Lots of points made and answered; but I'll throw in my few pennies worth. Having seen the problems with entry on Saturday, Phillip did indeed offer help for the Sunday. He is the only person to have done so
and we would love to take advantage of that offer next year, if it's still available. This year, learning from the situation on Saturday, the entry arrangements were changed for Sunday, and ran much better. If all the people who had promised help had been there, then Saturday would not have been a problem.
I think that we all agree about catering. I like the suggestion of getting local groups to offer the service, and will put that forward. Quite a few branches were offering refreshments to anyone visiting their stands. It was possible to get free tea, coffee, and cake. Agreed that it wasn't advertised, but being sociable is part of what rallying is all about, so try saying "hello" occasionally, and you might be surprised by how much friendship comes your way
Wearing a radio and a tag saying "steward" meant that wherever I went on the field I was approached by rally goers, and it was almost non-stop talking and doing - you'd be amazed at the hundreds of small things that get done on an event like this. Yes, I did get some complaints about the obvious, but overall the vast majority of people were telling me how well run it was, how impressive it was, how much they appreciated the work, how there was just sooo much to do.
As to value for money, it was £10 per CAR, not per person. OK, if you're on your own, then it was £10 each, but the majority of cars were carrying between 2 and 4 people. For that sum, you got two days of show, access to the full displays of cars, children's entertainment (2 shows of Punch and Judy, 4 shows of circus entertainment, face painting, etc), arena displays of cars with commentary, an engine rebuild demonstration, technical advice, a commemorative coin, a very good range of traders and spare parts, a large craft fair, two falconry displays, morris dancers, two dog displays, two different bands giving a total of four different displays, slot car racing, chainsaw carving, parrot display, air ambulance display (ground exhibition), live professional singing, regalia shopping, club services, a wartime re-enactment group, 1,500+ cars, insurance consultations, first aid cover "just in case", and a flying display.
Edit: For those who could make it, there was also free entertainment on Friday evening.
An American visitor commented that they could not hope to organise anything on this scale, and that they had a lot to learn from us.
So, yes, there were problems, but solutions were sought, and the vast majority of people had a fantastic time - I've also taken several calls this evening saying how good it was. As Mike said, the advance party was on site on Tuesday, with more arriving on Wednesday and Thursday. We were still working Monday morning, and some much later than that, and didn't manage to see the shows ourselves. I'm not looking for sympathy, just explaining what's involved. We regularly appeal for new helpers, but rarely see any. I slipped into the team by accident (I was volunteered by our Branch Secretary) and have never regretted it. There are some wonderful people involved, and I have made some great friendships. If anyone can offer any help at any time (there's plenty to do during the year, not just at the rally - perhaps booking caterers?) then please drop a line to the club.
I'd like to express my thanks to those who have made positive comments about the event, and hope that next year we might, despite conventional wisdom, be able to please all of the people, all of the time
PS of course the weather was our fault
