I noticed that the Essex gathering was a success whilst the Cholsey attracted 3/4 and the trent gathering cancelled.
Could this be because the Essex gathering had front page treatment with its own section whilst the others got lost in the listings?
So maybe a heading for Events 2012 would be a good idea?
Events Heading ?
Moderators: John@sos, charlesp, Charles uk, RickUK, Petergalileo
Re: Events Heading ?
Thats a good idea. Why don't you put it to John and Peter?
As the organiser of the cancelled Midlands SD meet, I must admit to being non the wiser as to why the response was poor. I suspect a combination of cost, summer holiday period, to far to travel etc. Perhaps the title put other owners off?
I would love to see a "National" event, accessable location, a concourse type show, parts jumble, public showing of rare engines, rebuild project displays, SOS parts stall etc. etc.
As the organiser of the cancelled Midlands SD meet, I must admit to being non the wiser as to why the response was poor. I suspect a combination of cost, summer holiday period, to far to travel etc. Perhaps the title put other owners off?
I would love to see a "National" event, accessable location, a concourse type show, parts jumble, public showing of rare engines, rebuild project displays, SOS parts stall etc. etc.
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Horsley-Anarak
- Posts: 2838
- Joined: Thu Aug 07, 2008 8:42 pm
- Location: Surrey
Re: Events Heading ?
Cholsey has been good fun even though only a few people turn up. A little mess on the river, run what you brung. Then to wallingford for a nice pub lunch and a chin wag.Oyster 49 wrote:I would love to see a "National" event, accessable location, a concourse type show, parts jumble, public showing of rare engines, rebuild project displays, SOS parts stall etc. etc.
Do many people turn up? No.
It is a great location very easy going event, you would expect that more people would attend.
I think that the main problem is that in this narrow interest area there are not actually that many people. Those who do have a seagull might not even have a boat.
We have proved that the Round Hayling Island event works, all that is need is a few more people to get off there bum and have a go.
When you look at what the Kiwi guys are doing, we are not putting enough effort in. I realise that we have the health and safety police on our backs, but Lerryn still manage 30-40 boats most years.
As for a national event, a boat club would be a good venue. On the water, club house, parking, food and a bar.
Main trouble is getting people to go to such an event.
I will be going to Lerryn next week to race, that means a 200 mile drive rent a house etc, etc, life is too short not to get involved.
Perhaps people just want to polish their engines then put them back in the shed.
H-A
Re: Events Heading ?
All & Top Cat
Suggest maybe the 'Racing' header could be changed to 'Events' or 'Events & Racing'. That would give it a broader range
It's a bit hard to put a finger on the exact formula for successful events. However, it seems they have common threads;
* Emphasis on course completion as opposed to 'First Past the Post'
* Socialising over food/meals by way of BBQ or caterer or some such
* Plan a course with aspects of adventure, like 'Indiana Jones' or 'Journey to the Centre of the Earth'
* Not too much rules apart from basic safety.
* Maybe not just Seagulls. Run what you bring or single cyl or something classic/vintage or bears
* Opportunity to bring/involve wives & kids/grand-kids. Don't underestimate the ability to get 'Butts on Seats' with this
* Try to ease the logistics, like starting & finishing in the same place, or supplying road transport
* Focus on bringing in new people & maintaining the converted
Also, it's really hard to encourage people to pre-register for events. Better to get non-committal 'registrations of interest', Then see who turns up
Rex NZ
Suggest maybe the 'Racing' header could be changed to 'Events' or 'Events & Racing'. That would give it a broader range
It's a bit hard to put a finger on the exact formula for successful events. However, it seems they have common threads;
* Emphasis on course completion as opposed to 'First Past the Post'
* Socialising over food/meals by way of BBQ or caterer or some such
* Plan a course with aspects of adventure, like 'Indiana Jones' or 'Journey to the Centre of the Earth'
* Not too much rules apart from basic safety.
