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The picture in my signature is a screenshot from the video that Fleck did.

Why not have this picture front and center on the football athletic site. Show it often on the new scoreboard. Put it on the billboard outside of the ticket office. Have it on refrigerator magnets to give away on game day. Put it on display for people to see as they enter the games.

You don't have to announce a fundraising campaign. Just put it out there for people to see, to create a buzz, to stimulate some conversation. Sometimes these things can take on a life of their own.

Because I'm gonna guess that none of that is realistic.

That video board mock up is gigantic and I highly doubt that $2 mill will get that plus two smaller ones.

The rendering looks like crap, that's why not.

The first step to a visualizing it. It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to plant a seed. I've seen people get excited seeing seeing Waldo on a video game.

For something thrown together on a whim it's not a bad rendering at all

(07-01-2015 06:00 PM)Chipdip2 Wrote:  The first step to a visualizing it. It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to plant a seed. I've seen people get excited seeing seeing Waldo on a video game.

For something thrown together on a whim it's not a bad rendering at all

IMO you have to put your best foot forward in that regard, and quickly throwing something together (like that rendering) comes across as "amateur day at the rodeo". Do we want to look like a growing program with a vision for the future or like an also ran with a pipe dream?

C'mon CD - you know nothing gets put out for public consumption without Fleck's picture on it.

(07-06-2015 08:57 AM)moe24 Wrote:  

(07-01-2015 06:00 PM)Chipdip2 Wrote:  The first step to a visualizing it. It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to plant a seed. I've seen people get excited seeing seeing Waldo on a video game.

For something thrown together on a whim it's not a bad rendering at all

IMO you have to put your best foot forward in that regard, and quickly throwing something together (like that rendering) comes across as "amateur day at the rodeo". Do we want to look like a growing program with a vision for the future or like an also ran with a pipe dream?

Neither the Wings Stadium or Commerics renderings looked anything like the final draft. But they created s buzz that eventually became a real project.

Westerns method for doing a project is to wait for some billionaire to come calling. The Girl Scouts know more about fund raising than WMU does.

It still boggles my mind that WMU had a billionaire football alum and it was he who found them not visa versa.

(07-06-2015 01:46 PM)Chipdip2 Wrote:  Neither the Wings Stadium or Commerics renderings looked anything like the final draft. But they created s buzz that eventually became a real project.

Westerns method for doing a project is to wait for some billionaire to come calling. The Girl Scouts know more about fund raising than WMU does.

It still boggles my mind that WMU had a billionaire football alum and it was he who found them not visa versa.

Those renderings may not have looked like the final product, but I bet they were professionally produced (and if not then shame on them for half-a$$ing it). This rendering looks like some high school kid took an existing rendering and slapped some curved grey surfaces on there to "bowl-in" the stadium. There's a big difference between some kid spending 15 minutes playing around and a professional who actually gives a damn what something looks like.

Yep, someone took the Waldo 3d model from google earth, opened it in sketchup and added a few things.

You guys miss the point. Youre fixated on the quality of the rendering. Fine, do a qualty rendering, display it, PLANT THE SEED.

Out of sight out of mind.

Put it out there as a vision, a dream. Maybe some 80 year old alum sees it, decides he wants his name on a stadium, and wills his estate...................or we can wait for another billionaire alum TO FALL INTO OUR LAPS

I agree with your overall point. I think it's more applicable with the hockey arena though. If there are plans let's get them out there. Excited fans might give the money they need to get things moving. Has any school tried kickstarter or similar for facility improvements?

(07-08-2015 05:29 PM)Ubish Wrote:  I agree with your overall point. I think it's more applicable with the hockey arena though. If there are plans let's get them out there. Excited fans might give the money they need to get things moving. Has any school tried kickstarter or similar for facility improvements?

I've seen major projects funded by selling inscripted bricks.

WMU hasn't a clue how to do grassroots fundraising. You have 200k living alums to tap.

Hell, I'd have pics of a hockey venue, a ball practice facility, and bowled in Waldo. What would be the harm.

A few years back the alumni mag had a rendering of campus upgrades over the next decade. It was fascinating................except hardly anyone saw it

(07-08-2015 06:01 PM)Chipdip2 Wrote:  I've seen major projects funded by selling inscripted bricks.

WMU hasn't a clue how to do grassroots fundraising. You have 200k living alums to tap.

Hell, I'd have pics of a hockey venue, a ball practice facility, and bowled in Waldo. What would be the harm.

