Actually, I was trying to be as far from negative as possible. I was simply saying that no one should ever feel forced into doing something just to pick up the slack. I encourage people to volunteer for things that they want to, but wouldn't want someone to ruin their own Dragon experience because they feel an obligation to entertain everyone.

As far as the Panoramic picture thread, which I would be happy to discuss with you further in a PM if you feel its necesssary, I commented before any planning had started that perhaps it was too late to start the coordinating.. as I honestly thought it was. The second that you picked up the slack at started planning, I commended you for your work on many occasions. I'm sure you will see this if you reread the thread.

I discuss things on the side of logic - not emotion. No one should ever feel forced to contribute. Those that want to, 100% should.

Last year I did many events. This year, for a change of pace, I did none. As far as next year... Michigan MINI is currently discussing the potential of hosting an event of their own and I will happily help out.

 

A man in our group could not attend at the last minute, so he gave his welcome ticket to a lady who was able to come. However, when she arrived at the dinner, she got the total run around and no one ever found the guy's reservation, so she didn't get to come in and sit with the rest of the group. Her Mom had already purchased a ticket, so she was left out on the porch with her nose pressed up against the window. One of us finally pleaded with the people at the front door to please let her come in if she'd PROMISE not to get a hamburger, and they finally conceded. To me, that's a shame. Why they couldn't find our friend's reservation is beyond me, but they kept shuffling her from one area to another. She ended up talking to 3-4 different tables of people....none of whom helped her. That just proves to me that we'd all better have copies of our receipts, reservations in hand when we show up next year, just to be safe. Other than that one hitch, we all had a total blast!

 

I would like to correct some numbers.

611 people registered and did not just show up.
627 people registered and at least 25-35 walk-ins

240 people registered for the welcome dinner, and did not have to fend for themselves.
285 people came at the Welcome dinner - bonus everyone got a free T-shirt Children under 12 ate free and money was reimbursed on the spot

253 people registered for the Chili cook-off, and did not have to find something else to do that night.
~200 others who prefered beer went to the Brew-Swap
Brew Swap location was provided for free as agreement w/ Fontana for catering the dinners-

134 people registered to watch a movie
70 people went to Dillsboro
Alot went on the Smoky Mountain Scenic Drive
53 made music
261 registered to eat and say goodbye to friends until next year at the Farewell dinner.
290 people attended the Farewell Dinner and the Ice Cream Social


I did volunteer for MOTD and I had fun in doing so. I met a lot of people and I worked really hard to ensure enough food and a safe place. I ended up in missing some driving.
It's true our club made a little money but not as much as people might think as there were a lot of expenses. We lost one full box of swags, gasoline prices went up and delivery costs jumped too, credit card fees are high, just to name a few items. Coordinating a long distance event is not easy (I spent a lot of money in calls, faxes etc.) plus Fontana is in the middle of nowhere.
If you ate at the restaurant on your own you saw the prices... it was not easy to get a good price for meal, drinks and dessert.

Please note that w/ the exception of one vendor who gave us a small check, no other money was "donated" - We (DCMM) have not decided to which charity we will donate the extra money as so far we are still paying bills and need to see our profits. MINI USA has donate nothing to DCMM; one of the local dealerships in VA had T-shirts made .. we gave them away . Personally ended up with none

None of our club officers is paid and ALL the DCMM members who attended MOTD PAID for their registrations and dinners, None of us won any of the prizes donated by the vendors with the exception of one person who won a Driving School Day. I never looked at my numbers and I got a ball cap for the 3rd place at the Autocross , nothing more !!

Finally, since May 2005, the Sunday following MOTD#3, we were begging to any club to help with the organization and with the dinners. No one volunteered.

Sorry if you did not like things at MOTD this year, but this was the best we at DCMM could do. Now, let's work together to improve MOTD 07 and enjoy our MINIs ...

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to take my Little One for her daily motoring exercise

MD STREGA2
Aka Marina Martin
aka DC METRO MINIS Treasurer

 

Marina, we all think you and DCMM did a fantastic job. I wish my dealer would get involved and I will plead with them the next time I'm there.

As for suggestions, I'd personally like for Fontana to have a water/soda/snack vender out where the other venders are. Also, I'd love for Tailof the dragon.com to have a booth set up with stickers, tee shirts, caps, etc. Dragon jewelry would have gone over great there, too. AND someone could make some money providing back, neck, and shoulder massages!!! I'd have loved that as would several of my friends. There were other suggestions made at the farewell dinner at my table, but none come to mind right now. Can't wait till 2007 MOTD!!

