WI TDI Fest Proposal

[GeWilli]

Midwest TDIFest

Hey the Dells sound good to me... how's it all going? Got enough people able to help yet?

 

[eschady]

Midwest TDIFest

Geoff, I'm in a holding pattern right now. Unless I get some dedicated people to step forward willing to help, I'm very leary about about trying to carry this forward alone. In terms of the proposal, I know what I'd like to see, but I would like some feedback. I think the proposal is very doable, it is now a matter of doing some sight seeing in the Dells to check out hotels, conference space, etc. and negotiating prices. I am pretty good at organizing and managing the process, but I'm not the best at negotiations, lining up vendors, I want input on the agenda, etc.

 

[GeWilli]

Midwest TDIFest

yeah - if you don't have any helpers stepping forward all the planning on your own will be close to impossible to execute when it comes to the fest.

I don't doubt one person could line all the stuff up with the proper time management, but its a bit too much to shoulder for one person, and the help and feedback from others around locally make it doable.

I'm starting to get rather concerned that no one is stepping up in WI or anywhere else for that matter. Concerned enough to bring up the idea of putting together a Michigan proposal as a backup...

Email the guys you see at GTGs, its how we did it here - and how its been done elsewhere. Hmmm now that i think about it the first two were done basically by one person... and they said it needs two or more ...

anyway - good luck...

 

[bluenb1]

Midwest TDIFest

Well, I've made it be known that I'm willing to help out. So you have 2 people. You can count on me and anything in perticular you need help with, please contact me. I think the Dells is ideal. It has lots to offer and would be a great place for a gathering like this. Later, J

 

[The Ripster]

Midwest TDIFest

Just found this post, Dells is a great place and we have been there many times. I am sure you can bounch ideas off of Geoff, myself and others from the Mi Fest. We had 4 main workers, each one took a day, then voluteers helped out once we all arrived. We lived all over the state, so once you have a core group, it will fly. Count me in to help, I am not that far away.

 

[Jetter_Sprinta]

Midwest TDIFest

I'm starting to get rather concerned that no one is stepping up in WI or anywhere else for that matter.

This is surprising. eschady's initial propasal looked good, excellent launching point.
Will the due date for proposals have to bumped forward? Come on people!

 

[Hamsterdiesel]

Midwest TDIFest

Sounds good, but...(there's always a but!)

A large East Coast contingent *might* be counting on that extra (Labor Day) vacation day to get home, since most of us are traveling about 1000mi each way...

Not necessarily a deal breaker, but how many families actually would be willing to bring kids so soon after school has started anyway?

The location does sound quite interesting, though!

 

[The Ripster]

Midwest TDIFest

I would have to agree, if you don't combine it with a holiday, some will not be able to make it.

 

[eschady]

Midwest TDIFest

And if you combine it with a holiday, others won't make it,the price goes up significantly, and everyone has to deal with more traffic. Personally, I'd rather burn a day of vacation time and make it a more enjoyable experience.

 

[PeterV]

Midwest TDIFest

A core group is vital. If you want attendees it has to be a long weekend for those from far away. Fred, Jon Bartlett and I have been to ALL the fests. It is NOT an easy thing to do.

You are local you have the time others do not so a middle of the road attitude has to be lookd at.

The New England Fest could have been a "credit card cow" as we had lookd at other options such as Boston harbor criuses and a clam bake. The real object of the Fest is to get funds for keeping the site operational.

 

[eschady]

Midwest TDIFest

Moderators... please delete this thread.

I wish to withdraw my proposal. I can't please everyone, I don't have the help I need. It just isn't worth it.

 

[PeterV]

Midwest TDIFest

I did not mean to sound critical the Dells is a perfect area.

Get a team together and go for it. The whole experience it rewarding.

With the proper planning mother nature and rain can not put a damper on a well planned event.

Take the comments in stride and keep a positive note on it. The first several attempts might look futile but keep at it we did and all worked out.

 

[eschady]

Midwest TDIFest

I've tried getting a team together, but it is just hasn't happened. I can't force people to participate.

I wish I could stay positive, but the majority of the feedback I have received is negative. I thought it would be a rewarding experience, but so far it has been nothing but frustrating.

I still think the Dells would be an awesome spot for the Fest, but I think to meet the financial goals of the Fest it HAS to be after Labor Day. We are talking about the price of rooms dropping 200% after Labor Day, which is very significant.

 

[suds]

Midwest TDIFest

Moderators... please delete this thread.

I wish to withdraw my proposal. I can't please everyone, I don't have the help I need. It just isn't worth it.

The thing is... it is worth it. If you truly don't have anyone stepping up to help you then I understand. If it's because of the feedback you have had here, don't let that bother you. I know most of the people who have help with past fests( though time here on the site and from GTGs and past fests) and they are only trying to help you by giving their opinions that are based on experience.
If you're worried about the price of things on a holiday weekend, make some calls to get rough numbers and post a poll here to get feedback from the group as to whether they would pay the prices you're facing. That might help put your mind at ease. Just a suggestion. I would love to see your proposal make it.

 

[PeterV]

Midwest TDIFest

Edward you will not please everyone. Don't worry about it there are TDIers that will show up anyway.

I have heard comments that there were a significant number of TDIers that would have come to New England but were afraid of costs and nothing to do. HA no such thing. Plenty of diesel people camped out. And they had a great time. Its an ADVENTURE....

