I agree with the majority- the raffle process needs some streamlining. Also something we overlooked this year that will help for next year is to post the ticket prices/colors as I am sure that Dave, Liz, Ken and Katie at the raffle booth went crazy constantly being asked ticket infor. (FYI - they did not complain, I thought of it on the drive home after the Rally).
As for the food vendor: Classic Cuisine has been covering the Rally since the first one in 2001 at Hebert's. They know what to expect and try to plan accordingly. Al and Wendy actually enjoy doing the Jeep Rally and as they've seen it grow, they have adjusted accordingly and it looks like they plan to adjust again for next year. One thing that will help to put food lines in perspective is that when 1500 + folks decide to eat between noon and 1:30pm, there are going to be lines, even if there are more food trailers. They are aware that there is concern about the lines and Al mentioned that they try their best to keep things moving. It's nice to see that the lemonade was a hit; I saw alot of folks walking around with them.
As for shade, I agree that it would have been nice, unfortunately most fairgrounds are set up as open spaces. The suggestion of tents and water coolers is good; my thought is that tent and water cooler rental would add to the expense of the event and, for the most part, we try to keep expenses to a minimum. Expect for the raffles, most of the time folks are moving around.
I like the possibility of a flea market/swap meet. I believe that this may have been discussed in the past. I am trying to recall if there was concern because of the vendors - I am not sure, but it is defintely worth looking into. It would be really awesome if a club offered to manage this and I am sure it would be popular as I noticed that some of the club booths had used parts to sell.
I also like the idea of "crowd favorites" participation and that would be another area where a club or group could offer to handle the specifics and day-of-event necessities.
The next comments are my thoughts on the Rally as one of the volunteers. They are not meant as anything other than my .02 and to help with the view from the other side.
When planning for the Rally, there was a core committee of approx 7-9 and when the ideas started kicking around, one of the first things that came to mind was having the volunteers/staff to make it happen. That is the biggest challenge of pulling off an event like the Rally: having the necessary people to man the gate, park Jeeps, run the raffle area, the rock garden, the RTI ramps and to be able to do so in shifts so that any given volunteer does not spend all day in a given area but that he/she also gets some time to enjoy the event. Unfortunately we are usually short-handed and quite a few volunteers do end up spending the day in their respective areas.
Sometimes a good idea arises, but then you start to think of the man-power needed to make it happen and it gets shelved.
This year the Rally had a new committee, most of which were first-timers for Rally planning. With the 2007 GARJ being cancelled, the main goal of the 2008 committee was to see that the event took place and that it at least equaled past Rallys. Repeat attendees found a more challenging rock garden, an expanded Remote Control area and an attempt to be more kid friendly with a jumpy house and kid orientated raffles.
As for the number of Jeeps through the Main Gate, we stopped counting at about 1:50pm, at 610!! Our best Rally ever !!
In closing, I would like to thank everyone for their suggestions. Each one will be noted and added to the list for future consideration.
Oh, I almost forgot .... the music. The choices of music that Scott played were requested by the committee - classic rock, blue/jazz and country. However, I would venture to say that can be remixed for next year.
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