Match Tour at Mineral Wells

[OZMDD]

82 as of 8:30 am. Not looking good. Not even the numbers SCCA had at the last local event.

[autoxmax]

The final decision will be announced thru MororsportsReg to all the entrants later today from SCCA. I'll follow with a post on Facebook, twitter and an email blast. We'll also post on the TX Region web page.

Thanks to all of you that tried to help push entries for the Match Tour!

[revs]

Just got an email saying canceled. Bummer since I just got my car back today.

[autoxmax]

As most of you know by now, the TX Match Tour has been cancelled due to low entry numbers.

Thank you to all of you that tried to help get the entry numbers up. I think several factors played into the low entry count & hopefully this isn't a trend we'll see for future National Solo events in Texas.

A big thanks to my Solo crew for the pre-event work. More than likely TX Region will be using the planned Match Tour course for our October Regional event #8 in Mineral Wells. Too nice of a course not to use somehow!!

Thanks again to all of you who supported the event!

[nomadtrash]

It sure wasn't because of a lack of trying. You did a great job if getting the word out and preparing for the event. My guess is the holiday played a big role in attendance.

[OZMDD]

I'm really disappointed that the National office juggled dates back and forth, then stuck the Match Tour on a holiday, then pulls the event. The format isn't winning people over either. I will not be renewing my SCCA membership, and I may decide that Lincoln isn't worth the drive for me if MW isn't worth it to the Topeka folks.

[modernbeat]

It's not like they don't have a history of canceling Texas events - sometimes months before the date.

[TexasStig]

Ppppft... Northerners. Just one more reason to secede.

[OZMDD]

Ppppft... Northerners. Just one more reason to secede.

[ratt_finkel]

With such sporadic and abysmal turnouts. Can you really blame them? It's not their fault we couldn't muster enough support. Either way, yes it sucks they cancelled the event.

[OZMDD]

I guess you can look at it both ways. They booked an untested format on a crap date. Id like to know much farther in advance that there is a min number to be met and the cutoff date for it. Maybe someone did know that info, but I never saw it. Maybe the TX folks need to try a different marketing strategy too, but I think this falls more on National office. They would've gotten to 140 or 150 entrants, which ought to cover the costs.

[turbotoddie]

I guess you can look at it both ways. They booked an untested format on a crap date. Id like to know much farther in advance that there is a min number to be met and the cutoff date for it. Maybe someone did know that info, but I never saw it. Maybe the TX folks need to try a different marketing strategy too, but I think this falls more on National office. They would've gotten to 140 or 150 entrants, which ought to cover the costs.

I would like to know what marketing strategy to use as we struggled with the Tour the last two years here. BTW, Stroh and myself weren't registered as the camaro hasn't left the shop yet! Back to the point, Brad, Jen and the rest of Texas region always have the best organized events so I don't know what you can do to make it better. As much as we like to wish, Texas isn't the center of autox! Generally, the SCCA calendar isn't kind to Texas as we always end up with poor or early dates for the autox season. Second, many of us drive long distances to other Tours but we don't get the same support in return. Why? Either we don't offer the competition, course or something that other events have! Having been to other events, I haven't seen what they have to offer better than Texas!!

Todd Farris

[Davidss]

Second, many of us drive long distances to other Tours but we don't get the same support in return. Why?

I can think of a few good reasons at to why people choose not to come here.

[autoxmax]

I can think of a few good reasons at to why people choose not to come here.

Speak up David. If you have something to say, say it!!

[autoxmax]

I guess you can look at it both ways. They booked an untested format on a crap date. Id like to know much farther in advance that there is a min number to be met and the cutoff date for it. Maybe someone did know that info, but I never saw it. Maybe the TX folks need to try a different marketing strategy too, but I think this falls more on National office. They would've gotten to 140 or 150 entrants, which ought to cover the costs.

