I know that this sort of topic went awry on the MOTD 2008 thread but I want to know what everyone thought of the event. Every aspect of it. I want next year's event to be EPIC! This was the first event I ever tried to help organize so please, be gentle! I know what most of the main complaints were so I'll start with them.

1: The schedule of events wasn't as clear as it should have been. This one was all my fault. I was working on so many other aspects of the event that I totally neglected this one. It was totally my fault and I will take my lashes like a man. I would love to hear some suggestions.


2: The drawings should have been done much earlier. I agree. I had no idea that the Roadkill Roundup was going to be as popular as it was. In retrospect, we should have stopped that event for a few minutes to do the drawings and then continued it or something. Suggestions?


3: Speaking of the Roadkill Roundup, what did you all think of it? Our club President heard about it being done with motorcycles and suggested it. I thought it would be great fun and, from my perspective at the sales/registration table, it appeared that everyone enjoyed it and had fun. Did you? Would you like to see this at future events?


4: The lack of vendors. I tried to get vendors to come to the event but many of them had committed to the MTTS Chicago event way before I invited them to attend our event. Some of the vendors also cater to other car groups as well so, scheduling can be a real work of art. I will invite them all MUCH earlier for the event next year and pray that they can make it.


5: The bands. Did you all enjoy the bands? Thoughts? Comments?


Again, please be constructive in your criticism. As I said, I want next year's event to be the best event it can possibly be. I need to know what my fellow Miniacs think though! Discuss!

 

First, thanks to you and everyone else who worked so hard to make the event happen. Even though the turnout wasn't as great as anyone would have hoped, still it was a fun event!

Comments:

1) Easily fixed. Perhaps hand out a printed schedule at registration?

2) Since we had to be present to win and some folks had a long way to drive after the drawings, it might be more considerate to hold the drawings immediately after the parade and before the other afternoon events.

3) Incredibly fun event to watch. If I had a passenger I would gladly have entered. It looked like the retrieval device was not well suited for its assigned task. Perhaps adding velcro would make it easier next time?

4) No problem as far as I'm concerned. It's always nice to meet vendors and check out their goodies in person, but the world didn't end because they weren't there.

5) Great music! Too loud sometimes, but great!

Again, thanks for all your efforts. You guys rock!

 

P.S. I LOVED some of the local folks at the event!




Don't know if he was thinking about eating the wiener, or blowing it!

 

the guy with the hat, my friend and i ran into him at the bar by the grounds. he had a quick switch of funny hats and was a trip to watch play pool. he specifically waved at my car when we were driving too. good times.

as for the event, loved it. true about the lack of vendors, would have loved to pick up some goodies while i was there. all in all, good times, will come back next year for sure.

 

-Excellent event
-Post information about it in advance in the local media, newspapers, TV, etc., especially the auto section of the paper.
-Definitely do the drawings prior to other events after the parade.
-The road kill appeared to be dead before it started, however, my wife and I and one other volunteered. ONce they saw us make a terrible attempt at it and the follow up mini do well, they started lining up like crazy! You gotta do that again for sure!
-Post the exact correct info. for the next years event on all mini sites that are out there.
-Send info. to every mini dealer in the country.
-Try to get miniusa involved too so they can spread the word and perhaps post on the national site!
-The tail of the dragon combo could be run, however, the Va. Bch. sportsplex was the perfect size and has the ideal pavement to host the thing from what I saw of the first event. Was there a problem getting the sportsplex? Maybe we can get the B52's to come and play music from their "Funplex" album!?
-The shirts that were originally printed on a dark color (camouflage and black) show the art work better.
-Can we get the seals to come out and strut some of their stuff? I think they might enjoy riding with us and showing us some of the incredible physical feats they are capable of. I see them every morning when I go surfing at first street and they are truly amazing athletes.
-If the Navy seals are to benefit from the event, it makes sense to hold the thing closer to where they are located here in Hampton Roads so the spouses and those benefiting from the proceeds can come out and watch. This would be more appropriate from the beneficiary perspective.
-It appeared to take a while between cars at the road kill to set up. Ask for volunteers to help speed up the thing. One guy can do the bull horn, one can pick up the road kill and line it back up, one can take care of retrieving the net and passing it on to the next person, etc.
-The music was pretty dated. Can we get someone more contemporary? Perhaps a mix of old and new. A lot of it was old, even for me, and I'm an older guy! Something a bit more edgy!
-Send emails to all of the vendors well in advance so they can prepare to get involved and not have conflicts with other events they will be doing.
-The Car Show seemed ambiguous. Did they get trophies or something? How did that all work out? They were just sort of parked out of the way and hangin out but I never read of any categories for judging or requests for someone to judge them. What was the criteria for judging the cars? Would you like help with that next time around?
-Put physical fliers up around next time to promote the thing.

