EVENT OF OUR OWN ???

Big Papi · Post by **Big Papi** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 3:28 pm

One of my reasons for joining the group was to be a part of a community that shared the same passion I did, meeting , owning and driving a MINI/Mini. Since I have joined the club back in March 2008 there have been a lot of great events and it has been a lot of fun. However, there has been one thing that has been missing from other car clubs that I have spoken too that are driving clubs as well. A driving event! We do a lot of things but it seems like they are to go somewhere for something else and the "art" or "act" of driving seems to be missed.

I know some people go to the Dragon or other national runs, which is awesome, but some of us can't do those things for various reasons. As the only MINI club in the Kansas City region we need to try and develope something that is uniquely special for us and the community.

An event that can:

1) Bring attention to our beloved MINI/Mini's
2) Boost awareness and sales
3) Put on a great event for charity
4) Fun driving for us and our cars
5) Develope realtionships with other local and national car clubs for future events.

Kansas City has always been known as a great car city since the 50's. We have several great race tracks including ovals, road courses, drag stripes, dirt tracks and SCCA circuits. Cars and trucks are manufactured here by Kansas and Missouri citizens and the people of this area take great pride in their vehicles. There are great corporate sponsors in Kansas City, some of the biggest compaines in the country are headquartered right here.

With all of the great members we have and new members we are gaining all of the time, we should be able to create something that is truely wonderful. We show be able to put a great event together and invite all clubs to participate as well as get our name out there nationally and being to generate some interest for our event and raise money for a great cause. I beleive that in time it can be an event that people will travel to like we do for theirs. It just takes a desire and commitment to get started and to develope something MINI/Mini.

So here is the BIG question to all of the members, I think a smal exploratory group should be assembled to explore this idea.

What interest, not a commitment at this point, is there in putting together a small group to research and evaluate the idea of creating an event?

A small group that can do research, make a few calls and organize the information to present to the members showing what would be involved in this group. At that point a decision can be made if it can or should be explored further.

Please voice your opinion WE can do this people....

kabootist · Post by **kabootist** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 5:54 pm

I'll throw myself into the hat, I would have no problem with a nice conversation among MINIalists. Plans for a day to have a Conference would be great...also can we please keep this grassroots, no selling out to NAM.

Big Papi · Post by **Big Papi** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 6:18 pm

Great we have 2, myself and kabootist... who else, we need a couple more.

Counterfit_Mini · Post by **Counterfit_Mini** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 1:55 am

Sounds like fun

anima · Post by **anima** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 7:37 pm

I'm in.

Jeff

Minidave · Post by **Minidave** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 8:45 pm

I don't understand what it is you're trying to do here..........

Every month (during the summer) there's a run up to Heartland Park, even if you don't want to race you could always come up with us for lunch and the cruise.

There are also trips aranged to MITM, MTTS, the Dragon and so on.....

Every so often someone arranges a cruise in the city , like Bentley and Cory did a few months ago, and Kabootist did a couple of weekends ago.....

Johnna arranges a number of these drives every year (BTW Johnna, any news on our cruise to Kingman to see the windmills? Just curious......)

My point is only that if you want to organize a tour, absolutely go for it, but there are plenty of driving events all year if you wish to participate.

So, as I said, just asking what it is you're wanting to do here so I can understand, what kind of event did you have in mind?

kabootist · Post by **kabootist** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 11:09 pm

My thing is I think we could and should do more. If a meeting of the minds is what it takes then so be it. I had my reasons for buying another Mini, and this was one of it. If I lost the community of Mini owners, I would be selling my Mini for a S2000 or something silly like that.

