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'Fest '14 - 'The Shakedown'
- Thread starter Quicksilver
- Start date
10, 11, 12 July.....................?
That's the spirit! Let's do this thing. I'm not buying a tent only for it to be used the once.
That's the spirit! Let's do this thing. I'm not buying a tent only for it to be used the once.
You know us, we'll be there
That's the spirit! Let's do this thing. I'm not buying a tent only for it to be used the once.
Good man
if only everyone could see what a great weekend this is.....every year 
Good manif only everyone could see what a great weekend this is.....every year
I have never had a bad weekend there or at Billing before it, sometimes it sounds like a hard sell on here but that's not how it's meant to sound, the thing about it is that you can do as little or as much as you like within the constraints of being situated at Grendan. It was a much needed mini holiday for us and one where we let off some steam too. I only wish we hadn't missed last year because I know that we'd have had a good time there too.
Good man
I agree. Be good to know why there was only 11 cars attending the forums official annual meet. Is it a case of educating those not attending or something else?
I think next year we should have aim for 2 or 3 times as many cars. A big recruitment drive could be done concentrating on new members and those that have never been. I'm a seeing lots of new members join every week still. They should be showing a face!
We could send PM to all new members 6, 3 and 1 months before the event.
Keep the payment the same or even higher but have spot prizes drawn with the funds.
Competitions for categories such as most most innovative mod, most determined repair etc
A continuation of the food off instigated by Syeve and IMO won by the curried goat. A prize awarded to inspire more entrants.
Ensure an ASBO free zone, and more dancing girls.
Perhaps break tradition and have a new location for next year? 6 hour drive from Newcastle killed me. I really feel for those that drive from Scotland! Perhaps somewhere more middle ground? If we had a heat map of all member locations, we could see the fairest destination.
Lots of ideas thrown about here. Apologies to the event organiser. No offence intended. A sterling job done! I've had a brilliant time for 2 consecutive years. I just dislike to think of how many people are missing out and see things that could be done by all of us to make the event even better and appeal to more people.
I think Andy did a great job this year to be honest and expectations need to be managed. Back 10 years ago the demographic of owners was skewed towards people with a bit more disposable income. No offense intended but many owners nowadays feel decidedly skint or they wouldn't be driving cars of that value, so funding a weekend away is hard at best for many.
There isn't really anywhere in the UK that suits everyone as it's a fairly big country road-wise and the relatively small number of owners are scattered to the 4 winds. Throw a dart at a map of the UK and most people will need to drive for hours on end to get there.
At the risk of sounding cliquey, perhaps it's best that Cougarfest is a relatively close-knit thing with a smaller number of cars. When I attended larger ones with 30-plus cars people just fragmented in to groups and the quieter newcomers in particular felt exluded or intimidated by the sheer size of some of the groups and stayed out anyway - then complained afterwards.
With a smaller number of people there everyone can have more quality time together. It doesn't look so impressive in the photos afterwards, but I'll bet that's where everyones' fonder memories are generated.
Not trying to put down Fest at all - just exploring the positive aspects of a smaller event with the sort of people inclined to make the effort to turn up of their own accord
There isn't really anywhere in the UK that suits everyone as it's a fairly big country road-wise and the relatively small number of owners are scattered to the 4 winds. Throw a dart at a map of the UK and most people will need to drive for hours on end to get there.
At the risk of sounding cliquey, perhaps it's best that Cougarfest is a relatively close-knit thing with a smaller number of cars. When I attended larger ones with 30-plus cars people just fragmented in to groups and the quieter newcomers in particular felt exluded or intimidated by the sheer size of some of the groups and stayed out anyway - then complained afterwards.
With a smaller number of people there everyone can have more quality time together. It doesn't look so impressive in the photos afterwards, but I'll bet that's where everyones' fonder memories are generated.
Not trying to put down Fest at all - just exploring the positive aspects of a smaller event with the sort of people inclined to make the effort to turn up of their own accord
And from past experience, people don't like to feel pressured into attending, if you do try to encourage people, you are pressurising them, the only way that more people would attend is if more people want to attend.
From an organisational aspect, shows and gatherings are a nightmare to manage. Cougarfest has always struggled to get a decent number of members to attend. The same applies to shows.
We should be there next year but obviously with the two euroboxes not Cougars.
And while harewood gets a good turnout, not many people from Yorkshire turn up for weekend shows outside of Yorkshire, that has been my experience as an events organiser and as a member. Their have been occasional exceptions, but not many.
From an organisational aspect, shows and gatherings are a nightmare to manage. Cougarfest has always struggled to get a decent number of members to attend. The same applies to shows.
We should be there next year but obviously with the two euroboxes not Cougars.
And while harewood gets a good turnout, not many people from Yorkshire turn up for weekend shows outside of Yorkshire, that has been my experience as an events organiser and as a member. Their have been occasional exceptions, but not many.