Hope this helps. I really appreciate all you have done to make it good. I think next year will be the real deal and we will break our own record and then some if we do this in advance soon enough and stick to the date and place. Thanks for all you did to give us a great time!

 

I agree i think that it was a really fun event again but,

I did enjoy it more at the sportsplex it seemed like there was more room for everyone to park. And the road we drove on was much funner with the curves and stuff that we took.

I think the roadkill road up was fun and you should do it again next year.

And make sure that you get the date right before you post it i think that was a big thing.

But over all it was a really good time and we will be back for sure =) We met some great people and really enjoyed our time down there.
THANKS Becky
Indiana Mini

 

I've been honest with you folks all along so I'm not going to stop now. The Sportsplex charged us an unbelievable amount of money last year just to use the parking lot. We couldn't even use the restrooms there for Pete's sake! We also had to pay the police officers who helped with traffic control. Those expenses meant significantly less money for the charity. That is part of the reason that Rockahock was chosen for this year's event.

My personal opinion is that we should hold it on free (as in $$) land that has enough room for the requisite 2+ mile parade route so that we eliminate those expenses. I'm going to check into using Fleet Rec Park outside of Naval Base Norfolk for next year's event but the required 2+ mile parade route might mean that we have to pay police officers to block the route. Trust me, I'm working every angle for next year's event! I am one determined bastage when it comes to charity.

I fully intend to keep the Roadkill Roundup a part of every future GWR event too. The C7M board will be meeting this coming weekend to set the date IN STONE for next year's event.

I'm not sure about having bands in the future, that is one of the topics that we will be discussing this weekend. To me, they seemed like too big of an expense. They sounded great and all but...

 

Ditch the bands and talk to the Tidewater Sports Car Club about using the Autocross area to stage the event. What a win win for the Navy and the Minis! It is also close to the area where the seals are and train. The ACU area could accommodate all the minis and you could even set up a limited AutoX event (high Dollar donation and limit it to 50 or so cars). The ACU enlisted guys could also benefit from the barbecue that they could do to further enhance their coffers!

I am amazed they ripped you off for using the sportsplex. Ditch that for sure! Obviously the city of Va. Bch. does not want the international promotion! Give it the ACU/Norfolk! ACU for those that don't know is in Norfolk at the Little Creek Naval Base, home of our Seals! Duh? What's to decide~?

 

Believe me Ed, we've considered having it on Little Creek Amphib base. The problem with having the event there is getting everyone on an access list to enter the base itself. We would also need the DoD PD's help in traffic control for the parade on the base. If we did anything on ACU-4 FOD would be a HUGE concern. The list goes on and on. I am going to investigate it anyway but those are just a few of the problems with having it on a military base.

 

I feel I wasted most of Saturday sitting at the hot campgound doing very little. I had to kennel my dog, get a room, 2 tanks of gas, took off 2 days from work...it cost me quite a lot to attend this event with very little reward.

To arrive at the campground Saturday morning expecting to be greeted, register, etc, and the people setting up the tent are saying "we have no clue what we're doing" was not a good sign.

To drive 6-7 hours each way for what was promoted as a huge event, and which, in my opinion, was extremely well organized and most enjoyable last year, was just not acceptable.

I realize you cannot control the number of cars that show up.

The vinyl guys were great. The bands were great. The weinermobile was great. Randy in his kilt is always great.

To only have one food vendor selling fried food was not good.

