Feedback/information on Lego Club Meetings

[atmail35]

I know there have been a few random comments here and there about the Lego Store Club Meetings, but they are kind of buried. I took my daughter to her first one last weekend and I thought I'd start a new thread and give some feeback and information (I hope that is OK to start a new thread).

General Information:The Lego Club Meetings are held generally on Saturday mornings. At our store it is from 9-10 AM before the store opens to the public. Check the Lego Store Calendar for dates and info. Lately they have been running them once a month. I think the frequency can vary from month to month though.

Price: $25 or $20 if you are a VIP member (is any true Lego fan NOT a VIP member )
Availability: It seems like they can fill up in advance so it is best to register ahead of time. Our store lets you register over the phone w/ a credit card.
Theme: They have various themes - past themes have included Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, Ninjago and others.

This is how the event was run at our store.
You arrive just before 9AM and you sign in and the kids get a name tag and themed T-Shirt. We went to the Pirates of the Caribbean meeting. Tip - the Lego Store always feels very hot to me. The kids wear the t-shirt so have your child wear a thin t-shirt.


The store employees then gather the kids and talk about what they will be doing. For this meeting the kids were going to free-build a pirate ship. They dumped a bunch of bins filled with bricks on the floor. The kids split up in to 3-4 groups of 4-6 kids each. There were 3-4 store employees who walked around and joined the kids and talked to them and provided help where needed.

For this meeting, the employees brought out some special elements...various pirate themed parts. The only "issue" was they dumped it on the pile and the kids had to scramble to grab stuff. My daughter wasn't as fast as some of the boys, but the associate came over to make sure each child got some unique parts.


The kids were also allowed to make 1 minifigure each to add to their ship. For this meeting the kids were allowed to take their creation home. Apparently in the past they have gotten a bag (grab-bag sized) of bricks, but could not take what they made home. It seems like they have changed it, which makes sense to me. I'm not sure if this will continue.

At the end of the hour, each kid was asked to present their creation and tell one thing about it. This was cute and a good video opportunity.

Each child got a goody bag which included: a full set of the Queen Anne's Revenge Sail pieces, 2 Club Duplo bricks, a $5 off $35 coupon, Max Sticker, Lego Club Membership form, Lego catalog, and Club Magazine. And they took home their creation and T-shirt.


The Ship:
It has evolved since we brought it home. The Jack and Will minifigures are from sets we own, but the Lady Pirate was from the meeting. The chain that my daughter used for the anchor comes from the Cannibal Escape set.


Final thoughts:
My daughter really had a great time (even if she was the only girl). She held her own, she is only 6 so I let her start building and then I helped her a bit by finding her pieces and stabilzing the structure. I thought the meeting was pretty well organized and not too chaotic. My only recommendation for the "special elements" would be for the store to pre-bag one of each item so each kid gets one. I think overall it was fair but that part was a little intense, especially for the younger kids.

For $20, I think it is a nice event. The $5 coupon helps on future purchases and the T-shirt and bricks make up for the other $15, in my opinion.

I'd love to hear other people's experience with Club Meetings as well (including goody bag contents ;))

[Zeya]

That's adorable. It sounds like a lot of fun for your daughter. Those are some really nice bonuses too. That's a hefty amount of bricks, a minifigure, and a goodie bag that has some unique printed bricks. And a t-shirt! I think your daughter is going to want to go to every one of these now; I hope you're prepared.

Thanks for the write-up on this!

[jsnweitzel]

Thanks!

This detailed description was very helpful. We just had a lego store open in our area and I was considering taking my son to an event. But $20 and a 45 minute drive each way and a six year old's enthusiasm was too much to gamble on. Without knowing more, I would prefer to spend the $20 on a real set vs a few random bricks and a t-shirt.

You've convinced me that we will have to try it. I'll wait until there is a theme he really enjoys but I'll post my results as well and we can compare.

[peanut]

Wow what great loot, wish I was eligible! ;)

[lukeskywalker]

Thanks for the info, I will have to check it out.

[atmail35]

I think your daughter is going to want to go to every one of these now; I hope you're prepared.

Yeah, I know what you mean!

jsnweitzel I would call your store and find out what they plan on giving away when you find a meeting you are interested in. Since we've only been to one I can't guarantee they will always allow you to take home your "creation". When I called to sign up they were pretty clear on what the kids would receive. And definitely post back if you go!

