Nihao Browncoats!

About the Browncoat Ball (BCB)

The inaugural BCB was held in Chicago in 2004, with the goal of establishing an
affordable, annual, nonprofit event created for fans by fans, capable of
bringing Browncoats from geographically diverse locations from all over the
world together to celebrate Firefly, Serenity and our fabulous fandom. The BCB
has been held in San Francisco (2006), Philadelphia (2007), Austin (2008),
Portland (2009), Charlotte (2010), Providence/Warwick (2011), Albuquerque (2012)
and will be held in Phoenix in 2013.

Hosting the BCB is a labor of love. While the central BCB Steering Committee
will share planning materials and tips and offer assistance in the fundraising
and promotional process, the 2014 hosts should respect the fact that it is hard
work to host a successful BCB, but it is extremely rewarding.

Since the BCB is a small event and cannot sustain comping volunteers, a guiding
principle of the BCB since its inception is that everyone pays their own way
(attendance, lodging, airfare): committee members, volunteers and attendees
alike. This way, the attendees do not subsidize the volunteers or committee
members.

Along the same lines, we encourage the BCB host committee to put every dollar
coming in into the BCB itself so the attendees are getting the full value of
their membership. If, however, any funds are leftover, they should be paid
forward to the next year's host committee. This ensures that all proceeds go
into a BCB, even if it wasn't the BCB it was meant for.

About the BCB Steering Committee

The BCB Steering Committee is comprised of BCB organizers from all previous
years. These are the people who put together their own proposals and were on the
ground working when they hosted the BCB in their neck of the woods. The BCB
Steering Committee exists to evaluate proposals and provide guidance to the
current host committee and all future event bidders. If you have questions,
please do not hesitate to contact the BCB Steering Committee at
bid@.... Please state the nature of your inquiry in the subject
line of the e-mail.

Request for Proposals

We are now accepting proposals for the 2014 Browncoat Ball. Applications for
hosting the 2014 BCB should be completed and e-mailed to bid@...
(with "BCB Proposal" in the subject line) by Aug. 15, 2013. The BCB Steering
Committee will review the proposals, make follow-up inquiries and render a final
decision by September 1, 2013. The selected host committee will have until Sept.
8, 2013 to accept/commit, and the 2014 location will be announced at the 2013
Ball on Saturday, Oct. 5. (The host committee does not need to be in attendance
at this year's BCB to be selected.)

Serious applicants should send a proposal with the following information:

1. A statement from your group about why you would like to host the 2014 BCB.

2. Proposed dates for the event (a nonholiday weekend, ideally in August,
September or October 2014, negotiable with justification).

3. Proposed location (including the city) and the name of and preliminary room
rates quotes for at least one hotel that would have reasonable rates and at
least 20-25 rooms available for the proposed dates. (This doesn't have to be the
final location, and multiple sites can be proposed if that is preferred.)

4. Estimate on the total cost of a ballroom/banquet facility that has
availability during the proposed dates, including room rental and catering.
(Please consider kosher and vegetarian options when planning the menu. Bonus
points if your venue can accommodate vegans and people with gluten allergies.)
Financial details for previous BCBs are available for reference.

5. A list of 3-5 additional Firefly/Serenity 'verse-themed activities that could
be done at or near the BCB site and an estimate and explanation of the costs
associated with these activities (for example, transportation to and from the
event, admission fees, food charges, decoration costs). All activities and
related transportation costs should be included in the BCB ticket price. Special
activities can be proposed at additional cost so long as there are options that
do not bear additional costs.
Think creatively! Some of the best
activities cost very little, can be tied in easily with the Firefly 'verse and
don't require a ton of planning. For example, the 2004 BCB included a Chinese
Welcome Dinner and Tea Ceremony on the rooftop of the hotel and the Train Job
Luncheon on a privately chartered commuter train. The 2008 BCB offered low-cost
activities taught by host committee members such as How to Play Mahjong and
Intro to Belly Dancing. Additional details from past BCBs are available on
request and can be found at http://browncoatball.com/2013/history/. The sky is
the limit! This can be more of a brainstorming list of possible activities
rather than a final list.

6. Additional transportation details such as how far the BCB site is from a
major national/international airport, what transportation options exist to and
from the airport and how much they cost, and how far the site is from other
major cities within driving distance. Please take into consideration the
availability of accessible options for Browncoats with disabilities for all
aspects of the event.

7. Total estimate on the operational costs (not including lodging and airfare)
and estimate of ticket cost (we suggest between $125 and $175, but other price
points will be considered depending on offerings), including possible options
for different event packages. Suggestions regarding package options are
available on request.

8. Coordinating Committee: A tentative list of 5-10 people willing to:
- Make facility reservations and coordinate event planning
- Register guests
- Promote the event, including Internet updates, newsletters and invitations
- Be the Webmaster for the 2014 Web site. (If no Webmaster is available, the BCB
Steering Committee can maintain the Web site, but the 2014 hosts must be willing
to provide/edit/review the text for the Web site.) There is a forum, as well as
Facebook and Yahoo! BCB groups, that the hosts can use to promote the 2014 BCB.
- Handle incoming and outgoing money and create and work within a budget
(treasurer). This is extremely important, as the 2014 hosting committee will
bear the financial responsibility if the event goes over the budget. The BCB
Steering Committee will provide financial summaries of the prior events to the
2014 hosts to give you an idea of what you can look forward to with regards to
expenses, although the cost of the event will vary depending on the location.
You are then required to provide a similar financial report to reflect how your
event was managed, so future events can benefit as well.
- You can propose to host a BCB in an area other than where you live, but at
least two 2014 coordinating committee members should live/work near the site
being proposed.
- Committee members must be willing to commit to approximately 3 or 4 conference
calls or conference chat sessions with the BCB Steering Committee so all parties
can be sure things are still on track and to discuss any major changes, if any.
- At least one of the coordinating committee members should be named Amy. If you
do not have a committee member named Amy, you may nominate one of your committee
members to be an honorary Amy. If you fail to provide an Amy for your committee,
one will be provided to you by the BCB Steering Committee.

9. When the event is over, your committee will need to provide a financial
report to reflect how your event was managed and for the benefit of future host
committees.

10. Contact information, including name, e-mail address and evening phone number
for one member of the coordinating committee who will serve as a contact for
notification purposes. (The BCB Steering Committee will in turn provide the 2014
hosts with contact info for consultation purposes.)

11. Your commitment to maintain a positive attitude and have a good time!

NOTE: The real estate adage "location, location, location" does not necessarily
hold true as the primary factor for the selection of the winning BCB proposal.
While the BCB Steering Committee does like to see the BCB move around
geographically, we are also concerned about costs, event specifics and the
commitment of the bidding committees. Don't let the current or past locations of
the BCB discourage you from putting together a proposal. Even prior locations
will be considered.

Also, don't worry if you've never been to a BCB before. We only do this once a
year, and it has taken some committees 3 bids until they were selected. The
bottom line is that the BCB wouldn't be possible without Browncoats … Browncoats
like you!