Open Discussion on the Subject of the Great Lakes Region Hosting 2010 Nationals

[druid-2]

OK people talk is cheap

put up or shut up

This thread is to consider the possibily of the 2010 Nationals being hosted by
Canton Ohio or another close by point


I will start this by saying the following - in print

"I have no desire whatsoever to be the co-ordinator for the 2010 National"
But I will help

I feel that Momssol (WPA Kappa's) has the most experience in the matter and I will both defer and listen to her in all matters (should she come aboard)

I WILL participate and serve as "Run co-ordinator" if so requested

There is an awful lot of work to be done and it will require a small army of dedicated people


This thread is open for discussion

[toyman]

Being in Michigan it is a no-brainer and the territory you have for "runs" is ideal.

[druid-2]

you will give up a lot of your time

There will be expenses incurred

you will have to meet on common ground...like Columbus (means hotel rooms $$$)

(there could be people from MKC WPA... NEO and others like Kentucky that want to help)


You will argue...you will submit to "arbitration"

you will not always get your way

The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few


Before you commit to help...think about the amount of time you will have to commit to this

Because .........HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE will be coming from hundreds of miles around

to this event you are hosting ...and trust me...you will be graded on this

[rlhammon]

I'll put my foot where my mouth is... or, is the saying something different?

I am willing to help, assist, co-chair, participate, provide feedback / guidance, and even take the reigns if that's what it takes. If putting together a 2010 Nationals in the T2TR area is to happen, MANY folks, from MANY areas will need to be pulled together. I'd hope that NASSOA (is that the right acronym?) doesn't wait until the end of the year to put together their information, as that takes too much time away and puts people in the year end holiday season in which time disappears all too quickly.

My suggestion (just for starters) is for those that are willing to help (plan, work on ideas, actually devote time to pulling this off) to chime in and we can get a list. There are lots of items which need to be addressed, and lots of rolls to fill. If we have the people, the dedication, we certainly can pull it off... but we shouldn't step forward with the offer if we are not serious and have serious folks with serious intent behind it.

Every year Nationals gets bigger... and we have more and more expectations to cover. Understand this isn't like planning a 2 day fun run... it's like planning 25 2 day fun runs all during the same two days.

With that said... I'm game. I'm not willing (at this point) to say I'll be the main organizer... but with a support team in place, I'd seriously consider the position if it was so accepted by the other organizers.

I think this is something we can not only pull off, but do with class, and provide a safe and fun event for all who attend.

Who's in?

[-Zenith-]

I would be willing to help, although I've got no real experience in event planning. At this point, before we even think about mapping out any plan, we need to have at least 10-12 people heavily committed to the decision-making process.

Any national meet held on the eastern side of the US in 2010 and beyond is likely to draw upwards of 175 vehicles and 300 attendees if put together adequately, so this would be a huge undertaking.

IMO, Columbus would be a better host city if you were truly looking to take full advantage of the Hocking Hills region where the great driving is located.

[dashark]

I offer my help.

Willing to participate and contribute to any planning that needs to happened first.

Willing to meet at common locations to plan and delegate responsibilities.

Willing to take on responsibilities.

Willing to contribute time, recourses, contacts and expenses

Willing to argue and debate.

Willing to not get my way (I'm married so I'm used to it).

Willing to help make the event as outstanding as possible!

[Devoking]

I believe that the location of the 2010 Nationals is to be decided on by a vote of the membership of the NASSOA.
As of this time I don't think a list of possible sites has been proposed.
So let's start with a proposal of possible sites before anyone starts planning an event.

[idkfa]

is it now Nationals™?

Ohio works for me. I have yet to go to an event but am getting to that point

[druid-2]

Originally Posted by Devoking I believe that the location of the 2010 Nationals is to be decided on by a vote of the membership of the NASSOA. As of this time I don't think a list of possible sites has been proposed. So let's start with a proposal of possible sites before anyone starts planning an event.

Based on what Dave has stated...and if the MKC chapter is serious about hosting in OHIO
(read that as T2TR)

I offer Canton Ohio as a possible candidate for the following reasons

1. City is big enough to support hotel accomodations for large events (It supports
the HoF events every July) and has plentiful shopping malls too

2. Canton is within 1/2 hour of the T2TR run start and the NEO SOS run.
These runs are already planned and open the door to other planned runs in SE OHIO

3. Canton is also within 1/2 hour drive of Amish Country for a cruising event (or 2 or 3)
with stop and shop capabilities in Sugar Creek and other towns

4. Canton has the NFL Football Hall of fame for anyone interested in a trip to the Hall.

5. Akron Ohio is 20 minutes north and offers a AA BallPark (Akron Aeros)..which is
a farm team for the Cleveland Indians...for a potential night out event

Should Canton be chosen the month must be June as HoF controls the city for the entire month of july.


Any other NEO's please feel free to add any other points of interest in the Canton Area

[-Zenith-]

Originally Posted by Devoking So let's start with a proposal of possible sites before anyone starts planning an event.

Don't you need credible groups of people committed to the event in several cities and a loosely based plan of major events at those cities in order for the membership to even have anything tangible to vote on? What's the point on voting for any city if you have no idea who would be in charge of the event or what the potential activities might be?

