TDIFest 2014 -Looking for Expressions of Interest

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paramedick

TDIClub Enthusiast, Vendor
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Versailles, Kentucky
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Yup the pig roast was great. If there was a tent and tables/chairs that would be perfect, in fact a tent could be used for the whole event with classes being held there with actual cars on hand rather than a traditional classroom or standing at the side of the hotel by the door as we did in KY for the Engine class...
The tent idea was used in Portland with success. It was used again in Ypsilanti successfully.

The pig roast in KY was strictly a dealer event. We tied it to TDIfest because they wanted to be a part of it. I thought it worked out well with one small exception that occurred due to a lack of communications.

As for the engine class, that was an unplanned offering. I had an engine that needed it's new piston/rods installed. Frank Irving offered to do it for me, and agreed to let folks watch. Frank is a natural teacher, and it turned into a class......

As I've said many times, my favorite fest was Wisconsin. We were in a Holiday Inn near the highway. We drove to the next town over for the events. Used a local garage and taught by doing. MANY cars worked on by a few folks. Other activity based in a small town hall and civic park. Banquet in a free-standing facility that specialized in events like weddings, etc. wives had local, quaint small towns to go antiquing/shopping. Cheryl liked this one best, too.
 

romad

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I'll tuck the cuffs of my tailored Armani pants into a pair of Bean Maine Hunting Boots, but I'll still wear a suit and tie as my sign of respect to Fred, to the organizers, and to the volunteers that put on the event.
Here's a better suggestion: Sell the Armani suit and donate the proceeds to Fred! :D
 

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
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Can we all stop being snippy with each other please? This is supposed to be fun. :rolleyes:

Chris - put your ideas down on paper and recruit a team of local people to help you put together an event proposal for Fred. The goal is to have at least two proposals every year to choose from. There is a lot of potential with a Chattanooga TDIFest and I think it could be an amazing event - it just requires some outside-the-box thinking.
 
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Chris Tobin

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Can we all stop being snippy with each other please? This is supposed to be fun. :rolleyes:

Chris - put your ideas down on paper and recruit a team of local people to help you put together an event proposal for Fred. The goal is to have at least two proposals every year to choose from. There is a lot of potential with a Chattanooga TDIFest and I think it could be an amazing event - it just requires some outside-the-box thinking.

I put an email together for Fred a few weeks ago and received no response so it seems to me that Chattanooga is not really wanted as a location...

I think it would be amazing as well!!! It would pull members and TDIs from the Metro Atlanta area, Nashville, Knoxville, Kentucky in addition to the regulars and out of area members that attend no matter what as well as the TDI owning Diesel Truck enthusiasts that are in the area. There are also a lot of local TDIs I see on a regular basis in the area.

But, if the powers that be don't want it there I am not going to do more work trying to make something cool and fun that won't have a chance to even happen. Like everyone else I am busy and don't have time to do more on this project just for the heck of it...
 

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
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Fred has a lot going on and I'm sure he'd be interested in Chattanooga if he were to receive a proposal for it. If you need to know more information, feel free to contact me as Fred and I have been working very closely on TDIFests lately.

Just so we're clear on the order of operations, you would submit a proposal with your intentions for the event. If it gets accepted, the planning process begins. The proposal should include the area of interest, lodging options, event options, food options, and potential team members working on the project. :)
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
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As I've said many times, my favorite fest was Wisconsin. We were in a Holiday Inn near the highway. We drove to the next town over for the events. Used a local garage and taught by doing. MANY cars worked on by a few folks. Other activity based in a small town hall and civic park. Banquet in a free-standing facility that specialized in events like weddings, etc. wives had local, quaint small towns to go antiquing/shopping. Cheryl liked this one best, too.
My favorite as well, although Montreal and Ypsi were both good, too. But something about the Lake Mills Fest, the location, the weather, the roads, the people, I'm not sure, made it special. It was also before I was a vendor so it was more relaxing.
 

romad

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I thought I saw a post somewhere that was kind of a template for a proposal?
 