From my perspective, its a difficult time of year to organise a weekend away, as its always around and about my wedding anniversary.
In terms of the geography, you are never going to please everyone.
Would it be better attended if it was 80 miles north to make it more central? My honest opinion is yes, but not by much, and those who organise this do such a wonderful job and the venue seems ideal.
I have never been to fest, but the distance isn't a factor in that, just trying to balance my year of car shows v keeping the mrs happy.
In terms of the geography, you are never going to please everyone.
Would it be better attended if it was 80 miles north to make it more central? My honest opinion is yes, but not by much, and those who organise this do such a wonderful job and the venue seems ideal.
I have never been to fest, but the distance isn't a factor in that, just trying to balance my year of car shows v keeping the mrs happy.
I am really gutted I couldn't get to this what with work just started shifts and my wife just starting a new job, needing clutch and welding done the car (both done now) I really enjoyed Harewood and wanted to go to this, but I have booked for blackpool and intend to go as many meets as I can next year.
I'm very much in the same boat. Joanne's birthday is 11 July and Cougarfest has always been held on her birthday weekend as long as I've been a member. As much as I'd love to come along one year, it will never happen with it being held when it currently is. I love my Cougar and this club, but there's no way I'd prioritise either over my wife's birthday.
That entirely depends on how you view the birthday though. It hasn't always been that weekend, it used to be end of June. It was moved to suit the masses. It fell the weekend of my birthday once which is also the wedding anniversary weekend of at least 2 club couples I can think of and yet we were all at Fest.
I guess if you treat that birthday as a closed and personal thing, that's fine. Celebrations though are usually more than welcome in an environment where there are few restrictions. Events are never going to please everyone. As the club progresses, things might need to change again. IMO the suggestion of moving it North has no real bearing on things. For the one or two extra cars that might appear, it's not really a huge gain.
It'll go one of a few ways : it could remain a small'ish, close knit gathering, it could move to somewhere like Billing again if there are more and more kids each year, it could do an about turn and become big again, who knows?
It's worth remembering that 11 cars when there was only camping to pay for is a low turnout. Can you imagine what it was like getting people to pay camping plus £30 a car plus their own expenses for a weekend?
This year there were 11 Cougars and at least 6 non Cougars. If the number of Cougars doesn't pick up, it'll soon be "AnycarplustheoddCougarfest".
Chris aka Mako was voted in for the Chris Adams Award based on his enthusiasm and dedication to the car and it's longevity. Maybe some newer guys should meet him and get infected by his passion. He has that raw passion quite a few did many years ago. As the demographic has changed, the passion needs to be reignited or just ignited in current owners.
For 3 years we brought both Cougars to Grendan from Warrington, we paid two entry fees for the cars and camping fees, petrol and then the food and drink costs. We always made room for the event in our social life and would defer committing to anything that we were invited to which fell around Cougarfest 20?? until a date was firmed up for Cougarfest 20??. Last year was a little different, we had just moved to our new home in February, between the solicitors, DIY chains and tax man, our savings from the previous 6 years were almost non-existent by the summer, we had to pay for our holiday and my car had been written off, even if we could've afforded it, my heart wasn't in it.
I have thought about getting another Cougar so that it can be a show going car but I can't help thinking that I would be setting myself up for disappointment, my car was quite well looked after, I don't think that there would be many out there that had been looked after in the same way.
As I said earlier, the only way you'll increase attendance is if more people want to come and experience it, it's catch 22 though, people don't know anybody so they are reluctant to come to fest, but because they won't attend events, they don't know anybody.
I'm sure we could make it a birthday to remember. Also wedding or any other anniversaries can all be celebrated.
In fact, as I type this, I've just remembered an anniversary that we missed out on - my C2's registration date - 12th July!
If you look for excuses, you'll never go and therefore miss out on the best event this club has to offer. If you really want to go, you'll make sure you're there.
The only Fest I've missed was the first one in 2005. It was a week before my wedding and clashed with a rehearsal and all the lads (10 of us) doing our final suit fittings, followed by a good session down the pub.
Since then, it's been a permanent fixture in our calendar. We've upgraded our camping gear several times due to Fest and now our son has just attended his second Fest, and he's only 22 months old.
And there would have been 12 cats this year if mine wasn't stuck in the workshop. But it did make a few appearances on my ipad.
It's nothing to do with making excuses, it's a clear choice on my part. Joanne not only hates camping, she also doesn't share my passion and enthusiasm for Ford Cougars. She accompanies me to one-day events but does so because she knows it's something I enjoy and supports me in that. It would be hugely selfish of me to ask her to spend her birthday weekend doing something that benefits me, equally so for me to abandon her and attend on my own, placing the car and club before her.