I think we need some direction from NASSOA in terms of what needs to be done to be considered for the National event. I have no idea whatsoever how they determine what the site will be, or what groups have to do to have their region/city be considered. Do any NASSOA members here have the particulars on that?

I'm guessing this should be like the Olympics...several cities/groups make a pitch to NASSOA showing their loose plan for an event, NASSOA determines which 3 or 4 are the best of the group and put it to membership vote. But that's just a total guess on my part.

[rlhammon]

I actually was on the phone with Momssol last night and most of the "Joe's Crab Shack" gang as they are out in Wilmington for the plant tour. I did not speak to her about this though... didn't seem appropriate at this time.

I believe BuckeyeGXP has it correct (in theory at least, nothing seen from NASSOA yet) in that a loose plan needs to be developed in order to pitch hosting the event.

At this point we need a committee of folks willing to plan what the event will contain... runs, trips, side events, etc. We do not need to plan the individual runs, trips, side events, only look at what we can do realistically and what resources do we have to pull it off.

I believe the combination of events, staff, date and resources will determine where the event will be.

So.. here is where I step up again. I DO NOT know anything about this area of Ohio, so I'm completely limited in my ability to come up with feasible ideas for the event. I do however have the time to devote to organization, and while I've never planned an event per se... I manage large international projects for work all the time. I would like to be part of the exploratory committee which decides on city, date, and possible events to present to NASSOA for submission to host the 2010 National Event.

Suggestions on my part:

City - Canton (for all the reasons Druid mentioned)
Date - June 18, 19, 20th of 2010 (nearest weekend to summer Solstice)
Events - T2TR type drive w/ cruisers, moderates, and aggressive groups, cruising Amish country / shopping, Football Hall of Fame, Rock N Roll Hall of Fame / Cleveland, local events as the committee sees fit.

We will need MANY, MANY helpers, organizers, assistances, volunteers, etc. so I'm hoping others step up with their ability to help, even if it's not on the "planning" committee.

[-Zenith-]

My .02 on Canton...

Personally, I agree that Canton would be fine in terms of the size of the city for lodging/eating/shopping/etc. However, on a national level, I'm not sure that Canton is going to draw the interest that other major cities would. That is the biggest drawback I see...that people voting nationally just won't give enough support to a place like Canton if Charlotte or Atlanta or Dallas is also in the running. It is a metro area of around 400k...that is a huge dropoff from places like KC, Nashville, Vegas or Denver.

To me, I don't care. I will support it locally wherever it is. However, if you are serious on hosting it in this region, you probably will have to focus on MAJOR metros like Cincinnati, Columbus, Detroit, Cleveland or Pittsburgh. While Canton, Akron, Toledo, Dayton, etc are all nice cities, they are less likely to garner the interest of the national crowd.

[druid-2]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeGXP My .02 on Canton... Personally, I agree that Canton would be fine in terms of the size of the city for lodging/eating/shopping/etc. However, on a national level, I'm not sure that Canton is going to draw the interest that other major cities would. That is the biggest drawback I see...that people voting nationally just won't give enough support to a place like Canton if Charlotte or Atlanta or Dallas is also in the running. It is a metro area of around 400k...that is a huge dropoff from places like KC, Nashville, Vegas or Denver. To me, I don't care. I will support it locally wherever it is. However, if you are serious on hosting it in this region, you probably will have to focus on MAJOR metros like Cincinnati, Columbus, Detroit, Cleveland or Pittsburgh. While Canton, Akron, Toledo, Dayton, etc are all nice cities, they are less likely to garner the interest of the national crowd.

The only rebuttal I will offer is that MOST major cities do not "support" a car club.
For example...take Chicago...there are probably hundreds of Kappa owners there ...yet there is only a hard core group of "Runners" (less than a dozen) Detroit metro has only a few also....most of MKC is in the outlying areas where the twisties are. Cleveland has a core of "'runners" less than 6 owners. Even the NEO's are spread out over a lot of the state. People know more about the local clubs...WCKCC Texas clubs...MASSC..Carolina Kappas and NEO's. They will know the club and the area by reputation.

That is why when Kentucky sets up a run people come from all over the eastern half of the US and even canada to attend...AR has gone to Texas for a run...Skygazer (FLA) has come to Ohio...so has MS Solstice ...and Solli has joined many runs coast to coast.



Dedicated Kappa owners will go where they know they will be given a good event

[spiky3480]

Another suggestion for a location would be Long Islanld, NY. We have a large Solstice Club here, and we are 30 minutes from Manhattan. There are many locations to have a great run, and hotels are plentiful.

[Ruthie]

Originally Posted by dashark I offer my help. Willing to participate and contribute to any planning that needs to happened first. Willing to meet at common locations to plan and delegate responsibilities. Willing to take on responsibilities. Willing to contribute time, recourses, contacts and expenses Willing to argue and debate. Willing to not get my way (I'm married so I'm used to it). Willing to help make the event as outstanding as possible!

Everything he said (cept I'm not married)
Since I'm the official "party planner" for my friends & family, I'd be willing to help in any way needed.