* Maybe not just Seagulls. Run what you bring or single cyl or something classic/vintage or bears
* Opportunity to bring/involve wives & kids/grand-kids. Don't underestimate the ability to get 'Butts on Seats' with this
* Try to ease the logistics, like starting & finishing in the same place, or supplying road transport
* Focus on bringing in new people & maintaining the converted
Also, it's really hard to encourage people to pre-register for events. Better to get non-committal 'registrations of interest', Then see who turns up
Rex NZ
Re: Events Heading ?
I have to say that those years Andy and I did the Bygone Days event at Ibsley Aerodrome we had a pathetic response from forum members. I kept the thread advertising the event near the top of the list, there were photos of attractions, and above all we had enough (we thought) to gather quite a crowd.
It wasn't a central location, sure, but the position should have attracted the Southern half of England, or at least some of it.
We had what at the time had to be the largest gathering in one place of Marstons, including those with reverse gears, we had FVs and FVPs, we had SDs and the only surviving SN. We had cutaway motors, and a couple of forties to sell. We had bits and we had documents and we had free sandwiches and tea.
There were military vehicles there, classic and vintage cars and agricultural vehicles, steam engines, stationary engines, collections of umbrellas and shoes and blowtorches. There was a charity barn selling stuff from books to metal detecting relics, where I bought my wife a 2000 year old Roman brooch.
There was an ice cream van, free parking, a cider stall, tea and coffee and sandwiches, a WWII control tower full of memorabilia, and a dog show.
We offered a free Seagull clinic, and (apart from the cutaways, of course) we ran all the motors...
Oh and I forgot to mention the aircraft. Stunning models of all manner of flying things were put through their paces. They were outdone only by the vintage aircraft flying displays. Spitfire, Mustang, Dakota, Auster, Tiger Moth, Sea Vixen. That's real aircraft, with Merlin engines and the like..
All that, year on year.
Three visitors from this forum. Three. We had many more visitors than that who actually worked for British Seagull...
It wasn't a central location, sure, but the position should have attracted the Southern half of England, or at least some of it.
We had what at the time had to be the largest gathering in one place of Marstons, including those with reverse gears, we had FVs and FVPs, we had SDs and the only surviving SN. We had cutaway motors, and a couple of forties to sell. We had bits and we had documents and we had free sandwiches and tea.
There were military vehicles there, classic and vintage cars and agricultural vehicles, steam engines, stationary engines, collections of umbrellas and shoes and blowtorches. There was a charity barn selling stuff from books to metal detecting relics, where I bought my wife a 2000 year old Roman brooch.
There was an ice cream van, free parking, a cider stall, tea and coffee and sandwiches, a WWII control tower full of memorabilia, and a dog show.
We offered a free Seagull clinic, and (apart from the cutaways, of course) we ran all the motors...
Oh and I forgot to mention the aircraft. Stunning models of all manner of flying things were put through their paces. They were outdone only by the vintage aircraft flying displays. Spitfire, Mustang, Dakota, Auster, Tiger Moth, Sea Vixen. That's real aircraft, with Merlin engines and the like..
All that, year on year.
Three visitors from this forum. Three. We had many more visitors than that who actually worked for British Seagull...
Re: Events Heading ?
Well we seem to have 3 in favour and Charles against. I dont see how the problems of a Country fair event have anything to do with an Events and Racing heading. Why did john not plonk his event in the mass of the listings? Easy because it would belost .....Others who have not been on the site for a few weeks would have to go through maybe 5 pages to be sure they had not missed an announcement.
Neither does this heading cost anyting to implement ......
so come on moderators lets progress this issue....
Neither does this heading cost anyting to implement ......
so come on moderators lets progress this issue....
Re: Events Heading ?
I didn't realise we were voting!
Re: Events Heading ?
OK opinion seems to be in favour .....any other forum members got an opinion on this no brainer ??
Re: Events Heading ?
It seems to me from my limited experience that the events that get the biggest turnouts are those catering to "the public" and merely have a Seagull requirement, Like Lerryn...and many of the Kiwi events. Not so much events for "Seagull collectors".
It's probably not fair using the Kiwis as an example, because they have a range of events, but it tends to be the same people doing the same events year on year. People from Dunedin seldom travel to the north Island for the Waikato race, and certainly not every year, whereas those from Cambridge and Hamilton (and Auckland) can get there easily, so tend to be repeat offenders.
