Having attended 2014 and 2016, and having read the reports of 2013 & 2015, our rallies have evolved and expanded greatly.

For 2016, Jay did an excellent job, with virtually no direction or assistance.

The annual National Rally is our most visible activity and we need to ensure we do it right, giving members what they want.

This is an opportunity to provide Vaughan some feedback and suggestions for moving forward. Based on previous rallies attended, what worked well, what content did you enjoy and what content was not relevant. What would you like to see added in the future.

Example - In my opinion, a number of the presenters at 2016 were salesmen. Alpha roof was a good example. We all have one, we needed more information on maintenance/cleaning, etc.

Looking forward to some lively discussion.

Thanks Andy. I look forward to input from everyone !!

I think if I'm going to pay to go to a rally I would want to have fun. I'm sorry I missed the dinner/dance last year.

Here are Terry's suggestions

1. Comments about the Shipshewana south campground. The location is good and the bathrooms were sparkling clean. Some of the roads are dirt and the sites are gravel and dirt. In a rain storm it would probably be messy. Another consideration is that the campground completely closes in the winter and it is difficult to communicate with to get reservations for the rally.
2. Name badges. A primary element of the rally is the social aspect. It is essential to have name badges and the name should be printed in large letters so that geriatrics can read it when mixing. The name badges should also include the homebase as it makes it easy starting a conversation.
3. There should be a meet and greet or mixer every evening that there is not a planned event. Such event should have the tables cleared away so that people have to stand and mix with others to get to know who their fellow redwood owners are. There does not have to be an elaborate food event for this as people can bring their own beverages and simply set out a lots of chips or other snacks.
4. Meals should be catered by qualified food service operators and not depend upon the board members or volunteers to run around and gather food and serve it. There also has to be consideration of hygiene standards when taking the responsibility for gathering and serving food. And final consideration is the event is growing too large to handle by ourselves in an efficient way.
5. Board members work together during the year but many have never met each other or their spouses. Time should be set aside for an event for the board members and spouses to become acquainted. It could be a cocktail party or a luncheon or separate event not interfering with the main schedule.
6. Communication and sticking to a published schedule is essential to pulling the event off. I think this is an area that needs considerable improvement for the future. There was confusion over the schedule for women's events as well as factory tours, tech talks, etc.
7. Vendors and sponsors are important to the success of the event and the board members should take it upon themselves to go around and thank each of the vendors that showed up at the event.
8. The technical talks were a worthwhile part of the event but some of the talks were rubbish where the speaker seemed to know less than the audience. We might help this by defining what the expectations are when it comes to a technical talk. Most of the participants are not interested in the sales features of the product as they already own it. They are more interested in the operation, maintenance, etc. The Lippert service training manager was one of the more outstanding speakers and provided much useful information to the audience. The Alpha roofing speaker was a salesman and was a waste of time to attend.
9. Volunteers. It is impossible to pull off a first-class event without the help of volunteers. This event is growing to the size where it needs assigned responsibilities to volunteers and the chair should then follow up to make sure that the volunteers do their jobs. I have found that it helps to define the job in writing and then assign a volunteer to execute.
10. When it comes to charging a rally fee, the club needs to define the activities and set a realistic budget for the expenses. Then the board can look at the estimated cost per head and look at the funding in the clubs treasury. It's not unreasonable to charge a rally fee for the benefits to those who attend. In other rallies where I have participated the club usually subsidizes the costs. If we deliver a first class rally the participants will not have a problem accepting the fee structure when it is explained.
11. Having vendors offering parts was an interesting and important part of the rally. I would like to suggest that we try to get a vendors such as camping world or one of these RV accessory stores that would come in with a truckload of every day needed parts such as sewer hoses, gate valve, etc.
12. The idea of a Swapmeet was mentioned and the owners seemed pretty enthusiastic about it. It could be easily accomplished by suggesting owners bring parts to a central location for a couple of hours on one of the open mornings.
13. The open house was another good idea but the execution needs to be changed. When I used to attend boat rendezvous' all the boats were open at the same time and an owner indicated open house by tying a yellow ribbon on the safety line. The mob of people lined up trying to get in to each Redwood in sequence led to people getting frustrated and dropping out.

How about providing some ideas for presentations that we would like to see. I think back to the forum and what are the hot technical subjects.

- Technology - how to use forum/website, how to use GPS, setting up a wireless network, signal boosters and how to set up,

- Maintenance/Troubleshooting - Level-up system troubleshooting and maintenance, slide maintenance - how to maintain gaskets, how to replace slide motors, how to align slides, Norcold fridge cleaning & maintenance, exterior cleaning & waxing systems, roof replacement systems, propane system, electrical system (solar, surge protectors, inverters, converters, etc), how to winterise.

Additional possible non-rally activities

- Ladies program, should be totally funded by attendees

- Local area tours - RV/MH Hall of Fame & museum, breweries/wineries, Amish Trail

- Local RV supplier factory tours - MOR/Ryde, Lippert, furniture manufacturer

Rally Social Activities
- Tea/Coffee/Donuts before presentations in the morning
- Evening activities
- Nightly campfire
- BBQ potluck, using the RW BBQ, ROG supplies the charcoal and everyone brings their own meat + an appy/salad/veggy/dessert to share
- Dessert social - everyone brings a dessert

Specialised event (outside of official rally dates)
- Board of Directors dinner
- Volunteer appreciation night

I think I can handle the Cell Booster and Whole House WiFi technical presentation if that helps. Also maybe able to do a high level presentation on Solar if that helps.