Stamp Show Manual Statement of Purpose
It has been several years since the creation of the document Duties and Responsibilities of Show Committee. The document is available as a download from the APS website in PDF format. The world of stamp shows is not static and the institutional memory of many show committees is being lost as members leave the hobby, move or die. A more up to date, web based manual is called for. Properly constructed and maintained, the information and documents needed to run a WSP qualifying stamp show should be available to assist every APS club. Smaller clubs can use just those portions applicable to their shows. The two large annual APS shows are just scaled up versions of what will be presented. International shows will require the additional information and paperwork for dealing with the FIP and the Postmasters General of the participating countries.
The goal is to automate every function of every show committee to the point where the loss of one or more key people is not the disaster that it has been to some shows in the past. Templates for each type of electronic or physical document need to be created. These will need to be updated from time to time as the requirements for being a WSP qualifying show change. Also, changes in the marketplace and technology such as eBay, blogs, search engines and mass email need to be reflected in all our efforts. While we are a hobby that seems firmly rooted in the past we must embrace future advances and utilize the changes in technology or risk extinction.
For example, a show that loses their Exhibits Manager should be able to go to www.stamps.org and have all the required information to help a new volunteer perform that function within minutes. A click on a link should immediately open an email to the Chairman of CANEJ asking for a mass email requesting exhibits. Another link should lead to a downloadable form that can be customized by just filling in the show data. This will be an exhibitor prospectus and application. Links should lead to every form that the person will need to perform every function of his or her job. A person interested in exhibiting should be able to click on a link on the APS show site or the local show site and submit an application to exhibit. Payment could be made via PayPal. The entire process of receiving, accepting and managing applications to exhibit can, and has been automated. The data should be captured once and used to create the show program, an exhibit list for the judges and the Palmares. Many people have created small portions of this already. The skills are out there. They need to be harnessed. I would suggest a query be sent to every show asking what level of technical assistance they can provide. For the APS to run Stampshow, much of this must already exist.
I have asked Kevin Doyle and Al Kugel to get me digital versions of every form that every member of the Chicagopex show committees uses. I will also request this of a couple of other shows. I will send CANEJ the material I receive and the narratives I write for each committee function. I will pattern the names of the committees and their functions after the work referenced above, but will go into much greater detail. I envision the document to run 25 to 30 pages with links to 5 to 10 times as much digital content. Each show could download the main document and use it as guide to find all the documents that they may need. I am not concerned with pride of authorship. I hope the members of CANEJ take what I submit and improve upon it. The most important consideration is creating a comprehensive digital knowledge base that is flexible, easy to use, easy to update and can be moved to whatever computer platforms may come into use over time.
While many of the forms needed to manage a show are included here, the best source for any documents not included here is Ken Martin. He has agreed to review this material, add his suggestions and supply the necessary documents. There is no better source.