I though I'd ask for some input. Do any of you guys and gals have any suggestions to improve on the meet for next year?

I only have one at the moment: We should look into getting food catered. It would save on hassle of having to bring the stuff ourselves, cook the stuff, and clean up after. Plus, a lot of catering groups don't charge since they will only make money...all they have to do is show up and sell food. Not a "roach coach" so to speak, but a company that offers burgers, dogs...stuff like that.



Mark did a fine job planning for a first time out and I applaud his efforts.


Ed

 

i think catering is a great idea,unless we have it at someone's house, which I'm trying to do, since there won't be any rental or insurance cost.

we'll see though.

 

We do have a year to figure it out!

Ed

 

Would it be possible/better to combine the camping and the show by having it at a state park? Maybe one with bigger camp sites and nicer park rangers?

Just an idea

later,
Jason

BTW, Mark, Tell me what's up with your rear brakes. Mine never worked, and I'm still tring to fix them. Thanks to the show I have some ideas.

 

Mark... i don't know if you've thought about Maple Grove at all... it's got a campground and park/track in the same area... i'm not sure how pricy it would be to rent some space and stuff for the show... but it might not be a bad idea.... and it's also very local for me... so i would be willing to help out if needed

and the track itself is 100 times better than the mud hole they call Mason dixion dragway...

 

Maybe have race day on Monday or Friday and rent out a 1/4 mi track.

 

check pricing asap, but I'm trying to go for something free, at like someone's house

 

I think that we should have different people for each seperate aspect of the event. i.e. one for ticket sales, one for dues collection, one for the raffle, etc...

That way one person will not miss out on the chance to mingle with the rest of the group.

That one can still be overall in charge, but they won't have to do everything.

Two way radios between these people could keep everyone on the same page and they are not too expensive. Some of us may already have them.

After all that running around Mark needs a break!

 

If you want to have it in the Ohio/PA region, look into Port-a-Cook Inc., they do groups from 30 to 5000 and have the best barbeque ribs and chicken you'll probably ever eat, but they also do hot dogs, burgers, steak, pretty much anything you want. Excellent stuff, and they will travel pretty far to serve.

If you want more info, let me know, I can give you a number. The more people you book for the cheaper it is per meal.

-Later
Ben

 

Mark, I hear you've been talking to Denny (LFN AT U) about doing something at his house. He definately has the space, what are your thoughts on this so far?

 

I'm keeping my options open. Mainly I want to make sure people from the E coast will travel for it.
As that is where the main concentration of 3rd Gens is, I know from lookin on the boards, NJ seems to be the most populated as far as 3rd Gens go.

I'm trying to take off a few weeks of doing any planning, I need a break.

 

Remember that if we have it at LFN AT U's property, not only do we not have to worry about insurance and paying all that other misc crap....

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=185104

As you can see from the thread above, he has a CRAPLOAD of thirdgen parts......

*IF* he was willing to sell some of his stuff, we could all save money on shipping by purchasing from him, that's *IF* he wanted to sell anything, that is something you may want to talk to him about...

Plus Crete, IL is a pretty central location, but as you mentioned, most people on this board are from the east coast....

I ran it on Mapquest.com, and i used Atlantic City, NJ since it's farther south of the state, and i got an estimated driving distance of a little over 800 miles......

 

See thats the thing though, we need to think of everyone here. If it is on the east coast again, many people from the west and midwest might not want to make the trip, and I know we can have a decent turnout at his house. We had a third gen party memorial day weekend and it was just 3rd gens from the Chicago area and north western Indiana. We had about 35 or so cars there, and lots of people were planning on going and didn't show up. I understand we would lose some people from the east, but knowing the potential of this place and the lesser amount of money we will have to spend, I'm sure many would be able to make it. Also all the parts he has are for sale, and everyone would be able to pick up anything they needed for their cars. I've been in his basement a few times, and I must say I am in awe everytime I see it. I know that its early and that we still have plenty of time to plan, but I like the idea of Denny's house just for that fact that people who couldn't attend this years nationals because of distance, could make it this time.

 

well, one thing I've learned, no matter where I have it, I can't please everyone.

If it's in IL, people from the E coast will complain,
If it's on the E coast, people from the more western states will complain.

I'm just looking for a cheap spot (which obviously IL is) , but I'm looking for something, that will gaurantee more cars than this yrs.

what is the closest hotel to Denny's house?

