Holodoc

Eurobricks event 2020 Billund information topic

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Dear eventees!

It was about time to tell you what we will be doing on our 16th event in Billund this year.
It has gotten a bit late, because there a major changes this year.
The changes all come from the LEGO company and they are for sure not for the better... :look:

There has been some conversation with Jan Beyer, a member of the LEGO sommunity engagement and events team. Here is what he wrote:

Quote

Hi Tom, I am still waiting on LEGO House to decide if they can offer a AFOL visit program, and I expect to have news later this or next week.
This activity would include guided tours in production and LEGO House, a visit to the vault, a designer presentation and food but it will also cost some money.
I unfortunately cannot offer you any activity outside of this program to come and definitely no visit to the employee store.

 


Thank you very much for your understanding.
 Jan

 

No, we don't understand :angry:

So you already got it: There will be no visit to the e-store any more!

Reasons behind this?
We absolutely have no clue what is going on, what the reason is and if "just" Eurobricks is treated this way or if the whole AFOL community is concerned. :def_shrug:

But it gets even better. :hmpf:
After a while Jan was able to provide us with the details about the AFOL visit program:

Quote

Hi, you showed in the past interest in a visit with your recognized Fan Community to the LEGO House. I worked with the LEGO House and here is the offer.

 09.00 – 09.10  Welcome in LEGO House
 09.15 – 10.00  LEGO Idea House visit
 10.15 – 11.15  Guided LEGO House Tour
 11.15 – 11.45  Lunch (sandwich and softdrinks/water)
 11.45 – 12.00  Introduction to LEGO factory Tour
 12.00 – 12.15  Transfer to LEGO factory (bus transfer handled by LEGO House)
 12.30 – 13.30  Guided LEGO factory tour
 13.45 – 14.00  Transfer back to LEGO House (bus transfer handled by LEGO House)
 14.00 – 14.15  Coffee break (muffins and coffee/tea)
 14.15 – 14.45  LEGO Design Presentation
 14.45 – 15.00  Farewell
 15.00 – 16.00  Possibility to visit LEGO House Experience Zones
 15.00 – 17.30  Possibility to visit LEGO House Retail Store

 The price for the offer is 1.999 DKK per person and we can have a max. of 40 participants.

 Please notice that the offer can only happen from Monday to Friday.

 I am looking forward to hear back from you.
 Thanks

Jan

 

So they are asking a whopping 267€ for that program. *huh**huh**huh*

 

 

You can imagine our internal reply to this "kind" offer... :facepalm:
I leave it up to you what to think of all the changes happening to either Eurobricks or the whole AFOL community.
We haven't answered Jan yet, but I don't expect anyone to be interested in that program. If so, please let us know and we will arrange it.

So let's sum it up:

  • no more sets to give away as prizes
  • no more bricks to build a nice event set
  • no more regular designer meetings
  • no more access to the e-store
  • no more free visit to the factory

that means: NO MORE (FREE) SUPPORT FOR AFOL! :cry_sad:

 

We could now withdraw into a quiet closet and complain that everything used to be better. 
But I don't think this is
the way to go.

Let's face it: TLC won't support us any more and we have to find a way to live with that.

We are currently working on the program which will definitely different to what we had the last years, but we hope to make up for the sad news and want to somehow restart the event as a whole.
Planned is to do more games, contests and building. More what we called socialising the last years. The event community will hopefully be strengthend by this - and we believe you will still love to take part.

What we are not planning to change is that there will be one day in the LEGO House and one day in the LEGOLAND.

While we are somehow on our own now, we need your input:
What would you like to do?
Do you have nice ideas on games and contests (we haven't done yet :wink: )?

Please let us know!

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:look: Sometimes it is not fun to be right about things. (Even being a Cynic, it is still a no-fun surprise)

I love our building contest and the traditional Rat Spitting. 

How about a treasure hunt activity? It would take a little planning, but can encompass the public places in Billund that are nice to visit.

 

I do wonder if this is the new way to deal with the AFOL community as a whole, bar the sycophants they can corral in for "media days". :ugh:

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Man! This is just awful. 

It's bad enough that we have to go through a maze of a shop website to recover our VIP points now. But to basically tell AFOLs in the kindest and most subtle way possible to go to H-E double brick hauler (excuse my language)....that's taking it too far. 

