2008 International -- Bozeman, MT

[moosetags]

Originally Posted by craftsman

You have to be a member to go, right?

Yes, as of right now.

[Jim Clark]

Originally Posted by JStanley

Communications always seems to be an important item- -sometime its an issue and sometime its a problem.

Since many people have computers on-board, I suggest an official (or unofficial) ad hoc website be created to keep people up to date on activities, changes, news and the result of meetings. It would supplement the current communications methods.

In addition it would be neat if someone took the initiative and set up an intra-net system between trailers.
I wonder if it be one way to help pull the organization further into the 21st Century?

(New Tech)
To expand on the jstanley idea I would suggest contacting an ISP and bring them on as a sponsor. The ISP could be known as the ISP of WBCCI/Airstream and provide the equipment to light up the entire area as a WIFI hot spot using portable gear. Hint talk to feather wifi/earthlink they have provide the entier city of New Orleans with free WIFI and it works great, I have one of their radios on the light pole outside my home and connect to it when this connection goes down, and I can also reach featherwifi from my office by the Super Dome.
(Old Tech)
A low power AM station can be used to broadcast the days events running a loop tape. You see this type of use in the Talking House real estate sales pitch.

[wkerfoot]

Originally Posted by C Johnson

I am going to Bozeman next year. I like the afore mentioned ideas. I will be there most of the entire week. I really hope that my NW forum member buddies will attend, or I will be all alone ! so to speak. Great start to a thread. If I have any ideas not mentioned I will surely chime in.

Chris,

Plan on participating in the VAC parade and parking. You will meet a lot of great people.

Bill

[ArtStream]

Just a reminder

ral·ly1 (răl'ē)

v., -lied, -ly·ing, -lies. v.tr.

1. To call together for a common purpose; assemble: rally troops at a parade ground.
2. To reassemble and restore to order: rally scattered forces.
3. To rouse or revive from inactivity or decline: paused to refresh themselves and rally their strength.

v.intr.

1. To come together for a common purpose.
2. To join in an effort for a common cause: “In the terror and confusion of change, society rallied round the kings” (Garrett Mattingly).
3. To recover abruptly from a setback or disadvantage: The stock market declined, then rallied. The home team rallied in the ninth inning to win the game.
4. To show sudden improvement in health or spirits.
5. Sports. To exchange several strokes before a point is won, as in tennis.

n., pl. -lies.

1. A gathering, especially one intended to inspire enthusiasm for a cause: a political rally.
2. 1. A reassembling, as of dispersed troops.
   2. The signal ordering this reassembly.
3. An abrupt recovery from a setback or disadvantage.
4. A sharp improvement in health, vigor, or spirits.
5. A notable rise in stock market prices and trading volume after a decline.
6. Sports.
   1. An exchange of strokes in a court game such as tennis or volleyball, ending when one side fails to make a good return and resulting in a point or the loss of service.
   2. A competition in which automobiles are driven over public roads and under normal traffic regulations but with specified rules as to speed, time, and route.

[French rallier, from Old French ralier : re-, re- + alier, to unite, ally; see ally.]

[azflycaster]

My only suggestion would be to update the WBCCI website with as much information as they have. I do not want to compare the International with "The Rally", but look at the website for that event. The site has tons of information all located in one site. This could be a good model for "The International". The Rally 2007

[nohillgrish]

As I mentioned in another thread, it would be good if more seminars were available for learning more about, and maintence, of our units.

[rideair]

All of you have great "ideas" on how to make the International Rally better. But, ideas are just that unless someone makes it happen. No one knows your "idea" better than yourself. I'd suggest, everyone that has posted an "idea", do something to make it happen. If your not sure who is on the different committees that would handle your "idea", call "HQ" and ask. Then tell that person you are willing to step up and make that "idea" something that is real that we all can enjoy. Ideas come from the head, it takes a hand to make them happen. I look forward to seeing everyone with an idea on how to make the International Rally a better rally next year helping out. With all those ideas and people helping out next year, International will be a BLAST!!

