Annual Meet 2025 poll

[DrewR3]

Good morning everyone,

As you all should be aware by now, the committee have had to take the hard call to cancel Sakura in the Sun as our AM due to lack of uptake from both membership and public.

We thought we were doing something fun and new, with the best intent for the club. This hasn't worked and these things happen, but as the saying goes "people have voted with their feet". So, I am just doing a quick bit of market research to prevent this happening again, on what the membership want or would attend.

Firstly, we will need to look later in the year now due to time to prepare and sign up, sort the Raffle and awards out etc. I am also very aware that runs into school holiday time amd general family/annual holiday season and busy schedules.

However, we would likely be looking now at August/Sept/October.....which also will coincide with some of the options below.

To expand on the options briefly:

A national show with hotel & meal after (last years) -
This is a typical format after a show we attend like Combe etc (combe is too soon this year, however a later show). Attend the event in the day, retire to a nice hotel and stay the night with food and drink. Club members food is typically subsidised with awards and Raffle. View past AMs in events to see last 3 years formats.

A track day with hotel & meal after (3 years ago)
Same as above with track day in the day, hotel and meal with subsidy, awards and Raffle


Yakushi in August - camping & bbq (2 years ago)
This requires a bit more help on the day please from members amd bolstering the event team. As we are completely self sufficient, however yakushi is a closed to public event in a field by Silverstone which you can camp and we have a bbq. But we have to take all food, drinks, cooking etc for the turnout ourselves. This isn't a back garden bbq when you have 40 people to cater for out of an rx8 boot.

A meet at an attraction with hotel & meal (New idea)
Similar to above but we have a day out somewhere like a museum, theme park, car circuit or UK attraction and them hotel and meal.

A drive out day, meal & hotel (possibly snowdon)
I have reignited Snowdon, and there is Anglesey track day the Monday after. For this is would be arrive at hotel (5 star with generous discount as wife is reservation manager) have our meal and event on the sat night, Sunday drive out and then home or back for track day Monday. Good food and accommodation, chilled drive in mountains, great times. See past tour de Snowdon events.

Other (comment below your idea if select this)
Please offer an idea if you select this

Thanks for your input. I will leave this running 4 weeks to gain the most visibility and input.

[Fab66]

FYI you can select and submit multiple options.

[DrewR3]

Just a little bump to keep visible in active topics. Thanks to everyone that has contributed so far.

[DrewR3]

Just bumping to the top. Some good feedback so far thank you.

[Red & Black]

Yakushi 2023 was the best RX8OC event that I've been to since joining the club. Personally I'm not interested in track days, it is all about car preservation for me and meeting other RX8 enthusiast. Whittlebury being central and close to Silverstone, where RX8OC meets are generally well attended, is a strong point. Being too far south like Goodwood, where I was on my own representing the club last year, and looking at the poor uptake for Beaulieu this year is a definite 'no'. A drive out day and meal is something I'd be interested in, but Snowden is a bit of a trek and too many 20mph speed limits, I hear!!

[DrewR3]

Yakushi 2023 was the best RX8OC event that I've been to since joining the club. Personally I'm not interested in track days, it is all about car preservation for me and meeting other RX8 enthusiast. Whittlebury being central and close to Silverstone, where RX8OC meets are generally well attended, is a strong point. Being too far south like Goodwood, where I was on my own representing the club last year, and looking at the poor uptake for Beaulieu this year is a definite 'no'. A drive out day and meal is something I'd be interested in, but Snowden is a bit of a trek and too many 20mph speed limits, I hear!!

Welcome to My world Derek. You think it is a bit of trek for a one off event, that's my Trek for every show or event as the Hotel we use is where my wife is part of the management team (also it is the most prestigious one in the area, as many will know having used here multiple times before, where we have our own cordoned off car parking etc) is 2 miles from my house. Having just done Shedfest at Goodwood (which was awesome and first time at Goodwood, very impressive location) it was nearly a 600 mile round trip and 10hrs of driving. There is 20mph limits, same as there is throughout Oxfordshire and now Hampshire it appears having done a nice drive to Goodwood on backroads instead of the a34 and m27 like expected. Luckily the mountain roads of Snowdon are not densely populated areas which is what the 20 is aimed at.

