Placement for 1st year camp

[picsoung]

Hello dusty people!

This year, it's decided, we are making our own camp with some friends. We plan to have about between 10 and 20 people, to get started.
While we are still debating what will be contributing to the city, few questions were raised regarding placement and I could not find reliable answers, so I am asking here.

Is it easy for a camp to be placed on its first year?
How does the interactivity of the camp influences placement (a bar has less chances than a food camp ?) ?
Does Placement give you access for sure to some building week passes (early arrivals)?
Should we look for an affiliation/collab with a village?


I do know that you can have a camp without being placed. But it's always better to know where you are going to land
And if we can reduce some uncertainty that's always good.

Thanks

[torrey.smith]

Disclosure: I am just some guy that runs a theme camp. I am not a member of Placement. Take line of salt.

Is it easy for a camp to be placed on its first year?

Yes. Most theme camp applications get placed, but only if you are actually taking the definition of what a theme camp is to heart.

Theme camps are about providing interactivity as a service to the citizens of Black Rock City.

Theme camps are not about providing you and your bros a sweet spot for a chill zone.

How does the interactivity of the camp influences placement (a bar has less chances than a food camp ?) ?

In general, the bigger your level of interactivity, the closer you might find yourself to the Esplanade, a portal, or similarly exciting location.

Margaritas under the shade with a fun theme and a good attitude? That's about G street.

If you want to get closer to the action, you have to be prepared to bring the action on a 24/7 basis.

Placement also works very hard to create a city plan that is balanced and appropriate. Sound camps have an appropriate place, as do huge bars, burn barrels, and other stuff. ^{There's even a place that camps that have pissed Placement off can be placed for a year as punishment.}

Does Placement give you access for sure to some building week passes (early arrivals)?

For sure, NO. For maybe, yes. If you think you need it, articulate that, and Placement believes you, yes. Work Access Passes are not party passes. Disrespect their intent and you can actually be ejected from the event.

If you are a theme camp in good standing on your second round, you will most likely have the opportunity to get access to the Directed Group Sale for BM tickets. That caught me by surprise on my second year with Sextant. That was pretty cool!

Should we look for an affiliation/collab with a village?

My advice is to define your own identity for a few years before you consider joining or hosting a Village. It can be awesome to go big, but it can also be awesomely frustrating.

[AntiM]

Actually, sign up the the Placement newsletters when the time comes to do so. A lot of camps do not get placement, literally hundreds of them. A good theme camp does not spring from a group wanting to get placed and have WAP, it springs from a group who have a terrific idea and decide it would be best accomplished as a placed camp. A bar used to be enough, but even that is getting common. A village can be a good idea, but finding one to fit into can be tricky. They're villages for a reason, each camp contributes.

All that dire crap said, go for it. If you are denied, you can still set up whatever concept camp you have been working on. The back streets sometimes have the most excellent action this way.

Read, read, read. There's a shot ton of factors, sound, camp layout, camp art and appearance, kitchen and MOOP, food service and bar rules for serving the public. A camp mayor must be on top of everything.

[picsoung]

Thanks AntiM and torrey.smith for your answers!

Totally get that it's possible to build a small camp without placement or WAP, just want to make sure we know what's possible, to get all the chances on our side

[torrey.smith]

A good theme camp does not spring from a group wanting to get placed and have WAP, it springs from a group who have a terrific idea and decide it would be best accomplished as a placed camp.

This is key. My first year with Sextant could basically have been described as "Scary Zip-Line". That is a fairly unique and easily described cool thing to add to Black Rock City.

Our current standard is "Really scary Zip-Line, giant interactive Tesla Coil, Tower, Bar." That's a lot, and you don't have to bring all that to be placed, but you can see that we delight in bringing ridiculous fun things that represent our interests.

The fun of founding a theme camp is you have an opportunity to reach into what makes you you, and share it in grand fashion.

This is an opportunity for you to do something you may have been scared to do in the past. It could trigger your metamorphosis into future you. It's a chance for you to own, transport and drain your close friends' piss jugs.

[LowePro]

I'd just chime in some tips:

Placement Applications are usually due in April, but that means you should start a few months prior. The Application involves many steps and you need a head start on your ideas.

If you do get Placement, you will have a set boundary. Meaning space is limited and you need to justify the space you have reserved (not just for tents and cars--your space needs to offer a public service to other burners).

Get a few other members of your group to help w/ the Application. It's not a 1-person job. Think about how big you are willing to get and how to share jobs and expenses. Placed camps are magnets for moochie people--get ready to screen..