WCHA Presentation?

[pklonowski]

I received an email today from the president of the Illinois Paddling Council (an umbrella organization of paddlers, paddling clubs, retailers, liveries, etc), asking if we might be interested in giving a presentation on WCHA for one of their meetings. No details have been sent RE: what kind of material they're interested in. I think their annual membership meeting happens in November, which doesn't leave a lot of time to prepare. Does a presentation of any kind exist, that could either be used as is, or as a template for creating a new one? Any thoughts/ideas/suggestions? Or wait 'til next year?

 

[Andy Hutyera]

What about using the Contemporary Builders video?

 

[Benson Gray]

There are a number of videos available like the one that Andy suggested. It would probably not be too difficult to put something together once you have more of an idea of what they want and how much time has been allocated. The ten minute introductory video at http://www.wcha.org/about-wcha is ready now. Good luck and let me know if there is anything else that I can do to help.

Benson

 

[pklonowski]

Thank you! I believe their annual meeting presentations are usually under an hour, though some have run longer. I haven't heard back yet, whether they want an intro to the org, or other. Michael Grace also has some materials; I'll see what I can do...

Thanks again!

 

[pklonowski]

Follow-up on the presentation: They wanted an "Intro to WCHA" topic. This evening was show time, and it went well. The presentation itself was just under 30 minutes, and Q&A was another 10-15 minutes. It was well-received! Much credit, and many thanks, to Michael Grace for ideas, guidance, and inspiration. If anyone would like a copy, let me know... I consider it WCHA property. Heck, the majority of the pictures came from the WCHA calendars...

Getting ahead of myself here... What if we submit this for speaker slots at Quiet Adventures Symposium (East Lansing, MI), Canoecopia (Madison, WI), or other events? It would probably have to be a bit longer to fit their time slots... I don't need to be the presenter -- if someone in Michigan wants to present it for QAS, for example (you'll get in free!), all the better. We might be past deadlines for submissions for this winter, but maybe 2022?

 

[Michael Grace]

Paul deserves the credit here for a job done very well and enthisistically. He worked very hard putting together and delivering a great presentation to a receptive audience. Thank you, Paul!

WCHA members like Paul have engaged in productive public outreach over many years and in many places, all of which support our mission to preserve the legacy of the wooden canoe, and these efforts also support the WCHA by attracting new enthusiasts. For anyone who wishes to share the WCHA and our activities, feel free to reach out for support if needed.

Again, thank you Paul, and thanks to everyone else who brings the WCHA and the excitement of wooden canoes to new audiences.

Michael

 

[pklonowski]

The same "Intro to WCHA" presentation will be given, in a pre-recorded format, at the Quiet Adventures Symposium (https://www.quietwatersociety.org/qas_agenda_-_feb_23.php) Feb 23rd, 7PM EST, and at Canoecopia (https://www.rutabaga.com/canoecopia/page.asp?pgid=1342) March 14, 3PM CDT. Still not sure if there will be live Q&A at either show. Tune in and help bump up the viewership numbers, boosting the chances of being able to do more of these in the future!

 

[pklonowski]

The presentation at Canoecopia is done. 68 people attended, which I think is pretty good! When we used to have a booth at the show, we'd have way more people than that visit us at the booth, but this is what we could do this year.

I've had 4 questions posed in the CC forum so far, including one asking whether there's a Minnesota Chapter... so maybe we'll even get a new member!

 

[pklonowski]

By the end of the show today, 134 people had watched the program... and it'll be posted online for paid attendees through May 16th (that date has changed a couple of times...).