[Coloradobus]

Having lived in BoZeman, there are a miriad of things to do and see. And remember, BoZeman is spelled with a "ZEE". The Museum of the Rockies is an excellent facility, chroniclizing how this area was settled. A 30 minute drive is the Three Forks, Mt area where the Madison, Gallatin, and Jefferson Rivers come together to form the Missouri River, fishing!!. Just south of 3 Forks is the Lewis and Clark Caverns. To the west is the Norris Hot Springs. Closer to town at Bozeman Hot Springs is another spot to hit.
South of Bozeman itself and nettled in the Gallatin Mtn foothills is Hyalite Canyon, a great area for hiking and see water falls.
To the northeast of town( 20 minutes) up in Bridger Mtns is the ski area for hiking and biking.
The west gate of Yellowstone is 90 miles from Bozeman to the southwest down Rte 191, and on the way is the Big Sky Ski area. 75 miles to the east, on I-90 to Hwy 89 and south following the upper Yellowstone River is the northgate of Yellowstone, Gardiner Mt. You can, on a long day, circum-navigate a loop from Bozeman-to-Livingston-to Old Faithful (and related geyser basins)-to West Yellowstone and back to Bozeman. Its a long day, but if this is YOUR time to visit here, do it up right.
In Perry, there seemed to be many events/ceremonies/meetings going on that detracted us from leaving the Agri-Center grounds. Having more events at the 2008 Rally could hinder exploring the Gallatin Valley which BoZeman is the county seat. The Gallatin Valley just begs one to explore. Also, there is no sales tax in Montana. Some towns, like West Yellwostone, have a bed tax .
Montana is 525 miles long and 275 miles wide. That makes it the fourth largest state.

[ArtStream]

Originally Posted by Coloradobus

Having lived in BoZeman, there are a miriad of things to do and see. And remember, BoZeman is spelled with a "ZEE". The Museum of the Rockies is an excellent facility, chroniclizing how this area was settled. A 30 minute drive is the Three Forks, Mt area where the Madison, Gallatin, and Jefferson Rivers come together to form the Missouri River, fishing!!. Just south of 3 Forks is the Lewis and Clark Caverns. To the west is the Norris Hot Springs. Closer to town at Bozeman Hot Springs is another spot to hit.

Hi Jim and Chris!
Thanks for the heads-up on Bozeman, I can't wait to visit!

Michael

PS, That's some collection you have!

[Coloradobus]

ArtStream,

Your are welcome. Bozeman and the Gallatin Valley is one of our favourite areas since it is close to the Yellowstone area. Living and working in Yellowstone for 15 years, Bozeman is the close "metro" area to the park.At the time, I was a member of the Montana Unit.
You will find some outstanding sunsets while we are there. The Gallatin Valley is also a good launching board to head to Glacier National Park, or go to historic Helena, the capital, and nearby on Missouri River is where you will see the GateWay to the Rockies on Canyon Ferry Reservoir. 90 miles west of Bozemen is Butte/Anaconda area with the Pintler Loop road that runs between Anaconda and Drummond. Spectacular scenery!!
It can also be quite hot, but the humidity is much, much lower than Perry.
There are some pretty neat eateries in downtown, especially the Baxter Hotel.

[nvestysly]

Thanks for providing lots of good comments. Keep them coming. I know Renee worked tirelessly on communications for a year and did a great job. My goal is to come at this from a slightly different approach.

My reason for posting this thread is to capture the information immediately following the event in order to begin planning for next year. We do this where I am employed - at the completion of a project we get everyone in a room and capture lessons learned in an effort to make the next project better. Sounds good in theory and sometimes it works.

A year is a long time but the days and months will pass quickly and I know WBCCI prefers to start early. My suggestion for collecting ideas for only a week or so is because this is not a 1 year assignment for me - my goal is to quickly come up with ideas that can be implemented at the rally next year. If some ideas cannot be implemented then so be it - we tried... maybe the following year.

