Pelikan has been facilitating the annual Hubs event since 2014. Friday, September 22nd marked the 8th annual gathering due to a hiatus in 2020 and 2021 brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The event has grown exponentially since its inception, now counting well over 6,000 participants annually and this year continued that trend. Similar to last year, Hubs were selected in roughly 220 cities spread across 47 countries. That accounts for about a quarter of the nations in the world today. Amongst the selected cities, the United States played host to 76 of them with my local city of Philadelphia once again being chosen. Unfortunately, this year’s registration was rather abbreviated, with Pelikan only providing a two week window for entry, leaving some fans on the sidelines. Every Hub needs a leader and I have had the privilege of helming my local hub for four stints as Hub Master, most recently in 2022. Given the challenges inherent to the role, I happily stepped aside and Frank Limper, now a three time Hub Master, once again took up the position. Our local Hub was in a new Philadelphia location this year, held in a private room on the second floor of Drinker’s Pub, located near Rittenhouse Square. The space accommodated our gathering nicely and allowed for food and drink which was very welcome after a hard day’s work. Read on for a look back at the night’s activities.

The second floor event space at Drinker’s Pub served as host to this year’s Philadelphia Hubs gathering. My dinner consisted of a cheeseburger and fries which were delicious (click on a photo to view the gallery)

A welcome change this year was the event’s return to its usual September position on the calendar. It was last held in November, the latest that it had ever been, making for a chilly time here in Philadelphia. At least in our hemisphere, the return to a more temperate clime was much appreciated. Being in a major city on a Friday night, traffic and parking was somewhat challenging but nothing unusual for the area. I was a little late for the event due to a spot of difficulty getting out of work. Most attendees were already assembled by the time I arrived. There were a lot of familiar faces present as well as a few new ones. Many great conversations were had, and it was fun to be able to share some deeper Pelikan knowledge. There were quite a few pens present as well, covering a large swath of brands and, despite the abundance of Pelikans, there was no shortage of variety. Expecting to see the usual suspects, I opted for a bit more unusual fare, bringing out “my pretties” amongst which I count my Raden, Maki-e, and Toledo models. The room never felt crowded with about 25 people in attendance, though a survey of unclaimed swag bags showed that a number of registered attendees did not make it to the event, a frequent issue given the distance between registration and the actual gathering.  Frank Limper did a great job as Hub Master. He is the proprietor of Federalist Pens and Paper which offers some unique advantages for our Hub. Edelstein ink as well as several Pelikan models were available for purchase and Frank personally provided several bottles of Edelstein for event goers to sample.  Gathering with others that share a passion for fine writing and all of its accoutrements is an opportunity that most of us are not routinely afforded. It’s always heartening to see people with such disparate backgrounds come together and share an evening of fellowship. While the Hub Masters/Mistresses do all of the leg work and certainly deserve the most effusive praise, Pelikan is also worthy of our appreciation, not only for facilitating the event’s registration but also for providing some nice swag.

Photos of the event taken by Hub Master Frank Limper, reposted with his kind permission (click on a photo to view the gallery)

Pelikan has always shown their generosity by supplying a variety of items over the years including notebooks, pen sleeves, and ink amongst other things. A bottle of Edelstein ink has been gifted so regularly that its absence last year was notable. Pelikan got back to form this year by providing each attendee with a fresh bottle of Edelstein Rose Quartz, a small notebook, and a postcard featuring Glauco Cambon’s 1909 advertising poster for Pelikan’s ink, the same poster that inspired an upcoming M600.  Each Hub was once again supplied a large flag for use as a banner, a tradition since 2017.  Along with the banner, a box of markers was provided so that attendees could sign the flag, leaving behind a small memento of the evening. Frank showed his usual generosity by supplementing the provided swag with a few door prizes of his own. Selected by raffle, Frank put up a couple of Endless Storyboard notebooks, some Galen Leather single pen sleeves, and a few bottles of Robert Oster Frankly Walnut ink, a Federalist Pens exclusive. I took my leave of the party around 8:30 PM but the festivities continued on for a while longer still.

The three pieces of swag that Pelikan provided each attendee for the 2023 Hub event plus one of the pens that I brought to share, an M1000 Raden Red Infinity (2023)

If I had to provide a critique of the event to Pelikan, it would be that registration this year seemed excessively short and overly complicated. I had the same criticism last year and do not feel this year’s process improved the situation in any way. With only two weeks to register, the two-step process necessary to secure one’s spot in a Hub seemed needlessly complicated. Despite efforts to get the word out, I know that a number of people still missed out. I would like to see a more simplified process in the future along with another week or two for hopefuls to get their name on the list. A system harkening back to 2019 would be welcome here. I also saw a large number of people that wanted to connect with their local Hub Master/Mistress ahead of the gathering but did not have any idea who that might be or how to contact them. I’m all for confidentiality and protecting people’s information but circumstances change, and some Hub Masters/Mistresses are more communicative than others. I think that providing attendees with some means of contacting their local Hub Master/Mistress from the get-go would improve the experience as well.

Finally, I continue to fear that the growing size of the event will result in its ultimate demise.  Finding proper event space was never easy, but in the post-COVID economy, it is getting increasingly difficult. Most venues want exorbitant fees which are putting Hub Masters/Mistresses in untenable positions. With no budget, these Hub leaders are being forced into charging a fee to attend. Personally, I feel that mandating a fee is against the spirit of inclusivity that this event is meant to foster. I have no qualms asking for a voluntary donation but also acknowledge that we need to be more understanding of those Hub Masters/Mistresses that have no choice other than to ask a small fee to cover expenses. The difficulty in finding a venue has turned me off to helming the event for the foreseeable future and I fear that it will only do the same for others. Of course, these concerns may not apply universally and different venues in other regions may have their own unique challenges of which I’m ignorant. I’m not sure that there is anything Pelikan can do to ameliorate the situation on their end. The only thing that I could suggest would be to not mandate that the location be near the city’s center as current guidelines stipulate. A bit of a broader geographical range would allow for additional venues to be considered. All of that aside, I guess that the biggest question is whether or not the new owners will continue with this event or not? I hope that they will as the Hubs have grown to become one of the premier pen events of the year. It is a community-based activity that puts Pelikan at the forefront of connecting with fans in a way that many other companies simply don’t.

	DATE	TIME	LOCATION	HUB MASTER
1	June 13, 2014	7:30 PM	Sabrina’s Cafe – Art Museum	Dr. Muhammad Tahseen
2	September 25, 2015	6:30 PM	Goat Hollow	Dr. Joshua Danley
3	September 16, 2016	6:30 PM	Cooperage Wine & Whiskey Bar	Dr. Joshua Danley
4	September 22, 2017	6:30 PM	Cooperage Wine & Whiskey Bar	Dr. Joshua Danley
5	September 21, 2018	6:30 PM	The Victoria Freehouse	Frank Limper
6	September 20, 2019	6:30 PM	The Victoria Freehouse	Frank Limper
7	November 18, 2022	6:30 PM	Pub & Kitchen	Dr. Joshua Danley
8	September 22, 2023	6:30 PM	Drinker’s Pub	Frank Limper

I have attended all eight hub events in Philadelphia and will eagerly await news of next year’s gathering.  Until then, there will be a number of pen shows across the globe that will provide the next best opportunity for fellowship amongst our community. I would encourage anyone with feedback for Pelikan to please submit it (hubs@pelikan.com). I know that they take such info into consideration when planning future events and it’s the only way we might see positive change. If you would like to check out the activities of some of the Hubs around the world, take a look at your preferred social media and the hashtags #PelikanHubs2023 and #Pelikanhubs. Until next year…