Changing the NDC form once a year to every 2 to 3 years?

In terms of brainstorming ideas, I kind of go the other way, and wonder how it would work to have smaller, regional meets. Maybe an East, Central, and West regional event that would encompass 3 days instead of the 5ish now involved (Wed-Sun)

I like Tim's idea,but they should do it the way the
Dodge Brothers Club does it,start on Monday or Tuesday
and end on Friday you have the weekend to get there and
the weekend to get home

I would hope the NDC will continue the annual conventions. I think James makes a good point about maybe getting more families to participate but whether or not that would help is questionable. But, speaking for myself here as older retired folks with plenty of time on our hands , we enjoy seeing our friends in the NDC every year and visiting differant parts of the Country.

In terms of brainstorming ideas, I kind of go the other way, and wonder how it would work to have smaller, regional meets.

We are fortunate to have a very active membership in our Great Lakes Chapter and our Chapter meets are well attended. Last year at our Fall meet at the Ypsilanti Orphan Car Show some of the members of the Buckeye Chapter joined us and we had almost as many DeSoto's there as attended the NDC convention. I think regional meets should be something Chapters do rather than the National Club. Unfortunantly, in some of the more sparsely populated areas or in areas that don't have an active Chapter this isn't going to work as well. If the National holds regional meets it still requires someone to host it and that will be a problem in a lot of areas.

I guess I could be considered one of the younger members. My restoration has been crawling, waiting for my bodyman/painter to get me in. It will most likely be another year or two till it's finished. I'd hate to have it done just in time to......wait 2 more years to be able to attend the national meet.

Truth be told, I really like the annual convention format, too. However, being a member of "the younger" group of members (less young all the time, however!) I know we have missed many conventions because of the costs more than the distances.....

As a family of 6, one year the ice cream social was going to cost $90! Trying to attend all the events, the conventions are costing upwards of $700, plus travel and hotel.

That being said, I still have enjoyed the conventions we've made it to as a family, and I know that the kids have enjoyed the opportunity to see other parts of the country than we otherwise might not venture into.

We try to move our conventions around the USA so that most of our members would have a good chance to make it to at least one of our conventions every four years. Remember that the rotation use to be mid-west, east coast, mid-west, west coast, mid-west, east coast, etc. But lately, it's been going to whoever is willing to host a convention - beggers can't be chosers. If we were to go to having our conventions every 2 or 3 years, while still trying to rotate them around the USA, then those members on the coasts would have to wait even longer to have a good chance of attending. But I have added this topic to the list of issue to be discussed at the trustees' meeting held during our convention this year.

As for having the show end on Friday, I'd hate to see the show day move off of Saturday. I believe that we get a lot more of the public out to see our cars since the show days are on Saturdays, and we wouldn't if the show day was on a weekday. How much benefit does our club get from the show day being on Saturday instead of a weekday regarding public participation? I don't know, but I'm guessing that it's not a lot. Something else that will be added to the list of trustee topics.

Bill

All

I support The Ideal from James and to have The Annual Convention moved to
every other year.

The 2014 Annual Convention to be the staring point of every other year ( 2014 -
2018 and etc ) with them still being at different locations so that all get a chance
to travel less than 2500 miles one way ( if this is an issue with them ).

Not having anything on a Saturday would slow down attendance from others
viewing and learning and just maybe joining in with us.

****
Having said this please also know I my-self like going here and there every
summer even if The Gas Companies like it too. I enjoy "Saying Hi" to you and
some times re-listening to you tell me why you don't have a chevy motor or
a disc brake assembly from ___________ company because it does not use
MoPar Parts.

Rodger & Gabby
GibaGab@msn.com ( not what is listed below )
COS

It appears that the timing, location, and cost of the NDC Convention are the most pressing areas of concern among many of the NDC members who are considering attending? The majority of the required input regarding timing and location will likely come from the convention hosts and from the board of trustees, although many NDC members are bound to have some great ideas regarding these issues. I think that most of us are interested in ways to keep costs down for those NDC members who may be on a tight budget, as well as in ways of how we can encourage the younger people to attend the conventions.

I’ve listed some related ideas below, although I think that it’s obvious to everyone that I’ve got no real knowledge regarding the “legalities” involved, or whether anything similar has already been attempted; so bear with me and please forgive me any errors, assumptions, and general wordiness!

- raise the annual NDC membership fee a TAD, and designate the “extra” cash for use by the board of trustees to help defray related costs involved with the convention, in areas according to greatest need. There are currently over 1,200 NDC members listed in the roster, so just a one dollar rise in the membership fee (just as an example) would provide twelve-hundred dollars of “extra” cash that could maybe help folks who would like to attend the convention but can't afford to, among other areas where there might be some NDC members in need.

