Thread by @omonomono

Nerd flower stands are a mistake, a thread.
(this is coming from someone who has done a bunch of them)

In Asia, it's common to celebrate community events like weddings via the time-honored ritual of a flower display. I saw companies make giant-ass, 4'x3' stands for their employees' wedding in Indonesia last year. A new store opening in Taipei or Tokyo would have stands lined up.

But this is really just a form of peacocking. For anime events like a concert of your favorite performers, fans pool it together to make it happen and that's usually fine...if your concert is in Japan.

If you do it in New York or Boston, it's just weird.

Look, we all get it that it is a good-will gesture. There isn't anything wrong with it per se. But since it's not a custom to send flower stands to American shows, the event organizer now has to deal with, essentially, signs/obstruction showing up at the venue.

First they need to know it's "culture." Then they need to assign resources--usually pay some union guy at the venue--to take care of it. They may get charged extra. It's additional logistics to take care the receiving and disposal of the stands.

It's a few hundred bucks to send a stand and maybe a few hundred bucks for the event organizer to deal with it. For what purpose? It's cheaper and less hassle for everyone involved if you just gave normal gifts or wrote a letter. The artist can even take it home if it's small.

There are times when it's okay to send flower stands in America... But unless you got an insider who is willing to go through the effort to coordinate, it is asking a lot for a vain project. So don't get sad or mad if an event declines to deal with stands.

When it comes to fans giving gifts it's always the thought that counts the most. Write a letter! Do a group message card/shikishi. Spend that flower money on nice stationary. Better yet, save up for a trip to Japan. Or send flowers to Japan, because you can and it's (kinda) easy.