CORSA 2012: Economy Run and more

[Vairtec Corporation]

My comments interspersed.

WARD BOURGONDIEN wrote:

>I find it interestingv that you and Brian seem to want to change 
>things just to have a different convention.  I like change to make 
>things better but I don't like change just for change,

Can't blame me and Brian for this one.  While I am pleased that the 
econo-run has been dropped, other commitments have prevented me from 
participating in the decision-making process and I have been unable 
to attend any of the planning meetings held since before the bid process.

Brian, of course, is in an influential leadership position but the 
decision was made not by him but by the many club reps at the recent meeting.


>You talk about listening to amall group of people and I have found 
>out in the past that we reoally need these small groups..  People 
>spent a lot of money on their Corvairs for the concours and we need 
>to provide them with a showcase and not when the general public that 
>doesn't respect showcars is there running their hands over the Corvairs.

That is the narrowest possible approach -- scheduling and conducting 
an event for the smallest possible subset.  Yes, people spend 
inordinate amounts of time and money on their Corvairs, but these 
people are fewer in number than those who simply keep a nice Corvair 
and enjoy it -- the MAJORITY of our membership.  If the club is to 
not continue to shrink, we have to cater to the broadest 
cross-section, not the narrowest, and we have to improve public visibility.

Somehow, the great car shows, the ones with the Duesenbergs and the 
Bugattis, manage to cope with being high-profile and having members 
of the public in attendance.


>  You also talk about a longer rally, in the past  people said two 
> hours is to long to be driving around in the hot weather  trust me 
> it will have record hot weather, we always do.

"Longer" does not necessarily mean longer hours behind the 
wheel.  With a more comfortable time slot for the rally, it can begin 
after breakfast and after the morning traffic has concluded.  It can 
have a mid-route break -- there are many great places to visit in the 
region -- and it can allow time for lunch without having to wolf it 
down to get back on the route.  It can allow for a rally created to 
appeal to the novice and veteran alike.

And, if the concern is too many hours in the car in hot weather, why 
would you want to ask people to do both a rally and a econo-run?


>Remember this convention is not in a high population area and we may 
>not see many outsiders so why cater to them instead of all Corvair menbers.

This convention is being held in the region of the country that has 
the greatest population density and the greatest density of CORSA 
members.  Sturbridge is a jumpin' place in July, it is a very popular 
tourist destination.  But you are perhaps misunderstanding me if you 
think I wish to cater to the general public.  No, I wish to cater to 
the broadest swath of CORSA members, those who can attend the entire 
convention and also those many hundreds who live within a half-day's 
drive of Sturbridge who cannot or will not take time off from work to 
attend before Saturday.

Remember, 102 Corvairs at last year's one-day Saturday show at 
Clark's.  Take that same pool of participants, mix in the singularity 
of the first-ever New England CORSA convention, and you have the very 
real potential for a 200-250 car Corvair show.  That we can do it in 
a more public fashion is a bonus, because more public exposure is one 
of the keys to CORSA's ongoing survival.

And I think CORSA's days are numbered if some different thinking is not tried.


>Conventions are for all members reguardless if their interests

Correct, and on this point you and I agree fully.  Where we diverge 
is in how to accommodate these varied interests.  And one of my 
opinions is that we do so by not making every convention a 
carbon-copy of every other convention.  Mix it up, exploit the 
locale, change things.  There will be an econo-run in Denver, but 
there will not be one in Sturbridge.  There will be a "Corvair Fun 
Day" in Sturbridge, but there will not be one in Denver.  A future 
convention might conduct an econo-run but no rally.  Even the 
autocross is optional under the CORSA by-laws.

There is support for a shorter overall convention and the only way 
you shorten it is to pick and choose your events.
.

>My concern is that if people don't like the changes they may not 
>attend futrure conventions.

This is true only if future conventions are unable to convey what 
they offer, and unable to promote their distinctiveness.


>I don't want to see you set yourself up for many complaints

I think we are setting ourselves up for many complaints from a very 
few, and many compliments from the rest.  But let's assume that you 
are correct on all points, and that the 2012 falls totally flat as a 
result of our planning.  If so, we can say that we tried and that we 
were wrong.  We HAVE to try -- CORSA is withering on the vine.


>and i think the BOD is going to have alot of concern with some of to 
>proposed changes.

The Board has no leg on which to stand.  All the proposed changes, 
all of the convention plans thus far, are in total compliance with 
the By-Laws provisions for conventions.  I have little sympathy for 
the Board's thinking because the Board wants to stand by and wait for 
local clubs to submit a convention bid, then tear it down.  I have 
tried for YEARS to get the Board to be pro-active, to identify 
potential convention sites, to work hand-in-hand with chapters to 
develop conventions, but the Board wants no part of that.  So the 
Board is entitled to sit down and shut up, in my opinion.

Now, there IS a point on which Board concerns rest correctly:  Risk 
of loss.  CORSA "inoculates" local convention hosts against financial 
loss, and so the Board does rightly have dog in the fight.  But the 
Board suffers badly from what Hal Marcus so smartly termed 
"intransigent orthodoxy" -- we do it that way because that's the way 
we do it.  Concerned about risk of loss?  Well, first you need to 
take some risks!


>My thoughts, Ward

And your thoughts are ALWAYS welcomed, Ward!  Best Regards --Bob