Cruise Attendance

[glider]

Right well I thought I might open this topic to the forum because it should be discussed. People are quite often putting themselves down for cruise and then not showing up.

Now this is fine if you tell people you cant make it, but saying 'yeah i'll come along' and then no one hears another peep out of you is getting a bit frustrating.

Heres just a few things I'd like to suggest/make a note of:

A.Have everyone send the person organizing the cruise their mobile number, that way they can text you to check if you're going on say the day before (Send via PM)

B. When a cruise is proposed, we should create an 'Expression of Interest' (EOI) List. People can sign up to this list as per the normal way and two weeks before the cruise date, the organiser will PM all people on the EOI list and if people say at that stage they can make it, then they will be put on the Attending List.

C. If you have to cancel, even just posting on the forum is enough. Atleast then we're not sitting around waiting for you at the first meeting point when you're not even coming...


I'm just going to give an example now. The cruise coming up in October, there is a BBQ lunch planned at the final stop. If 15 people say Yes I'm coming along, enough food is bought for these people and then say 5 show up, that kind of puts the organiser out just a little bit (unnecessary waste of food and money)

Now Yes I am aware I'm not as experience at cruises as some people, but something has to be done about the attendance issues

Anyway, looking for thoughts on the above suggestions.

[astrauturbo]

I am with you on that one. ;). would make cruises much easier to organize.

[blueraven]

fair enough, but a tip...



dont start cruises at 9am. ever :)

[glider]

it should indeed...

i would like to extend this topic to also discussing how to get more people going on cruises, please feel free to post suggestions

-edit-

october cruise start at 11 onwards ;)

[CJB]

You never get full attendance, it's silly to expect you will.

But my question, does it really matter? I have gone on cruises before where only 5 cars came and it was still fun, it's about the people that do go.

Example Maroon Dam Cruise/BBQ 2005 - that was a good cruise and there was only 5 cars. Rob (Low Astra) and Dug might remember that one.

[EL BURITO]

I have gone on cruises before where only 5 cars came and it was still fun

SHIT that would be considered a good turn out for a WA meet

Sundays and late morning go well ;)

[glider]

But my question, does it really matter? I have gone on cruises before where only 5 cars came


i've been on several cruises involving 5 or so cars, it not an issue



it's about the people that do go.


how do we all get to know each other better if we don't meet in person? ;)

[CJB]

I think Saturday cruises work better actually. Just a thought. They always seem to be on a Sunday.

I know, I have said heaps of times I wish Opel did stuff, like they use to, regular meets, but with fuel prices, work, and then random in between things, it's hard to always attend. I am guilty myself of not going to things I planned to. It's from reasons like being too hungover, to having something wrong with the car, to having family stuff on etc.

I also think people got bored, it was much the same thing all the time.

[glider]

was considering making the October a Saturday but everything been Sunday so far so figured thats what everyone likes...

[CJB]

That's just it, everyones opinion and preference is different.

I will put my opinion out there, I got bored of the same mountain runs, the same coast runs. I got sick of going on them. Not for the people, just because it was a case of done it once done it a thousand times.

And then I know more social outings were included, but you couldn't always please everyone with those and you couldnt get full attendance.

Then there were also issues of speed demons, under-speeders (LMAO...).

Can I ask why the October cruise is planned for then? That's still 3 months away.

I think people say yes at first, because it sounds exciting, yet it's still far off. I think there is nothing wrong with organising a cruise two weeks in advance - you either can or can't, and in the meantime you're not losing interest.

This has also been raised MANY times I know, but the amount of shit that gets posted in these cruise threads. Pages and pages, and more pages of shit that has no real relevance to the cruise. I know myself I get bored searching for the vital information, so I don't bother.

If you said there's a cruise Sunday two weeks, I could commit, it's fresh in my mind. I would plan around it, budget for it whatever, and it's not that far away I am going to forget, or make other plans on top of it, which is what usually happens for me.

Just an opinion.

[glider]

hmm, was trying to give people plenty of notice and spread it out, consider we had cruise today :p

also poita is in brisbane in october

maybe we should test your theory and throw a meet up/photo shoot at the spit in 2 weeks time...



the eoi thing was to make a point of people are just throwing their names down to be contacted at a later date. say give them a 2 week reminder perhaps and then check if they are coming or not on the Wednesday/Thursday before the weekend of said cruise

[Vectracious]

This has also been raised MANY times I know, but the amount of shit that gets posted in these cruise threads. Pages and pages, and more pages of shit that has no real relevance to the cruise. I know myself I get bored searching for the vital information, so I don't bother.


Crispin, you know thats a queensland thing... :p :D

Glider makes some good points... Glider if you're worried about being out of pocket for the BBQ, maybe ask for people to give you say $5 as a deposit for the food - that way
- helps them commit
- if they pike, at least you're not too much out of pocket.

The people that genuinely want to come will not consider this an over the top request.

[CJB]

You could give it a go. See what happens.

The Spit has been done to death I think. It's time for a new place. Where I don't know, I didn't say I knew a place. But somewhere new, exciting and with a nice backdrop ... somewhere where people agree to.