Yakushi was indeed a good time, and that's why we tried to replicate but make better with Sakura as our own. This would of had the same vibes of yakushi but with better facilities, DJ, Awards, inflatable obstacle courses, multiple food and drink vendors all lined up. With only 14 member plus partners and 4 ticket sales (1 actual ticket, the rest were my family), that wasn't viable either. Looking at this poll, it's quite clear to as why as yakushi is by far the least popular option currently. Not surprising given the low uptake for Sakura, which in theory had alot more on offer than Yakushi, and still was a poor investment.

This is why I've created the poll, as you express we all have different wants from the club, much like you, most trackdays don't interest me as it's not really what my cars for. I do like shows and walking around them, plus you get alot of 1 on 1 time with people at then but they can be long days and not ideal for the event after. Last years double show amd AM in-between sounded a perfect idea and did work, but it's was a packed weekend and tiring. But I think all AMs work and have in past, that's why I put what years they were as I think we've done well so far at modulating different events each year for keeping the AM varied to people's different wants. Perhaps in future at start of the year, now we have the formats as no new ideas are coming as yet, we run the poll for that year's to see which format people fancy that year.

At the moment the Drive out is ahead in the poll quite clearly, either way Snowdon will be happening as it's usually our best attended drive with well over 20 cars one year. If it remains successful in the poll, then we can get a bit more into the evening meal with awards etc aswell which will be nice, and up the amount of convoy leaders, usually I lead with upto 15 cars behind and this can get hard for anymore than that behind. I think if it's the AM and hopefully a strong turnout, I'll make groups and leads with Handheld comms. The aim still being to traverse in total convoy, there is no better sight than a row of 20 rx8s behind you with the sounds of Rotary in the mountain air, but if we do get split at junctions etc, then group leaders every 6 would be in contact with me at front to pull in at RVs and regroup. Also, as per the thread it would be AM first in the hotel, and then drive out to allow an exit point close the the English Border for those heading south, plus the northern contingent can return towards A55 or hotel for another night as Anglesey track is Monday aswell.

As I say, the Snowdon event is continuing either way in that format. Though a "trek" (which I do every week from reading to here for work, it's really not that bad as all motorway and I can easily do it in 3.5hr on a clear run), I think as a one off event, an extra 2hr or less from Silverstone isn't the end of the world for once a year personally, but considering I do 40k miles a year across 3 cars then that isnt much of a consideration factor in my mind but appreciate it woukd be for others. Though everyone's perceptions of distnace are different, I have friends at home that want a full service basically on their car to go to Manchester airport 1hr from here because it's a "big drive", which blows my mind but they do all pressures and fluids etc and car gets a good lookover for the big drive. I consider that nipping out and back, I doubt i would even check fuel level for it.

Whatever the result. I hope you can appreciate others wishes and votes, and attend whatever it will be either way. Even the last track event one, I just went for the AM meal and didn't partake in the track element. Met everyone at the hotel and had a nice evening talking and drinking, a lay in and then nipped home again from Hull way I think that one was.

[DrewR3]

OK, thanks everyone for the input. We've not had many more votes for a while after 21 days everyone that was going to log in, probably has. We also had a clear lead and 2nd for some time.

After 58 votes, which is a reasonable proportion taken part thanks, this year we will look to do a Drive out day and hotel run which took 29% of the vote. Closely followed by track day and hotel room at 28%.

With this in mind, the Snowdon run followed by AngleseyTrack day in Sept is likely the best option. We can run with the AM on the Sat evening, Drive out Sun, then the track day guys can stay the additional night before Track day on Anglesey circuit Monday.

Next year we will run a similar poll, we'll in advance around January time until about March. And that way allows the members a voice and choice on the years AM, instead of us guessing and trying to vary ourselves.

Thank you to everyone that voted and took part. 58 is a good turnout considering election polls usually have 80-100 votes. Very happy with the input.

We will update you all over the next few weeks as its planned.