- the registration fee for the convention itself is either waived, or reduced in amount for those NDC members who have traveled further than “….” miles (distance to be determined) to the convention, whether they bring a car or not. Perhaps this perk would apply to only one person in that member’s party? Perhaps it would only apply to the registration fee itself, but other convention-related charges would still apply?

- with any luck, the convention host hotel would be located fairly close to “kid-friendly” attractions such as water parks, computer games arcades, mini golf courses, go-kart tracks, etc.. Perhaps the host hotel could arrange for discounts, and transportation shuttles for hotel guests. Many hotels already work with other local businesses to promote mutual benefit and free advertising opportunities.

- have several “silent auctions”, and more raffles in general during the convention where items donated by either businesses or by individuals could be “sold”, with a portion of the proceeds going toward convention-related costs/donations.

- provide the convention and related events “free to kids under sixteen” (eighteen might be better?). If the adults all paid just a little extra to register for the convention, as well as for the convention-related events, then we’d likely have enough funding to ensure that the few children who do attend the convention can do so at no cost to the parents. Personally, I think that we should be very grateful to families such as the Bowers and the Jones families, who inspire their children to become the car enthusiasts of the future, and who invest much time, money, effort, and planning in to the task of bringing their families to the conventions. I don’t mind investing a little extra into the future of the old car hobby by showing my support of families such as these if I’m able.

- set up a “Send A Kid To The NDC Convention Fund” (“SKCF”), something similar to the “Make A Wish Foundation”. Included on the convention registration form, there could be an extra choice added to the list of events, where NDC members could voluntarily donate an amount of their choosing toward the SKCF. Any money collected by this method could then be donated by the board of trustees to a family as a way to help defray the parents’ expenses of bringing a child to the convention. In order to “win” the proceeds of this fund, perhaps parents could submit the names of their children who are under the age of sixteen (eighteen?) into a drawing where a name could be drawn out of the hat at the convention banquet, or perhaps the parents could have their children write notes to the board of trustees, explaining why they like old cars, and the board could choose the winning submission.

- include a return addressed envelope (with or without a stamp) inside of each Adventures Magazine by which NDC members can voluntarily send donations to the SKCF (or other child-related causes) whenever they wished throughout the year..

- have a “Parent Perk” donation jar sitting on the registration desk during the convention, where folks could voluntarily leave spare change (and such) toward supporting parents who have brought children under sixteen (eighteen?) to the convention. A winner’s name from the list of children who have attended the convention could then be drawn out of the hat at the convention banquet.

------------------------------------------------

I admit that I’m a bit worried that if there is not a National DeSoto Club Convention held annually, that the DeSoto automobile might fade even more so from people’s memories than it currently has. The convention is a small thing when one considers the larger scheme of things, but it’s our thing. I can understand why a convention that is held only every other year or so might prove to be advantageous in some ways, but it might also further rarify the involvement of our DeSotos, as well as our club members, in annual, public car-related events.

As things stand now, I know that there will be an NDC Convention somewhere in North America every year, and I know that I will attend if I can, preferably with my car. I’m sure that most folks feel similarly when it comes to the matter of attending if they are able. And I’m not entirely sure that it would be any easier to find someone to host the convention every other year, than it is to find someone to host every year?

Like many NDC members, I was already thinking about attending this year’s convention at the conclusion of last year’s convention, when everyone’s convention enthusiasm was running hot. But if that next convention was to have been held TWO years from then, I might not have given it nearly as much thought. It’s the old “strike when the iron is hot” kind of thing; or worse, the “out of sight, out of mind” thing.

I can only speak for myself of course, but I think that joining forces with other car enthusiasts and clubs could be mutually beneficial. Perhaps the NDC Convention could be held every other year, and during those years when there was no official NDC Convention planned, then the NDC could do something similar to what has been done this year and plan to attend the WPC Club Convention as a group; sort of a “Show Within A Show” if that sounds better. I’m just using the WPC Club as an example here; it’s a great club, and there are many other great clubs in existence. Perhaps there are several “large” shows or conventions during any given year that NDC members could plan to meet as a group, in a more organized way than we currently meet at these non-NDC meets and conventions. Then NDC meetings could be held, club matters discussed, and old friends could get together at these types of events, even though these events wouldn’t be official “NDC Conventions”.

Anyway; just a few ideas.

