TDIFest 2014 -Looking for Expressions of Interest

Why would Chattanooga get national coverage as opposed to another location? I agree that it would be great to arrange something where VW could be involved and at least offer plant tours, but we haven't had much luck getting to cooperate to date.

My only objection to Chattanooga is that it'll probably be pretty warm on Labor Day weekend. Denver would be cooler and drier. But that's probably not a deal breaker.

Chris Tobin said:

Chattanooga!!!! FTW!!!

a) VW Plant
b) 1/8-mile drag strip
c) Tail of the Dragon Hwy 129 for scenic drive!!!
d) shopping/family stuff like aquarium, Rock City, Hidden Lake and more for Family and other activities before/during or after
e) less expensive hotels
f) TDIFest in Chattanooga will get National Magazine coverage

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Negatives:

a. Been to Wolfsburg (and unfortunately, Westmorland); don't need to see another though a return visit to Wolfsburg might be nice.

c. In my Miata, yes; Jetta, no.

e. Motel 6, Super 8?

f. Heck, the diesel mags ignored previous TDIFests, why would they condescend to to cover it just because it is in Chattanooga?

g. Too far to drive without a super compelling reason.

romad said:

Yeah, and you went across on I-90. I-80, I-70, US-50, I-10 are even more mind-numbing. The funny thing is that I-70 in Kansas and eastern Colorado seem worse than I-80 in Wyoming & Nebraska.

I didn't get my Jetta until July 2011, so I missed the Portland event.

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When I drove to the Portland fest I took I-70 out and I-80 back. The worst driving day of my trip was the drive across Kansas. I left St Louis in the morning and a couple hours down the road went thru Kansas City. On the other side my Garmin said "Follow the road for 600 miles". I spent the rest of the day in Kansas. Coming back started out in Utah, hit Wyoming just as the sun came up and then stopped in the late afternoon 1/2 across Nebraska. Didn't seem near as long or tiring even though the mileage was about the same.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

Why would Chattanooga get national coverage as opposed to another location? I agree that it would be great to arrange something where VW could be involved and at least offer plant tours, but we haven't had much luck getting to cooperate to date.

My only objection to Chattanooga is that it'll probably be pretty warm on Labor Day weekend. Denver would be cooler and drier. But that's probably not a deal breaker.

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If a TDIFest is held in a location near a Diesel World contributor or editor (such as me) then the event will be more likely to be covered than if it is in some way out of the way location... For example I attended and covered the Lexington TDIFest in Diesel World mag that year, but did not make the 12 or so hour drive up to Michigan for the TDIFest last year, and will not be making the trip up to Maine this year...

romad said:

Negatives:

a. Been to Wolfsburg (and unfortunately, Westmorland); don't need to see another though a return visit to Wolfsburg might be nice.

c. In my Miata, yes; Jetta, no.

e. Motel 6, Super 8?

f. Heck, the diesel mags ignored previous TDIFests, why would they condescend to to cover it just because it is in Chattanooga?

g. Too far to drive without a super compelling reason.

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Diesel World magazine covered the Lexington TDIFest but did not attend the others in far off locations... If it is in Chattanooga, I would be able to cover it and I think my editor would run it...

As to your other remarks...

Well most of us have not been to Germany and many would probably like to see the VW plant where some of their beloved VWs are built...

If you don't enjoy driving the Jetta, why drive it??? I enjoy driving mine and the drag strip and twisties are fun in the car!!!

Just about any hotel will be cheaper than a resort, but with less pomp and circumstance so some won't like the no frills aspect... Personally, I attend car/truck events to do car/truck stuff not hotel stuff, but that is just me and apparently not most TDIClubbers...

Chattanooga is close to a lot of TDI folks.

Didn't know Diesel World covered the Lexington Fest: I didn't make that one. Can't remember why. Not sure what national coverage gets the club, but I suppose it couldn't hurt. And I recall folks tried to arrange a tour in conjunction with the Lexington Fest and were turned down, but that may have been because of it being so close to when they originally started production.

The Portland Fest included drag racing, which is great. Not my thing, but people like it a lot. And folks have suggested setting up a road course event in conjunction with the Fest, but I doubt most TDIs are in condition to run a road course safely or without breaking. They're not exactly the best track day car anyway, at least not in stock or nearly stock form. I'm indifferent to hotels, as long as it's clean and smoke free I'm OK, but lots of folks would appreciate something lower cost, I agree. I think the Wisconsin Fest was in a Holiday Inn that was pretty inexpensive, even at the time. The past few years organizers have tried to keep hotel costs to around $100/night, which is reasonable by most standards.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

Didn't know Diesel World covered the Lexington Fest: I didn't make that one. Can't remember why. Not sure what national coverage gets the club, but I suppose it couldn't hurt. And I recall folks tried to arrange a tour in conjunction with the Lexington Fest and were turned down, but that may have been because of it being so close to when they originally started production.

