Non-BTaP

[ali_kat]

Mobile Chicane said:

I bet there's very little profit in it for Haymarket. That's before you consider the number of management hours needed to organise it, compared with say, chasing banner advertising.

Try no profit - it has always only just broken even on the night with ticket sales covering everything, hence the sponsors got involved to keep the ticket price down - it will be a loss this year in fact if the Hotel & entertainment insist on keeping their deposits!

[LordGrover]

ali_kat said:

Try no profit - it has always only just broken even on the night with ticket sales covering everything, hence the sponsors got involved to keep the ticket price down - it will be a loss this year in fact if the Hotel & entertainment insist on keeping their deposits!

I don't see why they shouldn't keep it. I'm afraid PH will have to put this one down to experience.
Let's hope it's all better next year, somewhere different - Tortworth is a little too close for me.

[Mobile Chicane]

LordGrover said:

I don't see why they shouldn't keep it. I'm afraid PH will have to put this one down to experience.
Let's hope it's all better next year, somewhere different - Tortworth is a little too close for me.

I don't see why Tortworth Court shouldn't keep the deposit either. They'll have missed out on booking the space to someone else.

I started researching venues in December 2012 for an event in November 2103 and plenty were fully booked. If I were Tortworth Court's event organiser with a space to fill at this late notice, I'd be spitting nails.

Perhaps there 'could' be a change from Tortworth Court - there are plenty of venues in the Midlands. However for an event where people are potentially travelling from all corners of the UK, it does need to be Midlands. That way, it's equally inconvenient for everyone.

[drivin_me_nuts]

Mobile Chicane said:

I don't see why Tortworth Court shouldn't keep the deposit either. They'll have missed out on booking the space to someone else.

I started researching venues in December 2012 for an event in November 2103 and plenty were fully booked. If I were Tortworth Court's event organiser with a space to fill at this late notice, I'd be spitting nails.

Perhaps there 'could' be a change from Tortworth Court - there are plenty of venues in the Midlands. However for an event where people are potentially travelling from all corners of the UK, it does need to be Midlands. That way, it's equally inconvenient for everyone.

I love that strap line.


Welcome to the MIDLANDS

Inconvenient for Everyone

You know MC, it might just catch on.

[ali_kat]

LordGrover said:

ali_kat said:

Try no profit - it has always only just broken even on the night with ticket sales covering everything, hence the sponsors got involved to keep the ticket price down - it will be a loss this year in fact if the Hotel & entertainment insist on keeping their deposits!

I don't see why they shouldn't keep it. I'm afraid PH will have to put this one down to experience.

Agree completely quite right that they do, MC was implying that PH do BTaP for profit, I was re confirming what Garlick had said earlier in the thread that it's not & will cost them a lot this year

[Cotty]

ali_kat said:

Agree completely quite right that they do, MC was implying that PH do BTaP for profit, I was re confirming what Garlick had said earlier in the thread that it's not & will cost them a lot this year

The number I read was 4K

I really hope this does not scare them from doing another

[Mattt]

markmullen said:

Silent1 said:

What's all this clique st about, my first BTaP I barely knew anyone, I just got in and spoke to people, I wasn't shunned by anyone for not being in this imagined clique, is it that hard to go around and talk to people and make friends?

I knew very few at my first BTaP, then got stuck in and got to talk to lunatics like you!

And it all went downhill from there.

[Silent1]

markmullen said:

What kind of idiot would do that?

The kind of idiot who thinks a pink boxster is a good thing

Kinky said:

All of the above

Although I have no idea who either of you are!

And you are?! :-)

Mattt said:

And it all went downhill from there.

I like to think of it as a salutary lesson in not downing a bottle of spirits pre-dinner

[Podie]

Cotty said:

ali_kat said:

Agree completely quite right that they do, MC was implying that PH do BTaP for profit, I was re confirming what Garlick had said earlier in the thread that it's not & will cost them a lot this year

The number I read was 4K

I really hope this does not scare them from doing another

I hope it doesn't deter them as well, but it appears that the failure to get tickets out early enough is the most likely cause.

It'll cost Tortworth a few quid too. A virtually empty hotel, when they could have accepted another booking.

[Bill]

Granville said:

It was OK, not something that I'd rush to attend again, whilst I would argue the 'clique' there is a definite 'in' crowd and I think maybe a lot of people would be put off attending if they didn't fit in to the high earning / expensive fast cars group. I know it's not about all that but I can see how some folk would be deterred.

I can see how people might worry about that, but as someone who arrived last year in a dirty, ten year old landrover I can assure you that they're far too sodding friendly with their strawpedos.