Perhaps after the holiday can be accomplished. You will be the first to try that.

When you are successful there will be those that will say I would have helped. Just smile and say "Why Thank You" Just like Jack Nicholson.....

 

[NYTDI]

Midwest TDIFest

Columbus weekend? I know it's not a holiday for all in the USA but it is a school/bank/Govt. holiday. This year it was also Thanksgiving in Canada. Will Columbus Day (Mon. 10th Oct. 2005) be the same as Canada's Thanksgiving in 2005?

 

[GeWilli]

Midwest TDIFest

here's a couple comments...

Don't be swayed by the negatives... looks like there's at least two of you and Ripster has offered and he isn't too far away. So that's at least three. If you get it up and going there's possibly more that will come out of the woodwork to help.

Jettafock has offered help as well - he might be too far away to help meet but he isn't too far away to act as an aid (esp since he knows the area) and can be an organiser/coordinator when he gets there at the fest.

Sounds like you could be covered for people.

Now about the hotel rates and all. Often you can negotiate a group rate that is close to off peak rates. Call locations, see what they can do if you can get a block of 60 rooms with a meeting suite. See what kind of rate they can work out for you. A lot of us save up each year for the fest. a few extra dollars a night isn't gonna make or break the Fest.

As for days off around labor day. Here's the problem. If it ISN'T labor day it means i need TWO vacation days and if that is any time after labor day I can't go. Not with my job. First week of august? No problem. Labor Day works. Also Labor day is a Canadian holiday as well. Same thing for Fred and the rest of the guys from Ontario and beyond that show up.

Don't withdraw the proposal yet. Look at the grief TDIpoet put up with from Me and Tomo

getting him to get us some information!

If you pull out - i may have to rally the Michigan Troops to put together a bid for say... Who knows.. Hell? Maybe we can work out the time at the Proving grounds or MIS this time!

Where's Norm! He was at the First TDI GTG here in michigan to do my TIming belt. He's been to Hondo GTGs and the MI fest... hasn't he? Look him up!

At anyrate - don't give up yet...

 

[251]

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[251]

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[eschady]

Midwest TDIFest

I've asked for help for the past month, and have heard from only a few people. And those I have heard from haven't really stepped forward to say what they will do.

Negotiating rates during peak season in the Dells isn't likely. If it must be during Labor Day weekend, then the Dells isn't the right location.

Since I haven't attended a Fest, I don't know what goes on at one. So it is hard to plan one. Based on the GTGs I've hosted, people are interested in the wrenching, but the Fest seems to lack this aspect. Personally, I'd rather do wrenching than sit in a conference center.



Without help, I'm not moving forward.

If it has to be Labor Day Weekend or sooner, the Dells won't work.

At this point, I'm not sure I care...

Either way, there will be something in Wisconsin. The next Lake Mills GTG is tentatively scheduled for February, 26, 2005. I'll probably also run a GTG the same weekend(or right around it) as the Fest as a more regional option for those who can't attend the Fest.


Please, everyone go here and vote on the date of the Fest. I'd like to know how critical having the Fest on Labor Day weekend really is.
Poll: Date of the TDI Fest

 

[bluenb1]

Midwest TDIFest

Eschady,
Why don't you send me what you've got again for the proposal. We've come up with some ideas on some events (any event suggestions would be appreciated) We've come up some locations of the events. Let's get the proposal together in order to submit it. I totally agree...you are NOT going to please everyone and too many cooks spoil the broth. Don't let that get you discouraged. We can take the suggestions, analyze them and make our educated decision based on what we have.
First things first...we need to get the proposal together for submittance. I will work on seeing if I can find another person or two. It've very possible that this hasn't been seen by everyone yet in the area. Later, J

 

[eschady]

Midwest TDIFest

The proposal is linked in the first post. Take it away... There have been lots of suggestions offered, but I've maintained that it stay in the Dells. Based on the inflexibility of the date it sounds like the Dells will not work. Perhaps Madison or Milwaukee would be better at this point. I will be willing to help on certain aspects of planning a Fest here in WI, but I won't lead it at this point.

JasonTDI and Deming have at times offered to help, but I don't know how serious their level of involvment really is. Unfortunately, you really need local people for a lot of the planning and those stepping forward are a little too far away. It would also be great if someone on the team has actually attended a Fest.

If you decide you would like to add some wrenching to the Fest, let me know and I'll talk with Topel's.

Jeff, you have been the only other person to really help with this proposal, I hate to bail but I'm just too frustrated with this process.

By the way, I have contacted quite a few members of past Fests with very little responses back to this point. I have tried to keep you in the loop with any relevant info I have received.

E

 

[suds]

Midwest TDIFest

If you need info on TDI Fest 2003 I'm willing to share. I spearheaded that one. Let me know how I can help you.

 

[eschady]

Midwest TDIFest

Sorry for the length of this... I am copying in all sorts of info that has been floating back and forth for all to see. I hope it helps all that are interested.

If the date has to be Labor Day weekend, there is no way the Dells proposal would work. Then we need to consider something around Mad/Milwaukee... which would probably play into our advantage anyways. Then we can line something up with Topel's (rent the garage for the weekend), there is a town hall across the street we could have for meeting space, hotels would be cheaper, line up a few meals (grill out, one sit down or maybe catered into the city hall building). My brother John could either get us in at a racetrack or setup an autocross event. He has even talked to his Ford dealership about possible renting us their garage and showroom. The Dells would be cool, but I've got no contacts there to work with.