A few years back the alumni mag had a rendering of campus upgrades over the next decade. It was fascinating................except hardly anyone saw it

It makes me miss the Floyd years; he got it. They used to have an entire website dedicated to various potential future plans for WMU, all with professionally done renderings, maps, videos of school officials talking about what some of the projects would mean for the school, etc. It was part of what got the Engineering Campus done.

instead of bowling in the stadium, I would focus on making the most of the existing capacity, maybe even reduce it slightly by going with theater seating for the entire stadium. In addition, as I have mentioned a couple of times, I would work use the Seelye Center as an indoor tailgate section, with local breweries and restaurants renting space and selling the 'zoos best beer and food. To top it off, happy hour would be 1/2 off all food and beer for fans who stayed until the end of the game.

The food thing sounds good but tough in the Seelye. There was a hotel concept going around once, skinny, in the space behind the west seating and the baseball field.

(07-13-2015 06:54 PM)Wheres_Waldo? Wrote:  instead of bowling in the stadium, I would focus on making the most of the existing capacity, maybe even reduce it slightly by going with theater seating for the entire stadium. In addition, as I have mentioned a couple of times, I would work use the Seelye Center as an indoor tailgate section, with local breweries and restaurants renting space and selling the 'zoos best beer and food. To top it off, happy hour would be 1/2 off all food and beer for fans who stayed until the end of the game.

Love the idea!

Who does WMU contract with to sell concessions? That contract would need to be reviewed otherwise that company could shut it down.

Something like what you are proposing would bring more people into the stadium area and make them more likely to enter the stadium for the game. Good thinking!

Quote:instead of bowling in the stadium, I would focus on making the most of the existing capacity, maybe even reduce it slightly by going with theater seating for the entire stadium.

I think that would reduce it significantly. Those seats in nice movie theaters are Big. Replace crammed bleachers with that, and I would say you'd at least cut it in half.

BUT it'd be comfortable as hell. Now, if you're talking about $1 movie theater seats -- or just actual seats (non-bleacher) -- yeah there's that. But it'd still reduce it a pretty decent amount.

(07-14-2015 09:30 AM)toddjnsn Wrote:  

Quote:instead of bowling in the stadium, I would focus on making the most of the existing capacity, maybe even reduce it slightly by going with theater seating for the entire stadium.

I think that would reduce it significantly. Those seats in nice movie theaters are Big. Replace crammed bleachers with that, and I would say you'd at least cut it in half.

BUT it'd be comfortable as hell. Now, if you're talking about $1 movie theater seats -- or just actual seats (non-bleacher) -- yeah there's that. But it'd still reduce it a pretty decent amount.

I would use what Louisville has in Papa John's Stadium. From what I can recall, it's kind of in between the two sizes mentioned. Maybe, the bowl is needed to maintain a capacity above 22k to 25k with all theater seats.

Quote:I would use what Louisville has in Papa John's Stadium. From what I can recall, it's kind of in between the two sizes mentioned. Maybe, the bowl is needed to maintain a capacity above 22k to 25k with all theater seats.

Well, we have a 30k seats, but we can get around 38k packing them all in. Yeah, I could see getting 22k-25k for fancy seats for ALL seats -- which would cover the grass, too. Luxery seats for all. Yeah, pretty nice. Won't happen, but interesting...

... maybe 3D goggles, and have anyone who plays in our stadium (and us) wear 3D reflective uniforms and the grass going along with it! :) Then it'd really be like going to a movie theater!

(07-14-2015 07:25 AM)GullLake Wrote:  

(07-13-2015 06:54 PM)Wheres_Waldo? Wrote:  instead of bowling in the stadium, I would focus on making the most of the existing capacity, maybe even reduce it slightly by going with theater seating for the entire stadium. In addition, as I have mentioned a couple of times, I would work use the Seelye Center as an indoor tailgate section, with local breweries and restaurants renting space and selling the 'zoos best beer and food. To top it off, happy hour would be 1/2 off all food and beer for fans who stayed until the end of the game.

Love the idea!

Who does WMU contract with to sell concessions? That contract would need to be reviewed otherwise that company could shut it down.

Something like what you are proposing would bring more people into the stadium area and make them more likely to enter the stadium for the game. Good thinking!

Last I knew, EMA Enterprises held the concession contract. They also own several restaurants in the area, Derks on Sprinkle, Michelle's on Gull, and a few others, as well as Treat Street ice cream at Parkview and Oakland.