Guest Blog Post: Marchebrick at "In Vena di Costruzioni"

Our 3^rd spring event “in Vena di Costruzioni” 2018 has just finished and I would talk to you about it.

It was December 2015 when I was exhibitor at the “Brick and Build” big event in Porto San Giorgio (south zone of Marche Region), at that time organized by Romabrick friends (now by us but this is another story) and we were enjoying together. Our group “Marchebrick” was very young and we have had only a couple of little events driven directly by us and with our forces.

During the “Brick and Build” we met a woman who worked for a local town administration, impressed by the activities and the large exhibition, contacted us to drive a local event in her Town called Venarotta.

Venarotta Is a village near Ascoli Piceno (the province chief town), the place Is small but the only 15 kilometres of distance from the main city made us decide for giving our OK for this new event.

The administration asked us to run a “different” kind of event, giving more focus on free play area for children and organizing challenges using bricks available at the event.

This was a new kind of event to face, compared to a simple exhibition, with some difficulties we had to buy more than 100 kgs. of new and used bricks from some big shops of central Italy. We were not an RLUG and we had to count only on our own resources to arrange everything.

The following year we were ready to improve our group’s force! We visited the area (spring 2016) and we found this good theatre perfect for our purpose.

We arranged with the Town Mayor how to cover our costs and finally the 8^th May 2016 we started the 1^st “In vena di Costruzioni” event. (the name sounds like “we have gain to build” using a part of the town name).

The first edition finished with an INCREDIBLE success of public and activities, we were proud to have organized a little but well-done event.

Here the link to more photos.

After this amazing “first edition” we decided immediately to accord for the next year (2017) about in the same date…but some unexpected and big problems occurred.

Venarotta is near the Appennines mountains chain and on August and then on October 2016 some strong earthquakes hit the whole central part of Italy (we live all in that area and believe me in my 41 years I never felt so strong quakes, neither my parents).

Results: after the fear the whole region had to face to the damages caused by the earthquakes, Venarotta had the historical centre of the town in part collapsed, and also the theatre which we hosted the previous year’s event was damaged so it impossible to be used.

First days of 2017 the local town contacted us and confirmed the event. They invited us to see the new “location”: a military marquee close to the town stadium and public park. To be specific, in origin a Tornado ariplane mobile hangar, which is not small (20x25 meters) but susceptible to weather changes (cold/hot temperature) and not so "happy" to see, the exterior cover is totally of a “serious” military dark green. We were not discouraged about these problems and, as we were a “new” RLUG we decide to arrange the 2017 edition as a supported event, to have more resources to drive it.

The event arrived, and we were “stronger” as group that year, with 20 exhibitors and more hands to help, with the event support’s help we can arrange very nice stuffs, based on building sets in the morning and the challenge in the afternoon.

But two things work against the event: the weather (cold and rainy day) and the sad atmosphere due to the recent the earthquakes…people responded but not as the same way of the first year, and the town administration cannot pay our expenses.

The event ran OK but no more than 1,000/1,200 people arrive and at the end we are quite disappointed to have consumed association’s resources to drive it. The mayor and the town administration were also not so satisfied, but they still had the desire to make play children again in the next year.

Here the photo gallery of 2017 edition.

So we arrive to 2018 edition: more exhibitors, more stunning activities to do as RLUG, more bricks to play with, same military location but a hard work to make it as happiest as possible.

The weekend starts with clouds, but Sunday arrives with good weather. Good online and local advertising make their effects: people comes again to play with us and it’s fantastic to see again the little town FULL OF CHILDREN and their families. We count again more than 2,000 people, great result for this little place, with people arrived from all over the region, some traveling more than 150 kms to reach us. In the morning speed building activities with activity box bricks for children, afternoon MOCs challenge made with our bricks and free play. Outside the event location: balloons, open air activities (archery, volley, magic tricks, children make-up, food/beverage, gym exhibitions).

Sunday evening arrives quickly and after the awards, we were tired but satisfied, spending hours to  demount everything and go back home. (for me I was up until 1:30 am).

What to say? Thank you to all my friends and see you next year Venarotta!

NB photos of 2018 edition are still not ready on our site, but You can find them on our FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/marchebrick/?fref=mentions