We applaud CA Boom for its efforts to make contemporary design accessible. We felt that the organizers did a good job of providing a mix of content which was of interest to both professionals and the layity... something we strive for here at L+L as well. It is a fine line to walk, and it seemed to work as the event was very well attended throughout the weekend by design professionals as well as the general public.

The evenings turned the festival into a kind of scene, with lots of young people dressed to impress and a club atmosphere taking over. We took note of some attendees saying that it was a great place to meet up and hang out for the night.

It was the mix of events and moods that made CA Boom work.
(More commentary and images as you continue...)

Reference: CA Boom - Day 3 (L+L)
Reference: CA Boom - Day 2 (L+L)
Reference: CA Boom - Day 1 (L+L)
Reference: CA Boom Opens! (L+L)
Reference: CA Boom: A Festival of Contemporary Design (L+L)
Link: CA Boom

L+L crew as a study in contrast this weekend:
One of us taking cover from a Sierra hail storm, the other in the MD100M at CA Boom

As we mentioned briefly in our reports, the event was not without some snags. Having planned events professionally, I can empathize with the challenges of an event on this scale. Let's start at the beginning and work our way through:

The opening extravaganza
To begin, we feel that the invitations for this party were a bit misleading. Our biggest complaint was the general lack of extravagance in the "extravaganza." The event was really just a high priced version of what was happening on Friday and Saturday night: DJ's, bands, lounge areas, bars and food. The opening night was a benefit after all, but it would seem that something a bit "more" would be appropriate.

We thought that having some celebrity presence at this event was a good idea, not because we wanted to "ooh and ah" over the stars, but because it is an endorsement of quality contemporary design. We were a bit disappointed that the celebs made a quick exit. Perhaps a more formalized venue for the celebrity hosts and their designers would work next year so that their presence could be more meaningful.

Also misleading was this wording on the invitation: "gourmet hors d'oeuvres and libations provided." While there were libations available for purchase, the phrase "no-host bar" should have been used. And what little food that was available was quickly inhaled by an impatient throng. This simply was not the cocktail party atmosphere we had expected.

The home tours
This seemed to be the most successful and simultaneously chaotic part of the event. There were overbookings, miscommunications, unclear directions... and wonderful homes.

It first went wrong for us on Friday when we found out that we were not on the V.I.P. tour list which our invite had promised... one of the people at the tour both informed us that they had not been told about the media. We were, however, accommodated for tours on Saturday and Sunday.

We also witnessed confusion among many attendees with regard to the tours. When some people purchased their tickets, they were not informed that they needed to then walk over to the tour booth (which was unmarked) to sign up for a specific tour time. Some who had registered online had problems providing the proper documentation showing that they had in fact purchased a tour ticket, and the organizers did not seem to have verifying information to cross check.

And then there was a problem with the shuttle buses on Sunday… it sounded like CA Boom got screwed by the charter company

Some sort of hand out or brief on the home tours would also have been nice. We noticed that each of the buses was equipped with a TV and VCR, perhaps short pre-recorded introductions could be provided en route.

The speaker series
We were impressed with the variety of guest speakers and discussion topics. We were not, however, impressed with the venue for the speaker series which was in a tent located next to Main Street. Worse than the traffic noise was the lack of light control in the tent, especially on Friday. A clearly frustrated Steven Ehrlich presented each slide with "here you don't see…" Later in the day, a curtain was added to the side of the tent facing Main Street which helped, but did not completely resolve the problem.

The exhibits
The exhibit portion of the show was fairly compact, but also substantial enough to provide a satisfying experience. It will be nice to see this component expanded next year.

The exhibitors all seemed to be pleased with the amount of traffic they received and word was that most were enthusiastic about returning next year.

Final thoughts
Signage: There need to be signs next year. Friday we went to the home tour booth to check in, but then realized we had waited in the wrong line. A couple of simple directional signs would have cleared up where to first register, and then where to sign up for tours.

Staffing: This one is always tough especially when working with volunteers. Some streamlining of the system and better staff briefing will help.

Tickets and pricing: The prices seemed a bit steep, but the reality is that the prices were probably justified. Our one suggestion would be to offer a special evening admission price to encourage people to drop by and hang out. This would allow people who don't want to commit to a full day of cost and time to experience the festival and increase evening attendance.

Our conclusion
CA Boom is a great event with a great concept. VIVA CA BOOM!