National Rally Feedback

[cb5300]

Originally Posted by Madame Boomer

Let me make it perfectly clear.....................

There are NO PLANS for Texas to host another National Rally. We did one in 2004 and again in 2008 - it's time someone else stepped up to the plate to host one in another state that hasn't hosted one!

Just as a matter of record........

in 2008 in Perrin, there were 34 rigs in attendance - only NINE....count them rigs pulled in from other parts of the country.

in 2010 in Williams... well, don't even get me started about the attendance to that one. Everyone wants one in "their neck of the woods" and when someone does step up to take on the enormous task ....those in that "neck of the woods" head for a different part of the country!

As far as I know, only 3 rigs came in from the western part of the country, 12 rigs pulled in from Texas and the remaining 9 rigs came in from the "eastern part" of the continent from Canada to Florida.

Just some "facts and figures" to contemplate should someone decide on where to host the 2011.


Sandy

So Sandy, are you pointing out that the Texas group attendance was down??? (34 vs 12) and that the rest of the country was up (9 vs 12)??? ,.... Just jerking your chain dear ..... I feel the same way as you do, out of all of the members here, only 24 rigs show up for a "National" rally. It's not like this rally was a spur of the moment thing. We had a year to make plans for the event..... I wonder how many members made the Good Sam rally instead???? Oh well, those who didn't show up really did miss out on a GREAT Time!

[NLOVNIT]

Originally Posted by Madame Boomer

...when someone does step up to take on the enormous task ...

Ok, I'll address the "elephant in the room": without a wagonmaster (or team of wagonmasters) I'm not sure National Rally will get off the ground. We've gotten lots of great suggestions (thank you!) on where to have the National, yet no who will host it. That's really the bottom line. Being a wagonmaster is a great deal of work, but you will have the full support of the staff here & those that've gone before you. And there's nothing that'll make you feel it was all worthwhile like the positive comments you'll receive from attending members once your hosted Rally is done.

Like Sandy stated, we'd love to have one in a state that hasn't hosted one. A new state to travel to & new places to visit.

So, where will we go next year?

Lori-

[Barbara S.]

Originally Posted by Elkhartjim

Wagon Master needed. Should I add your name to the list?

I saw just some of the work Madame Boomer did for the Perrin Rally and I know I am not up for all that!

Now if YOU want to do it, I will be glad to sit back and watch you.

[DriVer]

I offered a proposal on 7/15 and I would like to throw my hat into the ring!

Signed ... Your local, friendly, neighborhood "Elephant."

If we are going to continue to pursue a National Rally in the summer months, let me point out that the Wagonmaster now only has 10 months or less to get this event booked and moving forward.

["007"]

Originally Posted by DriVer

What region would you like to see the rally in?

iRV2.com has grown exponentially since its birth in 2000. At 10 years old it is difficult to target our largest demographic since we are so spread out. iRV2’s effort to producing a “National” type event should be alternated by Coast and a secondary "Regional Rally" should also be promoted in the same year. These rallies should be staggered offering the members the opportunity to attend both. The focus here is to make the event achievable to all and to place the event within economical reach considering both time and expense. The “National Rally” title should be alternated and the Regional Rally should be keyed to the iRV2 Region E.g.; “The Southern Hospitality Rally” sponsored by the Southeast Region. (I know one Region that's overdue; The Nor'Easters!)

2) Do you have a specific location that you feel would be fun for the event?

For the 2011 National Rally, I would like to promote a location that has a large air conditioned recreation hall and a stage (pa & lighting). The facility has a fully stocked camp store. The facility has a large dining area with a larger than most kitchen which has a walk by serving line. The facility has a large open walk around beverage dispenser. The facility has a smaller secondary building where a dozen vendors could be setup separate from the recreation hall. The facility has a boat ramp and features excursions. Golf carts are available for rent. There is a large porch area with tables just outside and to the rear of the rec hall for smaller activities. The campsites here are typically large and have up to 50A, water, electric and sewer. The facility also has rental cabins for those not wanting to bring their RV and yet participate. The facility is very neat and well kept and should provide a very suitable location for the 100 rigs that I would expect that we could get for the 2011 National. The name of this facility is called, the Bethpage Camp Resort in Urbana, VA. Bethpage is the highest rated campground in Virginia. One of the important things here is the facility has a full time rally coordinator.

