Originally Posted by irwin
ok so all this talk about free form then i miss my alarm and push the schedule way back? i got in at like 3am on friday, and you know what if the vendors dont wanna do the tunning in the evening when we arent driving, then so be it. im a tuner and i was looking forward to seeing anthony and some of the parts he is offering that i dont already have, but if this cant be done when everyone is hanging out then whats the point? this is a driving event, a chance to go out and see what your car can really do, or take a nice cruise through some scenic roads. this is not a sponsored event, nor is the lodge a store.
as for the schedule, if you remember the only real reason for the schedule was so that we could fit in everything we were trying to do in the limited time available, and not have to drive the dragon at night fall. as has been said numerous times before, if you dont want to participate dont, do what you please, but in the same respect i do believe the majority of the group will be out doing the scheduled stuff, and when you want to meet up you will know where we will be. thats the idea of the schedule, if you want to meet up for the pics but dont want to do the loop, you will know where the main group will be when we are done.
now as far as a fee, a $10 or $15 dollar fee doesnt seem all that crazy or expensive, bill books photographers runs back and forth to the hotel to meet and make sure everything is taken care of, im sure he has racked up a phonme bill due to all of this and what we are just supposed to have him pay for all of this but not reimburse him? all the talk about i make x amount of dollars and im a doctor or lawyer and all of that and people would ***** about 10 bucks? this amazes me, with 60 xf's that comes to $600 if he is making a profit off of that i would be amazed, and if there was a lil left over i wouldnt care if he stuck it in his pocket, aftyer all i would believe bill has spent more than 40 hours between setting everything up scheduling promoting, phone call after phone call, thats a weeks work, what do you make in a week?
Bill keep up your hard work and dont get discouraged, i had a great time last year, and im sure everyone will have a great time this year! the "schedule" didnt have us running around like chickens with our heads cut off before and im sure it wont this time, it was actually very well layed out and gave us all plenty of time for relaxing and b.s.ing and of course drinking! lol
Irwin, no one said that *you* pushed the schedule back. Yes, you were
late, but so were many others. I had no intent to make this personal,
so let's keep it that way. I said what I said because I felt it needed to be
said.
From all that was said or done last year, this appeared to be a much
more informal event. Get together, drive the dragon and have a good
time. It has grown, and it will continue to grow ,if this event continues,
ever more rigorous in scheduling and activities. This is the nature of
the beast, once an event grows much beyond the semi-spontaneous.
Sure, no one is holding a gun to anyone's head, forcing them to attend
each activity, but when vendors start backing out because there is no
room in the schedule there might be a problem. I'm sure I am not alone
in saying that I will not be in attendance for the evening get togethers.
I can't afford to come up for a 3 day event, and spend the cash for a hotel
room for a couple of days. I, like others, will be driving up for the Sat.
meet at Fontana Dam. If you limit vendors to only the evenings, then we
day trippers won't be able to participate in those activities.
I was certainly planning to avail myself of their offerings. I, like another
who posted cannot afford to have my car down a week while I ship off
my ECU for a tune. It is my daily driver, and I depend on it. So, having
vendors at the meet, during the daylight hours, helps those of us, and everyone else, who have limited time.
Oh, and BTW, you will note, that I have been careful in each message to
state again and again that I understand what Bill has put into this. I,
personally, think he may have invested more time, money and effort than
was needed, but I've gotten the impression that he is really enjoying
the work and getting a great deal of personal satisfaction from it all. I
applaud and salute the perserverance and dedication this has taken, and
I appreciate what he has done.
But, I take nothing away from that by stating that there needs to be more
room for those folks who can help us have even more fun on the Dragon!
And, that we should not encumber them with a pant load of "expenses"
just for the privilege of showing up. Now, that does not preclude the
fact that to sell product in someone's parking lot, or on someone else's
property the vendor may have to pay a fee to that property owner. That's
a cost of using someone else's space. But I don't think there should be
a fee just for attending the event with the purpose of moving product.
At least, not until this becomes a commercial event (do you want the
legal regulation and fiduciary responsibilities that would go with that?)
That's my position, and I"m sticking to it. You may agree or disagree
with what I've said, but let's keep it impersonal.
Coyote