 

That would have been fantastic, by the end of the weekend (both due to stress and me forgetting to bring my own pillow) I had a nasty kink in my neck and was on muscle relaxers for about 4 days after coming back.

 

For everyone's info, I like to eat, dinner the night before the farewell dinner at the Lodge was $40 with tip for my lonesome self. The waiter was great and got a good tip, and the food was excellent. Like I said before, over the next 12 months save your pennies and plan to come to the next one. Or not if you prefer.

I volunteer a lot of time and stress to chair a board that oversees a Christian Child Care Center. From personal experience I noticed that I am much more offended regarding the things I volunteered my time for versus those I get a paycheck for. Again, Kudos to those who volunteered their time before and during the entire weekend.

 

Thanks Marina,

I was just quoting numbers from the NAM Event planner.

Steve

 

These are great suggestions!!!

 

I love the massage suggestion. I'm sure a company from Knoxville would love to set up a booth! My neice is a masseuse. She mainly works in hospitals though. I can see if something like this might be feasible.

 

Ok, I give up, I can't find the knife posts, besides Sarcux's posts. I was not there when it happened, but I was with Sarcux all week, and did hear about it.

My feeling, for what it is worth. Be happy that this fine NAM member does not press charges.

Also, while I'm at it, clubs should HOST the event, not think they own it.

I personally had a run in with a HOSTING club member while trying to set up the OT Jam. He told me with no uncertain terms we could not set up in the room we had been given clearance to set up in. The staff knew, but he said no.

Being the polite Canuck, I explained that we should be okay to set up. Well buddy said he would go find out.

Well in my work you come right back with an answer. None came back, so I proceded to get things set up.

Ends up we moved the Jam outside and all went well.


Now can I rant? I will, cause I can

How dare a MINI club lock MINI owners out of the restroom

How dare anyone pull a knife on anyone and think that is ok

How dare a registired event be challanged by some one who did not say who they were, or bother to come back and say we were good to go. Not that I let that bother me much, I just did what I saw fit.

Next year I plan on being involved again, and look forward to things being, well, more friendly

Mark

 

Lot, your post has some valid concerns, but also some things I feel need... clarification & correction:I still don't get why people keep saying "think they own it". DCMM has never said we own anything, we're just trying to facilitate. If another club wants to offer to handle a registration and overall event scheduling/calendar process (including program/welcome guides, etc.), then let's hear it! Until then, we're not OWNING it, we're just stepping up to the plate and DOING it. So please, everyone cut it out with the "owning" crap.Clearance from who? Lot, did you realize that right up until the event, the OT Jam was always publicized as being on the porch/front steps of the adventure center (see Clover's post - it says "on the covered porch"). At some point late in the game, the idea arose from someone to bring it inside. Whose idea that was, I don't know... but the main reason this was not possible is that the ice cream social & prize drawings were already scheduled to be inside. Seems like a fair situation to me. Did the prize drawings take far too long? Yes. That is a learning experience. But please - keep in mind that the pre-planned location for the Jam was always outside. I have no idea who said it was "OK" to bring the jam inside, but I suspect it was someone who did not realize that it was a separate event, and that the stage inside was already set aside for the prize drawings.So the Jam ended up where it had already planned to be from the beginning and it went well? Perfect!

 

In the spirit of the thread I'm going to post another suggestion.

I can't imagine 600+ people arriving for an event where there is no backbone of organization. Yes multiple clubs should run multiple events and it should'e become the "So & So Club presents MOTD". And let's face it, no club wants that.

So, why don't the active clubs who have members coming to MOTD put together an MOTD Council. You could have 1 or 2 members from DCMM, ATL, GSM, TarHeel, MidSouth, Bluegrass, SSM & so on. These reps can get together online or in person and go over what they AND their members want to see happen. Over the course of time of reps going back and forth b/w the council and their clubs you would see the clubs stepping up to fill events. Brew Swap = GSM, Chili Cook Off, ATL, and so on and so on.

This would provide the basic structure necessary to have an event like this pulled off AND would bring more club involvement in and keep this a nationally planned gathering.

Can I get an Amen? *Hell No's are ok too.

 

That'd be so neat! I also feel that the venue for the farewell dinner was much too small. If we grow by one or two more people, we're gonna be too big for that room. What if we get as big as the national Gold Wing Road Riders Assoc where upwards of 14,000 show up for "Wing Dings"???!!!!! Lord! You think Fontana will eventually add a big hall for us to "play" in? A lot of other clubs would end up using it, too, so it wouldn't be just for MINI's. I especially liked the drive-in showing of "The Italian Job". That screen was to die for and getting to stand around and visit and say goodbye afterwards was so nice. It was the perfect ending to a perfect weekend.

