Organising the Next musters, 2013, 2014, etc

[user 12270]

Just my thoughts, I was really keen on going and was going to pay just before the closing date, unfortunately this year the organising was left so late that when they had posted the costs I had a lot of bills to pay in those weeks leading up.

I am for using 4WD parks etc though also for traveling Australia (as this country is easily the best in the world) for the muster...provided...the costs, locations and dates are set well in advance even a year in advance so I can start planning my costs, school and travel etc.

The muster is a really good event by the sounds of things and I was really looking forward to this year I just feel that the organising was done so late some people were disheartened.

Love the idea of this thread, lets plan years in advance say 2013 in Vic, 2014 Tassie, 2015 SA, 2016 WA, 2017 NT and 2018 in Qld then the cycle starts again. We can also start 2 years in advance with a local committee to organise the events who are over seen by the main muster committee or something.

For the dates, might be worth seeing if any school holidays line up so those of us with kids can easily plan leave and get the kids to come.

Please don't bag out Victorians, I honestly don't think it was entirely their fault.

I'm happy to be on the organising committee if it was to be in Vic next year, i'd look at having it around the September School Holidays maybe.

Let's get it happening everyone, show your support to the organising committees.

 

[siringo]

I haven't read this entire thread, but the thing I had most trouble with with this years muster was trying to find information.

I was keen on going after having a good time at the inaugural muster, but no longer have time to sit down and read through threads trying to obtain information.

My suggestions are:

Host it in a central location if possible. Having a poll based on State is not a bad idea, but I find lots of these automotive based forums have many more QLD and NSW members than other states. A State based poll may just find the Muster moving from QLD and NSW each year.

Hold it at the same time each year. Then people who don't visit the forum regularly will know roughly when the event is on (maybe April??. I've been up the Vic High Country in April and the centre of Oz in April, both places were tolerable heat wise).

Setup an email newsletter for people like me that want to go, but want to be told when and where and not have to read and discover when and where.

Appoint a 'Muster Manager' early, the longer it takes to appoint a leader the longer it will take to settle on decisions.

Good luck to all...

 

[BJ Navara]

The comment was made that the date and location of musters needs to be known a year in advance.

Having organised national activities before, I can not emphasise how important it is to give as much notice as possible. If you are in first with the date, then people can and will plan other activities around the date.

Good idea Terry,
I couldn't make this year due to date conflicts, and as a new member and first time Navara owner, I was very interested in attending. Long lead times on annual leave together with the same issue for the wife means planning is difficult without setting the date in stone well in advance.

 

[mike1303]

Advertise places too

There's a lot of Navara owners who don't use the forum ...

 

[user 12270]

Advertise places too

There's a lot of Navara owners who don't use the forum ...

Maybe this is where we need something on Facebook or something?

 

[nathand22]

After being at the "son of trials" last weekend and speaking to the volunteers who were on the entry gate, it turned out that a more then half of the entrants signed up and paid on the day.

I think for that to work they always have the two events (the son of trials and the son of trials "PLUS") on around the SAME TIME every year and in the SAME LOCATION (just like the "DENI ute muster)
The advantage of that is people dont have to think to much about where and when they just know its on and know that they can set out a rough plan to go at any point in time without looking through forums for details, and at any time they can just google NAVARA MUSTER and check on those detaials.

 

[Krankin]

Advertise places too

There's a lot of Navara owners who don't use the forum ...

The idea is/was for this forums members to get together.

 

[user 12270]

The idea is/was for this forums members to get together.

I think the idea of forum members getting together is good though I think it'd be good to promote the forum a little more

 

[LLadnar]

Advertise places too

There's a lot of Navara owners who don't use the forum ...

I think this is a good idea. Recently On new episodes of 4wd TV they where advertising this months Patrol muster. I'm not sayin we need too put it on tv, but keep the website and face book site up to date. The website this year was still 2011 nearly right up to a month before the muster. Also I would suggest maybe designing a poster that people could print of the forum to put up at work or clubs or what ever. I know the are heaps of Navara drivers at my place of work.

 

[Krankin]

I think the idea of forum members getting together is good though I think it'd be good to promote the forum a little more

yes, the forum can be promoted as much as you like, tho, is the muster going to be a 'free for all' or forum member only, after all, that was the idea behind the muster in the first place.

sound like you two need to put yourselves up for 'commitee members'.

