers, They set up only at shows, conventions, swap meets etc. so every meeting is an open house. What they would do is like above, but they also would have members stationed at key spots on the layout actively engaging visitors, answering any questions they had. Very freindly bunch.

[MAbruce]

Okay, based on this topic and my experiences, I’ve come up with a list of ten things to consider if your club is considering an open house. Feel free to add as I’m sure I missed some things:

1. Come up with a point to it all. It’s got to be more about showing off your trains. Perhaps showing off the hobby? Create a theme for the open house.

2. Once you have your purpose (point), then it’s time to accommodate it. Place your most outgoing people (who shower regularly [;)]) at a place where they will effectively engage the visitors. Keep your old “grumps” and more intense members on the throttles in the background. HINT: If you are the type of person who gets bothered by a visitor asking a question while you're on the throttle - then stay in the background because you are likely a grump. [:D]

3. Clean the place up. Remove all clutter and/or obstacles.

4. Consider running guided tour groups at intervals.

5. If your club is tight for space (as most are), consider controlling how many people are allowed in at any given time. Nothing turns off people more than a crowded room in which it gets too frustrating to move around.

6. Anticipate kids. Know that they will inevitably reach and try to touch things, and that their parents won’t be attentive to them. Put fragile items out of reach. Consider putting up Plexiglas around those sensitive areas so they can look but can’t touch.

7. Place plenty of benches and/or step stools for kids so they can see the layout.

8. Clearly mark areas that people should not be in, but don’t go overboard. The last thing you want is too long a list of DONT’S. It leaves a bad impression with people.

9. Remember that it’s a public showing, and if it’s not kids it will be careless adults causing potential trouble. So use some common sense and rethink running your expensive brass or prize trains unless there is little chance of them being interfered with.

10. Look like your having fun. People DO pick up on this.

[rolleiman]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CNJ831



You think the model railroaders are an odd bunch? Deal with the public for a while! Every show brings in at least a few loonies! We had a guy who brought his own chair and set for hours, eye-level to the layout watching the trains go by and uttering strange sounds. You also have the folks that come by only to tell you how inaccurate your layout is compared to the Marx Christmas setup they had as a kid. We've even had some teens who came in just to see what they could lift off the layout, or ones who try to reach in and throw a turnout to create a head-on!

CNJ831

.... And some people wonder why I wouldn't open my Home to the public on one of these tour routes.. This and the experience Paul3 relayed, are good enough reasons for me.. A little off topic I know, I still wouldn't join a group of grumpy old men, I'll be one soon enough myself..

Jeff

[vsmith]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Covina Mike

I just came back from the fourth open house hosted by one of the clubs in my local area and this will probably be my last. I know this is going to open up a lot of impassioned discussion, but for the life of me I can't figure out why clubs open their doors to the public. My wife's experience in accompanying me to hobby shows and open houses is that model railroaders generally are a bunch of grumpy old men--a very unfriendly lot--and not a few of them are just a little weird. I get a little defensive when I hear that kind of characterization, but I'm beginning to wonder why it is that we come off that way. I know that many of us tend to be loners by nature, but at the same time, I would guess that most of us enjoy sharing what we really enjoy--model railroading--with others who have similar interests. That's why it absolutely baffles me that clubs will host open houses, presumably to boost their membership and to share the hobby with others, and be so unwelcoming to visitors. I think I am a pretty easy person to talk to. I've spent 25 years in the ministry talking to people and trying to make others feel comfortable. I don't think I appear to be unapproachable. I ask questions and show an interest in the work of others, and yet, in the four clubs I have visited, I have yet to have one person say, "Welcome." I have yet to have one person ask if I would have an interest in becoming a member. I have yet to have one person ask if I am new to the hobby or would like to know more about the hobby. In fact, not once has a member ever initiated a conversation--it's alway been me. It's almost like you're invisible at best, or an intrusion at worst. What gives? Am I missing something here--a secret handshake or something? Or, is this a hobby that is shared only among a few select friends? Just curious.

HEY Mike, e-mail me and let me know which "club" this was at, I think I know which because I had the exact same experience a couple years ago at a club open house in Pasadena. This ones in a basement near a city park. I went in after seeing a flyer at a LHS, narrow gauge layout, so I thought I'd check it out. Only ONE person said hello and was freindly, and that was the gal at the entry. Inside NO ONE asked me if I had any questions, what I did , if I was interested in narrrow gauge, if I wanted to join, not a sausage! The members were too busy fiddling with their trians, too busy fiddling with their track, or too busy just jaw-flapping with each other. During the time I was there I did not see them engage with anyone who bothered to visit.

I had the EXACT same thing in mind when I left, why on Earth did they even bother with an open house?

Your neighbor, Vic[8D]

[Anonymous]

CNJ:

I certainly understand your viewpoint, but I don't think Mike was nearly as "condemning" as you seem to think. He asked a lot of questions based on his observation, but seems more to be genuinely interested in the standoffishness he encountered than in being critical or condeming.

