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[Mac Kerr]

I still don't see why the punters would DISCONNECT something CONNECTED. Yeah, i'd be furious if that happened.

Because they feel entitled. A couple of years ago I was working the press room for the VMAs at Barkley Center. In the middle of our event suddenly our camera feed from the red carpet went down. We were a couple thousand feet away in the lower level and the camera came to us over a fiber link. We called the video utility up on the street to check it out, and he discovered that someone had unplugged our fiber interface to plug in their phone. He unplugged it, reestablished our camera feed, and threw the phone in the garbage. A half hour later our camera went down again. Again we called Kevin, and again he found our fiber interface unplugged and a phone plugged in. After he threw that phone in the garbage that was the last time it happened.

Mac

[Jerome Malsack]

And there still is the liability issue my phone started on fire and burnt my hand and it was the power system that I plugged into.  I try to keep them out of the band and audio power. 

[Tim McCulloch]

Because they feel entitled. A couple of years ago I was working the press room for the VMAs at Barkley Center. In the middle of our event suddenly our camera feed from the red carpet went down. We were a couple thousand feet away in the lower level and the camera came to us over a fiber link. We called the video utility up on the street to check it out, and he discovered that someone had unplugged our fiber interface to plug in their phone. He unplugged it, reestablished our camera feed, and threw the phone in the garbage. A half hour later our camera went down again. Again we called Kevin, and again he found our fiber interface unplugged and a phone plugged in. After he threw that phone in the garbage that was the last time it happened.

Mac

And those who are not feeling entitled can be just plain clueless as they traipse through our work areas and zones they should not be in.

Nathan, are you working mostly for houses of worship or the spin-offs thereof?  You will eventually discover a whole new class of both entitlement and cluelessness and those folks will attempt spiritual blackmail should you call them out.  Think of it as the church version "don't you know who I am?"

[Nathan Riddle]

Because they feel entitled. A couple of years ago I was working the press room for the VMAs at Barkley Center. In the middle of our event suddenly our camera feed from the red carpet went down. We were a couple thousand feet away in the lower level and the camera came to us over a fiber link. We called the video utility up on the street to check it out, and he discovered that someone had unplugged our fiber interface to plug in their phone. He unplugged it, reestablished our camera feed, and threw the phone in the garbage. A half hour later our camera went down again. Again we called Kevin, and again he found our fiber interface unplugged and a phone plugged in. After he threw that phone in the garbage that was the last time it happened.

Mac

  I don't even know what to say. <insert expletive>? 

And those who are not feeling entitled can be just plain clueless as they traipse through our work areas and zones they should not be in.

Nathan, are you working mostly for houses of worship or the spin-offs thereof?  You will eventually discover a whole new class of both entitlement and cluelessness and those folks will attempt spiritual blackmail should you call them out.  Think of it as the church version "don't you know who I am?"

Yeah, & non-profits; friends of friends (since I know people who know people  ). Most people are fairly amicable. There's a few non-profits on the entitlement side of things (the attendees not the clients themselves).

As I grow, I'm getting closer and closer to these 'clients' you speak of. [reminds me I should revive an older thread of mine, heh]

[Milt Hathaway]

I find that the best defense is still a good offense. That's why I have a couple of the Anker Powerport USB power supplies available, plugged in and ready for anyone that needs it. I have no problem plugging it in to my own distribution, and I've found that it not only cuts the interruptions but also eliminates the incentive to pull plugs.

[Tim McCulloch]

I don't even know what to say. <insert expletive>? 

Yeah, & non-profits; friends of friends (since I know people who know people  ). Most people are fairly amicable. There's a few non-profits on the entitlement side of things (the attendees not the clients themselves).

As I grow, I'm getting closer and closer to these 'clients' you speak of. [reminds me I should revive an older thread of mine, heh]

The more important (or worthy) someone thinks they are the more likely they are to commandeer electricity.

