Al, thank you for your courtesy. I appreciate it. Your observations
about why the event is not going as planned are exactly correct. Russ
and Roger didn't go to Dayton until the EOC membership voted their
choice of locations (they probably could have done it a few months
sooner, though) and their decision to cancel was made too late for
publication in the January Coupe Capers.
Kevin, if the Board of Directors votes in favor of the Dayton
Nationals, will you be an integral part of it?
Syd
On Jan 31, 2009, at 9:47 PM, Al Demarzo wrote:
Out of respect for Syd, I'll not break my promise and mention any
EOC shortcomings.
If you want a better organization you need to step up and give it a
shot, as organizations are only as good as the people involved. A
National is a huge undertaking and to try to put it together in 6
months just adds to undue pressure. If the club isn't doing what
you need it to do for you, toss your hat in but realize that the job
requires that you work for everyone, not just for the small boys club.
There's a lot of reasons why this event isn't going as planned, so
lets just examine a few.
Location?
Dayton is great, lots of coupers in the surrounding states and
plenty to do. How long will you fly to go to a national? 5, 6, 7
maybe 8 hours?
Dates?
I don't even know when it will be held, so I can't comment, but
weather is always a factor, as are the other current events in your
life.
Planning?
Marketing should also be lumped into this. As I said, there's a lot
tasked to the hosts. Someone get tired or frustrated at something?
It's pretty easy, but by this time, activities and locations of
amenities should be set in stone. Huge undertaking even if only 25
people were to show up.
Pricing?
Well, the economy sucks right now, so it may be a factor. For me
Oshkosh with the Bonanzas takes up my time, so doing two events on
top of each other is tough. The club needs to get sponsors to pick
up the burden or it'll only be a little get together. Univair,
Skyport, Alpha, Vernon and anyone else making a buck from Ercoupers
should all recognize the importance to their business and lend a
hand - somehow. That's where it takes PEOPLE. One or two guys
CAN'T do this alone. Our B2OSH has about 30 staffers and everyone
has a job to do. I take care of the flight shirts, everything from
securing a sponsor to recommending the artwork, commissioning the
artwork, facilitating the manufacture of the T shirts to shipping
and handing them out at the arrival party. Takes me no less than 6
months just for the shirts. We have safety people, we have arrival
people, we have formation volunteers (I do that, too), we have
dinner people, we have raffle people ($30,000 in prizes given away
last year) and a load more. Sure it's a bigger deal than we are
speaking about here, but the lesson is that there's no room for
kings or the anal retentive types when planning any event. It does
require a leader, though.
Kudos to the boys up in the Dayton area that stepped up to the
plate, I'm glad you did and don't blame you for being pissed. The
directors alone can't handle this by themselves, they need people to
make this party happen. Get involved and if you don't like what
goes on, do something about it, you can't leave it up to the other
guy. Be a cheerleader! Make folks WANT to get out and fly to your
soiree! This can still be done and if you guys get together,
consider letting the EOC give their award, then if you care, work to
bring it into the 21st Century. If you don't care, then don't be
disgusted.
Al, Biting My Friggin' Lip, DeMarzo
Visit the Ercoupe Swap Page
Free, Easy and No Membership Required
http://www.ercoupeowners.com/swap/swapbook.htm
----- Original Message -----
From: kgassert
To: [email protected]
Sent: Saturday, January 31, 2009 9:12 PM
Subject: [ercoupe-tech] Re: Dayton - The Saga Continues
Really, I have to agree, since it is not an EOC event. I am a bit
peeved at the EOC tonight. In the December Coupe Capers the location
and tentative dates and of the convention were announced and it was
stated that it would be confirmed in January. January is now over and
the January Coupe Caper is posted but there is no mention of the
convention in it. Apparently we don't deserve the courtesy of an
explanation and have to hear about this through the grape vine. I
will be there to meet anyone who shows up and we will go to the
museum, do some flyout and have a flyout/cookout at my hangar and
play it by ear. As for the EOC, I also have my renewal sitting on my
desk. Can someone give me a good reason to renew? I have been a
member for over 20 years, including some years I did not own and
Ercoupe. In those over 20 years I only went to two national
conventions but I was happy to support them with my dues. I'm kind of
pissed so maybe I should just delete this.
Kevin, crap I am turning into Al, 1--- In ercoupe-
[email protected], thesu...@... wrote:
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> I’m with Larry on this.Â
> If the EOC has chosen to scratch the convention this year, I see no
> reason to maintain any level of officialdom.Â
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> Cheers,
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> Bill
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> Larry said: Let's just make this a low-pressure gathering.
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> Syd said: Well, we should have an Awards Banquet
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