Ok, several points.
Before we even begin, I need to re-iterate something: Nothing happens at the rally that I don't sign off on, via email or pm. Every event, policy, action, etc. gets my approval. I can't have a bunch of people going rogue and setting up stuff on their own without my knowledge or approval. If you don't have an email or a pm from me, signing off on your proposal, it ain't happening.
Ok, one of the reasons I have not advertised in non-SS places was that SS members know what they are getting into: A rally in a horse field, in the middle of absolute nowhere, without a "judged" field of trailer queens, with minimal accommodations. SS rallies are more of a "raw" experience, versus the polished and more urbane car shows/events that many are used to, including MVPA members.
If I begin advertising it in places like
MV Magazine and
Supply Line, there will inevitably be people who show up who are expecting something like an MVPA convention and I honestly do not have the patience to deal with some as............ person screaming at me about not having electricity or having stepped in horse poo.
No matter how much I try to inform people of what they're getting into (huge threads, a website, printed flyers, etc.), inevitably there will be 5-10 who show up with no clue whatsoever. And then when they leave, they'll spread negative reviews about the rally all over the internet. Although it's not my fault that they didn't read, that won't stop them from spreading the bad press.
Secondarily, the larger we get and the more we advertise and promote in mainstream outlets, the more we risk having to deal with outside media sources. And you simply can not control the outcome of that. No matter how much you think you can, you can not. The great human misconception is that of control.
All it will take is one producer, innocuously walking around and making chit chat with people, without identifying him/herself and have a rally attendee say something stupid and all of a sudden we're on the news for God only knows what.
I simply will not allow that.
Once you post it there, you are basically opening it up to the public.
That's another point. Who do you think is going to get sued when something goes wrong? You know we don't have insurance for this, right?
If the Hardball Convoy goes as planned we should get a lot of attention when we display the vehicles in Washington, GA.
We're going to have to discuss that. I wouldn't have approved of the VFW trip last year, because I could foresee
exactly what happened. We put ourselves in a position where we were subject to
their whims- first it was "they don't want to get up early" so we had to do it in the middle of the day and then they couldn't even show up. When you involve other groups, you now are beholden to their actions-and if they're unreliable, then you're (we're) just screwed.
The whole idea of the hardball convoy was to give attendees who didn't want to take their vehicles offroading a chance to participate with their vehicles, as opposed to sitting all weekend. The goal wasn't to burn the better part of a day on a giant PR blitz. It was to take a fun trip to town, get a bunch of cool pics and come back.
The convoy can go on, but in terms of the Chamber of Commerce and media, that simply isn't allowable. We don't have the legal and insurance infrastructure to deal with unforeseen ramifications and as I explained above in the hypothetical situation, I won't deal with the potential negatives that could come from it.
In terms of the local guard unit and having our vehicles on display, that I'll have to think on. Currently undecided.
[FONT="]Also, please do not create additional rally threads. If you feel there is a need for a separate rally related thread, PM me and I will consider it. One rally doesn't need half a dozen threads. [/FONT]
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This is the third sentence in the official rally thread. I therefore reserve the right to merge this thread with the official rally thread or delete it.[/FONT][FONT="]
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Ok, finally, I have this to add:
We have all made jokes over the years about the rally being ginormous and growing a lot each year. I am really proud that a cookout with 6 or 7 trucks in my backyard in 2006 has come to this. A lot of people have put a lot of sweat and effort into making this what it is.
But in all honesty, about 100 vehicles is as far as I want to go. I am not saying I'd ever put a limit on how many could attend, but at 100, I'd start spending more time and effort improving the rally moreso than just growing it.
The rally has to thread a fine needle: It has to be big enough, in terms of attendees, vehicles and swap meet, in order to justify a member driving anywhere from 200 to over 1,000 miles. No one wants to drive 12 hours to see 10 trucks.
But it can't get too big-confusion, long lines, insufficient infrastructure, etc. All those things will make the rally less fun and drive people away. I've always striven to hit the "sweet spot"-not too big, not too small.
Right now, we are beginning to see the limits of our capability: We are using ALL of Durhamtown's lodging facilities, to the point that we have some attendees who'd like to be inside who are camping. We've never been able to manage the trailrides in a super organized way and we are atill looking for a good way to schedule food and trailrides together.
An organized advertising campaign, in both
MVM and
Supply Line, could push us to 150 or even 200+ vehicles. That would be insane but it would also be frustrating in a # of ways.
I'm not saying I am totally closed off to the idea(s), but we're a long way off before we can deal with the effects of such a growth spurt. We need to get the management capability in place before we bring in another 75 vehicles.
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