You did not read what I said. I said I was disappointed that there were not more cars given perfect conditions. I did not say it was a poor turnout. The two things are completely differing statements. Your looking at the author and prejudging negativity, what a reputation.
There seems little debate about how to make events more attractive thus to increase attendance.
Richard touched on the first problem. Poor advertising. To get into all areas of the media is extraordinarily hard work, to get in none, daft. Yet most Microcar events tend to the second. One reason Bath was successful at nearly hitting 100 cars, as a one day event remember, for a few years was Ray Simpson took on the roll of PR as well as accounts. That left the organizers to organize. A difficult trick when there is only one organizer, as now.
The topic of low organizer numbers leads out directly from that. Many events I was involved in had multiple organizers each concentrating on one element of the event with a big hairy chief managing that and his own stuff. That sort of turned into the NMRC in the big event's case. I have expressed options on change to that structure to help improve events but to no great interest. I do not think they have sorted out effective and planned PR for instance, partly a product of an insistence on organizing an event in 10 months at best rather than 22 months thus allowing all media sources, printed diaries etc to be accessed, missing vital advertising space in a busy year of eventing. As demonstrated above many lesser events found the helpers fade away to one person. By default not so much can be done. Advertising PR is pretty boring work.
Then we have Rally content. My irritating campervan owners is well known but moving on from that there are valid points on pleasing those who arrive in micros with a tent looking for a full weekend of Microrally and those looking for a fully equipped camp site and a stroll around an assemblage of weird cars. Sadly I think I am being proved correct. The Micro users in tents are not now turning up to provide the subsidized entertainment that the more static campervaners want. So less micros driven, less rare micro machines doing something interesting and more non micros attending, more statics. The evenings are in danger of being taken up with repeats of Dallas instead of a good social get together. Fine if that is what the majority want but it is not a microcar rally as far as I am concerned. Thus we are led to the extreme of Jim Hackings rally which sounds to be putting the microcar back in its position of the reason for attending and all follows on. When I hear that National Rally sites are picked for their campervan suitability first, and micro suitability second, I know something is not right. Its a question of balance I guess.
My own preference is much more down the Jim Hacking / Maniacs route of getting out and doing something. The National seems happy with its modern identity so it will continue to reflect what its sees as the loudest voice want. For smaller and regional events the South could be very hard work now. Such a solid microcar first event will be hard to promote, not least because many of those most into microcars are no longer members of any club! That shows a high level of disengagement. There is only one way to find out, of course.
There must be many things I have not thought of that would bring a much better calender of events forward. Or are we really mostly armchair minimalists now?