[atmail35]

We went to the Cars 2 meeting over the weekend. The event was slightly different than the PotC one. The kids built a car using parts from Cars 2 sets. I believe they had several of Ultimate Build McQueen (8484)and random bricks. However the kids were NOT able to take their creation home. There were several other girls there and the sales associates remembered my daughter from the last meeting.

The kids got a Mater T-shirt:


They built the cars and had the option of racing them down a make-shift ramp.

Here is my daughter's car with Guido as the driver:


Here are all the cars on display:


The goody bag included: catalog and Club Jr Magazine (not pictured), Radiator Springs Mcqueen set #8200, July Calendar, a sticker sheet from a Cars 2 set, a large gold rimmed wheel, $5 off $35 coupon, and a Lego Club sticker.



Overall I was still very pleased with the meeting and my daughter had a blast. And then we went to the Bruins parade...which made for a very long morning ;)

[ncbarrett]

cool.
thanks for sharing.
The gold wheel looks cool.

[Ice]

Wow, this meeting looks much better compared to the Pirates of the Caribbean one. Can't believe this time they actually gave out a LEGO set on top of all the goodies you get. That makes the club meeting well worth it and this one looks a lot more fun compared to the last one. I mean, you get to race your car! Really brings back childhood memories. Thanks for sharing these meetings!

By the way, what will you do with your extra 8200 Radiator Springs McQueen set? :P

[atmail35]

cool.
thanks for sharing.
The gold wheel looks cool.

You are welcome!

Wow, this meeting looks much better compared to the Pirates of the Caribbean one. Can't believe this time they actually gave out a LEGO set on top of all the goodies you get. That makes the club meeting well worth it and this one looks a lot more fun compared to the last one. I mean, you get to race your car! Really brings back childhood memories. Thanks for sharing these meetings!

By the way, what will you do with your extra 8200 Radiator Springs McQueen set? :P

I'm happy to share, I'm just glad folks actually are interested.

I was trying to decide if it was better to take home the creation (like for the PotC one) or get the free set. I'm still on the fence since as you mentioned we have the set already. If I wasn't pressed for time I considered asking if I could trade our set for the car she made. We had a bunch of unique McQueen and Guido parts on it so IMO it would have been worth a trade.

As far as the extra set...we have doubles of a lot of small sets...my daughter likes extra parts and loves these cars so all is good on that front. :D

The T-Shirt (I'd pay $10 for a t-shirt, it is 100% cotton), set (msrp $7), the coupon ($5), all the other stuff, and the entertainment value of the actual meeting makes it worth $20 IMO.

Next month is MBA. It looks like you pay $29.99 and get Kit 1. You do get a $5 off $35 purchase coupon, but there is no mention of a T-shirt. I don't think we will go to this one since we already have Kit 1. If you don't have Kit 1 or need another and have a child this is a decent way to get the kit and a few bonus items. It's worth calling to see if a t-shirt is included.

[atmail35]

I took my 6 year old daughter to the City Club Meeting this weekend. Overall it was a good time.

The kids got this t-shirt:

IMG_1785.JPG

They worked to build some sort of City Forest Fire fighting item. They had regular bricks and bits and pieces from some recent City set. And forest fire fighter minifigs. Unfortunately they did not get to keep their creation. The kids did the build and then one by one told everyone about their creation.

She got this goody bag. The contents were the January 2012 Catalog, a copy of the City poster that was offered free with a $35 purchase during February, a March 2012 calendar, Lego Club Sticker (round), two sticker sheets from sets 4208/4209, $5 off $35 purchase coupon, Ninjago lenticular "mask", Life of George sticker, and set 4427 Fire ATV (msrp $5.99).

IMG_1786.JPG

I feel that $20 is reasonable to pay for this meeting. It really depends on the staff running the meeting and how involved they are. It is fun to watch the kids build and you have some time to look around the store while they are all on the floor busy with bricks.

[meyerc13]

Thanks for posting your experiences. I can't wait until the new LEGO store opens in my state. I can get my son up early for a 2 hour drive to attend one of these meetings. Right now, the closest store is over 5 hours away, so it isn't feasible to attend a Club Meeting. Your posts help to keep this fresh in my mind so that I'll remember once the closer store opens in a few months.

[atmail35]

The May meeting's theme was Marvel. My daugher became interested in the Avengers when she saw the Avengers themed monorail at Disney World. Somehow she decided Iron Man was her favorite, she hasn't even seen the movie.

This was the T-Shirt:

2012-05-21 LEGO May 2012 Club Meeting 001.JPG

The kids were asked to build a vehicle for the Avengers. Then they ask each kid to describe their creation.

