We all experience a few Growing Pains...
an open letter to all who IronCupcake
I wanted to address a few things that have come up since the last IronCupcake:Milwaukee challenge. The whole point of our event is to have fun. I have worked so hard to make it so for all of you and want nothing to keep our event as great as it has been.
ONLY SIX CUPCAKES? I know we have grown accustomed to total cupcake gluttony, but last month something awful happened and a decision had to be made. Where we normally have 25-30 bakers to allot samples from, we had FIFTEEN BAKERS back out within the last 5 days before the event. We had only 17 bakers to taste from. That is a whole lot of cupcakes that were not available for judges to try. The LAST thing that I wanted to do was cut sampling cupcakes down to just 6, it was the only option at such a late date. I am trying my best to get that sampling number back up going forward; even if it means that we may have to limit the amount of people who can attend and potentially turn people away.
VALUE FOR THE MONEY. On the upside, we did purchase over 200 full size cupcakes for DIY decorating and tons of snacks and candies so that attendee experience would still be valuable and fun. Additionally, we had several hundreds of dollars worth of killer giveaways - another added value for those who attend AND bake. EVERYONE IS ELIGIBLE to win those prizes. There is no denying it, we gave away A LOT OF COOL STUFF.
WHY A DEPOSIT FOR BAKERS? The new refundable deposit requirement is a means of PROTECTING OUR EVENT without actually taking money from the bakers. Our bakers work hard, make delicious treats and I FULLY RECOGNIZE THAT. The $40 amount was chosen because it was enough that people COMMIT to participating rather than bailing out at the last minute. The deposit money will be returned to the baker on the day of the event.
When planning an event for 300-500 people -- especially EVERY MONTH -- it is very difficult to do so when a high quantity of bakers drop out. The introduction of the deposit provides an opportunity to subsidize the event if there are cancellations, keep the value up for the attendees and still respect the awesome hard work that the bakers do.
SHARE THE LOVE! IronCupcake has become a big event and a really fun part of so many of our lives. There isn't a day in my life where I do not think about how to KEEP IRONCUPCAKE AWESOME and let it grow at the same time. Sometimes things have to change to keep things moving. For over two years, I have basically been planning these mega-events by myself because I love to do it and I love all the friends that I have made. And I know that a lot of you have made awesome friends as well. This city is full of cool people and a lot of them come to IronCupcake every month. Thank You!
I hope to see lots of Bakers & Judges on Monday June 21st at our IronCupcake:Milwaukee - Eat Local Restaurant challenge on the shores of Lake Michigan at Discovery World. I am always open conversation at our events, or via e-mail so please, don't be a stranger.
ONLY SIX CUPCAKES? I know we have grown accustomed to total cupcake gluttony, but last month something awful happened and a decision had to be made. Where we normally have 25-30 bakers to allot samples from, we had FIFTEEN BAKERS back out within the last 5 days before the event. We had only 17 bakers to taste from. That is a whole lot of cupcakes that were not available for judges to try. The LAST thing that I wanted to do was cut sampling cupcakes down to just 6, it was the only option at such a late date. I am trying my best to get that sampling number back up going forward; even if it means that we may have to limit the amount of people who can attend and potentially turn people away.
VALUE FOR THE MONEY. On the upside, we did purchase over 200 full size cupcakes for DIY decorating and tons of snacks and candies so that attendee experience would still be valuable and fun. Additionally, we had several hundreds of dollars worth of killer giveaways - another added value for those who attend AND bake. EVERYONE IS ELIGIBLE to win those prizes. There is no denying it, we gave away A LOT OF COOL STUFF.
WHY A DEPOSIT FOR BAKERS? The new refundable deposit requirement is a means of PROTECTING OUR EVENT without actually taking money from the bakers. Our bakers work hard, make delicious treats and I FULLY RECOGNIZE THAT. The $40 amount was chosen because it was enough that people COMMIT to participating rather than bailing out at the last minute. The deposit money will be returned to the baker on the day of the event.
When planning an event for 300-500 people -- especially EVERY MONTH -- it is very difficult to do so when a high quantity of bakers drop out. The introduction of the deposit provides an opportunity to subsidize the event if there are cancellations, keep the value up for the attendees and still respect the awesome hard work that the bakers do.
SHARE THE LOVE! IronCupcake has become a big event and a really fun part of so many of our lives. There isn't a day in my life where I do not think about how to KEEP IRONCUPCAKE AWESOME and let it grow at the same time. Sometimes things have to change to keep things moving. For over two years, I have basically been planning these mega-events by myself because I love to do it and I love all the friends that I have made. And I know that a lot of you have made awesome friends as well. This city is full of cool people and a lot of them come to IronCupcake every month. Thank You!
I hope to see lots of Bakers & Judges on Monday June 21st at our IronCupcake:Milwaukee - Eat Local Restaurant challenge on the shores of Lake Michigan at Discovery World. I am always open conversation at our events, or via e-mail so please, don't be a stranger.
Peace, Love and Cupcakes
—Sandy
—Sandy