I agree 100+ at Topels would be a lot, but if we rented the place out Fri night through Sunday, and spread it out over the whole weekend, it could be done. Not everyone will want to work on their car, many might just want to watch. Do HOW TO clinics... fuel filter, oil change, intake cleaning, etc. We've worked with Topel's 3 times in the past, and it has been very successful.

The biggest CON about Madison on Labor Day is the following: UW students are all moving in. The town is hectic. All hotel rooms in the area are booked solid, so once again we probably won't have any room to negotiate better rates.

Perhaps a location like Johnsons Creek in terms of a central location. 5 minutes from Topels, close to both Mad and Mil.

I agree...perhaps getting it out of Madison a bit would work to our advantage.
Yes, spreading out the Topels events over the course of the weekend could work. "How-To" clinics...that could be a good spot for them. Suggestion...have starting times. For example, Intake cleaning clinic starts at 10:00 a.m. Then, those that are interested either sign up or show up at 10:00. Then the next clinic might be something different like the infamous "snow screen" which runs from noon till 1:00 then glow plug replacement runs from 1:00 till 2:00. I'd try and run them from like 9 till 3 or so. This will allow people to get dinner with the group or with some frineds and would allow people time to get back and get cleaned up. Just some thoughts. Jeff

WHERE and WHEN do you think the Fest would work best?

Pro/cons.

Dells:
Pros: LOTS to do.

Cons: if held after Labor day, might not get attendence.

Madison: Lot's to do. (granted, not as much as the Dells)
might have a larger turn out if proposed during Labor day and might have a better chance at getting the fest blessing.
Can do some wrenching at Topels.
Closer to home so could dedicate more time and better resources.
Might have more help from local members.
Cons: ??

So...what do you think. Wanna switch gears?

I hear ya with regards to Labor Day and the Dells. However, I SERIOUSLY don't think Topels would be able to handle the traffic nor shear number of vehicles. Have you looked at some of the web sites dedicated to the fest? Here's one. http://www.yougotroot.com/tdifest2004/

Have you seen the number of vendors that were there or donated stuff. It might be a good spot for those wanting to do any "mods" or maintenance during the fest. Again, there's no right answer to this. You KNOW if you do open Topels that you'll have 100+ cars all wanting to do something there. If you don't, then you'll have people complain that there's no tinker spots. Heck Ed, I'll support anything you'd like to propose. I'm pretty flexible. Don't get me wrong Ed. I like the ideas...I just think it might be a little overwhelming for Topels. I Do like the Madison area too. Madison is a great town and it certainly has attractions. Things like the free zoo. Ever been to Ellas Delli? There are some good places to hold a large crowd like at some of the concert/sporting venues with large parking lots.

I was not the guy in control of registrations but the numbers were about 130 attendees / 160 registrations.
I checked out the draft proposal and think it looks great. You have already put some time into this and it shows. As far as changing the date from Labor Day, that’s a tough one. Many pros and cons. There are so many other things going on that weekend. I think some people do not come for that reason alone. I think for your venue, off peak would be key. Personally I’d prefer it later for less traffic, better rates etc. but we do not have kids so that is easy for us.
Could you add the Harley Davidson Museum as an attraction? Too far?
Will you be adding more members to your crew? Unless you are retirees, I feel you will need more help.
I found that we were pretty diverse in our lines of work, ages, and even locations (three states total). Between us we had a pretty wide array of knowledge and contacts for services, very helpful in getting the job done.
A lot of chit chat out there on where it’s going to be, we would be up for the drive to WI!

Any other questions please feel free, I will be on more regularly now.

Good Luck!

Scott McGinnis
(Sprinta ½ of Jetter Sprinta)

Derek (TDIpoet) handled most of the money side of the event. He had the PayPal account, the checkbook for the suppliers and expenses and handled all the redistrations. He'd be the source for that information.
And that points out one important issue; the 'fest has gotten too big for one person to go solo. "Valois" set up the first one in 2000 as a one time event. It was so well received that "Mickey" arranged one for 2001. Both have since almost dropped off the map. I don't know how much the strain of the events had on their fading from prominence in the forums (fora?).
Since then there has been a local group of people committed to the fest for each successive year. We chose to split the responsibilities and to delegate tasks to each of our group.
We started with about six that said they would stick it out to the end. Only four of us were still around at the end. Two dropped from sight, two more (significant others of two of the four) were drafted to fill in. I don't think that we could have done as well with fewer than six. We could have done better with eight.
I don't mean to imply that it can't be done and done well with a smaller group, just that it will be more difficult.
I'll take a look at the draft and give feedback.

Here are my responses:
How many people have attended past years events
- we had almot 100 cars registered (some with spouses, a few with families.) I don't have a final head count but we had about 90 people for Sunday brunch and 76 for the banquet. Not everyone participated in the meals.

where geographically did they travel from in order to attend and what were the demographics of the attendees?
- we had someone come from Florida, Fred came from BC, a crowd from Michigan, some from New York. I don't have all the details so I can't give a full picture about how far people came from. Sorry.

