Stoneleigh 2018 feedback and ideas

[Trevor Little (Trevturtle) - Treasurer]

While it's fresh in your minds, here's the feedback and ideas thread for Stoneleigh. We'd like to know all the good and all the bad, please feel free to comment.
Any specific feedback you have about the following would help for next year:-

• Hall 2: Did you visit, any feedback, what else would you like to see?
• The marquee and parking area
• WSCC advertising, Banners etc.
• Did the autojumble outside the main marquee work better than inside... was inside the marquee a better environment 
• Volunteering:
  • For set-up 
  • Packing away
  • During the weekend
  • If you volunteered, is there anything that would make it easier for you, too many or too few volunteers? Any specific feedback on
    • Snack bar and drop off
    • Membership services
    • Auto jumble
    • Charity raffle and prize draws 
    • Display cars
    • Camping and parking

 

A few comments to get things started 

• Good - Hog Roast.. enough food? This year it was also used for Monday  lunch.. beer and wine ok?
• Good - Numbers of helpers, Set up and packing away was quick and smooth
• Good - there appeared to be a good flow of non members though the marquee, lots of conversations with the 'meet and greet' staff....  and a few new members
• Charity collection: We charged members a small fee for drinks and snacks (volunteers were free, but many volunteer conributed to charirty anyway ..thanks)..more on the collection amount later
• Good-  badges for volunteers  only this year. seemed to work better
• Good - using email only for volunteers made organising  and communicating much easier.
• Staggering start times of volunteers... did this help with the handover... I'm still not sure that handover was completed every time?
• New for this year..did it work?
  • Outside autojumble 
  • Scalextrix 

Thanks again to all the volunteers and especially those  who helped with  Saturday setup and Monday breakdown..... everything makes a difference. 

[BenD]

I think we need a sign at the end of the pitch to direct cars to the entrance for parking. I saw a few people driving past as the entrance wasn't very clear. Without the volunteer on the end no one would have seen the entrance 

[Kit Car Electronics]

The outside autojumble kept the inside of the main tent looking very smart - but if it had rained, it could have been a struggle outside - although I guess the missing sides and roof would help then  

The 'bonnets off' idea was very good as an opportunity to catch owners with their cars.

[Mark (smokey mow)]

Not the fault of the WSCC but IMO hall 2 was dead and to me the club stand was lost on the back wall of a half empty hall.

I understand that hall space is currently promised as part of the WSCC sponsors package (so we have to be there) but considering what the club are asked to pay for hall space I feel that the show organisers have let us and the other exhibitors down somewhat by not filling the hall.

If the decline of stands in the halls continue or if the show orgainsers continue to push up their prices for hall space then I feel the Speed Series would be better placed outside either in the club marquee or alternatively in a spearate marquee/gazebo in the club pitch.

[Geoffrey Carter (Buttercup)]

My concern where the drones. 

No blade guards and lots of people.

I lost the signal on mine a while ago and it smashed into a bridge and I had to have it rebuilt as it set on fire

All happened in seconds.

I took out insurance with these guys in case I hit anyone or anything.

https://bmfa.org/Insurance/Insurance-FAQs

 

[Robin Parker (Red Spider) - Yorkshire AO]

46 minutes ago, Ben (bunje) said:

I think we need a sign at the end of the pitch to direct cars to the entrance for parking. I saw a few people driving past as the entrance wasn't very clear. Without the volunteer on the end no one would have seen the entrance 

We did have signs directing people in, they may be a little on the small side and could be missed. Also I was on the corner from around half past 9 to half past 11 on Sunday trying to catch any Westfields on their way in. I did miss a few, but think I got as many as I could. 

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

Bonnets off was a great idea.

The new marquee layout and design with the emphasis towards the drift area and public carparks, plus the windows was absolutely fantastic; so much more welcoming and less easily missed.

Internally the marquee seemed to generally work well, though it sort of felt like something was missing, in the far left corner, as viewed from the table end. (The bit next to the Scalextric track - great idea!