In the future, it would be a good thing to have an itinerary and stick to it. Also, list helpful notes for us travelers. such as if we need to bring our own healthy foods and water, events for the day, how much raffles, t's, etc. will cost.
Mabe you're thinking too big. Maybe a smaller event like last year's would be better. Were the bands cheaper than the Irish Pub setting? You could begin the rally at the campground and end at the Pub again?

I want to say I appreciate what was done. I had a lot of fun in some areas.

What about volunteer fire police to block intersections? We had a run with our club last year through the mountains. A local police dept. volunteered. They thought it was so cool to have 70 MINIs drive through their town.
Maybe the organizers should each have a list of individual assignments, then bring it all together near the beginning of the event.

I've organized fundraisers, and while it's alot of work, it was pleasurable work, and we got it done.

 

One Link, One Website.....I had searched through countless threads, deadend websites, non working links, and still couldn't find out the basic information. Who, What, When, Where. I just gave up since I had to do so much research just to find out what you're original thread was all about.

Maybe next time though?

 

I'm sorry that you didn't have a great time for all of the effort you put forth to attend Mini Zilla. I won't try to make excuses, I dropped the ball on setting up parts of the event and several other club members came to my rescue. I was the one who said that "we have no clue what we're doing". It was meant as a joke because this was the first event that I participated in organizing and obtaining sponsorship for. I will give a valid excuse for that line. On the way to the event my car threw a check engine light and scared the bejeebers out of me. I'm not easily rattled but, my beloved Tug throwing a check engine light freaked me out. A LOT.

I honestly expected a much larger turnout than what we actually had. The vibe I felt from this board and a bunch of others indicated a big turnout to me and I'm an optimist so...

I've added your suggestions to my list for next year's event. You have my word that if I'm involved in the planning of next year's event, it will be a LOT better than this one. I hope that you will return for that one as well. Thanks for the feedback!

Jeff

 

Hi mini_muddeatr,

I worried about people having to search for information so I posted everything here first and then the pertinent links and facts on other clubs' websites. Would you mind sending me a PM with the links to dead end websites? I will make sure that I'm more succinct in the main post for next year's event if I participate in the planning and promotion of it.

 

warped,

I'll echo at least some of mini_muddeatr's comments. I had a very difficult time finding the information about the event and I think the date changed at least once since I was initially aware of the event. Even the info at the Se7en Cities Mini web site was difficult to find/follow. I'd suggest either setting up a sub-directory on the site just dedicated to the event or spring for the event's own domain and web site (or get someone to donate).

Not sure why it was occurring, but it seemed like pretty late in the game I was continuing to see posts from people skeptical or uncertain as to whether the event was actually going to be held. If some of the info issues noted above could be addressed, that might help. Not sure what else could be done.

hth!

 

Well I wasn't there this year, so I can't give you any criticism on how it went. However, if you had a problem with the bands let me know. I used to work in the music industry and have a lot of local contacts for bands and booking agencies. I can definitely get you some great bands at very reasonable prices.

Also, you should really think of creating a web site for the event for next year (I can help with that if you'd like as well).

 

I didn't attend last years GWR because I had no clue what NAM was, ie. i didn't have my MINI. I brought my mom to this years GWR with me as a mother-daughter thing. It was really hot out, and true, i too was expecting it to be a somewhat bigger turnout - however, we both still had a good time.
I really had no idea what to expect there, so i wasn't really comparing it to last years as some others were. The food situation could have been a little better though.
I think having the chinese raffles was pretty cool (especially since i won one of them!) And the certificate to TireRack was a good idea, as long as whoever broke even at least. Although, as mentioned, raffles should probably be drawn shortly after the parade so those who have to head home can do so.
I was a little bummed that the GWR tshirt didn't have not one MINI/Mini on it. It's the GWR for most MINI's in a convoy, it woulda been cool to put a MINI on the tshirt.
Roadkill roundup looked like it was a lot of fun. A few of the "rules" were bent a bit and somewhat unfair to others (i didn't take part in the roundup) - but, it's just a game and everyone looked like they enjoyed it.
I also thought it was really cool that we acknowledged those that drove the farthest to get there. If i drove 6,7,8,12 hrs to get there, i'd want to be recognized!
Getting a discount for the hotel rate was a plus. I didn't want to have to spend a ton for just the room excluding other expenses. While the Ramada wasn't fantastic, it was {somewhat} decent for a cheaper price.