Last but not least what costs were attached to the event and how were the funds allocated and distributed?
- I gathered the funds in advance from participants. I allowed for pay on site for everything except the $35 registration fee (and it was non-refundable). I opened an account at my bank and held all the funds in there. I wrote cheques from that account to pay the bills. I also set up a paypal account to accept payment. This is one of the best ways to make it convenient for people to pay. The problem comes with the fees to accept credit card funded paypal payments. Fred built in a calulation to the registration form that allowed for that.

Any other helpful suggestions?
- cover the basics (a GTG to socialize with old & new people, provide venues for entertainment (organized or not, TDI and non-TDI related, and family oriented), provide an opportunity for minor wrenching, provide time/events that centre around people's cars (show 'n' shine, tech sessions).

As far as the team you organize goes; delegate tasks as much as you can. There will be lots of people who want to help but don't want to be involved in the organization. You can get them to do things during the event (like take registrations, sell t-shirts, sell raffle tickets, etc).

Don't be afraid to ask companies for donations for the event. Tell them that they will be promoted during the event and their contribution will be recognized. I "pimped" out all aspects of the event that I could. I also contacted VW of Canada and their marketing firm dontated some swag. I can try and dig up the letter that I sent if you like.

If you are hosting an event like the F1 they did at Boston, make advanced sign-up mandatory and a deadline close to the event for payment (whatever works in with your committment to the venue). This will ensure that you get accurate numbers and that you get payment up front.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. Good luck - you'll have a rewarding experience if you host this great event (even if it is a lot of work)
Gerry
(suds)

Ed,
If you have more dedication from folks there in the Madison area, then
let's use it to our advantage. Let's switch gears and change the
proposal to Madison area. I agree with you that Topels would be good
for those that want to wrench. If your brother is willing to help out
by getting us space at the Ford dealership, then let's take him up on
it. If others are willing to help out more because it's close, then
let's use them. If there are more possibilities and willingness to
help
out then let's use it to our advantage. Hotels will probably be
cheaper. More will probably com if Labor day.

I have an idea for an afternoon road rally (observation run) too. This
is common with bikers events. You set up a course (say 50 miles round
trip) of back roads with little stops along the way. Required little
set up and time involved. Just need to pre drive a course and write
down questions. Some good roads out towards Black Earth or New Glarus.
Then you have questions at each stop. You give them clues to get them
to the stops. Then you ask them questions about the spot. Things that
they can screw up. One I remember was one of the stops was at a city
park. One of the questions was "count how many swings are in the park"
Well, do you count the baby swings or not? or "how many "trucks" are
at
the dealership" The ending location is always given and we could have
a
cookout/gathering at the end spot. The answers are tallied and the 1st
thru 3rd winners get a prize that has been donated. Again, lot's of
fun, lot's of interaction and involvement amongst the event attendees.

There are other events I have in mind too.
How about a spot of about 100 yards or so of straight pavement, 4 or 5
cones (stops) and we have 2 people per car and have a Chinese fire
drill
course?

2 people per car, they go to the first set of cones, stop the car, get
out, run around the car switching drivers, go to the next set of cones,
do the same thing, get in the car, go to another set of cones and
continue through a total of 4 or 5 sets of cones. Lot's of stopping,
starting, slow speeds, missed clutching and laughs. (I attended one of
these events when in a car club) It was a blast!

Start----------stop, run around car and switch drivers, go--------stop
again, run around car and switch driver, go-----------do it couple of
more times. The one who does it the quickest wins.

There are others like the slow speed rally course in the parking lot.

I think we need to get the blessing from Fred though first to have it
in
our location (where ever that may be) Then we can start hammering out
events and activities. We have a good chance as I haven't seen any
other proposal options out on Fred's web site and it sounds like he's
willing to help out.

Later,
Jeff

Ed, I think you are on the right target. I personally think a regional Midwest GTG in Lake Mills is the way to go, perhaps a two day event. Try to draw from a five-six midwestern state region and invite all who want to come. This gives everyone the opportunity to spend the night somewhere and perhaps go out to dinner. You could charge an attendance fee up front and collect using PayPal. No refunds! Last minute arrivals can pay at the door. Just enough cash to cover some food, Jason's grill, and Topels overhead(shop rent), and maybe one or two port a potties if you get a big number of people signed up early. I.e. Cover all of your costs! Also provide an alternate rain date, although I do not think rain is a big problem. People should bring their own tools and parts and you can recommend 5 or 6 hotels or Motels closet to Lake Mills based on price and ammenities. I do not envision a car show or Vendor Center, but the Autocross sounds pretty cool. You could rent a classroom at a local school or municipal building in case anybody wanted to offer a class / seminar. This would be great for any vendors or memebers who want to give a "How To" clinic / owner workshop. I think this is going to be the most cost effective and significantly easier to organize. You have already put on three events and have some experience in this area. A little tweaking and preplanning and we can put on a pretty nice event here in the Midwest without a bunch of crap to deal with. I see this as more of a midwest TDI Fest / social gathering with a bit of food (Brats) and some wrenching on cars. Once again, a social GTG, not a car show or racing event. I enjoy Lake Mills for the comraderie and ability to socialize. The brats are pretty good and I learn more about how to work on my car . You may need a couple of people to help, but I think it is much more realistic and it will be more enjoyable for everyone involved. Thanks R. Ben Fuhr

Ben and Jeff, thanks for the input. I’ve
included a copy of what each of you wrote below.
(Sorry for the length of this email)

I am really torn on how to proceed. I think Ben
has a few very valid points. The most important
factor I see is the money issue. I really don’t
have the cash outlay to front the anticipated
costs of TDI Fest. The second concern I have is
the time. Without a dedicated team to help on
this project, I can’t carry it forward on my own
(or with limited help).