 

the only thing that i suggest,may sound dumb,but to have the thirdgens closer together,maybe in several rows....at this one they were too spread out....other then that it was a badazz gathering....congrats to mark on a successful first year!!!:hail: .......just my .02

 

I agree, that's what I wanted people to do, somehow it got all crooked and gapped, by the time I noticed it was too late

 

One thing to think about with regard to location: at least at a fairgrounds, you have facilities (bathrooms, etc.) and for gatherings like this, insurance is a GOOD thing! Heaven forbid that anyone should be hurt on the premises, but suppose someone got hurt on private property and wanted to sue... yikes!

There are organizations that have those portable concession stands that they take to festivals and such that would probably jump at the chance to provide food for a big meet.

The t-shirts were cool, but it would be nice if you offered other stuff too, like hats or decals for the cars. (Or maybe umbrellas and ponchos? )

Maybe you could have an East Coast Nationals and let someone else organize a West Coast Nationals. Folks in the middle U.S. would have a choice of which one to go to.

 

yea, like West Coast Choppers?

 

Those are good ideas, I wouldn't mind a sticker....I can put you in touch with our T shirt guy if you'd like so you can see what kind of cash outlay you're looking at. But how many people are willing to drop that much cash to get them made? I did it this time and I have yet to get my money back, that was my personal money I laid down. I didn't ask for any help on them but I won't do it again without more support. I was betting on a little better turnout and therefore more shirt sales, which didn't happen. I'm still several hundred in the hole. Decals would probably be cheaper but hats will run you around $15-20 for a hat that's not a POS.


Ed

 

I'm not too familiar with his area, so you would have to ask him this, but I bet theres one within a 5 or 10 minute drive.

 

Folks could order and pay for their t-shirts, stickers, etc. in advance with their registration, or they could order them at the show and have the items shipped later... that should help the cash situation.

I'd have bought a hat, even if it was $15-20, and a sticker, but I have no use for the shirts (sorry!)

Another suggestion I had was a program of sorts... something with a list of who was there and a description (photo?) of their cars, something you could take with you as you walk around looking at the cars, something you could take notes in.

A staging area would have been nice, with a speaker system for announcements, maybe some music. Some car shows have little games and activities going on during the show, too.

 

i would have loved to do that, but i didn't have time. If i would have thought of it then, I would have asked someone.

 

Have everyone sign a waiver....

 

I say maybe one year we can have it in Ohio.

 

I wasn't there, but I think if its in a more central location, more will come. Sure, if its in IL then some people in the east won't come. But I bet some will, as will a lot more people from the middle of the country who don't want to drive all the way to the coast. But like you said, no matter what, you can't please everyone.

 

How about Union?

Ed

 

Heh, exactly. Everyone wants to have it 10 minutes from -thier- house. Just look back on the posts for setting up TGO nats '03.

 

I would suggest my house (10 acres) but I don't think the parents would like that too much....

I do think IL is a good idea though, I would come if it was there.

 

To be totally honest, I will be there, as long as I can get enough information about who, what, where, and when at least two months in advance.

I did not get it this year, but that was my fault. Next year no matter where it is, I can make arreangements to make it.

"Build it and they will come, or at least I will come."

 

lol, exactly

we'll just all come to your house Erik

 

Didnt know i was gonna get ripped for a suggestion. That is the title of the thread.

 

Sorry, I started it. No flaming intended...


Ed

 

HOLY CHIT!! 800 miles is gunna be a big one... Just let me know if and when it is so i can get the car ready for the open road!! hehehe

 

I vote for Maple Grove, thats the best idea as far as convience for track and camping spot and fairgrounds all in one swoop. Check on Pricing, I'll put up some extra money to get this thing going and help with mark to plan this one. Much props to him for doing the 03 meet and hope to make each meet better and better.

 

There are tracks here. Rt. 66 is like 45 mins from LFN AT U's and US41 is about an hour I think.

 

After driving across basically the entire county, here is my input:

A slightly better campground... that one wasn't the greatest.

Slightly more central location. I drove 2,400 miles... if people are even HALF as dedicated as I am they can drive 1,200 miles. I understand jobs and stuff interfer, but still.

That is basically all I have to say about it.

Thanks Mark, btw!

 

I think that Denny's would be awsome since it is kind of central and I'm not to far. I actually wouldnt mind even if it was out of state, but I think that you will get a lot more people if you can get it moved at least more westward. The drive for me would be long to the east coast, but not impossible, and I could visit my dad while over there, but I think that especially for the people on the west coast or western states that is a long way to drive.