The Portland Fest included drag racing, which is great. Not my thing, but people like it a lot. And folks have suggested setting up a road course event in conjunction with the Fest, but I doubt most TDIs are in condition to run a road course safely or without breaking. They're not exactly the best track day car anyway, at least not in stock or nearly stock form. I'm indifferent to hotels, as long as it's clean and smoke free I'm OK, but lots of folks would appreciate something lower cost, I agree. I think the Wisconsin Fest was in a Holiday Inn that was pretty inexpensive, even at the time. The past few years organizers have tried to keep hotel costs to around $100/night, which is reasonable by most standards.

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It was covered in the January 2012 issue of Diesel World. I wrote the article and posted a thread here about it...

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=335311

National exposure helps events to grow as well as the forum that supports/creates the events. One small event I attended a few years back for Ford truck guys has grown year over year thanks in part to event coverage. Also, if attendees feel that their car or truck has a chance to get in a magazine they tend to put in that extra effort to make sure it looks good and increases the show n shine competition...

Road course racing is a whole different deal than drag racing, 1/8-mile drag racing especially!!! Running the 1/8-mile is basically the same as entering an Interstate Freeway onramp at full throttle from a stoplight... Most TDIs will finish the 1/8-mile at around 50-65 MPH in 10-13 seconds and if the car is not safe enough to drive in those conditions it SHOULD NEVER be driven on public roads!!!

I feel the same way as you on the hotel, as long as it is clean and smoke free I am happy. I would rather spend my time enjoying the cars/trucks and activities than hanging out in a hotel lobby! If we spend less on a hotel, we have more available to spend on parts, raffles, tuning and other car stuff we all love!!!

Regarding hotel pricing, I had a nice wake-up call on my coast-to-coast trip. Almost everything was over $100/night except for the motel in the Badlands in South Dakota, which was $70 and not worth much more than $40 (although the folks who ran it were very friendly). Holiday Inn Express and Hyatt Place hotels were all in the mid-$100s even in little smaller cities like Twin Falls, Idaho and the outskirts of Chicago. In my experience, the best prices can be had by finding off-peak conference centers and resorts like a ski resort in the middle of summer (this year), or a big business conference center on a holiday weekend (DC in 2009) that would normally have rates in the $200+ range. Having explored Chattanooga extensively, it's going to be difficult to find reasonable rates during a peak season (Labor Day Weekend) without contracting with them well in advance (several of the places I called were booked at least a year in advance).

We've definitely been around this block a time or two and we have managed to get very good pricing considering regular advertised rates across the nation. Past pricing includes $99/night at a Marriott last year, $99/night at the Hilton suites in Lexington, $99/night at a Hyatt Regency just outside of DC, and $105/night this year at a full-blown ski resort.

Again, just thinking out loud... not trying to be a Debbie Downer about this.

PS: I need to give you a call now that I'm back in town.

VeeDubTDI said:

Regarding hotel pricing, I had a nice wake-up call on my coast-to-coast trip. Almost everything was over $100/night except for the motel in the Badlands in South Dakota, which was $70 and not worth much more than $40 (although the folks who ran it were very friendly).

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On my trip back east last year, all my hotel stays were under $100/night out the door except the Ypsilanti Marriott. I stay at Best Western and am a member of their rewards program so my stays in Chicago & Reno were covered by my rewards points. The cheapest I paid was for 2 nights in Cave City, KY at $109.90 or $54.95 per night. So I'd suggest deciding on a favorite chain and sign up for their rewards program.

We stayed at all kinds of different ones, with the exception of the Holiday Inn Express, which we stayed at twice in two different cities.

Looking back on our bills, the ranges were $60-$170 for 7 nights across the country.

Hotels rates vary incredibly based on booking levels. I stayed in a Marriott Courtyard in Pasadena CA back in April, it was $129/night for a Friday and Saturday (usually cheaper in Courtyards anyway, as they're primarily a business hotel). Was back there this week Monday/Tuesday and it was $249/night. Ouch.

For GTG travel I've grown fond of La Quinta hotels. They're newer, take pets (important to me and Parker) and very consistent from what I've seen so far. However, they do run about $100/night. They would make a good Fest facility in the right location.