Even if you started the old Thursday night meets up. The Saturday night cruise to spots for night shots. I dunno.

Whatever you want, plan for. :)

I just think with a shorter time span it might be one way to fix the no shows in the sense that people won't forget. It won't rule out no shows all together though.

[CJB]

Crispin, you know thats a queensland thing... :p :D



yeah it is, lol, and are you proud that I am not usually part of it :p

[glider]

You could give it a go. See what happens.

The Spit has been done to death I think. It's time for a new place. Where I don't know, I didn't say I knew a place. But somewhere new, exciting and with a nice backdrop ... somewhere where people agree to.

Even if you started the old Thursday night meets up. The Saturday night cruise to spots for night shots. I dunno.

Whatever you want, plan for. :)

I just think with a shorter time span it might be one way to fix the no shows in the sense that people won't forget. It won't rule out no shows all together though.

may have to start the search for Queensland's next top meeting place


Glider if you're worried about being out of pocket for the BBQ, maybe ask for people to give you say $5 as a deposit for the food - that way
- helps them commit
- if they pike, at least you're not too much out of pocket.

The people that genuinely want to come will not consider this an over the top request.

i'd feel bad asking people for money, i think its just a case of trying to make everyone happy on the day

[CJB]

What if everyone was responsible for bringing something? Or, you bring your own food you want cooked on the day. That way, no one is out of pocket.

[glider]

that'd fall back to requiring everyone to attend ;)

bringing your own food could work tho...

[Wraith]

Right well I thought I might open this topic to the forum because it should be discussed. People are quite often putting themselves down for cruise and then not showing up.

Your obviously new at these things...

Welcome the the World of car forums :)

A place where you can have thousands of members join, have only dozens of those participate online and only a handful of those show up at meets...

Get used to it, that's the way it is ! ;)

Should also point out, that the level of online/meets participation does vary from car type forum to forum, only some have 'outstanding' participation/meet turn outs...

[glider]

Yes wraith I did say I was new at this

its not really an issue of them not showing up, it was more the case of getting no further reply from them ;)

ok heres a revised version of suggestion b (the eoi list)

1. Cruise is created
2. People register interest on EOI list
3. If the cruise is quite some time away, all on EOI list will be PMed 2 weeks beforehand as a reminder, they can remove themselves at this stage if they want if they forgot about it and have something else on
4. all on EOI list will be PMed AND Emailed (if possible) on the Wednesday in the week of the cruise
5. all who reply to the Wednesday pm/email giving confirmation will be moved to the Attending List

How does that sound?

[Vectracious]

Glider, honestly... don't ask for opinions about whether others think that what you have suggested is OK, if you're going to organise a cruise, you decide what you want and how you want it and you post it up and say this is the way it is.... organising it is hard enough, without others putting their 2c in because they don't like how YOU want your RSVP's......

What you have suggested is more than reasonable. :)

[glider]

very well then, I think this might be the way I do any cruise I'm making from here on

I just figured since we have a forum where this sort of thing can be allowed to be opened to debate, it'd be worth seeing what others like/dislike

[auzvectra]

i think if we start gettn a few cruises going again, we should get some interest in the cruises aswell. a monthly or bi-monthly cruise is good.
it has been a while since qld has been in full swing, but we used to have some of the biggest cruises out of the rest of the states on this site, from 10-20 cars normally, with the occasional 20+ cruise, which normally takes 2 or 3 organisers with cars to run.
as for places to go, yes many have been done, some more then others. but there is only so many places to go around here, we have the local goldie area's, and we have the local brissy area's, but we can go south (i.e. the border ranges run, which is good too), or we can go north of brissy, like the sunny coast.
we just had the wheels on widebay car show meet/cruise, which is a shame we couldnt get any others to join as it was a good day up there, and cerainly was as far from the normal cruise as you could get, hopefully next year hey, would be interesting to see some AH astra's out there too, as we should have a few hi-po TS astra's up there next year.
plenty more to say but this thread is too long already :p.

[astrauturbo]

I think we need to book a track day to spice things up :D

[auzvectra]

yes definately, the only issue there, is too many dont want to put that much money in. and it takes a lot of organising for it. best to contact queensland raceway and see how much it would cost to book it out for 1/2 a day or a full day for sprints, i think they book out the track in 2 sections aswell, not too sure.
calling jason gilholme for input, not that he'll read this, but i know he has organised a few of these sort of things.

[vectraguy01]

Jase has gone to melb, but should still be contactable nonetheless.

[auzvectra]

more meant, he'd know who to talk to, and what we'd need for 1.

[Tfer]

Glider, honestly... don't ask for opinions about whether others think that what you have suggested is OK, if you're going to organise a cruise, you decide what you want and how you want it and you post it up and say this is the way it is.... organising it is hard enough, without others putting their 2c in because they don't like how YOU want your RSVP's......

What you have suggested is more than reasonable. :)

+ 1..... post it up with as much details as possible, and then run with it. :)