I wonder how the AFOLs as a whole will suffer now that they have received confirmation that Lego doesnt give a flying brick about us. I mean.....what kind of people are running TLG? 

Edited by Brandon Pea

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Oh :look: that is indeed very sad news.

A lot of fun stuff but since I already saw all of it I guess I will save the 267€

And since I will also save a lot of money in not buying sets in Billund, I could sponsor some old Sets for a price pool :wink:

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1 hour ago, Holodoc said:

Let's face it: TLC won't support us any more and we have to find a way to live with that.

Frankly, you are being quite harsh, Stefan, and are stating things that aren't true. There still are plenty of ways to receive support for events just like ours through activity support requests via Eurobrick's ambassador through the LAN. Thats how my own LUG RogueBricks has been doing it for years and it works very well. Following the procedures will still provide the event with sets for prizes and potentially bricks for an event set, if using a project support request, if not more. 

Sure, that won't replace a visit to the p-shop or the factory but I guess LEGO has to treat every community or RLUG fairly and the same way so I presume thats why this program has been created. And regarding designer meetings I presume between all of us we know quite a few by now, no? :wink:

I feel the negativity in your post is a bit unjust but I totally support your proactive call-out for shaping a new and different program. I'm certainly happy to help with anything, feel free to get in touch. 

Regarding activities I like Peppy's suggestion of a treasure hunt and being the local I guess I could be convinced to cook something up, possibly with Mr. Brickthing or one of the other usual suspects. There's a recent addition to the town in the Teddy Bear Art Museum which might be of interest to some, Minigolf in Lalandia has always been fun, and with a few good old games and contests (transparent madness anyone) I'm sure we can kill almost a day between us, no?

Whatever the program ends up being I'm certainly looking forward to it!

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Treating all LUGs the same seems to be the biggest bullshit (I'm so glad I can write this :D) excuse for saving some pennies for the money grabbers.
And as a matter of fact the support is not the same for everyone and it will never be!

Sorry Rolli, I know you're a good guy, but you're being a bit biased here ...

I guess at least we'll have some good discussions going on this year, I guess therefor we don't need a lot of extra program :D

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A shame about the changes, but we just gotta roll with it.

I like hanging out and talking to you guys so I would actually prefer less program and more time to mingle.

Following up on what Skalldyr said, between the bunch of us I think we can probably scrounge up some stuff for a little prize pool?

Edit: Oh, and the LEGO House/Factory tour - fine for those who are in Billund for the first time, but most of us have probably seen everything already.

Edited by LegoFjotten

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Thanks for the reply Markus!
It's always good to hear something from a member being closer to TLC than most of us are. :wink:

I don't think my posting can be summed up as harsh. I just collected the news we have from Jan. Maybe it would have been wise for him to tell a bit more about the reasons things are changing, no?

I didn't write anything negative about your company. How could I? We have really generously being supported all the last years and I really appreciate that. Now it's just sad that - for an unknown reason - stopped. And we seem to be treated like any other fan of any other brand. On one hand I can even understand that they try to make money with us. On the other hand I couldn't feel more pushed back. And that makes me sad and a bit angry, too.

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Thats how my own LUG RogueBricks has been doing it for years and it works very well.

That's exactly how it worked for EB as well. Obviously it is not working any more. :def_shrug:

Quote

And regarding designer meetings I presume between all of us we know quite a few by now, no? 

:laugh: This is exactly the reason why I posted "no more regular designer meetings".
I hoped we could ask a famous designer from southern Germany to join in in our event and tell a bit of his job [chinese new year sets...] and the things he's working on. :wink::blush: But do I know if this is still possible?
The problem is: We don't know anything about the changes.

That's for the "negative" part.

I really love all the positive vibes in your and the other replies so far! :wub:True EB-spirit!
Together we will have a wonderful event! I am 100% sure! And I can't wait to see you all (again). :blush:
I also like the idea of donating some sets/figures/bricks. I will take part in that as well.

Quote

I guess at least we'll have some good discussions going on this year

:grin: looking forward to it!