I was under the impression of a National or Regional Event. National might be pushing it but Regional I could see. I think there is a lot more we could do, whether it be drives, more cruise-ins, we should have weekly meetings not monthly. I understand Johanna does a lot and I am in no way expecting her to do more, Just that we need to delegate tasks of what we want done and how to get there. I signed up for that when i replied to this post. I am willing to make more happen, We just need to decide what, if just 5 of us meet up to discuss it, i think we can get an idea, but if we want to do something regional we will need the support and cooperation of the entire club, not just a select few. My temptation to use a famous JFK quote is not enough to have me actually do it. I don't want to sound like I'm ranting, just trying to circle the wagons or motivate the troops. My issue with the club is most people treat it just as a side thought, I am guilty of this as well. I understand schedules change and stuff happens, (I cant go to Thursday night Sonic because I work @ 5pm) but when something new comes up, we always get lots of interest but no one acts on it, unless something is free or you already paid in advance. (Minis in the Market) Clearly there was an issue with people dropping out before and giving money to charity seemed to keep that down. I also understand people have priorities in life, and the Mini club isn't very high, and in all situations your family should come first and work, because if you dont work, who is going to pay for the mini? Finally, I don't want to setup for disappointment. If we work toward getting a regional event setup and everything and only come to be embarrassed because the local club didn't didnt meet expectations, I will be the first one to let everyone know, and if it goes great, then pizza is on me for a job well done. It comes down to who wants to step up and take the club to the next level.

MiniX4 John · Post by **MiniX4 John** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 9:02 am

Isn't this the purpose of Grassroots Gatherings? It is good practice to plan events there first before jumping into a larger event that most of us have no experience hosting.

I work in the Special Events industry and am overwhelmed by the amount of work that club members already do to make our events happen. I would like to see more members involved in organizing Grassroots Gatherings but understand the reluctance because there is a fair amount of work involved.

There's nothing in the "rules" that says we can't do anything on a weekly basis. Don't just sit there and wait for someone else to plan it, make it happen.

John

Post by **ragtopday Johnna** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 9:10 am

Kabootist--if you think the club needs to do more, hop to it! That's why the "Grassroots Gatherings" area was added to the forum and I know you've used it before to host events. The same goes for anyone else who wants more activities. Please plan something, post it up and invite us all to join you.

I'd say the same to Big Papi--if you want more driving events or think something has been missing in the 4 months you have been a member of the club, please plan them. Most of us would love more things to do and welcome other club members doing the grunt work for us.

The purpose of having one monthly "official" gathering is to plan something that people of all driving abilities in all areas of the city can easily participate in. Opening up the opportunity for all club members to host events via Grassroots Gatherings extends the amount of events offered and the amount and type of events is then up to all of us. If you don't like what is being offered, you can always plan something and count on at least some of us showing up.

As for hosting a regional or national event, I have absolutely zero interest. I have spent too many years coordinating events professionally to be involved in this socially. I am also seeing many regional and national MINI events falter, or at best suffer major declines in registration, sponsorship and vendor support. I believe an uphill battle would ensue to start a new event. I'm not interested but would attend if someone else puts it together.

Dave--you asked about the trip to King City. I'm working on it but running into many time conflicts both with my schedule and my friend who lives in the area. I gotta get moving or we'll run into a potential weather problem again. I also have another road-trip kinda thing floating around in my head and it will make a fun Grassroots Gathering. I need to stay home for a few days between MINI events so I can plan more!

Johnna

Minidave · Post by **Minidave** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 9:18 am

Thanks for the update, Johnna!

I ask again, what did you guys have in mind here?

Weekly 1 hour drives someplace?

A monthly, weekend drive?

Rallyes?

What sort of stuff is missing now from your MINI life?

Big Papi · Post by **Big Papi** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 9:27 am

Thank you for your response Kabootist, you pretty much said exactly what I was thinking. BTW, I want to affirm your comment to Johnna she does a great job and we all appreciate and thank her for her work!!!! I appreciate all that she and we do, however, I do believe that we can and should do more and offer more.

We have over 300 members regisitered here and we should be able to rally (no pun intended) them to come together for a day or weekend of fun in the local area with other clubs, groups and the public to raise a decent amount of money for charity and actually have a driving event.

If you look at "Bikers for Babies" they started out as a small group of riders and through time they have organized and grown to a massive annual event raising well over $3MM dollars for charity and go for a great ride in the area.

This thread has to do with a driving event that is organizied and professional in nature. As I said in my initial comments not all of us want to cruise up to HPT and watch driving and I as well as a lot of other peope cannot afford to push our cars to that level. In addition, a lot of people cannot always take time off to travel to do MTTS or the Dragon for various reasons. However, if we had something here in Kansas City or the area we could probably make time or afford to attend.

As I said I want to put together a small group to explore the idea of organizing a professional event that is ours I truely believe that we can do that. A lot of time, effort and support is needed and that is what I want to discuss in this group, then present it to the members and go from there.

We need to push ourselves to do something great to try, to do something difficult and help make a difference in the community.