It's not the load so much or where it's being powered from but about ACCESS to things punters and civilians should not be fooling with or even be around.  It's loss of control over what should be your exclusive domain and that you're still responsible no matter what.

These types of policies and practices come about because Bad Things have happened over the years.  Some clients are more forgiving than others but the expectation is that we do our job and let nothing else distract from that.  Is providing charging power part of the job?  Maybe (and YES if we can itemize it on the invoice, which is why I suggest making a nice presentation of it), and so long as we are involved in that process we know the risks and how to minimize a failures detriment to our actual job.

I find that the best defense is still a good offense. That's why I have a couple of the Anker Powerport USB power supplies available, plugged in and ready for anyone that needs it. I have no problem plugging it in to my own distribution, and I've found that it not only cuts the interruptions but also eliminates the incentive to pull plugs.

Milt's suggestion is certainly adequate to keep the charger folks out of your electrical world and is kind of what I have in mind for instant solutions.  For the client or performers it would be a no-cost item.

For hire, I envision a small tabletop kiosk setup with some signage space for a sponsor - "Local Sponsor Name Powers Your World, Complimentary phone charging here!"  The kiosk might rent for $50/day and the event can offer a sponsorship at $150, making $100 for their event for printing the sign.

One of the things I've learned over the years is to help NPO clients finds ways of paying for the things I want on their invoice.  The word "sponsor" goes a long way, both ways.  Client can't find a sponsor?  Offer to sponsor the public charging station the first time.

But never let 'your' electrons play with strangers, Nathan.  Never.

[Ray Aberle]

For hire, I envision a small tabletop kiosk setup with some signage space for a sponsor - "Local Sponsor Name Powers Your World, Complimentary phone charging here!"  The kiosk might rent for $50/day and the event can offer a sponsorship at $150, making $100 for their event for printing the sign.

That's precisely what I was talking about with my last post on this thread. It's exactly that- a charging station. You get 8 points with various MicroUSB, Lightning, iPhone connectors so people can charge their devices. Yeah, it's $600, but that cost would recoup itself rapidly.

-Ray

[Jonathan Johnson]

I guess my original thought with this thread was to reduce annoying interruptions while providing a service. This thread has brought out a few good points:

• Helps reduce unauthorized access to distros
• Helps reduce outages by incentivizing attendees to NOT unplug other stuff
• Reduces distraction ("Hey, can I plug this in here?")
• Potential to monetize the service (sponsorship; line-item charge; pay-per-use)
• Potential for increased liability ("Your charger blew up my phone that I dropped in the toilet yesterday!")
• Helps control power use to avoid having public chargers cause problems with show equipment
• One more thing to worry about

[Jeff Lelko]

Because they feel entitled.

"You mean the Danger - Area Closed - Keep Out signs apply to me?"

"I'm too rich to follow the rules."

"I just need to hit some golf balls.  You can work around me."

"The tape barricading the area says Caution - I'm being cautious."

"Oh I have the pass that lets me go anywhere."

Among some of the better excuses I've gotten over the years when chasing people out from places they shouldn't be.  I like the idea of throwing away phones though!

Back on topic - I agree - no one except competent crew should be around a distro.  I specify in my contract that I have no obligation to provide resources (including power) to third-party vendors or the public unless noted as such.  That way I can just say "no" when camera guy wants to start plugging things in to my circuits.  That said, be nice about it.  One time I loaned the Chick-fil-A tent a cord and outlet box to pull power from a more appropriate location and got a free meal out of it!  A charging kiosk is a great idea too, but of course comes at a price.     

[Jordan Wolf]

One thing that has not been mentioned (unless I missed a post) was device security.

Unless you plainly state it, anyone who used your charging station is assuming their device is “safe” where they left it.

Whether or not they are correct, they’ll be looking to blame someone should their device go missing, and that’s most likely going to be whoever provided the “convenient charging station”.

I’ve deployed these before, with positive results.

[ProSoundWeb Community]