I don't know.. sounded like they were both outside of the paying vendor area. But, what the heck is NorCal mini's?

 

and some of their members volenteered a lot of time to help get Mini owners out to the historics......

Matt

 

That's great, but it does sound to me like Mini-Madness was doing a lot more than just "hanging out" with them there, from what people are saying. I guess from an advertising perspective thay can claim this was "successful" - after all, I've never shopped there but now I DEFINITELY know their name... the process of learning it has left a bit of a lingering bad taste in my mouth, though. If you believe there's no such thing as bad publicity, then it was brilliant.

I don't know why the event marshalls didn't enforce their rules more (it seems clear that passing flyers outside of a paid-for commercial area was prohibited), but I guess it WAS their event. If I'd paid several grand for fees and insurance, though, only to find a competitor sitting within eyeshot with placards and flyers in the parking lot, I would have been steamed. Like someone said before, "the more the merrier", true, but this isn't like some private individual with a few dozen novelty t-shirts that they made in their basement and are trying to sell for fun out of the trunk between events - this is a major vendor and NAM Sponsor, and as such, I think they should be held to a bit higher standard.

 

Why didn't the folks responsible for putting on the event escort MM away from the vendor area? Had I paid $2K + and saw someone trying to get by on the cheap--I would have made at least $5K worth of noise to have them removed. When you organize and stage an event--publish rules --then don't enforce the letter of your rules something is wrong.

Can I start a movement that the paying vendors at the event get some of their $2K + money back from the event organizers? Why have rules --then not enforce them? Thanks for letting me share. I am not a vendor--but maybe the vendors will remember my post and give me a discount on my next purchase!

 

Could it be because the paying exhibitors were too shocked at the antics to raise an objection? Hopefully, they had a real successful weekend that will compensate for Madness's antics.

As far as the event organizers not taking stronger action, while I wasn't there, I would imagine the organizers were dealing with other situations and didn't get around to following up to confirm that Madness had truly ceased and desisted.

 

OK ...
I guess this is what the forum is all about ... BUT
BOTH sides have put up their case . take them or leave them...
I have ALWAYS had GREAT interaction with MM

I saw MM on Saturday, not sure about Sunday
but if it was bad on Sat why would it have continued ???

A couple of points

It is against the rules to SHARE a booth

If it really was a clear No No then it should have / would have been stopped.
You can't get away with much at Laguna Seca

What gets me is now the BASHING

so now the MM car is "pimped"
and some seem happy that there may have been car problems (THAT IS WRONG)
What about pirate versions of NAV on the board ?
What about vendors "using" others ideas

lets stop and get along

I thought it was HAPPY Motoring

 

I agree with you on this points. Mostly fair criticism in this thread, but comments along these lines are uncalled for.

I'm also in agreement with the poster who was put off by MM's citing their freedom of speach in defense of their activities at the event. The it's-a-free-country response rubbed me the wrong way as well. Makes it a bit harder to accept that what occurred represented a lapse of good judgement and no more.

 

 

Time to relegate this one to reference status...

Matt

 

Agreed. Time to draw this to a close.