I will most definitely be attending next year's GWR and will have it on my calendar as soon as the date/location is announced! I'd also be willing to help with next years advertising, etc. I enjoy setting up things like this but haven't helped with many in the MINI-world yet.

 

Hello everyone! My girlfriend and I attended the rally at the start of our vacation and also have a few thoughts and suggestions about the GWR. This was only our second rally and the way it was advertised we did think it was going to bigger than it was.

We drove all the way from Niagara Falls, NY and we didn't expect it to be Hotter than two cats havin sex in a wool sock! lol It would have been nice to have more shade by the cars, and more vendors selling beverages, food etc.

Positives:
The parade through the campground was cool because everyone came out of their campers and tents to wave, yell and scream with their beers!
Everyone we met was really nice and friendly and they sure do love their minis!
Of course the Mini Weiner-Mobile!
All the procedes went to charity!
You guys have a lot of cool Dragon Flies
The guy in the kilt with his matching Mini!

Negatives:
I think that you should schedule the events around people who drive 4-5 hours to the rally.
We got there at 10am and all the events were unorganized. We got the tickets to the chinese raffle and there were'nt any baskets to put them in. I think that the events should have been before the parade throughout the day. The way the cars were parked didn't help, they were too close for people to get out and participate in anything before the rally.
After the parade do the chinese raffle winners and hand out the tropheys.
I think maybe next year put the chinese raffles, tents and t-shirt sales near the bands and vendors.

All in all we had fun. Thank you to everyone who ran it and put the time and effort to organize this event. Everyone was super nice!

 

I want to clear something up here. I was misinformed about the Sportsplex. We were NOT charged for using that property as I had previously heard. I had my facts mixed up. Sorry for any confusion.

 

I'm sorry I missed the event. I had all intentions of coming but as usual, life got in the way.

Though I wasn't there, I understand totally what you went through. Many years ago, I organized "JETFEST". I did it for about 4 years and each year we had a great turnout.... however, each year was a learning experience of what to do (or not do) for next year.

Judging from what I've read, it sounds to me like you did the same thing I did the first year or two. Though I had help, I tried to do everything myself to ensure it would get done the way I wanted it done.

You may have already done this but one thing that really helped me is to get devoted volunteers and assign them specific tasks. It's extremely time consuming to cover all the bases but trust me, as it grows (and it will) you will need more help.

Hope to attend next year, still sounds like everyone had a good time.

Mark

 

Jeff,

It's been awhile since I've been on NAM as you can tell. I thought I'd post my comments here, since it is such a larger audience compared to the smaller MINI websites.

1. As they say in the Real Estate Buiseness, it's all about "LOCATION". While the Rockahock Campground was remote enough to drive 500 MINIs out into the country lanes, the signage showing the way, even for a local like myself without GPS,was minimal at least.

2. The ride around the campground, as I understand it, was a last minute decision due to the small turnout, didn't work so well. Allthough the folks who came out to wave were pretty wild and crazy, I would have enjoyed a bit of a ride around the country roads more.

3. GWR, goes without saying. Were out to make or break a record. Nothing against the NAVY, but maybe think about the other services, this area is made up with all of them. Without putting politcs into it, maybe even consider another group in need, CHKD comes to mind.

4. I know first hand how hard you worked on this event. Get all the volunteer help you can now. As others have said before, when you spread the workload out amongst people who have the time, resources, and most importantly, the passion to get it done. It will be done, and alot better each time.

5. I also agree with those who mentioned some shade. Boiling ones head for hours on end just isn't a good thing. Having something to do while waiting for the masses of MINIs to arrive is also important to keeping boredom to a minimum.

Since I'm a local, I'm certain I'll be hearing from you personally soon enough.I hope that this thread will recieve more suggestions as time goes on. All the help you can get will clearly make for a much more succesfull event.

John