Another problem I’m having, is understanding what
the Fest should be like. I’ve never been to one,
so I have no idea how technical it is, how much
time people want to just sit and talk, etc.

I think Ben might be on to something about
expanding off of the Lake Mills GTGs. The more I
think about it, I would rather stick to what has
worked in the past. To be honest, if we were
really to scale down the TDI Fest, and make it
more of a regional event, I think costs could be
considerably lower. I really think more informal
is better. Rather than reserving conference
space which costs $$$, why not find a cheaper
alternative? While the Dells might be more
likely to attract visitors from a far, I don’t
think it is key if we were aiming for a scaled
back regional event. Since many of us already
live fairly close, I’m not sure how crucial
hotels would be. We can definitely find cheap
hotels located centrally, but they will be no
thrills hotels (which should be fine for our
crowd I would think). People could still stay in
the Dells if they wished. It is only about an
1.5 hour drive.

In all reality, it sounds like most people that
attend the Fests are fairly local. The target
groups for a WI Fest are going to be: 1. the
local group (WI, IL, MN) which is probably close
to 200 active members; 2. the MI group (about 30?
active members); 3. the MO group (25? active); 4.
Cincinnati group (25?); and maybe some of the
Toronto group (100+?). I really don’t see us
drawing from either Coasts.

Over the past 3 Lake Mills GTGs, there have been
approx 65 different people that have attended.
The likelihood of getting a good percentage of
these 65 to come back is fairly high I would
guess.

I really would like to keep Topel’s included in
any WI TDI Fest/GTG. They have been great to
work with, and we should definitely keep them in
mind. Depending on how many people are involved,
their place maybe a little small for a full scale
TDI Fest using the GTG model, but if we actually
rented out the entire garage for the weekend it
should provide plenty of time/space for wrenching
as part of the Fest. My brother has a great
relationship with them, and I’m guessing it would
be very feasible to rent it out for the weekend.
I have no idea how much they would want, but I
really think the space would be worth it.

So this is kind of what my current vision is:
1. Center the Fest around Madison/Lake Mills
area.
2. Rent Topel’s and base many of the activities
from here. It is ideal for wrenching.
3. A show and shine can be done anywhere
4. Do we really need conference space? If we
really wanted to do vendors, awards ceremony,
etc, we could probably rent a town hall or
something for a few hours for fairly cheap.
5. A rally can be done anywhere. My brother has
even offered to find us a parking lot to set up a
low speed autocross event.
6. As for food, we could do planned eating events
at restaurants, or we could do a larger scale pot
luck at Topel’s as we have in the past.

This would limit the costs to 1. Topel’s garage
2. a town hall? 3. hotels for those that need
them. The cash outlay on our part should be
fairly minimal. Topel’s won’t need the cash
upfront, so we can collect a registration fee
upfront to pay them. Hotels and food will be up
to the individuals. This leaves renting a town
hall/something similar as our only upfront cash
outlay(I’m guessing).




If I am way of base, please let me know. I
really am struggling on how to proceed. Any
input is welcomed.

Thanks,
Ed



----Response from Ben----
It does not sound to me like you are NOT getting
a whole lot of support from the former TDI Fest
hosts. You need some hard answers to some of your
hard questions. There are some headaches in
organizing a large event of this magnitude that
should and could be avoided. Everybody has an
idea and wants to do something different but none
of these people want to commit to helping
and to talk serious about a strategy and
implementation. I have been down a couple of
these roads before and I truly enjoy the Lake
Mills event and the local guys. I am willing to
help if I have the time, but you are not getting
answers. You need to ask yourself these
questions---What are you getting out of all of
this work? What does it pay? Is it really worth
all of your time? Where does the upfront
organization money come from to preplan and set
up an event of this magnitude? You can not be
digging into your own pockets for set up and
planning costs! I hate to say it, but I
personally would probably say the hell with it.I guess I have had too many years of
experience and I know how these deals usually
unfold. You are not getting the answers you need
at this time. Maybe the local (Chicago and
Wisconsin) TDI guys would be better off hosting
something a little smaller and on a smaller
scale. The Lake Mills event x 3 would be more
than enough to wet my appetite and it is probably
a lot less stressful and informal. Just my
opinion, do not take it the wrong way. Ben Fuhr


----Response from Jeff----
Ed, You need any help on anything, shoot it my
way. I'll lend a hand at anything I can. Stand
your ground with the location. Everyone will
have an opinion and you can't please everyone.
That's a fact and part of the problem. You have
my backing and I think once everyone realizes
that this thing will be in their "back yard" so
to speak, they'll change their tune. If they
aren't willing to drive a couple of hours because
they live in Racine (or where ever) to attend
what will be a good time, then they probably
wouldn't go anyway and we don't need them.
While yes...Milwaukee or Madison would both be
good locations...I think the Dells have an even
better attraction. I have checked at the
Kalahari and their prices stay quite high after
Labor Day. There are others however, that drop
drastically. I think the Kalahari does this
mostly because they are the largest indoor water
park. There are others that are still quite
large, yet drop their prices to around $100. You
can check on line if you like. I've attempted to
reserve a room at many hotels in the Dells and
find that the Kalahari still charges around $300
for a double queen room. I think that's
ridiculous. I can make phone calls if you like.
I believe that if we get the blessing for the TDI
fest, you'll see people come out of the woodwork
to help then. Getting the proposal written in a
promoting way is the key and getting the thumbs
up will be the driving factor. Stay positive
and let's make this a done deal. Keep in
touch, Jeff

I wish I knew what all is involved with planning
the Fest, unfortunately, I haven't attended and I
don't really know.