[airbrakes]

UPDATE

Member	Action
airbrakes	cancelled
Cotty	cancelled
Fish	cancelled
Dazren	cancelled
rviant	cancelled
TonyHetherington	cancelled
spikeyhead	hopefully still going
wattsie_2004	cancelled
456mgt	still going, black tie
bigburd	cancelled
Impasse	Binned it.
Kinky	cancelled

I regret to inform the other "still going" stalwarts that I have, in the end, decided to cancel too

If you want someone to blame, then it's Synchromesh's fault for perstering me to ditch the floundering ship of BTaP and join him at the Brooklands PHSS.

[Mark.]

Turn your back for a week and look what happens!
After suggesting the idea I think we will cancel too - shame

[Kinky]

Mark. said:

Turn your back for a week and look what happens!
After suggesting the idea I think we will cancel too - shame

Indeed. Was looking forward to catching up over a beer or 20 and being on the same table

[Mark.]

Kinky said:

Mark. said:

Turn your back for a week and look what happens!
After suggesting the idea I think we will cancel too - shame

Indeed. Was looking forward to catching up over a beer or 20 and being on the same table

Was only saying to Jo the other week how good it'd be to see you again. Bloody shame I say.

[Kinky]

It's ok. It can probably wait another year

[J_S_G]

I'll add my 2p in the hope that it helps for next year...

I booked my hotel for this year the second potential dates were announced. The fact they're never "confirmed" dates irks, but as the rooms are refundable, it just usually means a November black hole in my calendar for a bit.

BUT, a problem over the last few years is that this November black hole has lasted longer each time. I don't check the forums that often nowadays - except for what's become an annual page-refresh every day in September for the BTaP date. By the time we've got to October and no confirmation, it's hugely frustrating. An event that takes up a whole weekend, away from home, an all-in cost of £500-1000 for the weekend, and not even tickets on sale for it / 100% confirmed as then for 4-5 weeks in advance is just too open. I got bored of checking the site every day. I'd have got round to buying a ticket as many of others no doubt would - hell, I've not even cancelled my room yet. But it's not how to make it an event guaranteed to sell out or to sell quickly to gauge numbers, especially when it's such a poor choice of dates in terms of bonfire/remembrance weekend events and heading towards the party season each year anyway.

So:
1. I'd push it back by a week / do start/end of summer if possible

2. I'd make sure it's confirmed 3+ months in advance. If you can confirm it 5 weeks in advance and cancel it on a whim if the numbers don't stack up with a month to go, why the hell couldn't it be confirmed as that date with 8+ weeks more notice, and cancelled then if necessary? Hell, confirm it NOW before anybody's 2014 calendar is booked up.

Beyond that:
3. The location is good, but is getting a bit tired, and doesn't ever throw up anything new. I'd try for a bit of variety and some effort in mixing it up a little, or it does just become a repeat event that loses a little magic.

4. The commercial overtones are inevitable, but they do grate *a little*. You have a forum full of opinionated people - run a poll - does it need to be bigger/smaller, cheaper/more expensive tickets, subsidised/not subsidised to get the right number of people with the right profit margin? Personally, I like the free bar, but I'd pay a bit more to keep it feeling a bit less "sponsored".

Anywhere you've got groups of friends who've known each other for over a decade catching up and reminiscing on previous years whilst there are a load of new people is going to get fair accusations of cliquey thrown at it. How could it not have close-knit groups after all this time? But there's difference between cliquey behaviour and snobby behaviour, and I've personally never seen it cross that line.

Finally - I don't think the event can afford to have this happen next year. The world/Internet's got to a point where it's too easy for everyone to organise a sizeable do without a corporate entity. It wouldn't be the same, and it would be a huge shame, and if it's got right for 2014, I don't see why the numbers shouldn't work. But if the same last minute step-and-stumble were to happen next year, I can see November 2015 being set aside for an alternative, more guaranteed catch-up with old friends.

I doubt we'll see the likes of the events of those auctions ever again. And I'll always be jealous of Burriana winning the mini-moto while I got a VHS cassette of somebody driving around the roads of Surrey. (Bygones) ...But it would be a huge shame to lose the event when it is such a calendar fixture.

I'll go cancel my hotel room now...

[burriana]

Those were the days

Soz

[burriana]

And Bob'll be along soon to mention how we managed to get the bike back up to Yorkshire :-)

[456mgt]

I

Well, at least two if us made it! Great weekend despite BTaP being cancelled.

[Vixpy1]

Flatnose