At this point I think there are no bad ideas - that's what brainstorming is all about.

Thanks, Lucius

[Coloradobus]

Kudo's to Renee E. for a super "DJ" evening at Perry. We all had a great time!

[pyanke]

I believe that a Monday thru Friday rally is a good idea. It leaves the weekends for travel. A good thing for the working family. I am thinking about attending Bozeman, will surely do Madison. When I attend an event that requires a fair piece of travel, it is because I want to see all the good things the rally area has to offer and possibly some sites along the way. If I was required to attend meetings every day I would be upset. Maybe more of the required meetings should be done pre or post rally. The evening social events are good if you address them to all demographics. I am sure there are many impromptu sessions as well.

Just some thoughts...

[mbmbstreamer]

Thanks to you both for openning the can. Beth and I enjoyed Perry as 1st Timers. Our 15 year old also attended. All 3 of us are interested in Bozeman.

Improvements:

1) Open the Teen Center before 9PM. How about some early or mid-day hours. Perhaps some disorganized game / rec time in the daytime. The teens are present all day and don't fit the Youth activity. They also are not likely to attend seminars which interest their grandparents or parents. The heat in Perry made this more difficult.

2) De-emphasize formal entertainment, in favor of at least 1 night of Party...like the DJ event this year. Could increase the $ available for other nights and vary the routine a little.

3) Get WI-FI right next year. It would be nice if we could access it from the campsite, but at least keep it operating all week (and weekend). Some of us really consider it essential when gone for a week.

4) How about a "slide show" of various rallies, caravans, and historical events. We should celebrate and advertise. It would help sell the activities and provide an opportunity for more sharing.

I could list a lot of things which were done VERY WELL, but hope most of those will be kept next year. There are a few to list, both so others know about them (we didn't in many cases) and so they won't be missed:

1) Kid Program - yes there was a program for both Youths and Teens. Our son was too old for many of the program activities but really enjoyed the night time recreation at the Teen Center.

2) Teen Queen Pageant - I'm not an advocate for the pageant. Those kids (girls and escorts) who did participate, made friends and helped each other deal with an otherwise adult week. The escorts, ages 14 - 19, wouldn't have gotten together / involved otherwise.

3) Airstream Service - I didn't know (until I saw them working on a neighbor's trailer) that the Service Center sends techs from Jackson Center to perform work on trailers...more than just minor adjustments. in addition, Fantastic Fan and Dometic were doing campsite work at the rally.

4) Snack Bars - Most of the major buildings had snack bars where those working or attending could grab a bite or a cup of coffee at a reasonable price.

5) DJ Night (Streamers) - It was great.


Again - thanks for volunteering (or being volunteered). Enjoyed meeting you both and hope to see you again soon.

Matt
#3518

[StreamNTyme]

We went to international with another couple. As we all WORK we could not get there until the 28th. Well, the gal at the gate said, sorry all the gift packages are gone. We were shown where to park & he insisted that we split up because he had to 'fill' another spot, NO we could not park together, PERIOD, that is law. As we were the last ones in for several days, No one was parked next to us. No reason our friends could not have been next to us. We could not find the registration until we looked through several buildings. When we finally found it, the only sign was inside the building, good grief. The schedule was basic, no information. There were a few seminars I thought might be of interest, but it turned out that most were geared toward 5th grade. Very unprofessional, basic, poor speakers, sleepers. Renee was the only one that did a good job with her seminars. She also did a great job on the DJ Night. Very poor attendance of venders. I ws told WBCCI charged exorbitant booth prices, much higher than other clubs charged the vendors. No wonder. No coffee, morning round table gatherings, nothing. Poor daily programs. No bbq gatherings, nothing, no food Paid a lot for a few days. If it had not been for our friends we would have left. We made our own entertainment, but we could have done that at a nice campground with a pool! We all were bored & HOT & did leave early. What is the point of being in GA in JULY?? in a field. With a 1000 rigs & 2000 people attending, we should have more than brainless games & entertainment geared for nursing homes. Local talent, historians, mayor, or rep from gov, reps from shops, farms, health clubs, artists & professors from the local universities, travel, financial, realestate & medical professionals, all RV magazines & all trades should all be included to do seminars, set up vendor booths, a farmers market, repair shops, a gym, lots of interesting diversified activities, entertainment. We did get our fridg. warranty issue taken care of, but almost missed it, because of the very poor communication. All vendors, repair co's, with locations. should be listed in the schedule. Several people that were there days or weeks earlier said "oh, you should have been here" blah, blah..Working folks have no choice, things should be scheduled in a compact time frame so we don't miss out. Especially since they pay the SAME price we paid and stay a lot longer. Some people were there a month. We were there 5 nights. I did my own survey, yes most are retired. Everyone wonders why this club is going down hill. Well, this is a club for retirees, PERIOD.

