VOC Annual Rally and Concours Competition

Pete Appleton

VOC Hon. Editor
Staff member
VOC Member
VOC Forum Administrator
VOC Forum Moderator
This year the VOC annual rally and concours competition will be held in the southwest of England over the weekend of August 5th, 6th & 7th. Normally this event is only open to club members but this year we have decided to invite Vincent owning non-members who wish to enter the concours competition to come and join in with the rally on a temporary membership basis.

You will see advertisments to this end in some of the classic motorcycle press. Unfortunately, due to a typo, at least one of these publications has the wrong dates. The ones mentioned above are correct.

If you are a VOC member, the full details are printed in the club magazine. Non-members who would like to bring their Vincent to the rally should click on my name at the top of this post and use the 'private message' function to contact me for full details.

See you there
Peter Appleton (social secretary)
 

Debbie Kemp

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
I agree that opening up the Annual Rally to non-members may potentially increase interest in our club and therefore expand the membership. However, I must admit that I find the whole idea rather alarming. As a previous Trophy Assistant and the daughter of someone who donated a trophy for the Annual Rally Concours competition, the thought that trophies could be awarded to non-members terrifies me. There is no gaurantee that having enjoyed a temporary membership for the rally, those people will then go on to become full members - so if Concours winners were to subsequently move house then the VOC would not know (no MPH to send out) and therefore yet more valuable trophies could be lost. It isn't as though a non-member with a winning Vincent could be told "congratulations, but we won't let you take the trophy away" - could you imagine the uproar and bad publicity if they were, given that the bad news hasn't been publicised when trying to get them to go to the effort of taking their Vincent to the event.

With the unofficial distribution of MPH amongst non-members already a problem, there is also the potential scenario where only one person in a section need pay for full membership so that their fellow friends can share an MPH. As I understand it, only the Annual Rally and International Rallies require full membership in order to attend so with no International rally for another four years (membership having already been paid for this year's event) does that mean that a vast proportion of the current membership will only pay £6 temporary membership in the future? I'm all for saving money but...

Of course, to every problem there is always an upside - at least all those who have been previously banned from the VOC through bad behaviour can now attend...being as they don't need to produce a valid 2011 membership card to get in. :p

Having said all that, what do I really know? After all, I'm a woman - nagging is what I do best! ;-)
 

Comet

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
ooooh.
Perhaps soon I will be able to get that longed for Best Comet award, from Ebay??? :)
 

Pete Appleton

VOC Hon. Editor
Staff member
VOC Member
VOC Forum Administrator
VOC Forum Moderator
In trouble again

That was always going to be controversial wasn't it Debbie?

The aim of the whole scheme was to show Vincent owning non-members that we aren't a narrow minded bunch of elitists... That is going well then.

Non-members are only being invited to apply to attend. It is not a free for all.

It will be made clear to any non-member requesting entry details that, in the event that they win, they will be awarded the minature trophy to keep and have their name engraved on the main club trophy. They will not be allowed to take it away.

I hope that this provides some reassurance and that you still love me enough to look favourably on my letter begging for raffle prizes when you get it.:p

Pete
 

Debbie Kemp

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
I've got no problem with non-members being able to attend the Annual rally, though my mind did get carried away with the implications that could arise as a result. After all, it would be awful if the scheme had the opposite effect and reduced the number of future full members.

Pete, of course I still love you! ;-) We have already started piling up the raffle prizes for the rally and Thursday 4th August is marked on the calender as "baking for Pete" day. :eek:

Debbie
 

Albervin

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
There are quite a few sections around the world that already share details of MPH to "non members". Nothing can stop it except a change of leadership in the sections and the realisation that it could lead to the demise of the VOC. Short sighted people tend to look no further than their wallet.
Warning! This may upset some section members.:)
 

Comet

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Just a thought. But, could a suitable prize for the concours be free membership to the VOC for 1 year?
cheers

JK
 

Pete Appleton

VOC Hon. Editor
Staff member
VOC Member
VOC Forum Administrator
VOC Forum Moderator
You are right John. VOC members will get free tickets for the annual dinner. Non-members get free membership instead. I should have mentioned it.

Thanks

Pete
 
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