Summer BrewBQ 2016: Planning

Hmm, I was going by Google maps, so some info might be wrong. I like Une Annee, it would be cool to have them on board. I didn't mean to suggest all listed partners would be involved, I think 3-5 partners would do just fine.

Jim, there has been a long discussion going on since the Summer parties started, and the general consensus has been that Summer is a tough time with schedule conflicts, so we should expect less turnout. A sidebar to that discussion is the club is fatigued by producing 4 big seasonal pop-up gastropub extravaganzas every year, so we should use Summer BrewBQ to take it easy.

We're taking a week to see if this crazy idea could actually be cheaper to produce and less labor intensive. Jeff and Nancy have great contacts, so I'm hoping they can kickstart this effort.

We also have the option of getting a band to perform at the finale party, so we might be able to create enough draw to catch folks that would skip the early part and just show up at the end.

If the dots do not connect soon, we will party at the Brewhouse.

Hey Rich, I plotted the map way too wide for a proper walking tour. Part of me was contemplating billing it as a Bike-n-Brew Tour, but I know that would not work for a lot of folks.

I think CHAOS to IBW is walkable if you had two stops along the way to break it up. The Green Line and Grand Ave buses could act as a trolley of sorts. I think renting buses would blow the budget.

Tons of parking in this area, but I hate creating a drinking and driving opp.

We agreed to go easy and make the event less work for volunteers, but we'll still take on Trial Members.

"Membership Appreciation Party" was a term employed to make our seasonal fundraiser parties more palatable for the authorities that shut down our first BrewBQ (which is why we're only at BrewBQ IV). "Membership Appreciation" was also a lure to get the public to understand that they need to sign up as a CHAOS member to attend our parties.

We have around 100 Friend of CHAOS members, so even without any Trial Members, we have another show to put on for our non-brewing members that love our parties.

John, Kyle, and Kris have stepped forward to take on bigger volunteer roles. Jeff and Nancy are scouting for partners, so I'm feeling well supported. We are looking into self serve beer stations to cut down on volunteer shifts. The idea of a potluck food situation could also reduce overtaxing anyone. A partner kicking in food would help too.

We do not know where we stand on the tour till the partners are on board, but even if we wind up at the Brewhouse as usual, I'm confident we can put a different spin on this party and make it feel like a break from the normal party routine and hassle.

Good News. Illuminated Brew Works is onboard as a co-host for Summer BrewBQ, and we will have our party at the WTF Reserve, a private 10,000 sq/ft sunken lot at the corner of Kinzie & Sangamon.

People are split on the idea of a brewery walk from CHAOS to IBW leading up to the party. My thought is the finale party at IBW would be worth the price of admission, and the brewery walk would just be a fun Summer activity to tack onto the experience. At any rate, we would need a second or third partner to make that happen, so it's in the maybe column for the moment.

Kris, IBW has two grills on site and a smoker. We're thinking the hosts need to kick in a sizable amount of food to ensure we have enough, but potluck is a perfect way to round things out, let people show off their skills, and not burn anyone out.

It was mentioned at the meeting Sunday that self serve beer at events has actually freed our brewers up from just filling cups all night and allowed more mingling and discussion. However, if anyone is up for serving their own beer, more power to you.

Nailing down additional partners and promo is the next step, and of course, brew some beer!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fQAZnJQJQof2d8OdLHG2fpq9ILkFiVXT...