Meanwhile, I’m looking forward to seeing you all in Minnesota!

I think what people are missing is the Meets help make money
for the local clubs as well as the National.If you only had a meet
every 2 years west coast would have one this year 2 years later the
middle 2 years later then the east coast it would be 6 years until the
west had one again.That's a long time to keep interest up in the club.
Just my thoughts

Rosemary,

Thanks for your inputs, and I’ve added your comments on this subject into the list of topics for the Trustees’ meeting that will be held during the convention. Below are some of my thoughts on some of your suggestions:

“Raise the annual NDC membership fee a TAD, and designate the “extra” cash for use by the board of trustees to help defray related costs involved with the convention….” Since most of our members don’t make it to many, if any, of our conventions, I’m not sure how they would feel about paying for something that they’re not going to get to enjoy.

“The registration fee for the convention itself is either waived, or reduced in amount for those NDC members who have traveled further than “….” miles (distance to be determined)….” Interesting concept. The problem would be determining what the magic number is for the miles that this would qualify for.

“Have several “silent auctions”, and more raffles in general during the convention where items donated by either businesses or by individuals could be “sold”, with a portion of the proceeds going toward convention-related costs/donations.” The convention hosts can do this already. Trying to guess how much money these auctions/raffles are going to bring in can be a bit of a trick when planning on meeting the budget for the convention.

“Provide the convention and related events “free to kids under sixteen” (eighteen might be better?)….” I like this idea, but I’m not sure if it’s affordable. And some events are based on the number of bodies regardless of how old the bodies are – there are only so many seats available, etc.

“Set up a “Send A Kid To The NDC Convention Fund”….” Another good idea. (Our Treasurer may disagree since he would now how another item to keep track of.) It seems to me that this fund would have to be awarded months prior to a convention so that the parents will know for sure that their child isn’t going to cost them extra.

Looking forward to discussing this with you more during the convention.

Bill

I do think that many of the points raised have some validity. However, I also think that the commenters are downplaying the importance of my point.

Most people want to go to a WELL ATTENDED National Car Event. The reality is that the Desoto club events are just not that big. I have talked with several people who have said they can not justify spending the time and money to see 30 - 50 cars.

They certainty cannot justify taking their one vacation block in a given year and devoting it to such a gathering when the family is asking for other kinds of vacations.

The NDC needs to get two or three hundred cars to attend a National Convention from all over the county or it is just a regional meet with a couple of people from out of town.

Is the trajectory of attendance going up or down at NDC gatherings over the last 5 to 10 years?

If it is not going up, then we need to change what and how we do things. Doing the same things the same way will not yield a change in participation.

We should actively seek a change in the way things are done and then monitor closely and see if the change helped or hurt after a few years.

James

Conventions held in the Northeast have been the most well attended that I'm aware of, with car counts in the low 100s. Someone with better memories hopefully will come along and be more specific.

I think the goal of 200-300 cars at a convention is pretty ambitious, unfortunately. But yes, a well attended car show is certainly more fun than a small one.

For me, I don't come to an NDC convention merely for the Saturday car show. My attendance is HIGHLY influenced by the perquisite of seeing the members and the local attractions. Certainly more people being there would enhance the experience, but it's not just about the cars.

Otherwise, my summer vacation is the same 'ol going home to PA and spending a week-10 days with my wife's family, which is cool too, but my vehicles know that trip down route 70 so well they could do it themselves.

We just showed the Adventurer in its 1st AACA meet, which was the first time for me to be involved with one of their meets, and it had quite a number of cars at the Saturday show, but there wasn't any scheduled itinerary for going to see things as a club like at the NDC events, and I much prefer the 2-3 day schedule of the NDC convention.

I prefer the smaller shows i go to see the people more
than to see the cars,The bigger shows aren't as personal
as the smaller shows I think people will discover this at
the combined show coming up.

This thread has prompted some discussion at our house. Our vote is for continuing to have the convention every year. We all understand having other obligations such as family, time and money constraints, etc. As an adult you must decide what is going to take precedence. We all wish we could afford both the money and time to do everything we'd like, but for most people that's just not possible and we all must make choices.

The one idea we had for getting kids more involved is this- how about a 'kid's choice' trophy at the car show? Let the 'kids' vote on/pick a favorite car. Let them pick the criteria- favorite color, loudest, let them decide. Then let one or perhaps a couple of them (names out of a hat?) get up and award a trophy at the banquet. It would give them something to do at the show and let them participate in what's going on. Maybe a teenager would be willing to 'supervise'.

Just some thoughts.