Goody Bag:
Captain America's™ Avenging Cycle 6865 (msrp $12.99), Club sticker, two sticker sheets from various sets, LEGO Club Magazines (regular and Jr.), June 2012 Calendar, $5 off $35 coupon.

2012-05-21 LEGO May 2012 Club Meeting 002.JPG

The set made up for a rather generic goody bag, as many of the items can be obtained free by anyone (mags, calendar). I was surprised they did not include the Avengers poster, is that not available at the LBS? She had a good time, which makes it worth it

[melsig]

Wow, thanks for all of the good information. My son has a class early Saturday mornings during the year, but we've been wondering whether it would be worth taking him during the summer. I'm disappointed that for most of the reported club meetings the kids weren't able to take their creations home, but it still seems like something that would interest my 6-year old.

[meyerc13]

Thanks for the post! Since the LEGO store in Wisconsin just opened, this would have been the first meeting I could take my son to, but unfortunately he had a karate tournament on Saturday morning so we couldn't make it this month. It's a shame because he really loves the Avengers (cartoon, not the movie since he's only 6 and too young to see it yet). We're planning to go down next month.

I wonder why they don't let them take home what they make. The parts must get broken down and put in grab bags, so it isn't like they are making a ton of money off of them. I wonder what they'd do if you asked if they'd throw the creation in a grab bag for you? Would they sell it to you at the grab bag price?

[MarkV]

I just attended the June Meeting in Cincinnati with my 8 year old. This month was DC Superheroes. Fee was $25 for non-members and $20 for VIP members. It was a group activity to build a supervillian hideout. There were about 13 kids divided into 3 groups. Each group made their own hideout.

* Participants received a Lego Club T-shirt with Batman on the front - I can take a picture if anyone is really that interested. Pretty decent t-shirt. I've worn cheaper :)
* $5 off a $35 purchase
* A couple of sticker sheets
* 2 minifigs - my son got Joker and it may have been Lex Luthor - generic looking bald guy. I saw another kid score a Superman, so there were a variety of figures that they would win based on answering trivia questions about superhero/villian characters
* a Batman polybag #30160

Very well run activity. One of the staff was a superhero buff, so he was really excited about asking questions.

Downsides - very boy focused. I'm just bummed about this because I have a 6 year old daughter who loves Legos - she didn't go this month, but will be attending next month for LOTR. We'll have to bring some girl hair for Frodo or Gollum.

Also, it's an hour long and if you're like me an hour with Legos where you're supposed to be watching someone else build is a little like torture. I eventually joined in to help what I thought was one of the staff members. Turns out he was just another parent as well.

[atmail35]

You beat me to it! I have pics to post...

T-shirt: (Advice, go early if you want a certain size...they only had kids large left as we woke up late and arrived at 9:05). Sorry it is sideways.

IMG_20120625_130235.jpg

Goody Bag:
Avengers Poster
Club Magazine
Comic Book
July 2012 Calendar
$5 off $35 coupon
Sticker sheet from a set
Round club Sticker
Batman Jetski polybag #30160

IMG_20120625_101301.jpg

The kids were asked to build a lair for a superhero. There were about 20 kids with 5 girls this time. My daughter doesn't really mind the "boyish" theme. I do wish the t-shirt was a little more suitable for girls. My daughter really doesn't use any of them b/c they are very boyish.

[MarkV]

Poster? Bummer. No poster for us. It wasn't really a "goody bag" either, they just gave out stuff as we went. I guess I'd take 2 minifigs over a poster. There were Lego branded magazines, but thought they were always available at the store. Will pay attention next time.

Yea, you're right about the shirts. Luckily, I have a younger son and my daughter will be delighted to "pick it out" for him if she doesn't like the t-shirt next month. I think I read something about a Friends month - maybe it was just conjecture...

[atmail35]

Yes, our store gives out a yellow LEGO bag full of the stuff at the end of the meeting. I thought all stores did that! Anyway, yes we often have all the stuff (promo stuff at least) that is in the bag already. The coupon is nice and of course whatever bonus set or poly they include.

The Friends meeting is scheduled for August (I think the 25th), where they will have City mining one week before and Friends the following.

[Sinfanti]

Thanks atmail35 for the great info! I also have a 6 year old daughter, so it's been great to read about how much it's tailored to that age group and gender. I just hope the next time I'm back home in AZ coincides with our local store holding an event.