I think we also need to ask "what constitutes a successful event"??
In Oz we've had three events so far - and two of those we attached outselves to other peoples events, the third being the National Gathering which, while it was to a large extent National (we had three States represented there, some having travelled over 1500km to attend), we only had five boats, and I seriously doubt they'd want to do it year after year to the same venue, travelling all that way.
As CP said, you do all the work and 3 people show...and you begin to question your own sanity (actually, he didn't say that, I did, but you get the drift...)
Poole would surely be a good place to have a Seagull race or event as part of some larger festival? Given the history of the company in the area, their would be a 'residual' of understanding if not actual nostalgia.
Falmouth Week has a Seagull Race, and that is a HUGE event....even if not many people enter....
I'm trying to convince other event managers here to let us Seagullers ride on their coat-tails, but the insurance issue always rears it's ugly head, and while we don't have a 'formal organisation' we can't do much about that (I mean "we in Oz"). But as has been discussed at length here, and as a few of us have discussed in Oz, would the hassle and "reporting requirements" of an incorporated association, plus the necessity for membership fees etc, justify setting up an organisation just so we can have insurance to cover us when participating in other people's events????
The consensus thus far is NOT.
So perhaps making OUR small events, displays or 'races' part of a larger event, and getting in under their insurance umbrella might be a useful way to go? And I mean 'as well as' the other stuff we're already doing, not 'instead of'...
What IS required is for people to actually DO stuff - like attend meets and events. And if there is something boating related to 'hang' a Seagull event off the back of, then surely that provides further incentive for our lot to get off their collective?
The bottom line for me is, I'll keep doing it while I'm enjoying it, and I can see others are too.
And I suspect, and I don't mean this to be in any way a "dig", but the majority of people who go to Seagull events aren't on here....
They're just out there.....getting on with it. Nuff said.
It's probably not fair using the Kiwis as an example, because they have a range of events, but it tends to be the same people doing the same events year on year. People from Dunedin seldom travel to the north Island for the Waikato race, and certainly not every year, whereas those from Cambridge and Hamilton (and Auckland) can get there easily, so tend to be repeat offenders.
I think we also need to ask "what constitutes a successful event"??
In Oz we've had three events so far - and two of those we attached outselves to other peoples events, the third being the National Gathering which, while it was to a large extent National (we had three States represented there, some having travelled over 1500km to attend), we only had five boats, and I seriously doubt they'd want to do it year after year to the same venue, travelling all that way.
As CP said, you do all the work and 3 people show...and you begin to question your own sanity (actually, he didn't say that, I did, but you get the drift...)
Poole would surely be a good place to have a Seagull race or event as part of some larger festival? Given the history of the company in the area, their would be a 'residual' of understanding if not actual nostalgia.
Falmouth Week has a Seagull Race, and that is a HUGE event....even if not many people enter....
I'm trying to convince other event managers here to let us Seagullers ride on their coat-tails, but the insurance issue always rears it's ugly head, and while we don't have a 'formal organisation' we can't do much about that (I mean "we in Oz"). But as has been discussed at length here, and as a few of us have discussed in Oz, would the hassle and "reporting requirements" of an incorporated association, plus the necessity for membership fees etc, justify setting up an organisation just so we can have insurance to cover us when participating in other people's events????
The consensus thus far is NOT.
So perhaps making OUR small events, displays or 'races' part of a larger event, and getting in under their insurance umbrella might be a useful way to go? And I mean 'as well as' the other stuff we're already doing, not 'instead of'...
What IS required is for people to actually DO stuff - like attend meets and events. And if there is something boating related to 'hang' a Seagull event off the back of, then surely that provides further incentive for our lot to get off their collective?
The bottom line for me is, I'll keep doing it while I'm enjoying it, and I can see others are too.
And I suspect, and I don't mean this to be in any way a "dig", but the majority of people who go to Seagull events aren't on here....
They're just out there.....getting on with it. Nuff said.
gullible, a. The effect on reason of the appearance of anything 'Gull-related on an internet sales site
Re: Events Heading ?