Big Papi · Post by **Big Papi** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 10:06 am

Look guys-

Hold on everyone, this is a good idea. It is should not be villafied, if there is interest then we will move forward, that is all. There seems to be a lot of defensive posturing going on and that is not what this is suppose to be about. Nobody is upset with what currently goes on, nobody is trying to offend those that do work for the club, nobody is saying we can or will do a bigger event and nobody is signing anyone up for anything other than a small group to look at this idea so for everyones feelings and friendships PLEASE RELAX, OK !!!

Putting something together at the last minute like the K5 run is not what Kabootist or I are really talking about, I think we would both like to see something a little more grand. I am looking for interested people to explore an idea and then present it to the group members for evaluation.

Minidave the ideas you mentioned are good and yes they are all on the table right now why don't you join us, we would love to have your input?

Minidave · Post by **Minidave** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 10:14 am

Well, the things I mentioned are not large "Regional or national" events, but merely grassroots gathering type of deals........

I think what you're trying to do is organzie a yearly large publicity event like the bikers do where hundreds of riders show up and so on. I might participate in such an event, but like Johnna says I don't have the time to do the organization of such a deal, nor am I sure it's right for our club - but I'm not dissing it either.

I don't think anyone here is feeling threatend or upset or is assuming a defensive posture by what you posted, again I'm just trying to understand what exactly it is you're trying to do. I've never been much for committe decisions, seems to me like when committes, focus groups or study groups get invovled, nothing gets done. If you want to do something, as the Nike commercials say 'just do it"

For example, when I bought my MINI one of the things I wanted to do was take it to the track, not to race but to explore the handling and performance in ways I can't do safely or legally on the street. When I found out about Heartland Park's Touring Laps I signed up and invited others to join up and go with me via a posting in Grassroots Gatherings, but whether or not anyone else did I was going to do it. As it turned out 4 people did the first month, and several more joined us in successive months and the event grew from there.

My point is that for these events to be successful, the first thing you need is an idea and a dedicated leader, then support from the club will come or not depending on whether the idea is attractive or not. I think asking people to brainstorm and come up with ideas of things to do is fine, and I've posted such threads here to, but if you want to do something, the best way is simply to announce it and do it.

I offer another example of Davester and our upcoming baseball evening at the T-Bones game. He had an idea, published it and got great support. He's organized it, he got the tix (check's in the mail, Davester..

) , and I think we'll have a fun event.

So, you figure out what you want to do, organize it, and chances are good that the club will come and support you............or not............

Big Papi · Post by **Big Papi** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 10:23 am

Ok, thanks Dave I appreciate your comments.

MiniVespa · Post by **MiniVespa** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 11:01 am

I, like many others, would certainly be interested in attending the event but have little experience in planning something like this, and unfortunately life is a tad busy right now. I'm interested to see where this goes though.

kabootist · Post by **kabootist** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 2:04 pm

I have made plenty of suggestions in the Grassroots Gatherings, check them out, feel free to make fun of them...most are just crazy ideas of mine, I think are fun. I enjoy driving the 435 Loop, so...yeah.

Big Papi · Post by **Big Papi** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 2:19 pm

I actually like that idea. I thought of that before as well and did it a few times in my Honda Prelude Si

kabootist · Post by **kabootist** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 3:41 pm

Who decides when things become official Club meets? Is this reserved to those that are more "senior"? Grassroots can only take you so far. who is involved in the planning process for club events? A Grassroot event is not percieved as something thought out or even remotely planned, if im going to plan something and work out details, its a more than a Grassroots gathering. I am not trying to shake the infrastructure of the club, more like determine what needs to be done and who needs to approve something as being good enough to be a club gathering. Again, Im not saying what is going now isn't appreciated, or is in any bad or not good enough, I just think and know there are people that want to take this to the next level. If our more established members dont want it that way, please let me know, you can send me a PM or tell me here, I really do not mind.

Big Papi · Post by **Big Papi** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 4:07 pm

I agree that I would like to see things go to the next level as well and respectfully ask what is involved in making something official.

As stated if I spend time planning out something for the group I would like it to be official and have the support of the club as a whole.

I am willing and eager to put the time and effort into planning a "big" driving event, but I want the support and backing of the club if I do and I want to know that if I need assistance I can count on them.

