Jeep,
I knew that, but I thought I would put in my 2 cents worth and stir the pot a little bit.
John
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Jeep,
I knew that, but I thought I would put in my 2 cents worth and stir the pot a little bit.
John
Okey dokey Jonnie!
Gary - Thanks for the bottle of wine, it was enjoyed. If you sent more than that, it's in Jdub's bus.
Jody - Thanks for the candy, but while everyone one was enjoying the music fest, Mango scooped up all the bags and mumbled something about Halloween at home.
Dale - Glad to hear you'll be with us in the future, we missed Jan.
Big John - Do you have MPD yet?
Try this link instead. I think it goes to the right place.
Ray
http://prevostownersgroup.com//photo...otoalbumid=766
Ok guys....
We have two nominations on the floor for our fall rally (Spearfish, SD. or Breckenridge, CO. do we
have a motion to close nominations?
We have a nomination on the floor for a annual date for our national rally (second full week of
September), do we have a motion to close nominations for the date?
Or do you just want Jim Skiff to put the events together and surprise us?
I really think that well planned and timed events will be the most rewarding. Sorry, it’s who I am!
Before we start nomininating the where and when, I think we need to consider the "who". And the who being "who" is going to be the rallymaster for that particular event.
For POG3 the southern CA guys got saddled ( :eek: oops, I mean the honor :D) of being the rally masters for Kerrville. Ken Z and I (along with our wives) met many times planning events for not only the guys, but the gals as well. Jim Skiff augmented what we had planned with the participation of the coach vendors etc.
My point is that a rally needs to me more than just a place. It needs someone to coordinate speakers, topics, crafts etc. I don't think it's fair to expect Jim Skiff to do this.
Perhaps I'm way off base. I wasn't able to make Branson, so I'm not really sure who planned the activities there.
Ray
While I think having a rallymaster is a great idea especially after seeing the great job you guys did in Kerrville, I see no problems with Jim pulling it all together with help from whomever he asks.
All we need to know is where, when and what do we eat, and what are we going to do during the day to occupy our time. Jim handled that quite well in Branson.
I think the group should stick the ideas for locations out there to get a consensus, and then when we know where, it is more likely we can find local folks, or folks familiar with the site to assist in the rest.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dalej
WHO are you again ? :D
Gary S
hey Gary..this is Jan....I live with the guy...and I ask myself that A LOT ;)
I'm wondering, that just a few months after the TN get together, we're planning another full on Rally.
To keep the interest and support of the converters/Prevost it seems to me that we need just a once a year major rally. I wonder if doing something twice a year we're going to wear out our welcome.
Wouldn't be wiser to start planning this for the Spring of '09? Giving us full year from the TN gathering?
We could supplement this with some mini gatherings during the year.
My 2¢.
Mike
Now we're talking. I think letting some time build between the two spring rallys and a big blingfest is worth considering.
Now that doesn't mean I won't find some time to attend Loc's Fat Beagle Dog Throwdown and Prevost Gathering, but I think we need to consider our sponsors / technicians in this endeavor.
Mike & Jerry,
I think that is what will work best. It will be a rough fall but with small rallies in between I think we can manage.
So 09 at Elkhorn or Breckinridge? Summer where families can attend?
I'm listening here.
Truk,
I have a been afflictted with a terminal case of MPD for many years. Unfortunately, I am also dealing with a case of champagne taste on a beer pocketbook- very hard to balance these two. I will keep hanging around with you guys, if you will let me, and try to live vicariously thru you exploits and purchases' until I am cured or take the plunge.
John
Mike, you make a very good point. You can only expect the sponsors to do so much and back-to-back events is asking a lot.
We probably stand to gain more by having a single "major" rally each year which will hopefully allow the sponsors and technicians to afford us the most attention that they can give.
Balanced with a number of smaller rally's, perhaps a little more socially oriented than technically oriented, might be the best compromise and allow us to get the most bang from the sponsors' buck.
Count me in for April in any event....
Hi Skiffer,Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Skiff
You have our vote for the 09 gathering at either location.
We are also looking forward to TN because it's close and because Jon and Fast Roger live there so it must be a great state to visit.
Richard Beecher
As previously said, Too much of a good thing can limit the attendance, so we'll have to fight off the Fall 'urge to merge' and plan for the spring. My vote is for Colorado as it is closer for we west coasters. I am also in favor of a wagon master as Ray has said, maybe two.
Just courious about some things.
Is it not the number of coaches in attendance that will determine if it is feasible for a vendor to come to a rally?
When did we "need" to have vendors come to our rallies. SF had only one that I can remember, and he did not make a huge attempt to "sell".
I think guys like Nick and Rick and Doug and Bill who were at Branson are an asset. I would like to hear from them on this topic.
The idea that was floated by someone to have a selling rally I think is a fantastic idea. Rather than arbitrarily limit rallies, what if a "national" rally is held every year, including 2008 and we flip the focus from one year to the next, with one year dedicated to selling coaches and having seminars that relate to ownership such as insurance, storage of coaches, maintenance costs, how to buy a coach, how to inspect a coach, etc., and the next year the rally is heavy in mechanical how to do.
This group is in a state of transition. There are a bunch of people that haven't even spoken on this issue and we do not yet know if membership has peaked or is still climbing. We don't yet know what is the best rally size, we don't know if we should set firm dates for rallies, and we don't know what the vendors yet think.
One of the most important group of people (to me anyway) that has been absent is the service techs for converters. Rick and Nick and Doug have been a huge benefit in this respect, but I still feel a large rally with converter specific groups and seminars would be a tremendous opportunity for owners to get a better and deeper understanding of their coaches and their systems.
