A Challenge for the new KFOCI Officers

[pnw_oldmags]

How should they be dressed??  Dark Suit / Tie / Sales Deal Tablet in hand .... I like the idea.

[darrin502]

The conventions are and should be social events and as such most people would want to take advantage of the events planed by the convention organizers. The only people who might stay behind to man the parking lot and hospitality room would be the host club. But they also might want to socialize so it would be hard to get this to work. I am not sure that the convention is the place to get new members i am sure we may get some there but getting new members is something we should all be doing all the time. All of us should cary membership applications with us so we can hustle new members. I personally like to take the tours as many of the places at the conventions are places i have not been. I like the socialization and the local attractions. I think that all the conventions I have been to have been great.   It is a very tough task to put on a convention and I salute all those who have done it.
Lee

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

I never said it would be easy as typically people do want to attend functions and socialize. However, the cars draw a crowd as you noted at the Tonawanda GM show and the DJ periodically suggested the spectators check out the Kaiser automobiles as you might never see such a group of cars together again.  If we can draw a crowd we need to take advantage of it.  Given the choice of going on some tour or watching the lot, I tend to watch the lot because you never know what will show up.

[darrin502]

Tonawanda was a car show our conventions are not. At the last convention the cars were parked in the front of the hotel next to the main street, so the locals could easily see the cars which brought them in this is not usually the case we are usually in the back away from the main street. We do not normally  advertise our conventions to the local people so as a result we do not get the turnout of an advertised car show.
I would be in favor of combining our convention with maybe the Hudson group or the Studebaker group, not sure that would be possible with our bylaws. But it would sure get more cars out there. If there are people that want to stay back great. Maybe some have seen the events and they would be willing to do it.
I still think the conventions are to have a good time and meet and talk to others with the same passion.
Lee

[joefrazer]

Lee's hit on an idea I have been contemplating for some time...a joint convention with other orphan groups. My thoughts were to combine our efforts with the clubs that are either predecessors or successors to ours. By that, I mean the Graham club, Jeepster clubs, and the Willys reunion folks. Over the last few years, I have attended their national meets and mentioned the idea in conversations with the meet hosts and got positive responses. If advertised properly to both the involved clubs and the general public in the host city, I believe a strong turnout is possible.

In days past, it was possible to have 100+ KF built cars at a meet...we could hit that number again, but I think it would take the combined efforts at least two clubs to do it.

Since the Graham and Willys reunion groups are midwest based clubs, my guess it would be best to test the waters with a national hosted somewhere in the Great Lakes area.

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

It should be noted that a Midwest meet involving the Midwest Division of the KFOCI and the Studebaker Drivers Club was tried with not so good results.  The Kaiser-Frazer people invited the SDC members in the Greater Chicago IL area (which in effect draws from parts of 4 states!).  A few Studebaker people came and for all intents and purposes took over the event because the K-F people wanted to socialize and do things while the SDC people stayed at the lot. 

For those who may remember, this was the first time I drove my 1951 Kaiser Business Coupe to a meet and also the same one where COLLECTABLE AUTOMOBILE did a photo shoot (the pictures are still used in some of their book type publications).

If this is what you want so be it.

[joefrazer]

Many car clubs, not just the KFOCI, are seeing a decline in membership. One can walk up to the main AACA tent at Hershey and, as a member, purchase space(s) for the fall meet...something unheard of as recently as three years ago. That speaks volumes.

Times have changed and with it, a renewed interest in joint meets has surfaced. I think it's worth investigating and I plan to pursue the idea by touching bases with my counterparts in the other clubs. If there's enough interest, we may just give it a try!

But, it's gotta be done right. You can't just invite others and expect 100% participation. The events and activities have to be tailored to invite everyone to be a part of the show. I'm sure if this is tried many lessons will be learned.

[Dragon]

Jack, how long ago was this?  There has been a lot of changes over the last few years.   I can't remember ever having a planned KFOCI meet combined with another orphan club.

[pnw_oldmags]

Over the years we have tried several.  One with the Graham Club in Silverdale and one with the Studebaker Club.  Both were losts of fun and it was great talking with and showing off our own cars.  I believe the Club publications hold groups together between meets and as there is not a "Joint" publication the groups drift apart after each event.

[darrin502]

maybe the convention in Gettysburg in 2015 might be worth trying. If the East is where these other groups would go. I guess it would be up to the host club and the new board. Only about 10 to 15% of the club membership go to the conventions so unless there is a bylaw against it I don't think the general membership would need to approve.
Lee

[HJ-ETEX]

Jack's experience with combined events is not unusual. I think a clue is in Jack's statement "while the SDC people stayed at the lot." It sounds like the KF people gave the meet to the SDC people by failing to leave some members in the parking lot to greet spectators.
I think things work out better if the invited group has some relation. For instance, Willys cars (not 4WD), and Graham would be a good match and possibly even AMC since these marques have pre or post era relations with KF.
Otherwise, it may be like 2 tomcats thrown together in a burlap sack!

[Aeroman]

I hosted the Orphan Car Show in Atlanta for 16 years and we always pulled several KFWDHJ's but the bulk of the cars were Studebakers because that club is very active here. We also pulled a lot of Hudsons, Packards, Metropolitans, AMCs and, believe it or not, Triumphs and Opels because they have active local chapters. In the past three years, the Studebaker and Hudson clubs have had two or three combined meets a year with great success. The few Kaiser folks in the area (myself and Bill Tilden are members of KFOCI, SDC and HET and Frank Pudysz is an honorary member of the local HET) show up on a regular basis, sometimes bringing our KFOCI related cars.
I do not think an entire National Convention would be a good time for a combined meet, however if we go back to our traditional Thursday car show, we should invite them to show up and leave space for them to park at that time only. In Rochester, we had a Nash and a Graham show up and Pigeon Forge saw a Studebaker or two. At our local Dixie Kaiser meet a few years ago, we invited every local orphan club we could think of to show up at our car show in Woodstock GA. We were outnumbered, but we got to inspect Hudsons, Studebakers, a Nash and several others orphan makes. It's a great way to meet new people and see some other interesting cars.

[84RabbitGTI]

... AND let everyone know that Kaisers, Frazers, Henry J's and Willys still exist.

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

A multi-make show needs to be jointly sponsored by ALL clubs involved and that includes equal participation in any expenses incurred for the event.  It should also be decided which club should cover the meet with their umbrella liability insurance policy and this should be mentioned in any flyers, program, etc, connected with the event.   If a swap meet is attached to the show and vendor space is sold, the proceeds should be equally split between ALL sponsoring car clubs regardless of percentage of vendors (% of those selling studebaker, % of those selling K-F, and so on).   I would also recommend that all the sponsoring car clubs set up a display for their club/cars and that cars from each club park in their own designated areas. 

What we could have in effect is something like the annual big auto shows.  It could draw people interested in Brand Y to look at those cars plus the other makes in attendance and find out things (positives) they did not know about K-F and other makes (actual costs of stuff for example).  What could be really nice is a blow up of the 1951 Kaiser ad "Have You Ever Talked To a Kaiser Owner?"  I have it attached.

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

Notifying the various old car publications that had event calendars used to happen regularly and was done by the hosting group as part of club meet promotion.  They also used to send out info to the local media to try and get press coverage.    It should be done by the hosting people as they are the ones that should know best what is going on, etc.