That aside, my thought on the substance of your post is this::

You clearly suggest what a hassle you feel the open house to be. Your frustration is nearly palpable. You indicate that it's difficult to operate the trains and deal with visitors at the same time. You suggest that you have people in who are not respectful of your layout or don't understand the proper care that must be taken...

I'm not trying to be critical here. I really do understand all your points, and I really do think those are valid considerations. But in making them, you are clearly conveying that you feel the public visitors and the open houses in general are an unwelcome hassle for you.

The fact of the matter is that you are, actually, in near 100% agreement with Mike. You are basically validating the impressions of standoffishness he shared with us. Yes, you are explaining why that happens, and I think you're doing so clearly and rationally. But in doing so, you're absolutely confirming it rather than denying it.

It goes back to the same point - if you're not prepared to welcome the public (warts, kids and all) with open arms, if you're not prepared to focus on the visitors rather than the layout and operation, if you're not prepared to fully focus on preventing... shall we say 'youthful enthusiasm' from causing damage, then what exactly is the point? What are you hoping to accomplish? why have an open house at all?

I would genuinely like to hear your (and others with similar concerns) answer. I'm particularly keenly interested as someone who has recently moved and would like to locate and possibly get involved with the local clubs here.

Casey

[CNJ831]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Covina Mike

I just came back from the fourth open house hosted by one of the clubs in my local area and this will probably be my last. I know this is going to open up a lot of impassioned discussion, but for the life of me I can't figure out why clubs open their doors to the public. My wife's experience in accompanying me to hobby shows and open houses is that model railroaders generally are a bunch of grumpy old men--a very unfriendly lot--and not a few of them are just a little weird. I get a little defensive when I hear that kind of characterization, but I'm beginning to wonder why it is that we come off that way.

Mike, you need to stand on the other side of the table for a while to appreciate the situation.

First off, unless the displaying club has a large membership, one tends to find only a minimal group turning up for the open house or public display. If several trains are running, as someone else pointed out upstream it takes full concentration to keep things going smoothly. Even if just running in circles, totally distract just one operator for a minute or two and the operating problems start.

Yes, my club always had at least one or two clearly ID'ed club members stationed either inside or outside the layout to talk visitors. But what did they spend most of their time doing? It was keeping the many inconsiderate parents from hoisting their kids up over the plexiglass barriers at the layout's edge so the kids could reach down and touch the moving trains!

You think the model railroaders are an odd bunch? Deal with the public for a while! Every show brings in at least a few loonies! We had a guy who brought his own chair and set for hours, eye-level to the layout watching the trains go by and uttering strange sounds. You also have the folks that come by only to tell you how inaccurate your layout is compared to the Marx Christmas setup they had as a kid. We've even had some teens who came in just to see what they could lift off the layout, or ones who try to reach in and throw a turnout to create a head-on!

My advice is to walk a mile in the other guy's shoes before condeming him, Mike.

CNJ831

[Anonymous]

Plus, I hear Gunit is having an open house this weekend!

[Anonymous]

Hey Jon, I think the real estate analogy is a good one.

Too many 'open houses' I've been to really should have been called "we want you to stand in awe of our amazing layout, shut up, and watch us play"...

Same with every open house I've ever been too with the owners in attendance had the same problem (having recently moved and bought a house, it's a fresh memory). The owners are so buy wanting you to be impressed with them and they're house that they get in the way of looking... "no, no, don't look at that, look at the walnut cabinets I had put in - real amish craftsmanship!" without bothering to ponder that I had dark tone woods and am thinking about what it will cost me to rip 'em out and put new ones in... (and am, of course, mostly interested in how layout-friendly the basement is). I drove the real estate agent NUTZ insisting on how I did not want a "finished" basement - she just couldn't get it....

Same thing with open houses. Too many times I feel like folks are trying to feed their egos and impress me, rather than letting me look, ask and talk...

[gvdobler]

QUOTE: Originally posted by howmus

Originally posted by cwclark

but the cause of the unfriendliness is the layout itself....some of the guys on the throttles where so busy trying their best to keep up with the trains running that they really didn't have time to sit and chat with the guests...you know how that is...walk away from the train and a disaster is in the making....I found this so true ..the guys running the trains were really trying to keep up with them that the slightest distraction would be the makings of a derailment or a car separating from the train...can't really blame them there....chuck

I think this is part of the problem. Not one thing in that paragraph sounds inviting to a guest.

If your club is going to have an open house then it should be an open house not an operating session with people watching.

New people want to see trains run. Have some running that don't require mission launch attention and have people with no other function than to greet guests.

When we host an open house selling real estate we want the lights on and everything picked up and neat and the owners gone. I know you can't do that but the idea is so people feel at ease not unwelcome.

Whoever is in charge should make it clear to the membership that it is an open house not a club meeting. If you don't want to be there stay home.

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