I do believe that corporate sponsorship could be possible and I am willing to seek it out and present an idea to them. I have expereince speaking professionally, have written contract law for 5 years and I have been a project manager for more than 10 years so I understand the concepts needed for managing a big event.

In addition, I have attended or participated in many, many other events in the past that were professionally presented. This isn't impossible to do and I think there are a lot of people who would like to contribue in some fashion. It is just a matter of actually doing it, so if you are interested in doing something FUN and helping out for a good cause please set up and say I want to help out.

Post by **ragtopday Johnna** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 4:57 pm

To answer the question posed re. "official" club events, for the past 18 months they have been events that were suggested by club members who said, "Could this be our February event? There's nothing on the calendar." That's about as official as it gets in this unofficial, non-dues-collecting, officer-free organization.

The Sonic nights, for example, came about in a group discussion of about 10 Miniacs trying to think of something fun that folks all over town could do. It was suggested, I posted it. If you want to plan one of the "official" events, just pipe up. There are plenty of months when someone has been needed to coordinate an event. Raise your hand, take on a month or two or twleve...

I hope that clarifies--to my knowledge there is no seniority issue within this fun-loving group of people. I'm a relative newbie compared to some of these folks.

Post by **MiniManiac** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 4:59 pm

kabootist wrote:Who decides when things become official Club meets? Is this reserved to those that are more "senior"? Grassroots can only take you so far. who is involved in the planning process for club events? A Grassroot event is not percieved as something thought out or even remotely planned, if im going to plan something and work out details, its a more than a Grassroots gathering. I am not trying to shake the infrastructure of the club, more like determine what needs to be done and who needs to approve something as being good enough to be a club gathering. Again, Im not saying what is going now isn't appreciated, or is in any bad or not good enough, I just think and know there are people that want to take this to the next level. If our more established members dont want it that way, please let me know, you can send me a PM or tell me here, I really do not mind.

To make it official, all you have to do is plan it. That is it, nothing more. There is no seniority or anything of that nature that makes it official. What you have to remember is that not everyone is going to like your idea (i.e. driving 435). You can post as many ideas as you want but if it is not a common theme shared by most of the folks on this board, then you won't get any support.

You basically have two ways of getting an event together - 1. Post in the Grassroots gathering or any other thread of your choice. 2. Bring it up at the next club meeting. It is all pretty basic. If folks are interested they will do it.

From my experience in several MINI/Mini clubs I found that 90% of the members want to participate in the events but only 10% want to plan them. I accpeted that and it never bothered me. So, be prepared to see the same folks planning the events (you know who you are). If you are going to plan one, don't expect everyone to help out but I would expect most folks to show up and enjoy the fruits of your labor. People are busy and they don't always have time to do the planning.

As far as taking it to the next level, I really have only one thought: talk is cheap. Form your committee, do your research and present it to the group. Also, don't balk when others state that they do not have the time nor desire to do it. If you have never done something like this before, you will be pleasantly surprised at how hard it is. If you find that you are the only ones who are interested then you have a choice - return to the status quo or start your own club that satisfies your needs. That is the bottom line.

I started Bluegrass MINIs in KY, and we had the same misunderstandings. I think that it is great that Big Papi and others want to expand the horizons of the club. I know John, Johnna and the other members of the club. I know that they will not attempt to hold you back from your aspirations. Their posts are simply stating that if you want to do it, then do it. It is too easy.

Good luck!!

BTW - there may be over 300 registered members, but you have check when those "members" actuall posted or logged onto the site. You also have a small but dedicated group of folks who do the majority of the heavy lifting.

Big Papi · Post by **Big Papi** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 5:04 pm

Good comments Johnna and Seth, thanks for the advise I appreciate all of the feedback. Have a great day.

kabootist · Post by **kabootist** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 6:54 pm

