Personally, I think that it is the fact that there is no concern this year of getting shut out. If there was a limit on the number of tickets for the opening and closing dinners like prior years you would probably see registrations earlier. With not concerns of being shut out, people may be waiting till the last minute.

 

Early on I thought that, but even after selling out the dinners in the first 4 days last year, registrations continued to pour in.

 

My wife and I are registered (along with our Mini), but decided that with costs we would not attend any of the dinners or events- went to a bunch of stuff last year and felt this year we would play it a little more laid back.

 

We are registered for Welcome dinner, Brew Swap & Farewell Dinner. We didn't go to the other dinners we had signed up for last year because we had gone on runs & got back late. So the money was lost to us. We barely made it back to the Brew Swap. We have cut back this year. Yes, the cost is becoming a little prohibitive, the price of rooms has gone up considerably & if you sign up for tooooo much, it becomes a hassle coordinating everything. I also know quite a few who are not registering

Lois & Mark

 

There will always be a MINIs on the Dragon.

The first year, we had no events, no vendors, no dinners, no prizes and no schedule, except for the days of the event.

We had around 60 cars, it was a lot of comradere, lots of driving and lots of meeting in local restaurants.

IMHO, the event has become more and more about the vendors. Instead of an event for the MINI owners, it has become an event for commerce. I am sure the vendor tent is expensive, however if the venders want an expensive shelter, let them load one in with their gear.

For me, when the MINI owners can not park at the lodge, that killed a lot of my reason for going. The loop used to be the area from which to see all of the cars go by, and connect with friends from earlier years.

Any one can get a hotel room with or without an organizer, and all of the driving is on public roads. There is a limit on the amount attendees will pay to register, and that amount is determined by the person attending.

I know people whe camped out, or slept in their car in order to be able to afford the trip last year. This year it is much more expensive just to get there. More event for more money does not matter if you don't have the disposable income.

There will always be a Dragon, in one form or another.

 

As the President of a MINI club, putting on an event for MINI owners, and not making any money on the event, I have to disagree.

 

In my case, the availability of vendor representatives to answer questions and offer products/installations at reduced prices is actually an incentive to go back this year.
It's also nice to be able to examine some of the parts available (instead of just ordering from an online pic).

 

I know for me that this is my only vacation for the year and I wouldn't miss it for the world. ( 1750 miles roundtrip last year)
This year I am organizing the car show with 7 other MINI owners. we set a goal of 50 cars and so far only have 22 entries. Our cost for prizes alone comes to over $750 so we have made a major investment to provide a quality activity for people ( NAM helped ) Please consider this and register for MOTD even if it is only the basic registration.

 

Uhh, I was talking about MINIs on the Dragon. From no vendors, to what we had last year, that IS more commercial.

 

I have attended MOTD for two years on the row. First year '05 was very exciting and i had fun. The 2nd yr it was fun too, although I worked my a** off, but I met a lot of people.

The reason we did not go last year and don't see ourselves going in the future is that after the thrill of one or two times the event per se has lost the initial interests. It is way to expensive for two people and two cars to attend.
This year, the tend situation seemed confusing .. The nice thing was to be able to park at the rec Center (wash the MINIs @ 5 am) .. if this area is now reserved for vendors and events then I agree w/ Jim Ray , it becomes more a commercial venue than a MINI avventure.

I love the MINI - not doubt about it if you see my signature - but I like to have fun with the car, so driving , racing etc. is where I prefer to spend my money. The MOTD area is beautiful and has many very nice roads but it's more fun going "off season" . Gas, lodging , and other incidentals costs make a bit harder to decide which event.. plus for some veterans like us, it's nice to spend money on new things..

We have attended MINI UNITED for two years (05 and 07) and both times had a blast even if we were w/o our MINIs. Yes, much more expensive but I got to drive in a Formula 1 and 3 track, go for rides with professional drivers (including a champion), race with go karts, and drink silly with Russians, Germans, Italians and Brits.
Based on our interests, budgets and time off we are skipping MOTD and other US events and wait for MU.

For the ones atttending MOTD: have fun and be safe.

 

This will be the first MOTD that I miss. I was there when we only had 50 or so cars and I was there last year even if I didn't have a MINI. I had planned to go this year but have decided to not attend instead. For me it was a work issue but also cost. 4 nights of lodging, dinners (not to mention eating breakfast and lunch), events, gas etc added up to a significant amount and needless to say this year ain't the year for spending.

 

So just how many registrations are needed to keep everything going as planned?

Rick and I are both registered as drivers and Izzy is staying at grandma's so no doggy registration there.