Lug_Nut

TDIClub Enthusiast, Pre-Forum Veteran Member
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Do NOT feel that because I choose to dress in some way for some event that you need to as well. I haven't felt uncomfortable with my choice of attire at the banquet events, you shouldn't with your choice.

The "Armani" was facetious. It's really a "Gentlemen's Warehouse" suit I originally bought for an event for a different Fred's member.
 
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Honeydew

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Florida
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Riffraff Diesel Performance hosts an annual event for Ford diesel truck guys and does it at a campground, it is a multi-day event with dyno and 1/8-mile drag racing that is VERY fun and family friendly! One of the best events I have attended as far as the group getting together to help each other and have a good time together while admiring each other's work and trucks. They don't even give an award for the highest HP on the dyno and the drag racing is like a test and tune, line up against whoever you'd like and run as many or as few times as you'd like.
I just saw the flyer, looks like you're going to be there.:) Wish I could attend.

 

Chris Tobin

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I just saw the flyer, looks like you're going to be there.:) Wish I could attend.
Planning on it, I put it on my schedule last year!!! I had to miss last year due to a schedule conflict, but I have been to every other one they have had. It is a very fun event and very family friendly! I have always enjoyed attending, even when I was fresh out of the hospital after my lung surgery!!!:eek:
 

Chris Tobin

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Last week on Thursday the Hot Rod Power Tour had a stop here in Chattanooga, TN and the massive event was a big hit with tons of spectators, exhibitors/vendors and participants. I heard that something like 3500 vehicles were entered... It was held on the Chattanooga Community College Campus, my son and I went down for a little bit and took two trucks offsite for photoshoots near the Tennessee River.

But I guess, Chattanooga is still to small and has no where to host something as big as TDIFest!!!! What with 10s of vendors and hundreds of participants and all how could they fit in the town at all???
 

VeeDubTDI

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Last week on Thursday the Hot Rod Power Tour had a stop here in Chattanooga, TN and the massive event was a big hit with tons of spectators, exhibitors/vendors and participants. I heard that something like 3500 vehicles were entered... It was held on the Chattanooga Community College Campus, my son and I went down for a little bit and took two trucks offsite for photoshoots near the Tennessee River.

But I guess, Chattanooga is still to small and has no where to host something as big as TDIFest!!!! What with 10s of vendors and hundreds of participants and all how could they fit in the town at all???
Thanks for the productive comment... love the tone, too. :rolleyes:
 

bhtooefr

TDIClub Enthusiast, ToofTek Inventor
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Newark, OH
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So, given that it was held at a college campus, how was lodging handled, or was it handled at all? Attendee responsibility?

Keep in mind that TDIFest isn't a part-of-a-day thing, it's an all-weekend thing, so lodging is more important. Cost is an issue, parking is an issue, and everything works better if there is a host hotel that is large enough to hold the event.

Speaking of which, how's the availability of facilities on Labor Day weekend?

We're not saying it can't be done. We're saying it looks hard compared to other cities.
 

VeeDubTDI

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Nothing is insurmountable given the proper budget, resources, lead time, and a committed and experienced team. Where would you like to start?
 

Chris Tobin

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Thanks for the productive comment... love the tone, too. :rolleyes:
I tried using the sarcasm font, and it seemed to work...:D:eek:

I've said it is possible, and MANY members preferred the country club/resort approach and the associated pomp and circumstance for a TDIFest. I emailed Fred with ZERO response, so I have not done any additional legwork... or posted in this thread about the possibilities.

I just figured I would post the info that a MAJOR automotive event was just hosted here and had positive results even being covered on the evening news. I think it would be cool to have a TDIFest in Chattanooga in the shadow of the VW factory, but I doubt it will ever happen...

Enjoy the Fest, wherever it may be!

As for the hotel, well with 1,000s of attendees from around the country they obviously did not all stay at the same hotel. I have never been on the Hot Rod Power Tour as I write for competing magazines so I am not sure and have not looked into hotel arrangements for the events, but somehow, they all manage with a LARGE following that travels from city to city across the country annually from different cities with different requirements for hotel/parking access such as big rigs and trailers...