Ben

 

rt 41 is more like 20 min from denny's house and easy to get to

 

hey mark, I've got "in's" with a county park that would let us use it for a weekend. Plenty of parking for all of the cars, sports fields, bathrooms. No camping though but hotels 5 minutes away. You could camp in my yard though that is almost right across the street. It's right in central MD, about 20 minustes south of Baltimore. Lemme know.

 

As long as there is a major airport nearby it will be OK. I seriously doubt I'll be able to take enough time off from the business to drive to the event.

Lon

 

BWI shouldn't be far from Tony at all.
Tony, is there enough parking so we could do it like this yr and not be spread out.
what park?

 

Damn, Mark, I thought you were taking some time off? Don't you rest?

Ed

 

lol, i am. But, figured I'd get some more info from Tony while I was lookin at this thread

 

It's 10 minutes from BWI. Plenty of parking both there and you can park at my place if you'd like to at night. It's just a small park for youth sports leagues, but there's enough parking. The lot would be almost full but there's enough room. There's a local VW club that meets ther twice a year. No camping there, but you guys are free to use my back yard (we live on an acre) and I've got plenty of floor space in the basement ( carpeted so it's not a cave ) and there are several hotels within 5 minutes drive.

 

Just a quick pic of BerettaFest 2003. The 7th BerettaFest. I was there in 2001, it was AWESOME. I drove a total of 5000 miles round trip to get there and back!

Anyway, I am slowly moving from the Beretta crowd to the F-Body/3RDGEN crowd.... My wife is more into the IROC anyway, therefore it'd be easier to get her to go to a TGN gathering anyway.

I saw some posts that stated things about a car show, drag racing at a track, and a campout. I didn't however see anything about a "group activity". At BerettaFest, we try to get the group together and go to a local attraction. For instance, when we had BerettaFest in KY, we went to Mammoth Caves and got a group tour.




We also did things like tours of the Gateway Argh in 2000 in St. Louis.

In Memphis last year, the group went to Graceland...

Are there scheduled things to do like that at the TGO/TGN event?

I really wanna see if I can make it for '04.

 

that's cool layout for a pic of the carsthere. but I gotta ask, Beretta's

no, we didn't do any type of group activity like you mentioned.

we were pretty busy i thought on both days, weather permitting, or at least I was

 

Well, I owned a Beretta GT as my first car... I found www.beretta.net shortly after I bought the GT.

Personally, my only real attraction to the Berettas is the GTZ. The other Berettas, to me, are just plain stupid. Anyhoo - My GTZ is now pushing around 220-225 at the flywheel... All with a 4 cylinder

The other thing is, the Beretta is a little different than the Cavaliers or the like.... main reason, there was _1_ generation with only minor changes. The GFX and dash changed, but the body was always the same. Makes for a lot of interchangeable parts and a lot easier to find parts in J/Ys.

 

Well, since quite a few people seem to be pushing for my house next year I figured I'd better get in on this. I have room right now for about 140-150 cars. I could easily expand to have room for about 175 but that might be it. I have over 6 1/2 acres but some of it isn't suitable for something like this. I'm located about 45 minutes south of Chicago and there are plenty of motels located within 15 or 20 minutes. There is also a huge forest preserve a couple minutes down the road that does have camping. The forest preserve has a huge parking lot that could also work for the show. As mentioned earlier, I do have a TON of parts and just about everything is for sale. That would help for people who want to pick up some parts for their cars at the same time. Both 41 and Rt. 66 dragstrips are about 45 minutes away. I know 41 is available to rent by the day and isn't that expensive.
I have a big thirdgen party every Memorial Day weekend already so my I'll still have my big party next year whether it becomes the Nationals or not. We were hoping to bring in around 100 cars next year anyway so either way it will be big. So whatever is decided about the Nationals is fine with me. However, everybody is still welcome to attend my thirdgen party on Memorial Day weekend.

 

denny:

labor day seems like it might be a good time to host the nationals... how hard would it be to reserve the forest preserve for the show if we were unable to place everything at your place?

ed: the catering idea sounds good as well, any ideas on how much it is to have catering?

from my house to the general vicinity of crete, ill. is about 420 miles one way. nothing is set in stone.

what does everyone else think? ideas, people, ideas!

 

Actually, I have my party on Memorial Day weekend not Labor Day. That puts my party on the last weekend in May. I don't know how hard it would be to get a section of the forest preserve but I'm guessing it wouldn't be hard. I've already talked to a catering place for my party next year and it's already taken care of if I decide to do it so that wouldn't be a problem.