Irish Region Committee Feedback required |
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kbannon
Admin Group E39 525i Sport Individual Joined: 09-October-2002 Location: 64 Zoo Lane Status: Offline Points: 15508 |
Topic: Irish Region Committee Feedback required Posted: 21-October-2005 at 11:40 |
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I recieved this and am keeping it anonymous:-
Whatever replies you may have **do not** get personal! Also recognise the fact that many of our members have no internet so no decisions will be made here |
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Current: 2009 E60 520d "Sport" tractor
Previous: 1989 E30 320i SE 1997 E39 523i 2003 E39 525i Sport Individual |
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llatsni
Really Senior Member II work in progress Joined: 22-February-2005 Location: dublinia Status: Offline Points: 963 |
Posted: 21-October-2005 at 13:46 | ||||||||||||||||||||
If Richie is not on the committee and he wants to be, HE SHOULD BE!!!
my 2c, Paul :) |
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1996 e34 525i SE Touring [uberwagon!]
1992 e36 325i Coupe [track car] 1998 e36 316i SE Saloon [sold... but missed] |
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topazman
Bavarian-Board Contributor Joined: 02-April-2004 Location: Ireland Status: Offline Points: 2629 |
Posted: 21-October-2005 at 14:28 | ||||||||||||||||||||
What a Take Over Bid Vote Riche in he gets my vote No.1 Richie |
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Now 2004 M3 Coupe Silver Grey with all the bits
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kbannon
Admin Group E39 525i Sport Individual Joined: 09-October-2002 Location: 64 Zoo Lane Status: Offline Points: 15508 |
Posted: 21-October-2005 at 15:58 | ||||||||||||||||||||
I reckon that before nominations are debated, there has to be thought given to the idea of a committee.
Is one needed? Woudl we be better off with just a set of targets and whoever wants to help achieve them can do so. The problem with committees is that politics and egos tend to dominate and in one club Im in it split the club in half to the point that it almost shut down. Assuming one is decided upon, what will the committee members do? What resources if needed will they have? After that then have the nominations. |
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Current: 2009 E60 520d "Sport" tractor
Previous: 1989 E30 320i SE 1997 E39 523i 2003 E39 525i Sport Individual |
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Robbie Bradford
Really Senior Member II Joined: 16-July-2004 Location: Co. Laois, Ireland. Status: Offline Points: 2124 |
Posted: 21-October-2005 at 16:23 | ||||||||||||||||||||
I think it's definetely worth debating the issue, as there are plenty of potential candidates that would be more than interested in having some more responsibility and input in the running of the Irish region. Like the first post states, the club has grown year on year and membership has more than doubled since i joined over a year ago. An AGM is obviously the place to debate such ideas but we are all aware that some members do not have access to the net or are not interested in using the forum or whatever. However, i doubt we would attract half the club members to attend an AGM anyway so the forum is the obvious place to start. I'd imagine that commitee members should now be able to run administration for the Irish region, as opposed to members having to contact the UK for payment of fees for track days etc. Although i'm not exactly sure on the resources necessary to make it happen. Personally, i would like to see some sort of event list for the coming year, provisionaly drawn up at the AGM. Even it was just 5 or 6 events to start with i.e. 2/3 track days, 1/2 car shows and other events such as the Wicklow run, economy run etc. organised according to members interests. If we had set dates for Mondello for example, then i doubt we would have issues regarding wheter we use the full circuit or not. It would also enable members to plan ahead with plenty of notice. All IMO of course |
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kbannon
Admin Group E39 525i Sport Individual Joined: 09-October-2002 Location: 64 Zoo Lane Status: Offline Points: 15508 |
Posted: 21-October-2005 at 16:43 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Just to reply to your point about Mondello, the two dates this year
were booked last January for the international circuit and Mondello got
their wires messed up somewhere inbetween but thoughts have been spent
on deciding how we can avoid Mondello-caused errors in the future.
There was no doubt on our behalf about whether or not we had booked the
international circuit.