Maybe this would work well as well for a TDIFest where a venue is secured for each activity and attendees are able to source the best rooming to fit their needs/desires where some may want luxury and others may only be able to afford the basics... This would allow a larger group other than the $100+ per night club to attend/participate in the event... More food for though for the open minded ones that are listening...:D
 

VeeDubTDI

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I'm open-minded and listening and I don't think anyone is "locked in" to any particular format - we just know what works well given our experiences thus far. We could talk all day about options, what works, what doesn't, new idea, etc... Give me a call.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

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Maybe it's because I'm from the Northeast where everything is expensive, but I'm a bit hard-pressed to think of any hotel chain with any kind of amenities we would like (such as a restaurant) that is much less than $100/night, especially if it's near a reasonably sized metro area. If I recall even the Lake Mills Fest rooms were in the $80 range, that was in the middle of nowhere (which is fine) but it was also 8 years ago.

Seriously, $100 rooms are hardly in the "country club" category as you describe it. They are more in the lower middle range in hotels that have interior room entrances, a lobby folks can gather in, the aforementioned restaurant (not a big deal to me personally, but lots of people don't want to have to always leave the property to eat) and a parking lot that's in a reasonably quiet area so we can gather and show cars without being hard against a freeway or access road.

I think TDIClub members may be a bit more quiet and reserved than many car show attendees, certainly when compared to VW gasser groups, based on my experience. But they also like to get a good deal. So if you can find a location that meets the Fest Committee's criteria that is also inexpensive, no one's going to argue.

And as an aside, I still think Denver would be a great Fest location. There are a bunch of hotels there that would suit, it's quiet there in the summer so rates should be good, and I think Denver has one of the best climates in North America, if you can get over all that sunshine. Better for west coast folks, too.
 

bhtooefr

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Some areas, you can actually get below $100/night no problem with those amenities - Denver looks like an area where that's doable easily (although I haven't actually visited any of the hotels I found, so they may actually be dumps).

Some areas, $130/night is a more realistic target.

But, even in areas of the country with generally low cost of living, you're not getting far below $100/night for a clean hotel with event facilities and on-site catering.

My understanding is that it ends up cheaper to have a host hotel and use their event facilities, because meals can be used to subsidize both the event facility and the guest rooms. Also, I suspect that most attendees of TDIFest prefer the convenience of a close hotel room (especially if the weather is hot for Fest, and in Chattanooga, it'll meet many people's definition of hot, most likely - when you're going back to your hotel room to take a shower and change multiple times a day, like many people (myself included) did for 2011, you want the hotel room to be at the event).
 

sccaddy

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How about Greenville SC, Ashville NC, Or Any place near Blue Ridge Parkway?
 

VeeDubTDI

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My vote is for a private island in the Caribbean. :D
 

IndigoBlueWagon

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We recently sent parts to a customer in Mauritius, near Reunion. And we have lots of customers (well, about 5 actually) on Reunion. We've shipped a few 17/22s there, so there are TDIs. Maybe we should have the Fest there. Bit of a trek, however.
 

romad

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That might be a bit problematic for members to drive to. I wonder how many TDIs would be for rent on that private island?

Have Fun!

Don
Not if it was Key West! Wait, that isn't in the Caribbean, nor private.
 

snakefart

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New guy here. I would be interested in helping out with the planning for something in CO. I'm a long time Denver area resident, currently living in the mountains above town. I have attended automotive festival type events all over CO with different vehicles, 4x4's, Miata's, etc. In short, I know the area well.
 

bibendum

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Ok we meet in fort Lauderdale, than charter the ferry to grand Caymen island. Only 2hrs away
 

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
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New guy here. I would be interested in helping out with the planning for something in CO. I'm a long time Denver area resident, currently living in the mountains above town. I have attended automotive festival type events all over CO with different vehicles, 4x4's, Miata's, etc. In short, I know the area well.
I'll PM you! :cool:

Ok we meet in fort Lauderdale, than charter the ferry to grand Caymen island. Only 2hrs away
Sign me up!
 
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