PRESS RELEASE: RCHeliResource will not be covering 3DMasters 2011

We are sorry to announce that RCHeliResource will not be attending 3DMasters for coverage this year and possibly in the future  as well. We know that the industry and sponsors depend on our coverage of this event to promote their pilots, products, and talent outside of the event attendees but 3DMasters as an organization has imposed media fees in excess of $800 USD that make it impossible for us and many other media outlets to cover this event.  For some reason 3DMasters has some illusion that we (some of the media) are making money by being there or by selling goods at the 3DMasters event which is far from the truth.  In fact, its the opposite…..the events we travel to are in some ways a marketing expense for us and are never profitable.  Two sponsors who were paying for RCHR staff to attend were disappointed to know that we had to withdraw because of the cost of 1 person to attend with media fees topped out at about $4,300 USD and they were only providing us with about $3,000 USD to attend.  It just does not make smart business sense for this event (or any event for that matter) to charge the media to attend the event.   Other events that have charged similar fees (upwards of $1,000) and we have also declined to provide media coverage as well.  3DMasters is not the first and I am sure not the last.  The industry is becoming increasingly more media savvy and I am sure policies like this will be changed due to sponsor dissatisfaction with lack luster exposure.  If we were selling access to our website or DVD for that matter then I would think that a fee would be appropriate but in this case it is totally unjustified.   Several companies support our decision.  Facebook users in our industry express their outrage on our Facebook page.  The 3DMasters Facebook page was deactivated shortly thereafter.

As well some sponsors have either withdrawn support of 3DMasters or have expressed intentions of not sponsoring the event next year after we sent an email out explaining this fee imposed quoting the email from 3DMasters officials.   We plan on covering supporting the much larger and much better organized “Zone Competition” at the Weston Park Airshow in 2012 as we did in 2011.  Whether or not sponsors follow will be a market decision those marketing professionals will have to make for themselves.

If anyone sends us 3DMasters news we will post it.  We do not believe in censorship, clicks, his-side vs. my-side kiddie games.  We just report the news.

UPDATE:  Some people have reported on our Facebook page that they have received media passes now without paying a fee.   We checked 3DMasters webpage for more information about us or the media fee and just noted a comment calling me “Louisiana” Derrick?

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