NATIONAL MEET

[Terry T]

Any  Darrin owners going to the National?

[pnw_oldmags]

Only in my dreams!

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

The information I have is at least a couple of weeks old, but I understand that turn out is well below expectations.  However, it is not unusual for 50% or more of registrations to a KFOCI function to come in during the 30 days before the event so this might not be a cause for concern.

[joefrazer]

Registrations have picked up and the crowd should be near par of most nationals. The car count...owing to pricey fuel...will probably be down.

[Gordie]

I had planned to put on a large display of K-F collectibles, hood ornaments, accesories, sales promotional items, literature, factory photos, an ad collection, wall posters etc. but have now been told after a year of no communication that they only have room for two tables instead of the six or so that I had asked for so I have decided to save my stuff for a later convention.  It will be a fun convention and I am getting my low mileage '51 Kaiser club coupe cleaned up and ready after years of storage.  I hope to see you all there and the weather is great!

[pnw_oldmags]

Gordie...  They told me I could have two tables, but from here, I really don't want to drag stuff 1000+ miles to display.  Why don't you use those two also and rotate your display day to day.  I was thinking I would bring a 3 X 4 foot frame and change my display daily but really don't need a table.  My thoughts.

[HJ-ETEX]

Gordie, Jim - Think about what experience you have previously with Host Hotels. Myself I have seen hotels promise a LOT and then pretend to have never to have said such a thing. Perhaps the hotel at San Diego wanted $100 a table setup fee with no promise of security. After all they have ComicCon and a lot of Naval reunion conventions there so they probably figure they can p*ss on your leg and charge for that as well.

[Gordie]

Hi guys,  my problem is not with the hotel but the group hosting the meet.  I have had my email and phone calls un-answered and have been out of the planning of this meet completely.  It is too much work and too risky to bring all of the stuff to the meet when there is no interest from the meet hosts.  I've been collecting Kaiser Frazer memorabilia for years and they do not want to provide space for displaying it and they have no idea what I was going to bring.  It's better off in my home with no risk of loss for now.  The fun of having these items is sharing it with other K-F collectors and I hope to do that somehow in the near future.

[84RabbitGTI]

I am still planning to drive my car from here 1200+ miles one way.  The cost of this little outing is going to be tremendous, but being with other enthusiasts and seeing a different area of the country is worth it to us.

[joefrazer]

The idea of holding conventions around the country is to reach as many members as possible and give those nearby a chance attend a national meet. Part of that includes bringing a car or parts or display material. All that makes the show a show. So, please do bring anything KF or Willys. I will be at the meet and would love to see a few bits and pieces from someone else's collection. I know what kind of stuff I have and am tired of looking at it...I want to see someone else's treasures for a change!!

[Terry T]

I will be driving my unrestored '51 Henry J from near Detroit, thru Chicago then onto Rt. 66 all the way to California!!

[Roadmaster49]

The idea of holding conventions around the country is to reach as many members as possible and give those nearby a chance attend a national meet.

Same ol, same ol. The Buick Club isn't much different. The National meet typically is bid out to chapters with regional support. Recently, there has been little to no interest in holding one due to the hard work behind it.  This year it's in Danvers, Mass.  In 2012, Charlotte, NC.  So, some western state members groused about 2 years in a row on east coast.

I worked up some strategies for Springfield, Missouri and the Provo, Utah area for next 2 years. I sent detailed letters to the regions and chapters closest and explained this was only to gauge interest. No response. But still, it's important to criss cross the country and reach member groups and then maybe some folks would join and maintain membership knowing it was going to "come back around".

[Harry]

Is anyone from the East Coast going to drive their car to the national? If so what route

[HJ-ETEX]

Roadmaster - I believe Springfield, MO to be a great place for a car national meet. Indeed, the SDC is returning there for a 3rd time. Now while it is nice to recognize the facilities, you need people on the ground to organize it. And those people have to live there or at least be close. How many people are we talking about? It depends on the expected size of the crowd and the dedication of the workers. I have experienced car meets where too many people were involved in planning.

[HJ-ETEX]

National Meet Recalled: We were 3 KFOCI members who went to the National at the Queen Mary. After the meet ended, we laid over a couple of days in order to visit the SDC National Meet in Las Vegas. We ran into at least 3 other KF members who did the same thing.
Well the SDC Meet was at the Riviera Hotel. The Hotel charged $50 for an urn of coffee and had hefty set up fees for tables, so the hospitality was limited. There was an indoor swap meet in a very large meeting room - I would guess the space fees were significant. Few SDC members stayed at the Riviera because there were only a few rooms set aside for the "special" rate. Once you walked outside a special SDC room you were diluted with the regular gambling crowd. It taught me a lot about what I didn't want to see at a car meet.