 

I wasn't in on MOTD #1-#3, but as someone who has voluenteered a substantial amount of my time for MOTD 2006 and 2008, I think that's the weakest thing I've ever heard. It's on the borderline of being offensive to me. I'm doing my best to give a generous interpretation to this post, but I'll admit that I'm having a hard time of it. I give my time before the event for planning, documentation and organization of events. Once I'm there, I pre-drive the routes (time I could spend socializing or at other events) and lead the drives themselves. I don't make a dime and there is no cost AT ALL for any of the drives that I have lead or will lead. I cover any costs for materials or printing out of my own pocket, for the betterment of the community. I do ask that all participants pay the meager cost of providing for the expenses of the folks who have to pay for Fontana facilities, materials, prizes and all the other stuff that helps to make the event fun for a broader audience and deal with the size and scale of the event.

There are LOTS of parking places in the area and plenty of places to congregate... I found myself frequently meeting folks and watching the goings-on of the mechanics in the vendor area. The vendors are more than cash extractors... they are an event in and of themselves. They are, of course, running a business and need to make a profit, but I've had work done at MOTD that I wouldn't have had done otherwise because I didn't know of any local mechanics who were familiar with my MINI. I've also seen vendors bend over backwards to get an injured car back on the road instead of leaving the owner stranded in the middle of nowhere with a long tow in front of them. The vendors put a lot of their support into the event and I hope that they make a profit from their participation. I believe that the vendors pay fees for whatever accomodiations the planning committee assembles for them.

The tent Mark has described, above, is for a new central location for social events, dinners and general gatherings... what MOTD is all about for me (besides the driving).

I believe that the poster's real problem is that MOTD has grown. When this was just a loose group of people getting together at a hotel on the same day to hang out and drive some good roads, I'm sure that it was a drastically different event than it is today. Participants could bring in a case of beer, a tent, some chairs or a few bags of chips as their contribution to the group. As events grow, the way to contribute to those events has to change with the number of participants and the scale of the event. As more people come and bring their families, it's nice to have events like the Dragon Races and other kid-friendly events. When you get too large a group to yell "Hey guys! Let's drive down to Robbinsville for lunch!", some folks need to step up to plan and finance dinners and organized drives. When trapped in the middle of nowhere, generous clubs have stepped up to plan and finance entertainment events like the casino nights and drive-in movies. These types of events are necessary for a large gathering like MOTD has grown into and I'm personally excited about all of the different stuff that happens every year.

Yes, MOTD is a different event than it used to be and it will be a different event 5 years from now (barring the bedspace constraint that we seem to have hit). The "I'll bring a bag of chips" approach doesn't work to support a group this large... hence a moderate registration fee for participants (less than the price of the tank of gas I purchased yesterday).

IMHO, people who might come to the event and not register are saying "I'm happy to come and enjoy myself at the event. It has entertainment value to me or else I wouldn't come. I just don't think that I should have to contribute anything to the group that provided this event for me and I feel that it is OK for me to receive the benefits of the substantial efforts of others without contributing anything myself; it is a public road, after all..."

OK... I'm hoping, like everyone else, that the lagging response is NOT due to a change in the charitable makeup of the MINI community but in an uncertain economy and a more relaxed attitude towards registration due to the better planning and organization of the event this year. Everyone, please step up and support the efforts of the people who have put this together for you.

Mark and NAM as a whole: Thanks for letting me rant. I feel better now!

 

+1

 

Amen!

 

Yup Tenn. Highway Patrol have done it now. They are literally killing the Dragon. Way to go Tennesse. I am going down regardless and I am going to have a GOOD time even though there is a strong possiblity of some jail time. Oh well. I think we should change the name to MOTH (Minis on the Hellbender) at least North Carolina likes MINIS.

 

..you hit the nail right smack dab on the head.

I've been to every Dragon. I was one of the original 67 from 13 states in '03..when there were no vendors. It was different then, but not necessarily better.
The vendor phenomenon was inevitable, so I just embraced it as there was nothing, short of staying away from the event (yeah..like that'll happen) I could do about it. Some of those vendors are now my friends, and most of the vendors have friends who attend.

Yes, it's more commercial, but like I said, the vendors are only part of the whole experience. Whether it's a positive or negative is up to the individual. I choose to make it a positive.


The feeling of comeraderie is the same...there's just more people.

 

Well just read through this. Thanks Agranger for saying it very well. DCMM is hosting the Farewell dinner, we aren't making money off of this- all proceeds are going to Habitat 4 Humanity, and that won't even be much of a donation because of the low numbers. I am bummed about that, because I really thought more of our MINI community...but what can you do, yes, they are public roads after all, blah, blah, blah.

As for the LEOs if you drive responsibly you should NOT have a problem!

And to top it off, honestly, where would we be without vendors? Are you telling me that you NEVER go anywhere, NEVER buy anything, NEVER have anything done for you, or to your car?