One of the things I think we want is banquet facilities. That tends to come with larger, more expensive hotels. I spent 6 nights in Buffalo, NY for business. Motels ranged from 110 to 190 per night. I know San Diego will not be that inexpensive on the Labor Day Weekend. Now, I dont know what Marriott Courtyard in Pasadena, CA would want for 100 rooms on the Labor Day Weekend - not likely $129 per night. Probably more.

Have to wonder what Vegas would cost for 100 rooms on Labor Day Weekend. Yes, hot. But lots of rooms and lots of flights if you want to fly in. Then there is the road trip to Hoover Dam and the tour of the dam.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

Hotels rates vary incredibly based on booking levels. I stayed in a Marriott Courtyard in Pasadena CA back in April, it was $129/night for a Friday and Saturday (usually cheaper in Courtyards anyway, as they're primarily a business hotel). Was back there this week Monday/Tuesday and it was $249/night. Ouch.

For GTG travel I've grown fond of La Quinta hotels. They're newer, take pets (important to me and Parker) and very consistent from what I've seen so far. However, they do run about $100/night. They would make a good Fest facility in the right location.

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I missed out on the Hoover Dam tour the last time I was there (right after 9/11/01)...

john.jackson9213 said:

Have to wonder what Vegas would cost for 100 rooms on Labor Day Weekend. Yes, hot. But lots of rooms and lots of flights if you want to fly in. Then there is the road trip to Hoover Dam and the tour of the dam.

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There is a big Euro event every year in Las Vegas (Wüste). There are a number of hotels that would meet all of our needs and we could probably find a venue with reasonable room rates. The problems are that:
(1) Labor Day weekend (actually any long weekend) are busy times, and you won't get the best rates and
(2) Labor day weekend is still really hot. You can expect highs between 100 and 110 and lows not much below 90 (not to mention the brilliant cloudless sunshine that can burn you very quickly). Wüste is held the first weekend in June and it is sometimes already too hot by then (this year it was over 100 at the event). They do a road trip to the top of Mt Charleston where it is usually about 25 degrees cooler. Hoover dam (lake Mead) is lower in elevation, so it is often even hotter that Las Vegas.

Las Vegas has the venues, but the climate would not work unless we changed the date. Late September - early December or Late February - early June the weather is great, but there are no convenient 3 day weekend except for Thanksgiving (different for Canadians) and Easter. Labor day weekend just works better for most people. I wonder if Reno would work better. I'm not familiar with the town or its climate.

Have Fun!

Don

Looks like Reno is about 10-15 degrees cooler than Vegas, though Lake Tahoe is better. For prices, perhaps Carson City would be better. It's close enough to Reno for a visit to the auto museum (has part of Bill Harrah's collection), Virginia City is between the two, and of course it is close to Tahoe.



Nevada Average Temperatures
JANUARY APRIL JULY OCTOBER
Max/Min Max/Min Max/Min Max/Min

Lake Tahoe 41/24 54/30 82/49 62/37

Las Vegas 57/31 79/50 105/73 82/52

Reno 40/19 64/31 90/49 70/32

Reno/Carson City/Lake Tahoe would be a nice place. Just don't now about room rates. Las Vegas has the rooms in spades, every place is air conditioned. And the place is alive after the sun goes down, but still warm/hot.

romad said:

Looks like Reno is about 10-15 degrees cooler than Vegas, though Lake Tahoe is better. For prices, perhaps Carson City would be better. It's close enough to Reno for a visit to the auto museum (has part of Bill Harrah's collection), Virginia City is between the two, and of course it is close to Tahoe.



Nevada Average Temperatures
JANUARY APRIL JULY OCTOBER
Max/Min Max/Min Max/Min Max/Min

Lake Tahoe 41/24 54/30 82/49 62/37

Las Vegas 57/31 79/50 105/73 82/52

Reno 40/19 64/31 90/49 70/32

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Fest '13 is over. Time to think about what you liked, what you could have done without, and how you'd do it differently.
The time to start planning for the next fest is now. Piping-up with suggestions and advice a week before the event isn't helpful to those that have been struggling with the necessary compromises for months and months. Advice is much easier to implement in the formative stages, like NOW.
So provide a review, not because those the worked on the fest just completed are masochists and want to risk hearing complaints, but because those people that may work on the next fest's success depend on feedback about this fest. Next year's organizing group may consider dropping activities and events that didn't / don't suit the group to make more time and energy available for those that did, or pursue investigation into new, untried things that may be better than anything yet.

