Quote:
Originally Posted by eddie.vandermark
Hello everyone!
As CenTex grows and grows with their comeback, we are looking to have our first event. We have some ideas that we will discuss during our next meeting, which will be held on Saturday September 12, 2009 at 6:00pm located at the Denny's near the airport (7619 Ben White Blvd), but, we want to hear from you, especially if you can't make it to the meeting. What would you like to do?
We are looking to do this event in October and hopefully this dreaded heat wave will be over so we can enjoy ourselves without all the sweat! 
Looking forward to some fantastic ideas from what YOU want to do!
-Eddie |
Here are some ideas that worked for the Mercedes' clubs I am a member of...
1) Wash & Shine - Essentially a social event, folks meet somewhere (could be a picnic, restaurant, etc.) where they interact socially, or for the wrench-heads to interact about the cars. These are simple events held in parking lots and easy to arrange. Raise the hoods, open the doors and talk cars. You’ve probably seen these –a group of car buffs gathered/parked somewhere. Ironically, there was a small group of ‘em meeting periodically in the parking lot in front of the Round Rock Smart Center. For us, a banner could be made and would be setup at the meeting pont.
2) Tech Meeting - Arrange with any of the local car suppliers/repair houses to have an informal technical-oriented discussion of the Smart car. For example, Smart of Round Rock could be asked to host a Tech Meeting at their Service Center where a member of the service staff can demonstrate a service aspect of the car. First one could be concerning oil changes and fluid checks. (Although basic in nature, there are a fair number of people who really do not know how to change oil, whether they decide to change it on their own or not. But the knowledge gleaned is invaluable to all.) Donuts and coffee are generally provided and the session then ends with a general technical Q&A session of any Smart car topic. Another good one revolved around tires at a local tire shop. There’s quite a bit that can be learned about tires… when you’re not under pressure to replace them at the moment. Yet another concerned OBDII readings, how to get them and what do they mean. For this one, the club held a raffle for a member to have the honor of having their car as the test vehicle. (Gets your OBDII ran for free, in essence.) Headlight adjustments, interior care/condition, cabrio care, detailing, etc., etc. The list can be quite long of topics that can be covered. Another good one was paintless dent repair, though that is not quite applicable to the Smart car. The idea is to keep each topic simple and each Tech Meet about 2 hours or so in length. Ideally, one of these per month, on a Saturday.
3) Rallies. These are great, fun events, but do require some prep time from a couple of organizing folks. They can be long or short; local or medium-ranged. I have experienced overnighters, but these are rare and difficult to manage. Prizes can be donated from various suppliers and should not be limited to just Smart of Round Rock. Generally timed events, rallies can also be a variation of a scavenger hunt where drivers and navigators seek out pre-selected landmarks, etc. and document them on a score card. These could be as simple as looking for which corner of the street sign is bent at the intersection of Smith and Jones streets. The idea is to have people looking at the scenery they are driving through, as well as getting to the end; safely, of course.
4) If there is a drag strip around, it might be possible to rent its use for a morning of timed events. Not sure if this is possible in the Austin area, but they were popular in So. Cal. years ago. This type of event can be coordinated with other, non-Smart car clubs. Mercedes does hold such an event regularly, but more on a national level. If a strip is not readily available, perhaps one of the local police forces might assist in guiding us to an appropriate location. My experience is that when they are involved in the planning process *early*, it’s surprising what a local police force will do to help any bone fide event.
5) Winery Tours – Arrange a tour of one of the wineries west of Austin. Alternatively, tour Texas’ first bourbon distillery. Yes, there is one – Garrison Distillery, west of Johnson City. It’s new and not selling booze yet, but getting there is a great drive and the tour is interesting, albeit simple. Meet in a central location and caravan out there; have lunch/dinner before or after the tour.
6) Local Area Oddities – I have a couple books that describe Texas oddities or fun places to visit. Virtually all are simple day trips that require very little planning. I do not have the books in front of me at this moment, so am going from memory, but there are quite few within comfortable driving distance of Austin. Basically the same concept as the winery tours… meet in a central location and caravan to the place of interest. While basically a social event, the wrench-heads usually love to drive their cars… I do.
7) Car Shows – The Georgetown Car Show is a great local event held annually. Sadly, there were only 3 Smart cars this year… my Smart and my wife’s Smart were two of the three. Looking forward, we should locate all the local car shows and consider entering in each. Everyone does not have to enter every show, but there are some (like me) who would. If enough cars are registered, many shows will open up a Smart car class. Entry fees are generally pretty darn cheap. Georgetown was only $25 for a full day to satisfy the most hardened wrench-head and enthusiastic social butterfly.
8) Holiday Social – Plan on an upscale dining event for the Christmas holidays. Doesn’t have to be expensive, but folks do like to – once in a while – have a nice evening meal to socialize. Generally, I’ve seen this event as the club’s annual meeting; officers are elected, etc. In our case, this would be a little premature. But a nice evening capped with donated door prizes, etc. would be good. Any number of restaurants could be the venue. But planning would need to start now.
The list goes on and on and is limited only by the imagination. Because we are talking cars, events are divided into 2 basic categories – driving events or showing/static events. Each event needs a varying amount of time to prepare, depending upon the complexity of the event. Some events lean toward the social side; some to the technical side. My contract in California is finished at the end of October and I am looking forward to being back in Texas after that. I have no problem helping coordinate any of the above after that time or can mentor some folks in the meantime. As mentioned in previous messages, I will not be in town for the meeting on the 12th. You can PM me for further details or a quick get-together Labor Day weekend, or the 19th.
Cheers,
Jeff
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