One of the biggest benefits for me coming to MOTD is just that! I am WAY to far away from them, and I save work for my baby for this event! I am happy to be able to have that service. And I would rather spend my money with them than pay CRAZY prices for the same work here, with people who aren't as familiar with my car.

I have befriended many vendors and am very happy that they think of me as a friend as well. Isn't that what we are all there for anyway? Friends? Just because Chad works on my baby, or Mike puts some styling vinyl on Cecilia, does that mean I have to bash this great get together because they are vendors? They don't raise the prices of registration..heck THEY have to pay to come just like we do. I personally like the ability to see the wares/services I read about on NAM. It adds a nice touch to the whole experience.

But I will be there, I will pay the prices, and I will have a great time! and I will see friends I don't get to see but once a year!

 

Mark can feel free to correct me if I am wrong but the parking lot at the Adventure Center will be open for anyone to park and drive through like it was in years 1 through 4. The road in front of that lot should be open as well with Vendors on the right side of it in the parking area doing installs (like in year 4).

A bunch of us spoke up and worked with Mark and others who were planning events to get this area back for the people since so many complained about it last year.

New things get tried every year. If they aren't good for the event then people should speak up in a positive manner to try and get them changed. The road/parking at the AC is a prime example of this.

No one involved in the planning of this event wants it to be anything less than a fun gathering for everyone in attendance.

 

I've said it before and I will say it again......When the cost of lodging gets to high bring your own house.

 

Or get creative...

The PittStop MINI crew lost their cabins at Fontana last year, so we found alternate lodging 9 miles from Fontana, 4 luxury vacation homes, not cabins, all 4 nights for $135/adult. We may never stay at Fontana again...

 

I have never attended your event because i live in Northern California,however i do go to AMVIV.This also started out small and has grown into a "major damm deal".I say that not necessarly in the negative,but it is just a fact.Vendors while always welcome,is not the reason for me attending,but its the cars and their owners that make this a great place to be once a year.I hope all of you continue to enjoy your gathering for what it is,MINI People having a good time.Q

 

I still don't get this argument for most of the unregistered attendees. If they receive no benefit from the event then why go to the Dragon in your MINI on this particular day? There are 51 other weekends each year! There is a slight possibility that the first weekend in May is the only weekend they can vacation and they just happen to want to go to the Dragon, but odds are that they are going there to enjoy the company and uniqueness of being surrounded by so many MINI enthusiasts in one place. That means that they are gaining benefit from the work of others without contributing... also known as freeloading. Yes... they are public roads, but the odds are that if you are in a MINI on the Dragon that weekend, you chose to go because of the hard work and dedication of the MOTD voluenteers that make this a successful event year after year.

Giving back to the community by registering (and maybe voluenteering some of your time next time) is the "MINI" thing to do.

 

We're still deciding what we want to participate in, then we will register. Just curious, with the deadline being April 7, why is your deadline to decide about whether you keep the tent or not before that? We all know a large percentage of our society are procrastinators, so I can only assume that there will be a last minute rush to register. Also, I had a change in jobs this year and my income is not as big, so the cost for registering is hurting a little more than normal.
I also believe the the vendors pay a pretty penny to get their tents. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do not believe we pay for vendors tents with our registration, they pay for those themselves and then some.

 

Well, My two cents worth, based on observation, and situation.
This just an opinion, so don't take it wrong and get defensive or hostile,
just sharing my thoughts on the matter.

This will be my 1st Dragon, along with my wife's 1st Dragon. We Both have are our Mini's. We plan on registering, but have not yet.

1) Still trying to decide on events, (As we have different interest), As you will charge more for switching up things, and trying to factor in cost, for Lodging, Gas, Meals (not offered in the registration.).

2) Oh yeah, Payday for a lot of folks is on the 1st and 15th, deadline is 7 Apr.

3) Alot of folks in the local NC clubs, have sold there Mini as they have lost the Mini bug (I know of Five) (That will no be attending). No longer own a Mini, Some have traded in for a newer 07-08 Mini and or won't have a mini for the dragon (I know of Four) (That will no be attending), And don't have a lot of funding available for dragon, (down payments, etc...)

4) Alot of the Vendors with Mini's have not registered yet, based on the listing in registration, due to being at other events AMVIV and seeing how they due in funding, because dead line is 7APR.

5) Several people are wanting to attend a couple of the events, MOTD6, MOT08, AMVIV, MITM3, MTTS, etc...however cost and vacation time,

6) I would check out the Numbers of the local hotel/motel for that time.
(Because most are sold out for the time (April 30-May 4, 2008), as I will be a hour away, in Almond NC.

6) If you had a free registration, with the upgrades of $45.00 with the normal registration and the optional events, I believe you would get more folks to sign up.

Just sharing my thoughts....