I've just had a quick look through the National Events subforum and there doesn't seem to be much going on that Paul's involved in...

Yea Kim was a hard act to follow.The NEO job takes a lot of time and commitment to make it work.

Being an Reo is harder then I thought, don't think I could be an a Neo,

Just came across this...

 

I guess the honest answer is this..

 

I have been calling around campsites and hotels for over a month trying to find places suitable for overnight stays in the regions of a planned Wales zed run and finding it near on impossible to get suitable dates with availability for people to stay on the several dates I had planned around other events.

 

A run through the black mountain pass, snowdonia national park and the breacons is the plan but I am having absolutely no joy finding suitable accommodation for the wide variety of members and their choices of accommodation, as a lot of you won't camp, things aren't very simple in this area.

 

I've also been trying for two months to get a price low enough for the club funds to cover a day at Drayton Manor for a large meeting and open day for the public. Unfortunately as the club funds are limited and the high costing involved from the parks events department, there has been absolutely no chance of arranging an event at Drayton Manor this far.

 

I had considered organising a stand at japfest this year but remembering the general opinion of last year's event I have felt that it is not something people would want to attend in numbers.

 

JAE had been considered also, but club funds and general opinion of the event from members posts give the impression of people not wishing to attend and club funding is limited again so after consideration and pricing coming forward for the equipment needed to make the event enjoyable along with the low number of attendance at previous events held there had gone against the grain for this year.

 

As much as it would appear that the neo is not doing much, the 70+ hours of night work and having a family to look after do make trying to organise things slightly difficult, particularly as I do require some sleep and this is on the hours that most event organisation is done, ie daytime..

 

I don't often get time to get on the website also so posts like this aren't easy to find unless of course someone makes me aware of the post going up as they have this time.

 

I am trying my best to sort things out, but as most of you are aware, I've had a fairly tough year with family matters and work has also required more of my time than previous as my hours have been increased dramatically the last two months.

 

If anyone is thinking they can do a better job of this, then by all means step up to the plate and take over. I only stepped up because no one else had and regardless of what people do or don't see happening behind the scenes, I have devoted a lot of my free time in to trying to get some things off the ground for the club, unfortunately we don't have a budget that's very helpful and as I said, things aren't simple trying to organise events for an unknown quantity of people who may or may not attend at the drop of a hat.

 

I'm very easy to contact and welcome any ideas that you have. So if you have an idea for an event that the club can realistically organise for the members, you can always feel free to contact me and make that suggestion and I will look in to the viability and discuss it with the committee.

 

I apologise if anyone is dissapointed with the lack of large events this far. I can only do what I have time and funds to do, but remember that being a club member, it's down to you guys to have ideas put forward for events as well as me waving the magic wand and peering in to a crystal ball to predict people's attendance in order to organise..

 

So in a nutshell, this is what the neo had been up to..

 

The role is available if anyone wants to take over at anytime if you feel you can commit more to it than me.. That has always been the car and I'm all for allowing someone who can do a better job for the club to either pitch in or fill the shoes..

 

Suggestions as I say are welcomed and to be honest much needed as most avenues explored so far are proving extremely difficult to arrange within the limits of a small club membership and attendance record.

 

Please feel free to add your comments.. And do remember to tag me in, as my telepathic power is not enough to find the posts I'm not made aware of that involve me or what I've been doing...

Not an easy task Paul and with working 70+hours a week you have no chance of checking what is going on here never mind trying to do the NEO job. I think you need to be semi retired to commit to it. But thank you for trying and the time you have put into it. We still have a plot booked for JAE and Craig has been to the JAE meeting if anybody wants to go and has Slickpete a thread up on Japfest.

It's tough going, organising anything these days guys, you'll never manage to keep everyone happy and you will always get people dropping out at the last minute. I would go as far as to say that it could be quite stressful.

I say let Paul tip away at it, (if he still wants to?). He has put forward ideas, but between interest, funding, family commitments, timing, cars not being ready etc, I can see how it can be hard to bring it all together.

Fair play to you Paul for your efforts :thumbup1:. Stick at it mate, I would hopefully like to get to some Club events once the car is up and running :thumbup: and as I've mentioned before, I could maybe work on an Irish Road Trip / Get Together / BBQ over at my parents place (when they're off cruising):yes:

Not an easy task Paul and with working 70+hours a week you have no chance of checking what is going on here never mind trying to do the NEO job. I think you need to be semi retired to commit to it. But thank you for trying and the time you have put into it. We still have a plot booked for JAE and Craig has been to the JAE meeting if anybody wants to go and has Slickpete a thread up on Japfest.

 

Yup - exactly this.....!

 

All of us who run the forum are pretty much in the same position. Whilst we do our best to get online, organise events, moderate the forum, etc. etc., we all have to do it in our spare time; around work, home and family commitments.

 

Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy working behind the scenes for the club and forum - and if I'm away from it for a couple of days, I really miss this place.. I wouldn't give it up for the world.....:cool:

Oh Im still chopping away at it, just as you say, it requires a lot of input.. If necessary, I may just organise a camping slot and if others want to hotel it for the night, then they can arrange this themselves? I will get a list of hotels on and around the route along with planned stops etc..

 

I am looking in to 3 events at the moment at locations spread up and down the country.

 

I just figured I'd respond to the enquiry so people don't think I'm doing nothing..

 

Details of the Welsh run are due in mid may.. So I will post and get attendance numbers etc at the time..

 

If attendance is lower than hoped then things can be down scaled quite easily, however up scaling can be much more difficult so I'm looking at a higher attendance rate and we can go from there..