French Lick, Indiana National Convention July 23-27, 2023

[Shannon U.]

What can your National Convention Team do to improve YOUR experience at the 2023 French Lick, Indiana National Convention? We heard hundreds of comments in the post-convention survey from Mobile 2022 but here is your chance to weigh in openly in discussion on this subject with your fellow membership. Thank you in advance for your constructive responses.
Respectfully,
Shannon

[Ed N.]

Re: French Lick, Indiana National Convention July 23-27, 2023

Shannon, a little background music will help liven things up a little in the judging area. Of course, keeping the volume low enough where it does not cause a distraction. I would incorporate the National Anthem at the beginning of the judging day. Also, bringing in different presenters for the judging schools may add a different perspective.

Interviewing some of the members via Facebook live is also a nice touch. it's nice to hear some of their stories and it would make the member feel more relevant.

Just my two cents.

[Michael J.]

Re: French Lick, Indiana National Convention July 23-27, 2023

As a judge who has hearing aides, I would say no to any background music. Those of us who are hard of hearing don't need extra distractions to our conversations with fellow judges and the owners.

[Brian D.]

Re: French Lick, Indiana National Convention July 23-27, 2023

Dave Perry has a valid point about seating the award recipients closer to front. (I took the 4th row toward center, only because there were "Reserved" tags on the first three.) I believe part of the reason for the sheer number of 2022 awards was the backlog from no convention in 2020, and travel distance to Palm Springs for 2021. I myself would have gotten my swag in 2020, if not for the cancelation.

The display hall needs a good P.A. system. Large rooms echo, and many of our members have hearing assist to begin with. There could also be a smaller, portable system or amplifier for the judges and owners meetings. Given the ambient sound levels when so many voices are discussing the judging process, I'd vote No to background music though.

I loved Joanie Burnett's singing of anthem much better than the taped version. Perhaps the registration form could ask for anyone interested in singing one morning to submit an audio recording, or maybe audition live on Sunday. We could have a different rendition each morning!

There was conflicting info in the parking/Ops area. One volunteer told me to arrive at 7:30 Monday morning, to get my photo and place car in building. (I was a display car, without Ops check.) When I arrived at 7:15, another volunteer scolded me for being late and said they'd been waiting to get my car moved in.

Remote trailer parking was definitely an issue for many.

[Tom D.]

Re: French Lick, Indiana National Convention July 23-27, 2023

MJ said: As a judge who has hearing aides, I would say no to any background music. Those of us who are hard of hearing don't need extra distractions to our conversations with fellow judges and the owners.

I add to that: Do not use a PA system like what was used in Palm Springs or at the Regional in Iowa. I talked with another regular attendee after one of the technical sessions in Palm Springs. I asked if he could hear in the back of the room. He said "not a word".

"Mobile" was good when the speaker held the microphone close, such as Mr. Bramlett did. The other FI presenter should have done that also.

[Tom R.]

Re: French Lick, Indiana National Convention July 23-27, 2023

One aspect I noticed this year was the sheer number of recipients of various awards and accolades. Way cool; and Congratulations! But everyone in the room had to wait for all these people to make their way forward to receive their handshake and photo. This waiting added up quickly to a significant portion of the hour and fifty minutes of this year's meetng. Designate a seating area close to the stage for award recipients and their SO. These guys know if they are going to be called or not. Ask them to sit close by.

Dave makes a valid point. I did not attend this year's convention, but those I did, the emcee (individual calling out the award winners) lack the technique and skill to conduct the process that moves through the list efficiently. As a former national officer in civic organizations, I have been a part of this process and can suggest a method that will keep it moving along. I would agree, to wait for an individual to move to the front, receive the award, shake hands, get a photo and move down the line of a dozen or so team leaders...is tedious.

Once the name is called and the individual moves into the aisle, then the next awardee name should be called, creating a que moving efficiently toward the front. If the judging chairman needs assist, then TLs should shuffle next to him to ensure the awardee gets the correct swag package. There is a momentum and cadence that is maintained, that, additionally, creates excitement without burdensome wait times. The wait until the awardee moves into the aisle, is a check for presentors to ensure the awardee is present.

[Michael J.]

Re: French Lick, Indiana National Convention July 23-27, 2023

There is going to be a big Shelby American Auto Club national judging event here next month. I am curious to see what my friends who attend have to say about the venue. I have been going to NCRS Nationals since 2013, and far too often the venues were not staffed properly to handle a large crowd efficiently. That would be my main concern here. Bars, restaurants, etc. are very important in a more remote location.

[Bob D.]

Re: French Lick, Indiana National Convention July 23-27, 2023

I have to agree with Mike and Tom--NO background music! There is enough nose without that added distraction when talking to judges and owners.

Bob

[Reba W.]

Re: French Lick, Indiana National Convention July 23-27, 2023

No music please. The judging arenas are very noisy as is. Most of us are hearing impaired from years with these cars, dragstrips, racetracks, etc.

[Tom R.]

Re: French Lick, Indiana National Convention July 23-27, 2023

i agree wholeheartedly with the above and No to music. From every music accompanied car show I've seen, these yahoos brought in, both bands and DJs, are hard of hearing and crank it above the conversational level...they have no sense of car show decorum where the business is conversation about cars and proceed to assume that its all about them and their inappropriate music.

Case in point is the Myrtle Beach Corvette Club car show in June...I quite going due to their DJ, Cecil who plays the crap so loud...you can't even hear engines run.

[Mark E.]

Re: French Lick, Indiana National Convention July 23-27, 2023

- Schedule it in the spring or fall. It's a more enjoyable time of year with moderate temperatures, and much easier on our vintage cars (and drivers) during the road trips. I attended San Antonio but it was a HOT unpleasant drive to get there. And I demurred on Palm Springs and Mobile because of the expected heat. On the positive side, National is an indoor event. By way of comparison, this July I attended the Oldsmobile National in Murfreesboro, TN. Over 200 cars sitting in 105 degree heat in the Holiday Inn parking lot waiting to be judged. Everyone looked miserable. So kudos to NCRS for its indoor venue.

- Make it more than a judging event. Offer more educational workshops (I haven't been to a Bloomington event in a long time but they used to do a good job with this); hook up with a Corvette Expo like event to attract more vendors.

- Get the host community involved. It seems like National is a well kept secret to locals. Consider coordinating with a local festival or fair to raise the club's profile. Participate in a parade through town. Schedule a cruise-in event at a popular venue. Organize these events so cars can participate before or after they are trapped on the judging field for two days.

[Bob D.]

Re: French Lick, Indiana National Convention July 23-27, 2023

Hey folks--just a heads up but all the French Lick convention pages show the year as 2022. THink we may want to change that.

Bob

[Vinnie P.]

Re: French Lick, Indiana National Convention July 23-27, 2023

Hey folks--just a heads up but all the French Lick convention pages show the year as 2022. THink we may want to change that.

Bob

Bob...et al...Dave Brigham and I are working on the convention pages for 2023...we haven't uploaded or done anything with the online system yet...
Vinnie

[Gary C.]

Re: French Lick, Indiana National Convention July 23-27, 2023

Vinnie,

Bob's referring to the ncrs.org/convention webpages

Gary
....

[Mike D.]

Re: French Lick, Indiana National Convention July 23-27, 2023

Since there is only 1 membership meeting a year, we are fine with the length. If we are getting an award, we grab an aisle seat to make our journey to the podium as quick as possible for that 1 minute of fame. We enjoy seeing our friends receive their well deserved awards and members we haven't met but have seen their posts on this board as well.