You folks knew as much as I did. But think about this for a moment, at 2 1/2 weeks before the event there were only 39 people entered. 39!!! What kind of reaction did you think the National Office would have to that entry level???

And if someone would like to step up & market these Texas events differently, we're always open to have people help!!!

[nomadtrash]

The rumor I heard is that they were all scared that Mike McShane would abduct their children on Saturday night.

[ratt_finkel]

I guess you can look at it both ways. They booked an untested format on a crap date. Id like to know much farther in advance that there is a min number to be met and the cutoff date for it. Maybe someone did know that info, but I never saw it. Maybe the TX folks need to try a different marketing strategy too, but I think this falls more on National office. They would've gotten to 140 or 150 entrants, which ought to cover the costs.

I know Texas historically has entrants sign up last minute to events. Heck, I am guilty of it a lot of the time also. But we were so far below normal numbers. Not even 100 people this close to the event date. Why would 60-80 people wait so long to sign up Mike? Had registration stayed open I doubt we would have seen more than a handful of additional people sign up.

[OZMDD]

I'm not bashing TX Region; I think I made that clear. I'm unhappy with SCCA National office, and I made my reasons clear. I'm not a marketing specialist, but the results seem to indicate that whatever strategy was employed didn't achieve desired results.

I will point out that the only threads on this forum regarding the Match Tour (searching back 2 months) is the one you are reading, which was started on 5/29 by steveE, with no link to the registration page, and the one rpmchris posted about the Texas events in-general.http://www.dfwmiata.com/threads/2371...ents-in-Texas!

Not that everyone reads dfwmiata, but it has a large concentration of local autox'ers, so I see a missed opportunity.

I have heard similar feedback from folks in Austin, SA and Houston. Its not that somebody dropped the ball, but its obvious that Texas National events need to be kept front-and-center in the awareness of our serious autox'ers. There are too many of us who "planned to register", "forgot it was coming up" or ""would've signed up if they'd know there was a minimum cutoff."

I still feel that the National office needs to do a better job of offering desirable dates/events that consider the travel and schedule of potential out-of-state participants. I sure wouldn't have done Peru, MW and CO in the same month.

TX Region busts its butt to make lemonade out of lemons, but it shouldn't have been that way in the first place. Topeka has to do a better job. Why not post on the registration page "any event that has fewer than 100 entries by XX/XX/2013 will be cancelled."

I'm finished here.

[sube]

Wow, I so want to go into full rant mode on the 'if, if, if' and 'but, but, but' on this one event. I will try really hard not to get sucked into that black hole because I see no good coming from that.

(old timers warning)

The lack of attendance in Texas for two day events has been a growing (or should I say shrinking) problem for years.

<old timer rant deleted in the attempt to not be a true old timer, yet>

It is hard to get people to commit to traveling to these event when the competition is thin because no one is traveling to these events. It is hard to support these events completely locally, we just don't have enough local autocrossers that are willing to commit to two days and the extra costs to run against the same people they run against every Sunday (or Saturday).

Maybe in the future we have a special invite to key national level players in key classes that would draw others to travel.
Maybe the national office is right, we need more members to fill all of these events. Maybe have a special program to newbies to get them to come.
I dont think we can bribe people any more that we do. How can you beat free beer?
Maybe we make a divisional series within the 3 events (if we get three again) and have a division awards in classes.
Maybe we make a divisional challenge with a traveling trophy with points accrued across our neighboring divisions, we attend theirs they attend ours.

We can't make people attend these events, they need to want to.

My buck fifty...

[turbotoddie]

the divs are dead without funding. The last couple of years i have had to ask clubs to host divs with little hope of profit all the clubs were alright with breaking even but attendance was always a letdown when compared with the amount of work required to put on such an event. The travel trophy ddn't seem to help nor did the chance at a free set of hoosiers for just showing up

without participation it is difficult to garner sponsorship and without contingency or giveaways, it is hard to get participation.


Turbotoddie