 

[Krankin]

sound like you two need to put yourselves up for 'commitee members'.

i foward the motion

 

[LLadnar]

yes, the forum can be promoted as much as you like, tho, is the muster going to be a 'free for all' or forum member only, after all, that was the idea behind the muster in the first place.

sound like you two need to put yourselves up for 'commitee members'.

Who's to say that people won't join the forum after seeing some sort of advertising for the muster and become a contributing member of our Nav community. I have a forum sticker on the back of my Nav.
I would be more then happy too be on the commit but I work away from home and a roster witch makes it had to be available at times. Most of the time I can only get on the forum on my iPhone before n after work.

 

[Krankin]

Yes we are all busy and everyone is free to join the forum

 

[Old.Tony]

yes, the forum can be promoted as much as you like, tho, is the muster going to be a 'free for all' or forum member only, after all, that was the idea behind the muster in the first place.

We were advertising the muster outside the forum. We'd put pamphlets under wipers on Navaras we'd see around the place, and I have a magnetic sticker advertising the muster for the tailgate. I'd also put pamphlets at the Nissan dealer at the service counter.

The muster is specifically for Navara owners. Whether they are forum members or not doesn't matter, the criteria is that they drive a Navara.

With THAT said, we'd still welcome the occasional non-Navara owner. Paul (RLI) no longer drives a Navara but is an enthusiastic contributor to this community (in spite of his ailment) and there'd have to be very few people who would object to his presence at a "Navara Muster". Besides, he drives a patrol now and if he goes off the bitumen, he's depending on one of us to tow him back to the hard stuff.

In my mind, either and both are welcome. If someone joins the forum and comes along to the muster, that's great. If someone comes along to the muster and joins the forum - that's also great. People are also welcome to come to the muster and not be on the forum, and be on the forum and not come to the muster - although as happened this year, numbers are needed.

Brad, you commented about the muster web site - we had real issues with it, because we had to secure the venue before we could update the site, and doing so was extremely complicated.

It does appear that NOT having the event has sparked more interest in it than having it - what an odd thing.

I do recall that we asked for people who were interested in being involved in the committee to put their hands up, as we needed a replacement for BossHog who went over to the Dark Side and he couldn't type any more with that stupid Darth Vader helmet blocking his vision. Woody also left the committee.

Even with Geoff joining us, technically we need another 2 people on the committee - both need to have Skype, and be available for regular, scheduled meetings where we can discuss issues - even if there's nothing procedural happening, we need to have the meetings so that the impetus remains.

 

[user 12270]

I'd be happy in joining though where I live I have really bad Internet so if you need the video component we could have a bit of trouble. It seems I can see people though the net stuffs up if my video was to be sent. Issues with living ing the bush...

 

[Geoff3DMN]

We just use audio skype not video so the bandwidth requirement isn't high.

Not having people on the committee was a major contributing factor to the late announcements of venue and information in my opinion and that needs to be addressed or the next muster risks similar problems.

 

[mitch92]

If so much effort is going to be put into the next muster due to this years flop and the reasons why it was a flop, it's only fair to put the effort back into the Vic muster since it didn't happen

Just my thoughts, I was really keen on going and was going to pay just before the closing date, unfortunately this year the organising was left so late that when they had posted the costs I had a lot of bills to pay in those weeks leading up.

I am for using 4WD parks etc though also for traveling Australia (as this country is easily the best in the world) for the muster...provided...the costs, locations and dates are set well in advance even a year in advance so I can start planning my costs, school and travel etc.

The muster is a really good event by the sounds of things and I was really looking forward to this year I just feel that the organising was done so late some people were disheartened.

Love the idea of this thread, lets plan years in advance say 2013 in Vic, 2014 Tassie, 2015 SA, 2016 WA, 2017 NT and 2018 in Qld then the cycle starts again. We can also start 2 years in advance with a local committee to organise the events who are over seen by the main muster committee or something.

For the dates, might be worth seeing if any school holidays line up so those of us with kids can easily plan leave and get the kids to come.

Please don't bag out Victorians, I honestly don't think it was entirely their fault.