If it were a different weekend then I'd likely as not come, while it stays on that weekend then I won't. I'm not asking or even hinting that it should move - the date is obviously the best to suit the most people or it wouldn't have stayed there for so long - I'm merely stating why it doesn't work for me.
We each have our reasons. I don't think anyone feeling the need to justify them is likely to be productive in increasing numbers. I've known Manos a while and I'm quite sure that wasn't intended the way you've interpretted it Rich although I can see that interpretation there.
I think the location is a non-issue to be honest. Cougarfest has probably had a higher percentage turnout of long distance travellers than it has from those nearby. If someone is actually going to turn up, it doesn't matter if they're 5 miles away or 500 miles away. The ones who say they'd go if it were 50 miles closer won't, and those who say they'll attend and pull out at the last minute won't have done so because their home has moved further from Grendon. Move it to Penzance and you may lose everyone north of Yorkshire or hold the next one in my field if you want and you'll probably lose everyone south of Yorkshire but the end result will be similar.
There are many reasons why taking a long weekend out at one's own expense to stand in a field with people you don't know very well doesn't appeal. Yes, I'm aware of the Catch22 implication in that sentence, but that doesn't make the point any less valid.
I'd like to use my wedding anniversary as justification but the truth is I forget it every single year. It happens to clash with an airshow now, but I haven't attended a June 'Fest since I sold out of Cougar ownership several years ago. I guess it was because of the airshow it clashed with that I made that briefest of visits on Saturday night, because to be honest I don't really know anyone here very well at all and although I do enjoy company, I don't really enjoy large groups for more than an hour or two so it's unlikely that I'd ever make that trip just for a car meet again regardless of the car. I've stopped going to TVR meets on my doorstep - just can't be bothered and have so many other things I'd rather do with my time. In addition, I hate camping.
I'm rambling a bit, but what I'm saying is be happy with what you've got.
I think the location is a non-issue to be honest. Cougarfest has probably had a higher percentage turnout of long distance travellers than it has from those nearby. If someone is actually going to turn up, it doesn't matter if they're 5 miles away or 500 miles away. The ones who say they'd go if it were 50 miles closer won't, and those who say they'll attend and pull out at the last minute won't have done so because their home has moved further from Grendon. Move it to Penzance and you may lose everyone north of Yorkshire or hold the next one in my field if you want and you'll probably lose everyone south of Yorkshire but the end result will be similar.
There are many reasons why taking a long weekend out at one's own expense to stand in a field with people you don't know very well doesn't appeal. Yes, I'm aware of the Catch22 implication in that sentence, but that doesn't make the point any less valid.
I'd like to use my wedding anniversary as justification but the truth is I forget it every single year. It happens to clash with an airshow now, but I haven't attended a June 'Fest since I sold out of Cougar ownership several years ago. I guess it was because of the airshow it clashed with that I made that briefest of visits on Saturday night, because to be honest I don't really know anyone here very well at all and although I do enjoy company, I don't really enjoy large groups for more than an hour or two so it's unlikely that I'd ever make that trip just for a car meet again regardless of the car. I've stopped going to TVR meets on my doorstep - just can't be bothered and have so many other things I'd rather do with my time. In addition, I hate camping.
I'm rambling a bit, but what I'm saying is be happy with what you've got.
It hasn't stayed on the same weekend all the time, since it moved to Grendan in 2009 it has been on the 3rd, 3rd, 2nd, 3rd, 2nd and 2nd Friday in July. So it hasn't been on the same weekend all the time. Just a point.
Frankly I am not fussed who comes and who doesn't, there will always be reasons or excuses from people why they don't attend, what I am interested in is that people that get there enjoy themselves. For the longevity of the event, it would be better if more people went, but you can't march them there at gunpoint.
Frankly I am not fussed who comes and who doesn't, there will always be reasons or excuses from people why they don't attend, what I am interested in is that people that get there enjoy themselves. For the longevity of the event, it would be better if more people went, but you can't march them there at gunpoint.
CougarFest 2014
Could we possibly get away from it being labelled as excuses? I would love to attend, but the fact is that with everything else that goes off in my personal life/work life, it has only fallen once so far that in my time in this club that I could have physically done it but didn't. The reason, I got called into work because naughty people were fighting and all rest days were cancelled. Unfortunately in 2015 there is a blanket ban from taking leave from work in July and August, so unless it falls on one of my 9 weekends per annum that I get off, it's a no go in all likelihood.
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Could we possibly get away from it being labelled as excuses? I would love to attend, but the fact is that with everything else that goes off in my personal life/work life, it has only fallen once so far that in my time in this club that I could have physically done it but didn't. The reason, I got called into work because naughty people were fighting and all rest days were cancelled. Unfortunately in 2015 there is a blanket ban from taking leave from work in July and August, so unless it falls on one of my 9 weekends per annum that I get off, it's a no go in all likelihood.
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