Jeff and I have been doing our best to put
something together, but I'm at a breaking point.

We are considering scrapping the Dells proposal
and going with something more local to
Madison/Milwaukee. I've obviously had success
with Topel's, so I'm thinking our best bet may be
to build from this as a starting point. Possible
rent Topel's from Friday night through Sunday.
There is the town hall across the street for
conference space. Not really sure, we are
looking for ideas. If you have anything, please
post it on the TDIclub thread so others can
comment. Really, we need ideas and feedback, and
then people willing to help organize.

Suggestions have included:
time trials at a race track
autocross event
wrenching
vendors
auction/raffle (we need donated tdi stuff)
grill out
one sit down organized meal
show and shine car competition

Edward

I know from my wedding you can "hold" a block of rooms without a financial commitment up until a certain date.

I personally like Holiday Inns, they are clean and reasonable. The one in Fort has an indoor pool and hottub, and has a conference center. This is where I would suggest we try to base this from. There are other hotels within 15 minutes that people could also use if they like. There is also camping near by.

I think we should reserve 1-2 rooms for the entire weekend to be used for "socializing" and can also serve as our Registration Room.

Here is what I am envisioning:

Fri Night:
Check in, hang out around the hotel, possibly at Topel's.

Sat: Spend bulk of day in Lake Mills. We can do the following things:
Wrenching at Topel's... all day
Lunch/Dinner at bar across street, or elsewhere
Rent Town Hall across street for vendors, place to sit down and hang out.
Show and Shine at large public parking lot 1 block from Topels.
This keeps everyone in the same general vicinity. We could also do a road rally or autocross. Then possibly a sit down meal together at a restaurant (several in Fort that could handle our crowd).

Sunday:
Any finishing work at Topels.
Rent conference center at Hotel for group meal?, award ceremony (car show, rally, etc.), raffle/auction.

This would keep the whole Fest within a 15 mile radius of the Holiday Inn.

I do agree that we don't want to copy past Fests, so we should look for new creative ideas.... there is a paintball field in Lake Mills that could be used for a "social" event. There is a pretty challenging mountain biking course 10 minutes away. Mike Schmidt, a member of the Madass group, playing in a blue-grass band that plays monthly in Fort. Perhaps a band could be lined up.


--- "Hughes, Jeff" <Jeff.Hughes@harley-davidson.com> wrote:

> Ed,
>
> Here is what I got back from TDIpoet aka Derek.
>
>
>
>
> It sounds like we have a pretty good handle on
> things at this point in
> time even though you may disagree.
>
> Lots of good information here. In all
> honesty...I think that by pulling
> the fest down into the Madison/Lake Mills area,
> that we could reduce our
> costs drastically.
>
>
>
> If we DO bring it down to the Madison area,
> let's be sure to at least
> work with a hotel that has an indoor pool.
> Just in case the wife and
> kiddies come along and get bored. It would at
> least give people
> something to do if they wanted to take a break
> or do something after
> they head to the hotel room at night.
>
>
>
> I think that with his comments about being sure
> someone on the board has
> experienced a fest before...I think that with
> your experience doing the
> GTG's and my experience doing the rallies and
> group events, we have a
> pretty good handle on things to do.
> Besides...we don't want it to be
> the same experience. I'd rather have people
> say that it was different
> and fun.
>
> Funny how they did some of the same things we
> were talking about doing
> like the road rally, low speed autocross, show
> & shine etc. I agree
> with his suggestion that it may work better to
> do everything at the
> hotel if we can.
>
>
>
> Something about the rooms...maybe if we request
> a smaller amount of
> rooms say 80 or so. Ed...I've even gone to
> events where they simply
> gave names and numbers of the hotels in the
> area. They did not offer to
> book/hold rooms. The reservation was totally
> up to the people wanting
> to attend. The event was being held at a
> Holiday Inn (Holidome) but
> some people will not want to stay there for
> what ever reason (too
> expensive, don't like) We could simply book the
> rooms we know/get within
> the first month or two of the event posting.
> We publish the place where
> the event will be held (Holiday Inn in Fort
> Atkinson with ###-###-####
> for reservation) let them know the cost of the
> rooms and then give them
> numbers and costs of rooms in various other
> hotels. If we fill the
> hotel...then it's up to the people to find
> their own based on our
> suggestions. Looks as if there's several in
> the area for lodging
> suggestion backups. That would eliminate the
> stress of reserving and
> worrying about filling what we reserved. I'd
> still bet though that if
> we held 80 rooms we'd fill them. We're surely
> going to have more
> attendees than an east coast gathering wouldn't
> you think?
>
>
>
> Well, read what Derek has to say. Don't get
> too stressed. It's just a
> little bigger than your GTG's. Think of
> it that way. If you want
> to focus on one or two things...I can focus on
> one or two myself. With
> another person or two that can focus on other
> items...it will get done.
>
>
>
>
> Later,
>
> Jeff
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: Derek Gelinas
> [mailto:dgelinas@thesmallprint.org]
> Sent: Thursday, October 14, 2004 1:14 PM
> To: Hughes, Jeff
> Subject: Re: TIDfest 2005
>
>
>
> Hi Jeff,
>
>
>
> Let me see if I can answer your questions.
>
>
>
> I don't think any of our events was a flop,
> actually. There are things
> we wish we could have done, such as a
> performance event for the cars
> themselves, or a good rally, but couldn't do
> because of the area we were
> in. The events we did instead such as F1 did
> better than expected,
> however, so it turned out well. I wish we had
> spent more time on the
> raffle - we didn't do the drawing itself very
> well. It was moved from
> the more traditional banquet to the show and
> shine. We should have kept
> it at the banquet - we had too many items that
> went uncollected because
> it wasn't structured well.
>
>
>
> I believe we had about 130 people show up. I
> don't have the full
> numbers in front of me at the moment. We had
> seven planners to start.
> Of those seven, only five really were able to
> maintain that commitment.
> During our first official meeting (sometime in
> late september or
> october, i believe) we decided it would be best
> to have someone head it
> up - that ended up being me. I would recommend
> this again simply
> because having someone who can bring it all
> together and have an
> awareness of everything that is going on, and
> know the numbers and
> overall plan really makes the whole thing a lot
> more manageable and
> coherent. If the entire process is a group
> then it can run away from
> you or run out of gas very quickly. I forget
> how many volunteers we
> used. We acquired them as we needed them. The
> most important
> volunteers were the show and shine judges and
> the tech session folks,
> hands down. Getting people to volunteer for
> things generally isn't hard
> with this group, so no real worries there.
>
>
>
> Did we have events? I have to ask, have you
> been to any fests? You
> really need at least one person who has been to
> a fest on the board,
> preferably heading it up. We had five folks
> who had been to prior
> fests, two of which had been to ALL the fests.
> I feel this is pretty
> important because the fests have a certain feel
> to them. This year we
> had quite a few events - check the schedule
> online for more details,
> it's still up. Essentially Friday was an
> arrival day, so we just got
> people signed in and had a meet and greet.
> Expect to sign people in all
> weekend though - not everyone goes for the
> entire weekend. So you need
> to have that available throughout the weekend.
> Saturday we had a kart
> racing event at F1 boston, then a road rally in
> the afternoon and tours
> of boston. Sunday was the breakfast buffet,
> the show and shine, low
> speed autocross, and the banquet.
> Traditionally at the banquet is a
> raffle and auction. Most things were based at
> the hotel - the show and
> shine, the two meals, low speed autocross - all
> were held at the hotel
> or in the hotel lot. Events that were not at
> the hotel were within a
> five minute drive or so.
>
>
>
> Registration was handled online, via a
> registration page. You'll need a
> web programmer of some skill to edit this.
> This is best done by someone
> on the planning board but don't forget others
> in the club who could
> help. Money was handled via paypal primarily,
> or sent checks. Fred has
> a commercial paypal account that can handle
> credit cards, but really I
> would just use one paypal account - it's worth
> getting your own account
> that can handle credit cards to alleviate the
> confusion of two accounts.
> Fred had to send a lot of money to us
> constantly, and I had to cancel a
> lot of transactions and request that people
> send them to Fred instead.
> We gave things like maps, stickers, pencils,
> schedules, and business
> cards or catalogs from our vendors to the
> participants.
>
>
>
> Once we found a location, we worked with the
> hotel to get the best price
> and set up a block of rooms. There is some
> risk to this in that you're
> going to be held liable for actually filling a
> certain percentage of
> these rooms, but that's how you get the group
> rate. We found the
> starwood hotels (Sheraton, etc) to be extremely
> helpful with this.
> Highly recommended. We reserved I believe ~100
> rooms, with a certain
> amount of flex in either direction. This
> caused me the most stress, so
> think long and hard about how many you can
> expect to draw in your area,
> how you might pay for the rooms if you don't
> meet the estimates, etc.
> Also remember that no matter how much you ask
> or recommend otherwise,
> 80% of the people won't reserve a hotel room or
> register until the very
> last minute, or after it. Make the appropriate
> accomodations.
>
>
>
> We had primarily vendors from the club
> community. They sold items
> onsite. 99% of the vendors are more than happy
> to donate items to the
> fest for auction or raffle. We auctioned the
> items that were worth the
> most, such as suspension parts, etc. All
> vendors were required to make
> some sort of donation, instead of being charged
> a vendor fee. Contact
> them through the club, email, phone, what have
> you. Don't be afraid to
> call people and ask for donations, especially
> companies that benefit
> from club exposure or are involved in any way.
>
>
>
> We had to front cash for the F1 boston event,
> as a 50% deposit was
> required to reserve the time there. Half of
> this money was loaned to us
> by Fred, while the other half was fronted by
> members of the group and
> then repaid after the fest. Registration fees
> should basically be the
> money that you give to Fred - remember, this is
> a fundraising event.
> Any events that cost you money you should
> charge 100% of the cost for.
> For example, when charging for the banquet,
> don't forget to incorporate
> taxes, gratuity, etc. Use as little of the
> registration money as you
> can. If you're going to make things like
> shirts, stickers, etc, then
> charge enough to at least break even if you
> sell half of them. You
> won't sell everything. Don't order T-shirts
> till a week before the last
> minute - find out the turnaround time from your
> tshirt vendor and add a
> week. That way you'll have the most accurate
> numbers of how many
> t-shirts you're gonna need, what size. You
> should have enough to cover
> all the pre-orders made on the site (sell
> shirts when you sell
> registrations!) and then some. These you will
> probably run out of. XL
> and L are the most common sizes by far.
>
>
>
> You might also want to talk to Jonathan
> Bartlett and peterv. They've
> been to all the fests, I believe, and were on
> the board for the 04 fest.
>
>
>
> I STRONGLY recommend you get at least one
> fest-experienced person on
> your staff. You need to know what kind of
> event this is, what people
> are expecting, and how it all should flow.
> Above all else, this is a
> really big commitment... the amount of details
> and the stress involved
> in each one is staggering - I didn't even enjoy
> the weekend because I
> ended up making myself incredibly sick from the
> last few months of
> constant stress. Not saying it's not worth it,
> because it is - we
> raised over 7k for the site, but know what
> you're getting into and make
> sure you have the resources you'll need to pull
> it off.
>
>
>
> And of course feel free to ask me or other
> organizers questions at any
> time. Also, I'd be perfectly happy to preview
> your proposal if you'd
> like.
>
>
>
> Good luck!
>
>
>
> Derek
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
>
> From: Hughes, Jeff
> <mailto:Jeff.Hughes@harley-davidson.com>
>
> To: derek@thesmallprint.org
>
> Cc: Hughes, Jeff
> <mailto:Jeff.Hughes@harley-davidson.com>
>
> Sent: Thursday, October 14, 2004 12:56 PM
>
> Subject: TIDfest 2005
>
>
>
> Hi Derek,
>
>
>
> Thanks for getting back to me so soon and
> thanks in advance for
> any help/insight you can give us.
>
>
>
> I'm working with some people putting together
> a proposal for the
> 2005 TDIfest in the Wisconsin area.
>
>
> We're trying to gather information (as much as
> possible) from
> previous organizations that held this event in
> order to see what words
> of advice/encouragement or pros and cons they
> may have.
>
>
>
> Are there things to avoid? You know...the
> things you wished you
> hadn't done because they were a flop. Are
> there things that went better
> than expected and that you wished you had spent
> more time on to make it
> an even better event.
>
>
>
> How many people turned out?
>
> How many people were on your event planning
> board?
>
> How many volunteers did you use? How far in
> advance did you
> have them (volunteers) set up.
>
> Did you have any events? If so, what were
> they?
>
> Was stuff all held in a centralized location?
> Or was it spread
> out at multiple venues?
>
>
>
> How did you handle registration? What kind
> of items were given
> to attendees as far as welcome packet? Maps?
> Welcome trinkets?
>
>
>
> How did you handle hotel bookings and
> reserving rooms?
>
>
>
> Did you have vendors? If so, what was your
> method of convincing
> them to show up? Could they sell stuff or was
> it simply to promote
> their items?
>
> Did you or your group have to up front any
> cash for anything
> such as reservations of grounds or hotel
> bookings...banquet hall for
> dinner, band, etc. If so, how did you come up
> with that money? What
> did you guys use the registration money for and
> how did you use it?
>
>
>
> I apologize for all the questions...I have a
> million more. I
> guess bottom line is this...any and all
> information would be welcomed
> and much appreciated.
>
> ANYTHING you can think of ...please share with
> us.
>
>
>
> Fred said to talk to you about the 2004
> fest...and this is how
> we got your name. If you know anyone else that
> helped you out a lot and
> want to forward this on to them...please feel
> free.
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jeff Hughes