Bethpage can provide catering services which I believe is important. For a 100 rig event, that would be nice to have. It goes without saying that our traditional Pot-Luck dinner will be encouraged.

Located north of the east coast center line, the facility should be able to draw many members from the NE, Mid-Atlantic, SE & North Central area plus all others from the surrounding regions are most welcomed who want to participate in Chesapeake Bay area events.

3) How many days are you willing to travel (one way) to get to a National before it's too far to attend?

A two day travel should be the maximum that anyone would want to be on the road with a family. Within 2 days of Urbana, VA lies approximately 40% of the entire population of the United States and a large demographic of iRV2.com members.

4) Do you like the middle of the summer time frame or would a shoulder season rally be better (late spring/early summer or late summer/early fall)?

Having a National type event would demand that all persons from different walks of life including out of school children have the opportunity to attend this type of event. The only downside is expense for retired folks due to the cost for the facility during peak seasons. Being a family oriented organization, we need to be sensitive to those members that have children and that are able to take a summer time vacation.

The alternate Regional event should be held during off peak times where real savings can be experienced by the attendees. Late spring and early fall are some of the most attractive seasons in which to go camping in many areas of the United States. This event will be extremely popular with our empty nesters and if timed right school aged children could still attend the event if tied into a holiday or recess.

5) Would it be fun to piggy back the National onto another highly attended event?

Making absolutely sure that an iRV2 National Rally event is not booked during the same time as a major event like an FMCA Convention, GNR or “The Rally” is “key” to successful planning and fair expectation that a good number of attendees would be able to attend without reservation. Tying our National if possible on the heels of or leading into a major event is an excellent idea. Once RVers are on the road and traveling, an additional opportunity to continue rallying with friends can be a very desirable.

I am working a Rally this October in Cape Hatteras and on the heels of that event the 10th Anniversary Rally Reunion in Myrtle Beach was planned. I expect that a number of iRV2 members attending the Hatteras rally will also want to travel to Myrtle Beach. That’s a win-win situation for those folks that have the time to attend both rallies.

6) Do you have any other suggestions or feedback that we should consider when deciding where to make the 2011 National?

The decision is going to be entirely dependent on “IF” you can get someone that will Host an event. In 2012 I would strongly support an initiative that would focus on putting together Disneyworld Rally in Orlando (Common' Cooters!) or perhaps the lower seacoast in the Savanna, GA region like Tybee or Hilton Head. The Charleston, SC area would also be a big hit in my opinion. This written there would be nothing that would keep an interested party from promoting this area rather than Urbana but finding a facility that can support a large rally event is essential. There are also other rally oriented facilities that can be considered like Deer Creek RV Resort in Galax, VA in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The Perry Fairgrounds in Perry, GA would be an excellent location however the numbers there would have to hit 100 or more to break even on cost. All the sites there have water, sewer and electric. At a Perry National Rally, I would expect that we could invite over a dozen vendors that would help offset cost. iRV2.com can think BIG! Why not?

Cutting your teeth on your first rally and working through a rally event as a Wagonmaster or committee member can be a lot of fun. It is very rewarding to have worked a rally and achieve a degree of success because it makes the “next” one so much easier to carry out. Each one is a learning process and it only takes the 1st step to make a rally a reality. I encourage you to take the 1st step!

Well there you go folk's when it comes push to shove DriVer has always had irv2 interest's and members on top of his list.
People can dispute him but he and his wife Colleen are always there as others have stepped up also. They are the backbone of irv2 as others that have left.

[JC2]

I once again extend my thanks to Jim Krylowicz and his bride for being gracious and willing to put for the effort needed to make this years national rally a success for those that were fortunate enough to attend. They indeed deserved a better turnout.