Aren't there already 13 pages in this thread?

My main preference would be in the West:

1. Vancouver, BC
2. San Diego, CA
3. Denver/Colorado Springs, CO

Seeing Texas is not ever considered seriously, I'll vote for somewhere in Colorado.

aja8888 said:

Seeing Texas is not ever considered seriously, I'll vote for somewhere in Colorado.

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Texas could be seriously considered, if some Texas people are willing to invest the time and energy to put together a committee and work to plan it. I have a brother in Texas and I wouldn't object in an excuse to go and visit him. A TDIFest can be almost anywhere that has sufficient volunteers to organize it.

Have Fun!

Don

JSWTDI09 said:

Texas could be seriously considered, if some Texas people are willing to invest the time and energy to put together a committee and work to plan it. I have a brother in Texas and I wouldn't object in an excuse to go and visit him. A TDIFest can be almost anywhere that has sufficient volunteers to organize it.

Have Fun!

Don

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This is where local clubs would be a plus. The Lone Star chapter of the Miata club (actually we're all independent clubs now) put on two big events for the 10th & 20th anniversaries of the Miata (1999 & 2009). Of course, Mazda does a better job of support than VW does.

We can get VW support, but we'd need to solicit it now. Their budget is already allocated by the October/November time frame, so getting them on board for a 2014 Fest needs to happen soon. Some people have been very vocal about Fest in Tennessee that would revolve around the new Passat plant. I think this is a great idea, but putting it together will likely require at least a year notice so that VW can be on board in a sufficient capacity (meaning that the earliest this could be pulled off would be 2015 - so start thinking about that now).

As for 2014, we're wide open. We have a few members willing to step up to the plate for a Denver area Fest, another mention of something in Louisville, KY (although KY already happened recently), and I have a Chicago proposal in a folder on my desk, ready to go (contingency plan if something falls through). If anyone else has a group of people willing to commit the amount of time required, start shouting from the roof tops and let's start exploring locations!

Also, we don't have to restrict ourselves to 2014. If you want to start thinking about 2015 or 2016, start a thread in this forum... it is "Future TDIFests," after all - open to sharing ideas about the future.

Just thinking out loud here and sharing my experiences with anyone willing to listen.

Welp, if we want to hold next year's Fest in Tennessee with VW's participation, I think the only way it can happen at this point is to bypass the usual proposal mechanism, create a core organizing committee and just commit to the venue while working out the details after then. It can be done because remember that I think it was this February before the selection of Maine as the site was announced -- which would be WAAY to late to have anything involving VW -- but deciding now even lacking a formal proposal will give us a 5 month head start over what was available for this year. I don't know how receptive Fred would be to this, however...

And to be clear, if costs and venue availability is an issue, it is not absolutely necessary to hold the event directly in Chattanooga proper or in the likes of a Sheraton, Hilton or Marriott. IMHO we don't need something of the scale of a big hotel chain to host a successful Fest. Provided we can have access to pretty much the whole facility, a smaller resort or hotel with adequate capacity would work, or if there's the lucky coincidence of a bunch of sleepy inns situated right around a rental hall like a golf/country club, KoC or VoFW. I liked how this year's Fest was in a quiet, out-of-the-way setting with nature providing some of the highlights and most people didn't seem to mind to have a slight travel for some of the activities like Mt. Washington and the banquet.

Edit: I like the sounds of Chicago, though.

Been a while since there was a Fest in Toronto. And Montreal was six years ago. Maybe it's time to consider another one in Canada.

I would happily be part of a committee for either Toronto or Montreal.

TDIMeister said:

I would happily be part of a committee for either Toronto or Montreal.

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I thought you were going to get your PhD! That isn't going to leave much time for Fest planning.

You're right Lawson, I jumped the gun.

Whatever we do and wherever TDIFest is, we should organize something like this with an MPG component. Sounds like it would be epic!!!

my wife and I would be willing to work hard at getting it to chattanooga, i know a few others who would be willing to help organize

IndigoBlueWagon said:

Been a while since there was a Fest in Toronto. And Montreal was six years ago. Maybe it's time to consider another one in Canada.

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Which is why I suggested Vancouver, BC, it fills TWO holes: in The West and in Canada!

romad said:

Which is why I suggested Vancouver, BC, it fills TWO holes: in The West and in Canada!

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Why not Alaska, that would fill them all?

I like Vancouver. But I have to confess I like Toronto better. At least Vancouver would be an easy trip for Fred. He may even be able to bring his car to that one!