 

[tdipoet]

Midwest TDIFest

this is the first time i've looked into this thread, and it sounds like you guys have a lot going for you in your area.

i wonder how long the drive would take from massachusetts?

 

[eschady]

Midwest TDIFest

According to the slide show, Boston is 1,177 miles or about 18 hours. Adjust from Boston as needed.

And now you know.

 

[bluenb1]

Midwest TDIFest

So let's see tdipoet...you didn't have ENOUGH fun hosting the last Fest so you want to come over and help us here? ? ?

We can give you directions if you like?

We appreciate the help! Later, J

 

[bluenb1]

Midwest TDIFest

Ok..I'm going to put the word out here. Ed and I are putting together a proposal to host the 2005 Fest in the Madison/Lake Mills/Ft. Atkinson area next year.

Although we're talking about 2005 next year it needs to be addressed NOW.

Are there any LOCAL TDIers (Wisconsin, Northern Illinois) that would be willing to help us host the event? If so, please PM me ASAP in order to discuss possible events/venues and how you can help be a part of the FUN event. Right now we could use help simply making some phone calls and getting information for our proposal. As mentioned, please drop me a PM. If you can help, please contact me. We have a list of things that need to be done soon and a list of things that we'll need help with the day/s of the event. Thanks in advance, Jeff

 

[tdipoet]

Midwest TDIFest

So let's see tdipoet...you didn't have ENOUGH fun hosting the last Fest so you want to come over and help us here? ? ?

We can give you directions if you like?

We appreciate the help! Later, J

i'll be right over.

 

[eschady]

Midwest TDIFest

Thanks to Gewillie, the link at the beginning of this thread has been updated to reflect the current proposal.