| Author | Message | ||
     Mike Lawson Member Username: Mike_lawson Post Number: 2 Registered: 10-2012 |
I agree with both Julie & Rita, being a driver in a small club for many years, and attending larger events if you are not a carriage driver how can the general public attend / spectate get to know about events if they are not advertised,I can,t ever remember or hearing of any events being broadcast on radio or in local papers, if people don,t know about it they can,t spectate, surely if the puplic comes so will the sponsors ? | ||
| Julie Hoskyns Member Username: Julieh Post Number: 45 Registered: 03-2007 |
From an amateur with no real insight into how we, the BHDTA do things.... I agree with Rita and I think Gi has hit the nail on the head, we are a very small organisation and although we all find our sport exciting others don’t necessarily share our enthusiasm. We seem to be unable to offer our sponsors (those we can get) very much in return for their support and unfortunately we seem to be in a position where we are unable to speculate a little in order to accumulate. Any potential sponsor is likely to look at what is available, who it will attract to their business and what the return on their investment will be. We need to ask ourselves if any business will want to sponsor an obstacle when, in some cases, no other obstacle has a sponsor, and even if they are persuaded to do it the first year they are unlikely to come back for more. We need to make the whole thing more attractive. This could be done by inviting business owners within our membership to provide advertising material for an obstacle, they would not have to pay but they would be required to pay for or supply rosettes for a given class. This way every obstacle could have advertising on it making it look as though we are well supported by a variety of businesses. The members businesses would ONLY get this concession until ‘real’ sponsors filled the gaps. Advertising banners could go from one event to the next and could be used anywhere the organisers wished to use them. In effect we are creating an illusion.........people want to be associated with us. External sponsors could be asked to provide their own advertising banners and these should be used at all events, it costs us nothing and they get better value for money, and IF they get responses from their sponsorship/advertising they are more likely to come back year after year. Any major sponsor (i.e. over £1000) should get advertising at every event including the national championships, we can review this IF more sponsors come on board or if we have more sponsors than spaces, what a great thought. We need to display sponsors/advertisers on our website, maybe providing links. We need to include them on our correspondence and in our programmes and we need to give their input longevity so they feel they are getting a good return for their investment. By following this type of model we won’t lose but we could have a lot to gain given a little time and some excellent customer care. Going back to Rita’s point, in order for the membership to try and attract sponsors for events we need a clear and concise plan of what we can offer them. We need a document that spells out exactly what we as an organisation can/will provide, the benefits to the customer and most importantly what they will get in return for their input, where it will be seen, for how long etc, etc. There is nothing worse than getting a potential sponsor interested and then having to hand negotiations over to someone else, or worse not knowing what you CAN offer. We need continuity and a face to face approach. | ||
| Carole Redgrave Member Username: Caroleredgrave Post Number: 63 Registered: 03-2008 |
Well said Rita. I think there are too many drivers who just sit back and wait for someone else to do the organizing. If everyone became a bit more proactive, by doing as Rita suggested and actively seeking Sponsorship, or even just by offering their services as Stewards when not competing, the life of The Organizer would be a tad easier. Organizers are HEROES!!!! | ||
| Georgina Hunt Member Username: Georgina Post Number: 8 Registered: 04-2007 |
I hate to say it, Rita, but is it true that there are too few events or is the problem actually that there are just too few drivers... | ||
| Rita Bundock Member Username: Roanmare Post Number: 26 Registered: 11-2007 |
Many other events struggle to pay for venues plus hiring all the equipment and facilities required for a 2 -3 day driving trials. The average cost of a three day national is £40,000. NO I have not put in an extra zero by mistake. If we are to continue with National HDT as we know it then we must get some really good sponsors for EVERY National. Events can not keep running at a loss. Now is the time that companies are looking at their budget for next year. It is for everyone to look for sponsors not just the event organisers. As we are all too aware times are hard but without a good cash input more Nationals will go and there are just too few now. Help your National event organisers to help you by finding sponsors and in so doing help the sport that we all love to continue, otherwise other events may well suffer the same fate as Erddig. | ||
| Trevor Wear Member Username: Trevor_wear Post Number: 54 Registered: 02-2011 |
Having helped stewarding at Erddig since its inception we also echo our dissapointment of yet another national event not taking place, not least it being our 'local' welsh national event. Penny and trevor wear | ||
| Dot Willcoxson Member Username: Dotw Post Number: 23 Registered: 07-2007 |
What a shame. I cannot believe how much it costs event organisers to hire a venue in the UK. | ||
| Carole Redgrave Member Username: Caroleredgrave Post Number: 62 Registered: 03-2008 |
I received this in an email this morning; How sad. Thank you to Eileen & her team for their wonderous efforts and a fab 2012 event: "Welsh National Driving Trials at Erddig. It is with great regret that the 2012 Organising Committee has to inform you that the Welsh National Driving Trials will not take place in 2013. Unfortunately, it would not be economically viable as the site rent has been increased by the National Trust at Erddig by £5000. This is in addition to a site fee payment of £3000 to the local farmer for the use of the stabling field, and other parts of his land. Both the BHDTA and the Organising Committee are aware that no National Carriage Driving event with that kind of overhead can be run on a break-even, or surplus basis. The Organising Committee turned the Event around from what appears to have been a significant loss by the National Trust in 2011 to a very small surplus (under £100!) in 2012 on the basis of a maximum permitted entry that is not guaranteed next year, since in 2012 additional entries were received because of the cancellation of Catton. We thank you for your support for the event in 2012, and hope that in the future, if the event runs, that you will feel able to support it again. Eileen Cornish and the Organising Committee 2012." |