A few years ago I had a small stand at the 'Poole Afloat' event held at Baiter Park in Poole. Whilst I had more enquiries (masses more) than the stand next to me who were exhibiting modern outboards, nobody from this forum came along.
Yes I did publicise it on here, yes I did publicise it elsewhere, but nobody arrived.
Poole can be a bit of a trek. Not too bad if you look at the map, because the distances must look ludicrously tiny to people from Australia or the US. But the road conditions can be abysmal. Traffic can be a real problem on he M27, and the A31, and people generally just don't want to come here. The motorway system doesn't come close enough, and that lack of transport links means that Poole isn't an easy destination, not for one day. And despite the efforts of the local Tourism people there's actually not a lot here. I speak as one who tries to run a holiday let in Hamworthy (actually we've just stopped). The proximity to next year's Olympic Sailing in Weymouth held great promise, we thought it would be a bonanza year. But the big teams have bought all the property in Weymouth and the summer visitors are staying away. So we've let it out to long term tenants.
The local powers that be are trying to convince us the town is a cruise ship destination, but a glance at the chart shows that only the tiny boats can get in here, like the 'Highland Princess' which is a slightly larger version of those 'trips round the bay' steamers of yesteryear. Maybe the recent shenanigans off Italy may shift public opinion further away from this idea. Most locals who are familiar with the water think the scheme is bonkers, but many of the local business community accuse us of 'negativity' because we don't think our town with its charity shops and almost total lack of historic architecture will draw the liners away from the Mediterranean.
So, yes, Buzzook, Poole has been explored as a venue, and I did suggest we met down here at Poole Yacht Club where I have just finished a stint as a committee member. We have space, 2 slipways, a bar (vital), restaurant, and even a crane and a secure car park. Poole Harbour offers a number of courses in shallow water, and plenty of shelter so smaller craft would be well catered for. But the idea withered on the vine. Salt water, and a venue that's a bugger to get to seemed to be the problems.
I am now convinced that apart from few firm friendships that are rooted in the collecting of old outboards and the like, the average chap over hear is happy to correspond, happy to contribute to the forum, but draws the line a little before loading stuff up in the car and setting off to an 'event'.
Yes I did publicise it on here, yes I did publicise it elsewhere, but nobody arrived.
Poole can be a bit of a trek. Not too bad if you look at the map, because the distances must look ludicrously tiny to people from Australia or the US. But the road conditions can be abysmal. Traffic can be a real problem on he M27, and the A31, and people generally just don't want to come here. The motorway system doesn't come close enough, and that lack of transport links means that Poole isn't an easy destination, not for one day. And despite the efforts of the local Tourism people there's actually not a lot here. I speak as one who tries to run a holiday let in Hamworthy (actually we've just stopped). The proximity to next year's Olympic Sailing in Weymouth held great promise, we thought it would be a bonanza year. But the big teams have bought all the property in Weymouth and the summer visitors are staying away. So we've let it out to long term tenants.
The local powers that be are trying to convince us the town is a cruise ship destination, but a glance at the chart shows that only the tiny boats can get in here, like the 'Highland Princess' which is a slightly larger version of those 'trips round the bay' steamers of yesteryear. Maybe the recent shenanigans off Italy may shift public opinion further away from this idea. Most locals who are familiar with the water think the scheme is bonkers, but many of the local business community accuse us of 'negativity' because we don't think our town with its charity shops and almost total lack of historic architecture will draw the liners away from the Mediterranean.
So, yes, Buzzook, Poole has been explored as a venue, and I did suggest we met down here at Poole Yacht Club where I have just finished a stint as a committee member. We have space, 2 slipways, a bar (vital), restaurant, and even a crane and a secure car park. Poole Harbour offers a number of courses in shallow water, and plenty of shelter so smaller craft would be well catered for. But the idea withered on the vine. Salt water, and a venue that's a bugger to get to seemed to be the problems.
I am now convinced that apart from few firm friendships that are rooted in the collecting of old outboards and the like, the average chap over hear is happy to correspond, happy to contribute to the forum, but draws the line a little before loading stuff up in the car and setting off to an 'event'.