First of all none of this is meant to put anyone down and if any of us sounded like we were balking because someone doesn't have enough time to plan something, I apologize, that is not the intent. Quite the contrary, if you have an idea but dont want to plan it, let us know! My thing is everyone is appreciative of what people do for the club and If other members want to go outside the bounds of what is being done now, then whats wrong with that? If Johnna didn't want to plan Minis in the Market for example, no one is expecting her to, at least not me. I don't see why the responsibilities of the club lies in just a few people, I have the time to work on making the club better, planning, calling vendors for prizes for events, all that stuff, but I have never seen a post asking for help with that stuff. Just parking and stuff that really doesn't take much work but showing up early. After reading previous posts and the lack of desire for a National/Regional event, I just don't see it happening. We wont have the complete support of the club not to mention the numbers for it. As for setting up more events, this will probably become the focus of any discussions made outside of this forum. I like to use the hit and miss approach, yes driving 435 is boring, but the Friday night BBQ run seems like its going to be as much of a hit as Sonic is. My ideas are not perfect and no where near the planning of Minis in the Market, but I'm sure the first time that went down things were not perfect. Sure if you dont want to go, then don't go. I guess we need to consult more people on what they want to do and where the club should go, and not leave it to just 5 of the I'm guessing 40 or so active members.

Big Papi · Post by **Big Papi** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 8:20 pm

All of the comments are welcome and I thank everyone, please keep them coming, conversation is good and it brings plenty of insight to the discussion.

I don't know if a Regional/National event is possible, but I like the concept of it and I like to think big and dream bigger. I like to set that bar high and see if I (we) can achieve it, with or without member support. I think it is a bit of a long shot but I oun't know until I try. I do think we should approach other car clubs and see what support is out there. I hope that if and when something is done that all of our members and even more show up, that is the whole idea.

I thank Kabootist for his opinions and appreciate his thoughts and ideas. I agree with him and I do like the events we have now, I only want more and possibly something special for our club. Maybe only 10% or less do provide the grunt work, but it is all appreciated by me and I am always open to helping out.

I think all of this is good conversation and for me it is appreciated. I sincerely hope that nobody is hurt or offended, as far as I am concerned everything we do or are discussing is in good fun and for the betterment of the club.

sundance · Post by **sundance** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 10:27 pm

Hey all - I've been holding back, mainly because I've been on the road for what seems to be about 20 of the last 30 days so my apologies for not checking in more and for not responding to the last months of PMs here at the board. Busy doesn't even come close to describing what I've been lately.

That being said, as your former president, I concur with what Johnna and Seth have stated in that if you want to do something, plan a drive, put on a national or regional event, go for it. We are a group of folks who like to get together. That's it. No official members, no official dues, no official officers, technically the only thing that makes us a "club" is this forum and our common desire to get together as a community because we all share the common thread of MINI/Mini ownership. We've tried the official route with dues, officers, bank account (federal non-profit status required) and we pretty much went nowhere with it. We then, as a group and officers, agreed that the loose format was the best so here we are. I don't want to rain on anyone's parade and if you have big dreams I say go for it. My caution is this. Without formal status which includes Federal and State not-for profit status, formal by-laws, officers, voting members, dues, a liability insurance policy and a few other things that are slipping my mind right now, a large "driving event" is a personal liability to anyone who plans it - sad but true. Those are the specific reasons we chose to run things the way they are around here.

If somebody wants to take on the responsibility of planning and executing an event then nothing is standing in your way. Seth put it mildly in stating that you may be surprised at how much work it is.

As far as I'm concerned, I think the club is perfect - for me. I have little extra time but I enjoy the chance to get together and see friends once in awhile and talk about our MINIs. I'm not sure why some think there is a lack of driving events though. I can remember at least 10 recent events that involved driving - three different drives on the K-5, two different poker runs, monthly track events at HPT, invitations to BMW and Audi sponsored events at HPT, Christmas light drives for the past two years, an annual drive to St. Louis for the Winery run (4 years running now), drives from Lee's Summit, drives to Omaha, MTTS 2006 to St. Louis (National event), MTTS 2008 to Chicago (National event) and I could keep going. Either you're too new to remember or have chosen not to participate. Plain and simple.

Personally I am quite offended at some of the comments. Even though it has been said that no offense was meant, it was taken by me and some others who have contacted me personally. I've been part of this club since March of 2003 - almost the beginning and I've seen dozens of members come and go. There are truly only about 30-50 "core" members here and you all know who you are.

I'm on my way to LA for the last MTTS stop so I may not get the chance to respond until next week and by then I'm sure the fit will hit the shan and I'll be persona-non-grata for some around here. Forgive me if that's the case. I simply had to speak my mind on the matters at hand.

Peace and chicken grease my MINI friends.

See you on the radio - White Roof Radio, that is.

Todd