I don't know if membership has jumped that much as I think there was a similar number of members who just didn't renew (mostly up North). I also agree about contacting the UK to book a track day. I will look into other means of making payments but as part of the BMW CC GB then we cannot have a bank account as per the rules which were brought in for a reason. As for an event list, isn't that part of the plan of the meeting? |
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Current: 2009 E60 520d "Sport" tractor
Previous: 1989 E30 320i SE 1997 E39 523i 2003 E39 525i Sport Individual |
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Robbie Bradford
Really Senior Member II Joined: 16-July-2004 Location: Co. Laois, Ireland. Status: Offline Points: 2124 |
Posted: 21-October-2005 at 16:51 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Yeah, but i'm talking about setting them in stone sort of speak. Sure at the last meeting we discussed all sorts of events but i think we should post some sort of events list on the forum, not to reply too, but more of a guide to upcoming events in the new year. As for members, i'm counting forum users as members which is a different thing altogether....my bad Edited by Robbie Bradford |
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Fey!
Bavarian-Board Contributor Funs over, Scotty; beam down my clothes! Joined: 28-February-2005 Location: Galway Status: Offline Points: 4161 |
Posted: 22-October-2005 at 08:07 | ||||||||||||||||||||
I didn't even realise that there was a committee in place! I know that I'm a relatively new member here, but from what I've seen, all of the organisation seems to be down to the same few individuals. There are also very few events that people feel it's worth travelling for, and there can be some negativity when people try to do something different. Also, it's always the same faces at the events - a lot of people don't give support. I do realise that quite often that comes down to clashing schedules, or distances to be travelled. Any, back to the point. Who is on the current committee, and what roles do they play? What would be the benefit of increasing the committee size? I know that it has been cited above that it should be made larger due to the increase of membership numbers, but in reality, if you have a good structure in place, it should be capable of dealing with the bigger numbers without getting too strained. Unless there is going to be a huge number of new events, then there should be no reason to enlarge the committee - higher numbers can lead to more arguments, which leads to dissent and eventually less getting done.
BTW; when is the AGM? Also, how many members are there, and how are they spread across the country? |
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Dergside
Really Senior Member II Joined: 16-May-2004 Location: Mid West, Ireland Status: Offline Points: 4000 |
Posted: 23-October-2005 at 17:37 | ||||||||||||||||||||
I think the issue we need to think about is the fact that there seems to be almost 2 seperate clubs (not in a poliical sense, but rather in a practical sense). A good number of the most active members are on here frequently and participate in many of the events. Of the members in Ireland though, we are just a small portion of the overall numbers. Just look at the people that were at Mondello last week (and who turn up fairly frequently there) and yet don't get involved in other events - as an example. The question that has to be asked is why and how we can get them to participate more (both in the events themselves and in voicing their opinions about the direction of the club - and hopefully getting more involved). It could be that the events aren't attractive to them, it could be that they would like to do different things, etc. We can speculate here but in the end what we really need is a "Voice Of The Members" type of survey that allows all members to have their say, about events, how the club is organized, other benefits, etc. A survey like this should have a small number of very open ended questions that gives people the scope to express their opinions. Unless or until we get the input from ALL members, then solutions like expanding or changing the committee or other aspects of the organization or events may just have the effect of fixing things for a small group of more vocal members and alienating the larger group further. We've seen how successful the events and activities can be this year, regardless of the size (Tullamore as an example of a large meet and the Econo run as an example of a small one), both in terms of the cars and the social aspects). The question we need input to is how to expand the scope of the activities to include a wider group of members. |
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kdevitt
Really Senior Member II Joined: 27-February-2003 Location: Ireland Status: Offline Points: 904 |
Posted: 23-October-2005 at 18:37 | ||||||||||||||||||||
There are one or two on the committee who have become more and more anonymous as the years have gone by. So I don't see the point in them being kept on - maybe they're doing **** loads of work behind the scenes, and if so they're doing a crappy job of marketing themselves.