What I'm having trouble comprehending is that out of all the people that originally signed up to attend, (I believe it was around (60) rigs), approximately 55% of those didn't follow through. I know that there will always be a small percentage that will have to cancel due to unforseen health issues or personal family issues as no one is immune from life's little curves. If all those folks that didn't attend had any of the above things happen, then I owe each and everyone an apology. I think that this pathetic turn out does not reflect well on IRV2 as a whole. Over 40000 members and only 27 +- rigs attending translates into .000675 participation which is pretty sad.

It is my opinion that future wanna-be national rally wagon masters will have some serious challenges to overcome if participation numbers are to increase.

[Elkhartjim]

Well heck. I was going to nominate AndyR as wagon master. He could then get the stars aligned, stuff in sync, pick a spot close to Texas and attend his first national rally. Virginia may be a little bit fer for him to travel. But then of course, maybe thats why Driver jumped in...knowing full well that Andy ain't going that far.

Now before y'all get in an uproar and I start getting pm's and e mails....I'm joking.

I'm thankful Driver threw his hat in the ring and maybe we can get moving forward on next years rally.

[allendp]

Originally Posted by JC2

[RedneckExpress]

Originally Posted by JC2

I once again extend my thanks to Jim Krylowicz and his bride for being gracious and willing to put for the effort needed to make this years national rally a success for those that were fortunate enough to attend. They indeed deserved a better turnout.

What I'm having trouble comprehending is that out of all the people that originally signed up to attend, (I believe it was around (60) rigs), approximately 55% of those didn't follow through. I know that there will always be a small percentage that will have to cancel due to unforseen health issues or personal family issues as no one is immune from life's little curves. If all those folks that didn't attend had any of the above things happen, then I owe each and everyone an apology. I think that this pathetic turn out does not reflect well on IRV2 as a whole. Over 40000 members and only 27 +- rigs attending translates into .000675 participation which is pretty sad.

It is my opinion that future wanna-be national rally wagon masters will have some serious challenges to overcome if participation numbers are to increase.

Well, here's some things to take a look at.

First off, comparing 40,000 user accounts to the actual turn out is a poor comparison, given that maybe 2-3% of that number are actually active participating members. So, using those figures the comparison comes out to 2.23% (Assuming 1212 active regular members of the forum), which is still a fairly small turn out compared to the active population, but in a more realistic scale.

Compare the fuel prices for the year of the best turnout for the national rally to last year.

Compare the per rig cost (I think this past year cost around $600) to the last and most successful year.

Compare the Locations of the more successful rallies to last year.

Come back and tell us what ya find, I have some personal assumptions on why yer turn out was low, but I'd like to see some numbers first before I start to debate them.

[TXiceman]

Well I did get the pot stirred and some discussion.....

ken

[allendp]

Originally Posted by TXiceman

Well I did get the pot stirred and some discussion.....

ken

WHICH BRINGS US RIGHT BACK TO >>

Where is the 2011 rally going to be?

and will Andy be able to attend for the first time ?

[Route 66]

Originally Posted by allendp

WHICH BRINGS US RIGHT BACK TO >>

Where is the 2011 rally going to be?

and will Andy be able to attend for the first time ?

We are still working on #1.

[Andy R]

Well, since DriVer is the only one who has stepped up, I'd like to nominate him as the 2011 Wagonmaster so we can get the ball rolling! Mike, how about taking it from here and let me know what I can do to help.

As for the turn out in different years, I often hear people mention these when it comes to rallies, that more must equal better. IMO, that a poor way to judge the success of a rally. The litmus test for success should be if the attendees had fun and was it worth the time and effort. If so, then it's a success no matter the size of the event.

[Barbara S.]

Originally Posted by Andy R

The litmus test for success should be if the attendees had fun and was it worth the time and effort. If so, then it's a success no matter the size of the event.

As one of the fortunate attendees of the 2010 National Rally, I can answer with a resounding, "YES, WE HAD FUN!!!". This was a well organized rally and I know the K's did their best to provide everyone with as many enjoyable activities as possible. The weather was a surprise to me but I definitely enjoyed it. The campground owners were amazing and added to the enjoyment of everyone. Yes, it was a success!