I thought the Autojumble outside again was much better, too. as was the little covered seating area.

Hall 2, oh, what are we going to do about hall 2. Small pockets of interesting stuff in a sea of empty areas. All I can say is that at least it was better than Hall 3! Hall 2 desperately needs something doing to re-invigorate it.

[BenD]

I agree with all of the above. But I can see the show being condensed into two halls. Also it didn't help with the speed series stand being behind a great at whopping sign of some description so wasn't easily visible no fault of the clubs but bad planning on the hall organisers part. 

[Captain Colonial]

Not having the ex-chairman there or even in the country was an excellent idea.  Giving him money to stay away is well worth it.  Please repeat it next year.

[Oliver1]

I was just sitting at home reading the show guide and noticed that the Speed Series cars were in Hall 2. Gutted I missed these particularly as I walked through a couple of times. Maybe these would be better off in the marquee.

[TableLeg]

I'd still like to see name badges have WSCC Forum names too. I could easily have passed by a 'Fred Bloggs' not realising it was somebody I'd spoken to on the forum. Not everyone has their real name as their user name.

The WSCC always stands out from everything else, Well done to all for that.

I did visit the marquee as I was looking for a particular helper and whilst I cannot remember the person name I spoke to they were very friendly and helpful. If every visitor gets treated this nicely that's really good. Thanks to that person.

At the time I visited the marquee on Monday at around 11 it was really very quiet. Unusual compared to how I remember it last year but usually I go on the Sunday.

It's hard not to be too critical but I felt the show in general was lacking this year. Lots of empty space in the halls.

But nice to see the WSCC still putting in by far the best effort.

 

[Mark (smokey mow)]

7 hours ago, TableLeg said:

I'd still like to see name badges have WSCC Forum names too. I could easily have passed by a 'Fred Bloggs' not realising it was somebody I'd spoken to on the forum. Not everyone has their real name as their user name

I thought they all had this year. Mine and several others I read certainly did.

[TableLeg]

1 minute ago, Mark (smokey mow) said:

I thought they all had this year. Mine and several others I read certainly did.

I didn't see any..... Only actual names......

Although it could have been that all the ones I saw were people who's username is also their real name....

[Trevor Little (Trevturtle) - Treasurer]

I hope this will explain the badges this year?

• We only printed badges before the show for volunteers this year. In past years we printed badges for all members and 75% were thrown away (people didn't attend the show), and we needed a cottage industry to sort through 1100 name badges.
• This years volunteer badges had the forum name printed, if it was provided by the member when they emailed their volunteer information to the Stoneleigh organisation team. If members didn't send a name it was either blank or stated (son, daughter etc.)

We provided badges to non volunteers who requested them on the day..

Unfortunately:-

• it isn't a viable option to print all the names badges for all the members (we have  tried it, it time consuming, difficult to manage and there is a lost of waste) 
• we can only work with the information people provide when they send their volunteer information.

It's a time consuming activity over a number of weeks to create the volunteer lists (camping, tintop site entry, volunteer rotas).  chasing up missing forum names that people forgot to send isn't information have time to chase.

 

I hope this helps?

 

[Mooch]

I turned up on the Monday - I'm normally a Sunday chap, but events dictated otherwise this year.  The WSCC site as always was the biggest and best, so well done to the team.  It's good to see that it's dynamic and changes from year to year - indicative of the vitality of the Club.  The Club stand is the prime motivation that makes me head north each May and if that wasn't there, I doubt I'd go again.  

The rest of the show, I'm afraid,  is disappointing, especially if you've been before, and has an air of gradual decline - other club cars were sparse compared to previous years.  I went with a first-timer and he left feeling underwhelmed.  As others have said, Hall 2 was a few stands crammed into a vast space and felt dead.  The other halls had a feeling of deja vu - it seems like every time I go its the same thing in the same place.   For example...Hawk cars showing the same 3 cars, and behind them the same Stratos's......I could go on....it needs a refresh and new content if it's going to maintain the interest of regulars.  I hate to sound negative, but it's how I saw it.