I am working on plans for the Fat Beagle / Unruly Kids Throwdown and Prevost Gathering. It will be the second Fat Beagle micro-rally. FB1 was in Asheville and had a total of two buses. However there were some day pass attendees and an interloper from Virginia. FB2 is likely to only be attended by me and maybe JDUB. Bob and Debi, I will book a place that holds at least three campers and hope that you will come and bring all the dogs. I was thinking about Fast Roger's parking lot in Bristol?
I like the idea of a summer rally and think either location would be great. Breckenridge is cool in the summer and has great Jeep trails nearby. Spearfish is usually cool with the exception of this summer and has all of the Black Hills attractions.
we might be in sturgis again for bike week which is a few weeks earlier than the sept dates being discussed. it would be just as easy for us to swing over to breckenridge after sturgis. we have friends who summer at tiger run every year and LOVE it. either and both seem to work for us at this time.
jody
I agree with Jon. Without Rick, Nick, Doug and Jon's seminar we would have been without exposure to technical information. All of us owners need to better understand our coaches. All of the people I talked to were extremely appreciative of the knowledge they gained at our lasy Rally.
How do we attract the Service Techs from various Converters ? Is POG big enough to send them invitational requests ? Should members be doing this to help generate momentum ?
Without a doubt the techs at P4 were invaluable. But I'm sure having these guys show up 2x a year is a strain on their resources.
MIke
Nick should correct me if I am not stating the truth, but I think he indicated these rallies are very valuable for him, not necessarily because he is able to do business at the rally, but because of the exposure and the referrals.
I still do not think we should build our organization (that erroneously suggests we are organized) around vendors. If we have good, well attended rallies the vendors will decide if it is worth it to show up.
I echo Jon and Jim's comments. I also like the idea of the smaller East and West rallies with a National rally. The E/W rallies would be more of a social interaction with the National one being available for converters, suppliers, etc.
Even at the regional rallies there would be a lot of learning just by talking to one another and learning from each other. It is my understanding that the service techs charge for their work. Where else can they go and find 30 or more buses in one location. I feel it is a win/win situation. At Branson we picked up one new member, Dan Parisi from Chicago, who just happened to be there. POG was exactly what he was looking for and did not know it existed.
The National rally would be on a much larger scale with 50 to 75 buses present. There aren't too many other places converters, vendors and techs, can go and find that concentration of Prevost. It is also a good situation for individuals buying or selling.
Many organizations, FMCA, Good Sam, manufacturer clubs,etc., have several chapter rallies a year and than have at least one national rally. FMCA has two national rallies a year, Country Coach club has two Family Reunions a year in addition to the individual chapter rallies, for example.
I believe we have nearly 300 members and can make a great impact on the bus market.
As for me, national rally in Sept, 08.
Just out of curiosity, how many coaches/people ended up coming to Branson? I never did hear any figures.
Regarding Service Tech's being available we need to remember only two of them were self employed, the others work for one of the converters or Prevost. Some thank you letters need to go out to their employers for allowing them to join us with very valuable information. The techs indicated to me, they would rather come and work with our group than any other. We get into the repairs with them and want to learn. They say most groups just want it fixed and how much $.
Ray, about 21 member coaches at Branson KOA and about 50 head at the functions.
While we are on the subject of techs, what happened to Lester. I would like to look him up on the way thru Lakeland if I need some work done. I heard from a reliable source that he will not leave that area for any amount of $$$$$$$.
Lew, Lester is still there. Phone # at facility is : 800-233-7951. Lesters email is : lesterburgess@tampabay.rr.com. Hope this information is helpfull to you.Quote:
Originally Posted by lewpopp
check out www.associationislandresort.com ...been there...quite nice....
Oh WOW, when and how can we fit this campground in to our POG schedule? Looks like a winner to me.
Gary S.
Jim Kellor,
Lester is still there. I thought Ken Robertson closed up. do you know the name of the company? thanks
Lew, The company is still called Ken Robertson R V and it is still open and doing business in the same location as far as I know. The phone number I gave you is the same number they had before and you can contact Lester at that number or on his email. He is a great guy with a lot of knowledge in the industry. I have used him for electronic issues as well as mechanical.Quote:
Originally Posted by lewpopp
Hello POGgers,
Interesting reading all of the posts regarding a National Rally. It's not often that a thread gets 7 or 8 pages of posts. It would be hard to put up an argument against any of the points, Summer '08 v waiting til '09. Would the sponsors come, would they not, Do we need them, do we not, etc. I think our sponsors and our tech people are important, and a ralley is better if they are in attendence. But these rallys don't happen by themselves and one thing I HAVE NOT SEEN here is someone stepping forward to chair the rally, or get a group of co-chairs. In planning POG III Ray, Mike, and I had no less than 6 sitdown together brainstorming sessions, phone calls back and forth to Skiffer, e-mails and phone calls back and forth to Mooney, to Buckhorn, the golf course, etc. The "to do" list for a rally this size is huge. And you need people to step up and help. GaryD took care of the golf, Warren and Kelly Jo helped out with their smoker at BBQ night, Harry and Shirley helped out at California Cocktail night, some of you helped out as presenters, and some of you just plain helped out.
The daily schedule was the hardest thing, getting the tech topics, and then the presenters. Another challenge was what to do for the people who don't want to go to the tech seminars. A luncheon, shopping, art walk, a trip to a spa, whatever. This all takes a lot of time and planning.
Frankly it might already be to late for a summer '08 rally. Places fill up fast for the summer months. So if we're talking '09, someone has to step up right now. When you charge $350 or more in rally fees, and figure $1000 or more just for fuel back and forth, you have to have a great program in place. And the time to start is now.
That's my .02 worth.
Ken