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4 hours ago, Rolli said:

There still are plenty of ways to receive support for events just like ours through activity support requests via Eurobrick's ambassador through the LAN. .... Following the procedures will still provide the event with sets for prizes and potentially bricks for an event set, if using a project support request, if not more. 

Just a general comment here. Experience with the procedures is that it can take months to get a response, and when it's a negative response, there's not much one can do about it. It's not easy to get equal share to everyone, but then it's not ok to say so. If you talk to other LUG's, we don't get equal support. But enough of that.

I always had a good time at EB events, and I'm looking forward to this one too. Treasure hunt in Billund sounds good. For the prizes,I could look up some thing. I'm also considering bringing some odd parts I want to part with. Trading sets/parts is fine, brainstorming the future activities and plans.

@Rolli Do you think a designer can have "a talk" on your own (off work) like you did at Bricking Bavaria? Would that be ok with the company? Of course no confidential topics...

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And just two observations re Project Support

... applications only open up for a limited window of time in the summer and parts aren't typically received until the autumn/ winter at the earliest so parts ordered this year would have to be for a 2021 event and

... parts are acquired at Lugbulk prices, they aren't free ... so there is a cost involved ... whether this is more or less than previous years depends on whether support was provided free or at a discount in previous years.

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I will have a shift through my hoard to see if there is anything worth bringing along for a prize pool or parts swap also! At the very least, I can keep an eye on the super low price reductions that can get slapped on sets in some places here.

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Hi all,

since most of you guys seem to be "veterans" of the event, I'd like to say something from a point of a "novice"-to-be.

First thought on my mind was big disappointment of course. I was really tempted to join for quite some time, practically from the first time I heard about it from my colleagues from our LUG, and I finally decided to take part. I guess the news of terminated support for the event felt like a slap in all our faces, but I surprised myself with getting over it rather quickly. I can live without e-store, but I'm not sure how to feel about visiting the factory... Who knows if i'll be able to attend next time, so I am still dwelling on that programme with the factory. Since the price of 2000 DKK is not so easy to swallow, I can see that none (most) of you, who's been there already, won't even consider to pay that sum, but I would like to know your opinion whether it is worth it or not? I suspect not many of the participants will decide to go for it, but still - should there be a smaller group of people willing to go, is there still a chance to do so? When, at the latest, should we decide for it?

Regarding TLG's behaviour towards AFOLs in recent years - overall, to them it is just business - "love" shared with the community and AFOLs in particular is only as deep as they need it to be. It seems they are doing better than fine even without caressing a rather small percentage of their customers - us AFOLs - and why? Because we love their product to much to turn away (I can speak for  myself, not to genralise to much), no matter how they treat us. 

Regardless how it turns out and what will the final programme of the event be, I am still very much looking forward to this pilgrimage :grin:  

Best regards,

Miha

 

 

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Hi,

As a first time attendee and waiting for it to be in Billund to have the great links with TLG I have be honest and say I'm disappointed. However I'm sure whatever ideas we all come up with will be great, but part of me is in 2 minds as the TLG tie up was a big bonus to me. I was looking at this as an excuse to go back to Lego House, having been there on my own back in 2018. I hope you still hold the build contest that I've seen for previous years meets. Now I just need to book the time off work, find some flghts (tonight) and officially respond in the Accomodation thread.

Oh I agree 267 Euros is a bit steep for what they're offering.

I assume nothing will happen to the timing of the event and it'll still be the Saturday arrive and Wednesday depart ?

 

also asking a stupid newbie question do the tickets for Lego house and legoland get centrally organised for the group?

 

Been talking to the boss at home and I’m not sure what I’m doing now. Very disappointed with TLG news and this was a big sell to me. Wondering if I spend my money elsewhere this year. Need a few days to decide what I’m doing

Edited by Seasider

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To be honest, I'm really curious why we(afols and other lugs in general) aren't welcome anymore to the e-store. Especially because TLC itself has made it a tradition for lugs. And yes, past visits obviously aren't a guarantee for future visits, but this way it comes across a bit blunt. Even a "We are sick of those greedy afols" would have been a good reason to me. Is there any info or mention on the Lan? (And unlike tours which cost TLC some money, this makes them money right:tongue:)

 

That said, I believe the cake is still delicious without some of the cherries:wink: 

 

