How was your LUG started?

[MetroiD]

Howdy guys and gals,

As most of you might know, I've been trying to set up a Bulgarian LEGO Users Group for some time now. So far I've managed to contact a few local LEGO fans and with a bit of help in terms of popularisation which can be taken care of by a popular local LEGO store, I believe we are now in a position to finally start thinking about founding our own LUG.

However, this is precisely the part where we lack information or experience... That's why I would be extremely grateful if you guys could share anything regarding your LUG with me, so I can good that experience to good use. To start off, how was your LUG founded, was it registered anywhere, what role did lugnet have to play, what were your group's initial aims, what measures did you take in order to popularise it, etc... I know all this stuff is very specific depending on the different regions and countries, but I feel that you can really give us some invaluable information. So please share as much as you can.

Thanks in advance!

Bobby

[Freddie]

While I'm not a founding member, I am one of the very few members in Brikkelauget who have a single-digit member number, and remember how the LUG that I'm a member in started.

Initially there were only a few people who talked with each other on LUGNET, website that in my eyes is not particularily newcomer-friendly. Because of that I did not participate in the few discussions that took place there, but one day the took the initiative themselves to establish their own norwegian LUG forum. As I recall, it was called Brikkelauget from the start, but at that time the name was only a temporary placeholder and there were no logo either, so it was just a bare-bones forum. That was just over three years ago. Then we started to have meetings, trying to arrange them as centrally and available to as many as possible. Basically evolving over time.

Brikkelauget wasn't registered until last year, as an organisation recognised by the authorities. We also have a logo now, altough it too, like the name, was initially only temporary, but we've since grown accustomed to it. We just started with paid membership, which can be summed up as a two-tier system: a basic, free membership on the forums, and a paid membership for the LUG itself that includes recognition as an AFOL by LEGO, various offers and discounts and etc. We're yet to arrange any events of our own, but we do participate in other events, and are featured in media from time to time.

Just keep in mind that it takes some time for a LUG to evolve into one, and that it doesn't happen over night.

[MetroiD]

Thanks a lot Freddie!

Of course, I know this can't happen overnight. Basically what was most interesting for me was the extent to which lugnet has helped you in setting up your LUG. You say that you started off with a paid membership - was that @ Lugnet or someplace else?

We've already got a few ideas regarding our local LUG - we've got a forum set up and a blog for all information regarding LEGO in Bulgaria is being worked on. We're not planning on getting official just yet, we'd rather take it slowly and go one step at a time - but the thing we really need advice on is registering our club with LEGO - was paid membership @ Lugnet enough or did you also take other measures in order to "appear" on the map of global LUGs as a national club?

Thank you once again and sorry for my seemingly endless questions...

[Freddie]

No, we've just starting with the paid memberships. The paid memberships are towards Brikkelauget itself and not any other group, and the revenue gathered that way is spent in a way that all paying members agree on (such as upkeep of our server). In return it also provides us with solid membership numbers, and special sales and deals that are not available to people not associated with a LUG.

LUGNET was only the initial hang-out for those who founded Brikkelauget, and it was there the discussions about getting our own forum started. That's about how much LUGNET was involved. The rest has been members' own efforts. To appear on the LUGMap, I believe you only have to report it to LUGNETs administration.

I believe registering the LUG with LEGO is done through ambassadors (CopMike for instance, who is in similar stages with SweBrick, I believe). I doubt there's any fee involved in this, as I don't recall us paying anything to be recognised. The practise, and fees, of registering as an official organisation (Brikkelauget is officially recognised as an independent organisation by the norwegian authorities) differs from country to country. In Norway it's free, while in Bulgaria it could be the opposite -you'll have to check that up yourselves, and weight that up towards any possible benefits.

Hope that helps!

[tedbeard]

I think when it comes the TLC all you have to do is something, anything. Host an event of some kind or participate as a group in someone else's event. Our first VicLUG event was filling a display case at our city's central public library with our MOCs. I asked at the reference desk, we booked a month (they put new things in every month) and we included some info on display cards in with the MOCs. We did some local toy shows and for the last three years have been in the regional model railroad show. One of our guys became an ambassador and even talked Steve Witt into coming to our display at a shopping mall hobby show. We had a bunch of members @ BrickCon in Seattle last year and should have a bunch again this year.

We have never filled out forms or "registered" but TLC knows who we are and what we do. I think just doing stuff as a group is the key.