AR announcement

I don't join in with the AR's although one day hope to, I just don't like camping...

However, may I suggest that on each AR, all then people who would like to do the organising have their name on a small piece of paper and picked out of a hat at random. That way the selection is fair.

That person then has ample time to choose their selection of ride outs, venues etc etc etc. Perhaps this could have even been chosen prior to the name being pulled from the hat for everyone to give their ideas while on the current AR?

Once the name has been chosen, and then winner has gone away and selected a minimum of 5 venues (or less), 5 dates etc etc etc various dedicated threads can be made with voting. The most popular choice is the winner, simple. The earlier this is done the easier.

If you're receiving tender packages for submissions then you should create a neutral submissions method/form.
A page/downloadable document available to all, so that all applications are uniform and thus picked on merit not on who spent the most time playing with publisher.
Its no good having someone write one line consisting of "it'll be in essex, new venue, last weekend in July, we'll have a bbq/hog roast, it'll cost £15 per person" whilst another one is preparing a 5 page document with price breakdowns and detailed planning of the weekend minute by minute. Too easy to pick the "pretty one", if you're doing it through a committee then it would make a simple scoring system possible.

Mark if I may offer I'll knock this form up myself with your co-operation of course, I'd like you to have power of vito over all elements of it.

[rictus01]

whilst perhaps one of the most experienced with AR's I'm afraid I'd have to decline your kind offer, not having been part of the moderators group for some years now, plus I'm pretty carp with powerpoint or publisher...

(could knock up a pretty picture with photoshop though )

[yorkie_chris]

I don't see anything stopping proposals from being publicly discussed which would keep the (very welcome) spirit of collaboration, offers of help, things being planned in public, and for people who support a proposal to show their support.

If another "blind" proposal was to win over a public one then it would be nice to hear back from the mods afterwards why that is the case, but anyway.


Mark you may not agree with this decision but I think it could work.
If you don't like the idea that comes out in the end, don't go!

But, don't create bad feeling now, who knows, next one might be somewhere good

Originally Posted by dizzyblonde

The words ' dictatorship' from so many members in personal conversations from others, is a word so frequent its unbelievable.

This forum is far better than most for openness. Try slag off* SV Racing Parts on SVRider and see what happens! An honest question gets you banned, by the way!

*By which I mean, tell the truth.

I genuinely believe John/Admin is doing his best to keep the peace etc. After all this isn't a commercial forum.

[dizzyblonde]

Originally Posted by Dicky Ticker

NO MATTER HOW IT IS DONE YOU CAN NEVER PLEASE EVERYBODY

This is indeed true, however.....

Pleasing the majority is tantermount to success, pleasing the minority falls flat on its face, when it comes to organising an event for the masses. There is no room for personal preference, you have to think of everyone else, and how to make them happy.

This is usually shown with attendance.

As for the weather.

For example Dales 11, ****ed it down with rain, was forecast, 135 people turned up
Essex 12, forecast sun........60?

10 was different, it was special, and much much more attended, but that was unique and not likely to be topped as far as attendance is concerned.
Previous ARs were of a different nature, however 09 was a turning point for certain criteria IMO.

People vote with their feet ultimately, as Bri said earlier. You also have to factor in, that signs of the times mean a lot of folk have other priorities with their cash, whizzing around the countryside with rather a lot of people may not be possible, much as they'd like it. Money and petrol have an awful lot to answer for, if folk don't fancy it on these grounds, attendance will be low.

I would like to know when the AR actually hits its tenth birthday, but I doubt in the proposed format it would last til then.i0

[yorkie_chris]

Dizzy with your posts in this thread so far please don't take a self-centred view on this, it's not a dizzyblonde vs essex thread.

[rictus01]

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

Mark you may not agree with this decision but I think it could work.
If you don't like the idea that comes out in the end, don't go!

But, don't create bad feeling now, who knows, next one might be somewhere good
.

Chris it's an open post I'm merely responding to what was previously posted, like every other member I can have my say a reasoned discussion if you will,sure I'm disappointed but hardly surprised, creating "bad feeling" happens whenever anyone has a different viewpoint it can't be helped what others think.

Cheers Mark.

[dizzyblonde]

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

Dizzy with your posts in this thread so far please don't take a self-centred view on this, it's not a dizzyblonde vs essex thread.

Thats your view, its certainly not mine.

Think out of the box Chris. Its an analytical POV, nothing more nothing less.
Analysis is a good thing for organising such. You have to take in account lots of things when organsing such an event, and it pays to take in LOTS of detail. I'm afraid its the nature of my career that has made my brain like this. Project/people management even in a chocolate factory makes it so

As Owenski said there will clearly need to be some structure laid out to the proposals to keep things fair and a guide as to what information needs submitting and what merits will be given to.

My only concern would be that someone might spend time drafting up a proposal for Essex 2013 only for the mod team to have already decided the next would be up north.

As for the closed door decision making, I guess only time will tell. However I think all submissions and reasoning/votes received should be published afterwards (as they will come to light anyway) for transparency.

If we end up with Qatar 2013 then we'll know it hasn't worked

Originally Posted by Stenno

As Owenski said there will clearly need to be some structure laid out to the proposals to keep things fair and a guide as to what information needs submitting and what merits will be given to.

My only concern would be that someone might spend time drafting up a proposal for Essex 2013 only for the mod team to have already decided the next would be up north.

I too agree with Owenski. In 2011 both Ed and DizzyBlonde put forward proposals, both in massive detail and only one could get the spot. If I remember rightly Ed was understandably gutted about not getting it, especially after all the hard work he'd put in to the proposal. Yet if a system as Owenski suggests were to be put in place then time would not end up being wasted on full on preparation and just by sending a brief outline of what you plan ( i.e. time, area, venue) you'll know you've definitely got it before launching into all the details. A simple vote from members on simple proposals will mean no willy-waving, no "I've clearly spent more time on this so I should win" opinions and people are just choosing based on something that appeals.