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On 1/27/2020 at 7:01 PM, Ecclesiastes said:

To be honest, I'm really curious why we(afols and other lugs in general) aren't welcome anymore to the e-store. Especially because TLC itself has made it a tradition for lugs. And yes, past visits obviously aren't a guarantee for future visits, but this way it comes across a bit blunt. Even a "We are sick of those greedy afols" would have been a good reason to me. Is there any info or mention on the Lan? (And unlike tours which cost TLC some money, this makes them money right:tongue:)

 

That said, I believe the cake is still delicious without some of the cherries:wink: 

 

Not as much as if we pay full price! :tongue: Although I'm not going to buy all the sets I would, so, eh.

 

I like the thought of a treasure hunt or something. If Aarhus was closer I'd be interested in visiting for a day like we visit Munich, but it's an extra hour. 

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There was no mention about any such change on LAN. You need to know that this option was not something all communities in general would get, it was (probably) made possible to EB because of good relations and multi-national nature of visit, so I would not recommend going on LAN and complainig, but rather try to have "unofficial" talk with someone from LEGO.

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I'm a member of four Lugs, and two of those visit Billund every year. And they were also allowed to visit the P-shop. So it was definitely not exclusive to EB.

I agree to not complain on the LAN(pointless anyway). But just a short explaination would have been nice, because it now feels like a lot of goodwill is being flushed down the drain.

But again, event will be fun nevertheless:classic::thumbup:

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I’m officially pulling out of this trip. It’s a lot of money for me and the TLG involvement that if heard about in past Billund trips was the big sell for me. Also I’d been there 2 years ago on my own so I feel it’s too soon to go back to house and land. So perhaps another year

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I should have a K8 box of 2x4 bricks lying around in the Billund area to be used in games. I will check up on this.

How about workshops? I have some S-bricks, mindstorms, Control Center, That new silly robot set with glasses, PFx, etc. which could be used for an intro + try-it-yourself session.

Or how about the new software for creating stickers and expanding the Eurobricks list of official sets made in LDraw?

Or how about a hard truck challenge?

Or a collaborative build instead of the usual contest: Bring your own section of the collaborative build and let's use the event to put things together?

EDIT: And how about instead of physical LEGO sets as rewards, we can spin up some badges? "How did you get that awesome 'EB2020 gold badge' Ecclesiastes?" "I got it at the EB 2020 event! - You should join next year!"

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8 hours ago, Lasse D said:

I should have a K8 box of 2x4 bricks lying around in the Billund area to be used in games. I will check up on this.

How about workshops? I have some S-bricks, mindstorms, Control Center, That new silly robot set with glasses, PFx, etc. which could be used for an intro + try-it-yourself session.

Or how about the new software for creating stickers and expanding the Eurobricks list of official sets made in LDraw?

Or how about a hard truck challenge?

Or a collaborative build instead of the usual contest: Bring your own section of the collaborative build and let's use the event to put things together?

EDIT: And how about instead of physical LEGO sets as rewards, we can spin up some badges? "How did you get that awesome 'EB2020 gold badge' Ecclesiastes?" "I got it at the EB 2020 event! - You should join next year!"

Very good ideas, thank you very much. :thumbup:  I think some of them will make it into the program.

Personally I like the idea of an S-Brick workshop and would like to see a Bricklink-workshop. I strongly believe there are some more nice features within BL that sleep somewhere undiscovered.

6 hours ago, Peppermint_M said:

Also, I have located a building game I can bring along :grin:

Sounds interesting! :moar:

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On 2/4/2020 at 5:17 PM, Holodoc said:

Sounds interesting! :moar:

687474703a2f2f7777772e6465736b6f76656872

Of course, I will swap the bricks from Cobi to LEGO :wink: 

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I recently bought some LumeCubes, small photo/video lights that are well suited for photographing LEGO mocs and whatnot. I can bring them along if anyone is interested in a mini photo workshop. Maybe Markus could pitch in with some photo tips as well?

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2 hours ago, LegoFjotten said:

I recently bought some LumeCubes, small photo/video lights that are well suited for photographing LEGO mocs and whatnot. I can bring them along if anyone is interested in a mini photo workshop. Maybe Markus could pitch in with some photo tips as well?

Definitely interested!

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