The only reason the region is successful imho is purely down to a handful of non committe members who organise stuff (i.e Richie, Killian etc). Given the current success, I see no point to a committee at all if its going to stay the way it is (regardless of the number of people on it). |
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Eamo
Moderator Group Joined: 13-May-2003 Location: Ireland Status: Offline Points: 3450 |
Posted: 24-October-2005 at 04:48 | ||||||||||||||||||||
I think you've hit the nail on the head there Ken. This region needs a new direction. This can only be acheived by electing a committe that is totally dedicated to its job. Dergside makes a very good point as well. This requires input from all our members on what needs to be done. However to make all that happen a committee needs to be in place who will organise, co-ordinate and be the driving force behind Dergsides recommendations |
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Dergside
Really Senior Member II Joined: 16-May-2004 Location: Mid West, Ireland Status: Offline Points: 4000 |
Posted: 24-October-2005 at 04:57 | ||||||||||||||||||||
A key point is that the people who are active on this forum may not be a representitive sample of the membership. To Ken's point, the current "success" of the club could be open to question. Maybe 80+% of the membership of the region don't attend the events, meetings (car and AGM's), etc. Even if we have had some relative successes this year, there is still a lot missing for most members, or else they would be more active. The danger is in assuming that the vocal few represent the views of the majority of members. In all of this I'd class myself as reasonably active, both at events and on the forum, but I'd not hold out my own views, or those who are active on the forum, as representitive. Remember also, a reasonable number of active forum contributors may not be club members. |
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Now: BMW 523i SE '00, 318i SE - e91 '07, 325i Coupe '93.
Prev: e46 328i SE Touring, 330Ci, 318Ci. e39 523i SE. e36 325i Coupe *2, 323i SE, 316iSE. e30 325iSE 2dr, 320i Conv, 320i 2dr, 316i. |
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llatsni
Really Senior Member II work in progress Joined: 22-February-2005 Location: dublinia Status: Offline Points: 963 |
Posted: 24-October-2005 at 04:58 | ||||||||||||||||||||
are you saying Killian is NOT on the committee???? WTF? If he isnt WHO IS????? Seriously - who is? If i was a total "objective" outsider I would guess that the committee members were Killian, Niall & Richie. If that isnt the case - that should be the case. |
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1996 e34 525i SE Touring [uberwagon!]
1992 e36 325i Coupe [track car] 1998 e36 316i SE Saloon [sold... but missed] |
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Richie
Bavarian-Board Forum Sponsor Irish Region Joined: 04-November-2002 Location: Dublin,Ireland Status: Offline Points: 2526 |
Posted: 24-October-2005 at 05:00 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Neither myself or Niall are on any comittee. I think Killian,Brendan Purcell and Kevin Barry are on the comittee
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Richie
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Richie
Bavarian-Board Forum Sponsor Irish Region Joined: 04-November-2002 Location: Dublin,Ireland Status: Offline Points: 2526 |
Posted: 24-October-2005 at 05:03 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thats an interesting point and asks the question...What are they in the club for then??? Surely they aren't in it for the magazine alone?? |
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Richie
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Eamo
Moderator Group Joined: 13-May-2003 Location: Ireland Status: Offline Points: 3450 |
Posted: 24-October-2005 at 05:19 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Imo 99% of the people who attend events are
1. the same people 2. use this forum regularly 3. are car club members For all events mailshots are sent around to all club members. So even if they dont have internet access they are still aware. And as has been proven time and time again, they dont turn up. Why I dont know but I would be more than confident that a properly focussed committe could concentrate on rectifying that problem. Edited by Eamo |
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Eamo
Moderator Group Joined: 13-May-2003 Location: Ireland Status: Offline Points: 3450 |
Posted: 24-October-2005 at 05:22 | ||||||||||||||||||||
I would agree. And I would also like to see Fey and Dergside involved on the committee (thats if they wanted to of course!) |
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Dergside
Really Senior Member II Joined: 16-May-2004 Location: Mid West, Ireland Status: Offline Points: 4000 |
Posted: 24-October-2005 at 05:40 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Richie, I don't know the answer, but its clear that the club activities as it stands (whether that be the formal or informal club) aren't compelling enough to involve themselves in. I'd hazard a guess that some of those members are here because they have access to technical knowledge, resources and discounts, etc. that helps them enjoy their cars. Look at the number of Irish cars that have featured in BMW Car mag and Total BMW in recent months. The owners are nearly all club members to my knowledge and yet, despite their obvious interest in BMW's, they don't feel that the environment in the club is worth being actively involved in. There may be some blame for that that can go back to the committee, but, as members, we all have to accept some responsibility. Eamo, I disagree to some extent with the view that the committee must change before the views of the members can be gathered. That might be putting the cart before the horse. When the views of the wider membership have been gathered and analysed, THEN a structure (committee, etc.) that can represent and develop the wishes of the majority of members can be put in place. This SHOULD include current committee members if they have an interest in continuing, for the sake of continuity and so that we can tap in to the experience and knowledge of these members. There may be changes needed, but remember that the current committee is the one that has gotten the club to a point where many of us, as individuals, were interested to join. A slight aside, but relevent nonetheless, was a comment from Killian was about the number of members that haven't renewed. It would be worth gathering their feedback too to understand why, especially if its true that a significant number were northern. The activities (with the exception of the trip north during the summer) are primarily focused on the south and midlands and this does exclude a lot of people. |
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Now: BMW 523i SE '00, 318i SE - e91 '07, 325i Coupe '93.
