| Blase | -- 05-26-2013 @ 5:12 AM |
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Hope everything does workout for you all. This message was edited by Blase on 5-27-13 @ 9:08 AM
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| trjford8 | -- 05-26-2013 @ 10:10 AM |
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Blasé,since we live in the free world you do have a right to criticize those of us who have worked hard for the last two and half years to put on this event. I do request that maybe you should talk to some of us and find out what we have had to do to try to accommodate almost 100 trucks and trailers and why we have to charge the fee. So let's start from the beginning. 1) When we chose Lake Tahoe it was for two reasons. A) it was one of the most scenic places in California and B) some of the first meets of the V-8 Club were originally held at this location. It seemed to be a great place for the GN and the 50th anniversary. 2) After several trips there(spending our own money by the way) we were able to make a deal with the hotels for some very affordable room rates ($89 and $79 per night) for hotel rooms that normally sell for $150 a night. We also secured 400 parking spaces at the rear of Harrah's for all the cars to have a dedicated parking spot. We anticipated approximately 400 registrations based on past Grand National and regional event counts. As time went on this meet grew beyond our initial expectations to over 600 registrations. On two separate occasions we added 100 extra hotel rooms to our initial request of 350 rooms. as you can see some things are not exactly predictable. 3) We originally thought we could use the rear lot of Harvey's for trucks , trailers, and the swap meet. We could not get that in the contract due to the fact the lot is sometimes used for summer concerts, they could not assure us that it would be available. In February we were told that we could not use it as they would be setting up stages on the lot prior to our arrival. So now we are seeking a parking area close to the meet for trucks/trailers, etc. in an area with limited open space. At this time we only had about 50 truck/trailers registered for the meet. Why did we wait to see if we could use this lot? We waited because it would have been free parking. 4)At this point we began exploring options for this parking. In the mean time we were getting more and more people registering with trucks and trailers, so the list was growing and we needed to find a bigger space. Trying to predict the number of trucks and trailers that may be coming to a meet is very difficult. If you are able to predict that situation all of us would be more than happy to know your method. I made phone calls to property owners in the area, others made calls to ski resorts, etc. and we drove around the area to find any open space that might accommodate the number of vehicles that was "currently" on our list. 5) We did find a parking lot of a ski resort that was two miles from the meet. The cost was $5000 for 6 days and we had to pay for security on top of the initial cost. I doubt that those with truck/trailers would want to pay for parking that is two miles away from the meet. This additional cost for the parking was not anticipated in our original budget. So a few more trips to Tahoe(at our own expense and time which is 3+ hours from our homes) and we finally secured a parking area at a adjoining casino right across the street from Harrah's and next to Harvey's. We still must pay for the lot ($4500 for Mon-Fri) and supply the security(security pay is $35/hour). We have to pay this bill in some way and we figured that $15 a day was appropriate. You have to realize that not all trucks/trailers will be there for the 5 days. Some may only be there for two days, so we will be lucky to make expenses. This lot was not available to us prior to the meet due to that facility hosting another event. 6)The Grand National Committee has put in 2 1/2 years of time into this meet and we have tried to accommodate everyone's needs. You are more than welcome to find parking on your own when you arrive at Tahoe. You are not required to pay the $15 and park in the designated lot. When you get a hotel room for $89/night that normally sells for $150 you have already saved the $15 parking fee. As a person who has stayed in the Dearborn Hyatt for the last GN at a cost of $122/night the Hyatt rooms aren't even close to the quality of Harrah's and Harvey's rooms. Should I have complained to that GN committee about the price of those rooms? Your criticism is duly noted and I will bring it up at the final GN meeting on June 1st. You are more than welcome to come up with a better solution for us and I will bring it forth to that meeting. I sincerely hope you hold up your hand to be a volunteer to work on the next Grand National Meet. It's an experience that everyone should have as a V-8 Club member. Tom Johnston, Grand National committee member This message was edited by trjford8 on 5-26-13 @ 10:32 AM
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| FrankM-RG5 | -- 05-26-2013 @ 11:46 AM |
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Unfortunately there is no venue that is perfect and I am sure the committee has had to make a lot of hard decisions. I applaud all who are working for not cutting off registrations at a certain number. I would like to remind everyone we belong to the same club. RG1 has invited us to their locale and want everyone to enjoy themselves. We are their guests helping out with costs that are involved. When you visit someone's house you should ask how you can be of help not complain that enough is not being done. Appreciate the effort they have put forth not criticize the shortcomings. This has the potential to be the meet of a lifetime. And I feel it will be if I bring that attitude. Frank Miller RG-5
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| Don Rogers | -- 05-26-2013 @ 12:53 PM |
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Tom, You and your group are doing a great job on this 50th Anniversary Grand National Meet. You and all the volunteers!!!!!! are to be congratulated. I don't think everyone understands the challenges of putting on a meet of this size (over 600 registrations) and keeping the costs affordable. I would encourage Mr. Blase' to contact the National and volunteer to head up the next V-8 Meet. It sounds like he might have the talent to run one of these events and we could all benefit from his expertise. Again, Thanks to you all for stepping up and organizing this historic event.
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| trjford8 | -- 05-27-2013 @ 6:44 AM |
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Frank and Don, thank you for the support.
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| JM | -- 05-27-2013 @ 8:39 AM |
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Tom, I am really looking forward to attending this GNM. I am sure you and the entire committee are doing your very best to organize this. It's so easy for those not involved in making these events happen to be critical and complain. Our RG has the next NM after yours. Perhaps the complainers would like to help out on our ENM to make sure everything is organized flawlessly. See you all at Tahoe!! John
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| trjford8 | -- 05-27-2013 @ 8:56 AM |
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John, thanks. I look forward to seeing you and all the great V-8ers from the "right coast".
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| deuce_roadster | -- 05-27-2013 @ 9:16 AM |
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Having worked on the WNM our club put on at Coeur d'Alene back in 92 I know how much work it is. We had over 400 registrations, so getting everything set for 600 plus must be a tremendous task. (I also know about the distance as Coeur d'Alene is 5.5 hours from our RG.) I have found out that no matter what you do, the complainers will find something to complain about. If you were handing out 100 dollar bills, the serial number would be too high. Forge ahead and listen to them, but don't let it bother you. It is just their personality and what they do. I plan on enjoying the meet, thanks in advance for your work.
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| woodiewagon46 | -- 05-27-2013 @ 10:05 AM |
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trjford8, It sounds like you and your committee are doing a great job. You are NEVER going to please everyone so you are wasting your time trying to do so. Congrats on the great registration numbers. We returned to our hotel one night at a show on the right coast to find NINE trailers had taken over the whole hotel parking lot, over 80 spaces. The next morning the trailer owners were pissed off because car owners parked near their trailers and they couldn't move them, the more they bitched the more the other owners refused to move their cars and the trailer owners couldn't get their cars out! Don't let a few jerks ruin your day!!!
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| FrankM-RG5 | -- 05-27-2013 @ 11:02 AM |
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My saying is, "If you please 80% of the people then you have done 100% of the job." When we did the show in Saratoga we had a great location but had to compromise on so many things. In the end the great group made up by the majority of V8ers brought it all together. I met some of the best people I could have ever met as a result of the work I did on that meet. It has not even started and I already feel the pain of those working in the registration room. Hope I can somehow be of service. Because that is the way to meet great people and have fun.
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| trjford8 | -- 05-28-2013 @ 1:43 PM |
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Thanks guys for the support. It is appreciated!
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