I'm happy to be on the organising committee if it was to be in Vic next year, i'd look at having it around the September School Holidays maybe.

Let's get it happening everyone, show your support to the organising committees.

Wasn't there a plan already put up that said 2012 VIC, 2013 QLD, etc etc?

If this is the case i believe we should stick to it. Am i biased? Yes, i probably am, ill be honest.

But my thing is say it was to be 212 QLD, and it got canned, then next year was NSW, would people be as happy to re-do it in QLD rather than NSW and put off NSW till 2014??

If there was a plan, stick to it.

Howevr i do realise that not everyone will be kept happy, and shit happens.

 

[KraftyPg]

The website this year was still 2011 nearly right up to a month before the muster.

As web designer for the muster site I don't have to defend myself or anyone else involved in making the site but a little perspective should come into things occasionally.

As rightly pointed out the site was lacking in updated information for this years muster but after the support people showed last year it's hardly surprising.

Last year Woody and myself (Woody being the connection between myself and the committee that saved me being part of those skype meetings about the website) had several months to organise the site and how it was presented but the effort put in by members when asked for pictures to spice up the site was pathetic. Several people offered up good quality and quantity but the majority of members promised big and offered nothing. (sound familiar?)

I could have pilfered any images from the forum, used them on the site and had too many to use but the committee decided (and rightly so) that authorisation from picture owners would be required yet less than 20 members offered up their pictures (and that includes the committee and myself).

Too many people are big on supporting something until the hard word is put on them to produce something. Thankfully I only saw responses from a few people who bitched and moaned about not getting their utes on the site because they missed the publishing deadline (no idea how many the committee got) but looking over forum posts at the time each one of thos whingers had also promised pics early on when asked yet didn't produce by the deadline.

Now obviously that wasn't a reason for the website not being updated this year but the recurring theme does seem to be that people are quick to say yes to something but bloody slow to commit.

My advice (if my services as web designer continue to be utilised) is that if you want the website updated with news, step in and offer up a service. I'm sure that if someone wanted to take on the responsibility of writing a news update (liaising with the committee of course) every month or so the committee would be thankful as it's another job they don't have to worry about.

As stated to the committee, where time permits I will update the website with anything they want within 24 hours of receiving it, if someone is willing to liaise with the committee and go to the trouble of writing up some news updates at the request of the committee they will be online as regularly as they turn up in my in box. But it has to rely on more people than just the few committee members who are already working their arses off, what it doesn't need is 10 people saying they'll do it then forgetting that offer when it's time to produce something.

If people want news or updates then the people need to make it happen!

Note: I'm happy to offended any one any time and therefore the opinions above are mine only not those of anyone else involved with the creation of the website. I was pissed off with the lack of support shown for the website last year and that lack of support seems to have leaked into other areas of the muster too which is a pity but not overly surprising.

Also note: I only liaise with the committee on matters relating to the muster website. I do not take personal requests (or whinges) for updates via email or PM so any website changes must be presented to them not me. (Sorry Tony and co if that makes work for you but hopefully someone will stand up and offer a service which eventually eases the work load)

 

[siringo]

Whoa back there son.

I didn't take the comments made by the poster you quoted, as being a complaint, merely a fact. I guess that shows how people's interpretations of things can be 180 degrees out of phase with each other.

My interpretation of the post you quoted, to me, just re-iterates what I've been thinking, the Muster needs it's own newsletter (or a closed thread on this forum) where news, requests, info etc can be placed.

If a question or request or placed in a thread that is more than 3-4 pages long, chances are it's going to be overlooked.

Anyway, here's what I suggest:

1 - 2 Bex
2 - Lie down
3 - Remain lying down
4 - see 3 above

 

[KraftyPg]

I said I'm happy to offend and I stand by it however I wasn't then, and am not now in any sort of state that requires a bex or any other such sedative. The point wasn't directly aimed at anyone (despite the quote, which was there to reference the web design not the actual muster). I was merely showing that the failings started long before people are pointing out, sure the web site failings of last year were minor but it shows a trend and that trend kept rolling. I'm long past caring how people read or interpret internet posts but the fact is that like everyone else I decided to have a say and tell from where I sit, if that's read wrong I make no apologies.