<VV> Buffalo Responds

[Andy Clark]

Jeff, I didn't go to Buffalo, so I have no first-hand knowledge of what did
and didn't go well at the convention. I am, however,  surprised at the very
negative comments recently posted. People seem to forget that those who
organize and put on a convention are volunteers. I remember well what we
went through in putting on the Seattle convention in 1983 (jeepers, was it
really that long ago?). Yes, these are volunteers, many of whom have
full-time commitments (job, family, etc.) outside the Corsa environment.
They are not professionals, and glitches can be expected. I was at the
Portland Ore. convention and thoroughly enjoyed it, even though not all went
as planned or hoped-for. I could complain about the lack of weather control
(95deg-ugh!), but will refrain from doing so :-).
Please, folks, go easy on those who dedicate a great deal of their lives to
providing the opportunity for some of us to get together with a large part
of the Corvair community to which we belong. Nothing in life is perfect, nor
should we expect it to be. If we're not careful, people will not volunteer
to take on this enormous task for fear of mean-spirited criticism. Then
where will we be.
Andy Clark
1966 140/4 Monza Sedan
1966 140/4 Yenko Clone
1966 180/4 Cord 8/10 #60

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jeff Clark"
Sent: Sunday, July 30, 2006 5:20 PM
Subject: <VV> Buffalo Responds


> Like Hank, I was going to wait before I made any
> replies, but a certain recent post forces me to do
> otherwise.  PLEASE NOTE:  The following paragraph will
> appear this one time, and then I'm going to put it
> behind me.  Everyone tells me I should stop beating
> myself up over the problems we experienced, so PLEASE
> don't force me into having to repeat it.
>
> If you attended the banquet, then you're well aware
> that the entire organizing committee stood on the dais
> with me as I apologized to anyone that didn't have a
> good time in Buffalo.  Although some have expressed
> here that they felt this was "the most messed-up
> convention in a long time," it certainly was not the
> only one with flaws.  And I don't recall ANY previous
> convention EVER apologizing to all the CORSA members
> for the errors that they had made.  At least give us
> credit for having the courage and forthright to say
> what we said on Saturday night.
>
> Gary Swiatowy perfectly expressed why we chose the
> Adam's Mark, so there's nothing I can add except that
> the physical condition of the hotel seems to have
> deteriorated since we signed the contract with them
> approx. 2 years ago.  If anyone here has a solution to
> a situation like that, I'd be happy to hear it.  I
> will personally be in contact with the Adam's Mark
> headquarters to discuss the problems with the
> building.  On the plus side, I found their staff to be
> outstanding: friendly, welcoming, professional, and
> eager to please.  I've stayed at much more expensive
> hotels with far less congenial employees.  I've also
> found that the old "you catch more flies with honey
> than vinegar" saying goes a LONG way in obtaining good
> customer service.  Try it the next time you want a
> situation resolved, instead of immediately getting in
> someone's face, or posting obscene notes on a bulletin
> board, as one convention-goer did.  Like Gary said, we
> shouldn't have to tolerate rudeness, and that
> so-and-so was one of the rudest persons I've ever had
> the displeasure of meeting.
>
> Trailer parking: we were told by CORSA to expect 25-30
> trailers, which would have been no problem if we had
> the parking lot next to the hotel that we were
> promised some time ago.  That lot was yanked from us
> about 3 weeks before the convention.  We scrambled,
> and found a lot about 4 blocks from the hotel that
> could easily hold 50 trailers.  Because of the
> distance, we decided for security reasons to keep the
> lot locked (along with 24-hour video-tape monitoring,
> and an off-duty police officer hired to watch the lot
> every night).  At its peak, we had 60+ trailers in
> this lot, which, when you do the math, is slightly
> more than what we were told to expect.  No one knows
> better than I that the trailer-parking situation was a
> hassle for all involved, but we dealt with it as best
> we could.
>
> I'll be happy to reply to anyone's comments with my
> factual statements.  I will NOT engage in any
> arguments, and any attempt at baiting me will prove
> worthless.
>
> Jeff Clark