Prev: e46 328i SE Touring, 330Ci, 318Ci. e39 523i SE. e36 325i Coupe *2, 323i SE, 316iSE. e30 325iSE 2dr, 320i Conv, 320i 2dr, 316i. |
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b318isp
Moderator Group Joined: 10-October-2002 Location: Ireland Status: Offline Points: 2057 |
Posted: 24-October-2005 at 06:21 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Having watched the growth of the club for a few years now - and tried different approaches, I have a few thoughts on the matter.
What has worked best is a team approach with some designated duties. Last year we made inroads on this (which superceded any formal committee) and I think it has shown to be more successful than before as it opens the co-ordination of the club to a much broader group of people. Some of these areas are: PR Officer BMW Ireland Ltd. liasons Journal editor Various event co-ordinators Webmaster Regarding attendances, every trick in the book has been tried. We did surveys a few years ago. The top events voted for were held - sometimes with good and sometimes with not-so-good turnout. The fact of the matter is that with a membership of 250+ people in all corners of the country, it is only realistic to expect turnouts of 5-15%. Its the same for many other clubs. Moreover, it is unfortunate that there seems to be minimal north-south of the border interaction, so really we are only looking at about 125 members. Mondello and main dealer show & shines are always the biggest draw as people either want to drive fast or show off their pride & joy. Other events have minimal interest. We have always had a surplus of suggestions for events, but must select a few that give the best returns. The more varied the number of events or the more often we have them, actually dilutes attendances - especially with the relatively small size of the membership. If we look to the BMW bike club, they have over 400 members in the republic - and can have subsequently broader and better represented events. Until we have a bigger membership - related to a more (publically) visible club we are barking up the wrong tree. In reality, the club means little to Joe Public, BMW Ireland nor any of the BMW dealers. If anything, this is where to put extra focus. Finally, I would also say that it takes a lot of effort to organise thing. People like Eamo, Ger, Niall, Killian, etc. have put a lot of effort into events and group buys which often have very variable participation. It is easy to forget or underappreciate the time demands from various individuals - one of the reasons we developed event co-ordinators. Killian and I cover a lot of the behind-the-scenes work too (enquiries, communication, sorting out problems, dealing with various member demands, mediating, executing club policies, etc.) that can suck up lots of time. |
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T.J.
Bavarian-Board Contributor Joined: 22-September-2003 Location: Cork, Ireland Status: Offline Points: 2332 |
Posted: 24-October-2005 at 11:23 | ||||||||||||||||||||
I'd be interested to see the proportion of forum users to actual club members. If it wasn't for the trackday, I reckon a significant portion of people wouldn't join the club. And many join just for those 2 events. However, in the bigger picture of what is being discussed, that's neither here nor there. In terms of increasing profile, I think the show & shine at Duffys was a brilliant piece of work in both drumming up internal interest within the club for a non-trackday event, and raising the clubs profile on a dealer and Joe-Public level. Perhaps a way of keeping growing the club profile would be to have a simple A5 flier with all new and 2ndhand cars sold by co-operative BMW dealers; this can profile the club, its benefits, the forum, activities etc.. As mentioned above, the turnouts for alot of events isn't great. We need to figure what works, what doesn't, and focus on maximising the events that show potential. What we need is more feedback and involvement from everyone to contribute and attend. Movingto the commitee itself, from the IRL section contacts, it stands as:
To have gotten the club to where it is now, those involved should take a bow. But as Bertie would say "alot done, more to do" Is there much happening in the N.I. area? Can we have more cross-border events? Are people interested in them? Should it be Jim and Allan, in their capacity of N.I. co-ordinators, following up on interest shown in a BMWclub BDD event in Kirkistown, and not Ludo? Is Kevin still involved in a chairman capacity? Does he still want to be? I see Brendan you are now Irish Region Club editor - I assume you are still secretary though? (and if ya are, how come you don't wear a skirt at any events I've been at? ).
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