[Over59]

The past two years have seen major issues presented by the IBT. The name and the buses. Frankly, this stuff is killing the club. Want a good rally, avoid having any new initiative poisioning the atmoshpere. The New England Unit had a very unpleasant experience at Perry. The dishonesty of those in "leadership" positions will have an effect on most of us for a long time.
If you tell members they can do something, ie day passes, don't change your mind when they arrive. When you do don't lie about it to cover your a...
Be Honest
Be Polite
Be Flexible
Be Helpful
Doesn't exactly make you thing of how the club works on a national or regional level, does it.
A WIFI LAN with Internet connectivity and event information server would be great. I can hear them now, What's that, We never had that before, Who would controll it, we already have our CB's why do we need that, ect There's a difference between an honesty committment to change and throwing us some crumbs until we go away or develop political ambitions and become another smiling red jacket.

[Frank's Trailer Works]

This will be my first International. I will be traveling 2131 miles each way to do it. I will be attending with my wife and two daughters. Maybe I should wait and see what it is all about, but someone earlier said to step up and make something happen and not just talk about it. So, I will be willing to arrainge for anyone that wants to go whitewater rafting. We have family in Big Sky and they own a white water rafting company. I can set up a rally special if there is any intrest. Who do I contact about offering this service. If there are enough intrested we might get them to bring their bus up to BoZeman and pick people up. The Gallitine is a beatiful river and can be run by almost any age. My wife's grandmother went and said it was the most thrilling thing she had done in 84 years. If anyone know who I should talk to, let me know. If just a few want to go that is cool too... Eric will show all of us awicked good time.

[wkerfoot]

Originally Posted by 62overlander

This will be my first International. I will be traveling 2131 miles each way to do it. I will be attending with my wife and two daughters. Maybe I should wait and see what it is all about, but someone earlier said to step up and make something happen and not just talk about it. So, I will be willing to arrainge for anyone that wants to go whitewater rafting. We have family in Big Sky and they own a white water rafting company. I can set up a rally special if there is any intrest. Who do I contact about offering this service. If there are enough intrested we might get them to bring their bus up to BoZeman and pick people up. The Gallitine is a beatiful river and can be run by almost any age. My wife's grandmother went and said it was the most thrilling thing she had done in 84 years. If anyone know who I should talk to, let me know. If just a few want to go that is cool too... Eric will show all of us awicked good time.

Early next year there should be infomation posted, here or on the VAC site, about the parade and VAC parking. You should plan on both, make sure to mark "VAC Parking" on your registration form. If you make these two things, lets meet and say "Hi".

Bill

[ArtStream]

62Overlander,
Great offer and thankyou!
Count me in!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Michael

I'll be comming in from New York

[Frank's Trailer Works]

i called Big Sky today... if enough people show intrest they will run their bus up and take folks out. Eric (cousin) said they can arrainge trail rides up into some wilderness areas too, horse or 4 x 4... Maybe I should step up and be the high adventure sport liason. I am not afraid to step up.

I will register in the vintage area, but as a WDCU member, I will go where my unit goes. If they say go right I will, if they say left I will. I believe the WDCU is mostly vintage so we will see.