 

snooter, sndwave and I, under the auspices of MKO, co-organized the MOTD-2005 Welcome Dinner. He is no slouch. Plus, he was a judge for the Inaugural Chili Cook-Off, and co-produced the Off Topic Band Dragon Jam.

Also, the following events are pencilled in for 2007:

• 3rd Annual Cigar Sampling Salon (MINIclo & welshmenwillnotyield, MKO)
• Ladies on the Dragon: Run & Luncheon fundraiser for the cure for breast cancer (MINIclo, MINItencan & LouiefromStLou, MKO)
• 2nd Annual Off Topic Band Dragon Jam (MKO + associates)
• First Annual "Bring Your Own Rubber" MINI Burn-Outs (sndwave & MKO....that is not necessarily the final official name of the event!)
• Midnight on the Dragon IV (koolmini, YuccaPatrol, MKO)

 

Edge, because of the iffy weather, I met with Marina (LaStrega) and Tony (Fontana's Events Planner) just before the Thursday 11 AM organizing meeting in the Dam Room, to discuss bringing the Dragon Jam inside. I did get clearance.

When Louispup brought his drumkit to set up, he, Lot and another Jam person were met by a member of DCMM who threatened them with calling "Security." They told him to please go call "Security." Said member returned, said it seemed that it HAD been okayed for the Jam to set up inside the Dam Room, and the setting up of ONE drum kit continued.

When the Social began, and the weather outside was so pleasant, we decided to move it back outside. So, out went the drumkit! Good thing! LOL! It would have been a mess to be making music while the awards and raffles were going on!

The point is that the communications could have been better.

 

YEAH!! GREAT idea. I never could find that Tail of the Dragon Shop anyway!! LOL I really missed out on the stickers and shirts and stuff.
Massages are a MUST. I can't believe how much I hurt when I got home.

 

Mark here is the posts and I am sorry that anyone who comes to these events would ever be assaulted by another.


Post 226


Post 230

 

I also love the massage suggestion but please keep in mind that some/most states have different requirements, certifications & licensing requirements for therapists to practice legally. I would suggest using a NC based group, possibly a massage school as they would have students that needed the practice and would be cheaper.... a massage school would also have the excess equipment needed for setting up such a booth

 

My arms and shoulders were tight and sore for a week after MOTD! It's from the intense concentration required on those fun, twisty roads (and clutching the steering wheel)! I think a massage station would be awesome! I'd give them my business!

 

Hmm - it seems that logistics weren't thought through well when you were given the all clear. This was the first year for everyone on the DCMM MOTD committee doing this, after all.

My main concern in the reply to Lot is that his rant seemed to imply (to me) that the Jam scheduling started inside the hall, and that simply was not the case, hence my correction/clarification.Absolutely!

 

sndwave, did an assault actually take place? Or was it the feeling of being threatened with the display of a knife? I don't know the answer... but I suspect you don't either (I wasn't there, were you?) ... so it doesn't seem wise to suggest an actual assault did take place unless it is a known fact that is what happened.

 

Hey, Edgie..relax! We had NO idea who would actually show up for the Jam that evening because many who had registered, were also registered for the Drive-In, which was re-scheduled due to rain on Friday night. A Jam is, by nature, very loosely structured. Our goal was to have fun making music and to raise some money for Tipitina's Foundation. I will personally deliver a cashier's check for $300 to Tipitina's when I am in New Orleans next week. For me, that is a successful first Jam.

 

Edge, I knew we were allowed to be inside, that was a change from what was planned, but we were worried about the weather.

As it turned out the weather was fine, and trying to go along with the inside events was not going to work out.

As to facilitate over host, well my fellow MINI owner, I do both in what I do for a living. I run stage production, have spent years touring, and run crews all the time.

If a member of my crew were to ever, say something bad, or run off at the mouth to anyone I was hosting, they would be gone. Yes you can fire volanteers.

Now we get into it, I joined up to go to the Dragon, got my stuff, had a good time. Mostly on our own, by meeting NAM friends.

Now someone, anyone, explain to me why I was treated like some low life, by a HOST member, while trying to set up the only charity event.

I don't get upset much, but that REALLY did:impatient

Mark

 

..if DCMM - meaning moi- is organizing a Dinner for MOTD 07..can I take the massage person back to my room for the evening??? Pencil me in whatever book you keep :-)

MD STREGA2

 

Better not Marina, People may try to kill you for it....