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Inters - Your Thoughts?????


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As a club we would like your good and bad Points of this years Gti International and your ideas for how it could be improved, so that we can then forward them on as a club.

Please do not use this as an opportunity to slate it, but to put your constructive criticism forward.

Thanks

:-)

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There's enough room to put it all on hard ground. All they have to do is move club stands to where show and shine was and move show and shine up track a bit. And as Kerry says it was shocking getting into club area, much better last year

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There were less stalls than last year as they upped the prices for the stalls to come !

I also think prices should be looked at. £5 for a burger is a joke ! And the ice cream vans seem to make up the prices as they go along !

Mark.

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think last yr was betta tbh... this show is getting worse...less stalls and stands... it should b massive with all the room they have there' date=' it didnt seem that packed either...

[/quote']

In that respect, it's a viscious circle. Less people means it's not worth the trader's while to turn up. Less traders means that less people want to turn up. Any suggestions as to how they could break this cycle? GTI Spring/Summer Festival seems to do well as a Sunday-only event. Only being away from the shop for one day is less risk for the traders... ...Maybe Inters could go with an exhibition day on the Saturday and traders on the Sunday (with the sprint running both days)... just putting ideas out there...

One thing that might be pretty cool is a big advertisment board, where individuals can post details of bits they've brought along with them to sell, without having to run a full autojumble stand (which just isn't worth it if you've only got a few bits).... A "parts wall", so to speak...

Keep the suggestions coming, people. The club are looking at writing a letter to the organisers suggesting improvements..

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i had a few gripes with my 1st time at gti int. iv been to fcs for the past few years there and was much more busy. i thought there may be a track going on aswell like at fcs. i had a good time and there was some amazing cars. my main critism was the state of the toilets, they were awful and after buying your expensive burger/hotdog/icecream there were no bins to put it in!

also got my bbs centres stolen!

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the prices cant be controlled so not 'Audi driver mags' fault , pikeys/traders chose there own , they just pay for thier plot which keeps the show on its feet .

the reason for the stalls being on the grass was that thier was complaints last year about there being too much of a walk so it was decided to compact it a bit more

imo the show was spot on but camping was god awful . lutterworth were far better

another plus is that W12 gti turned up , you dont know how close it was to not coming along . it was only on monday earlier that week that they were saying that they didnt want to bring it .

liam

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the prices cant be controlled so not 'Audi driver mags' fault ' date=' pikeys/traders chose there own , they just pay for thier plot which keeps the show on its feet .

the reason for the stalls being on the grass was that thier was complaints last year about there being too much of a walk so it was decided to compact it a bit more

imo the show was spot on but camping was god awful . lutterworth were far better

another plus is that W12 gti turned up , you dont know how close it was to not coming along . it was only on monday earlier that week that they were saying that they didnt want to bring it .

liam

[/quote']

I can ee the logic with the stands being on the grass. Would have been great, but taking into account the weather forecast that we ALL knew a fair amount in advance, decent organisation would have moved them to the tarmac areas ?

As for burger vans and such charging the earth, I am sure if they did not charge such an extortionate fee for them to be there they would not feel the need to "Rob" us to pay for their pitch ? I am also sure the officials could have asked them all for a list of their prices on the day and made sure they stuck to them. Ice cream vans did not even have prices up so it was obvious they were charging whatever they felt like. EG: standing in the queue we saw 3 different prices asked for the same lolly from the same van, ranging in price from £1.50-£2.50 :-(

Mark.

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On the whole it was a good show given the weather and circumstances that caused.

I think the layout needs to be juggled up a bit. Some of the club stands are so far out it seems most people don't bother to go and look. How about mixing in the clubs, auto jumble, stalls and food in together? On this occassion it was a shame that the vast amount of concrete was not used fully. You spent half the weekend trying to stand up while walking round on the grass rather than enjoying the show to the full. The really annoying thing for us was the entry on Sunday. We ordered and paid for our tickets in advance as usual. However the marshalls were happily allowing people who had not done so into the Advanced Ticket lane. We waited longer in that lane than others who were actually queing to pay! Better still the marshalls had no idea it was even an advanced ticket lane. Arrgggh!

How about the Euro approach. A stage where cars can be driven on and the owners can be interviewed and asked about their pride and joy?

Show and Shine - What's the point of calling out the owners name and not saying "its the blue one" or the reg no? Listening to the tannoy you had no clue as to what had won.

Bring back Yokohama. Tyre testing always seemed to be busy when they ran it.

In general a bit more "life" if that's the way to put it. This is supposed to be the UK's premier show. It is in danger of losing that title.

Next year GTI turns 21. It needs to be BIG!

You used to get people unveiling their latest creations is Inters, now it seems that has become Edition38's crown.

Where have the hoards of foreign visitors gone?

Come on, lets get GTI International back to the top where it belongs.

I've rambled on enough.

Steve

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Food was awful and far too expensive, bar the milkshakes, they were superb!!

Getting in last year was lots better than this year, didnt make sense not getting in and past the planes this year.

Club stands and stands really should all be on the tarmac as there is enough room, apart fron that i enjoyed the show.

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Another idea about the show being a bit to spread out.

We booked space for roughly 20 cars on both days and yet we had ample space for 40 or even 50 cars on our spot !

I agree it's nice to have such a huge space, but I would rather sacrifice that space and bring the other clubs a little closer together.

Might also create a bit more atmosphere trying this ?

Mark.

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Guest mullerbugs

Hi there my name is Shane and i'm the club display manager at Gti International and have been so for the last two years. I'd like to take this opportunity to say thank you to those who did come to the event and to say also that we are always looking for constructive feedback on how to improve the layout and the atmos of the show so that every one has a great time.

I have noted the point about the entrance to the show and will admit it did'nt quite go to plan. Certainly by the time we realised how slow the line was going it was too late but we tried to filter two lanes to improve the flow unfortunately it was too late so i apologise for the wait. The trouble on Saturday was created mainly by those who turned up into the club display/ show and shine area with out the relevant passes/hangers .On the Sunday i had to organise the relocation of close to ten clubs ( over a hundred and fifty cars) as their plots were no longer suitable due to the waterlogged areas. It was important to ensure that this was done before show vistiors entered the site to avoid mayhem. I shall definetly be looking to improve on this for next year.

The reason why it was changed from the previous year is because of the number of near accidents which occured as people took it upon themselves to race against each other as they approached the club display/trade entrance. We took the decision that it was better to be safe than sorry, i'm sure you can appreciate that none of us were happy at being driven towards at 90 mph whilst trying to greet show visitors. The last thing we needed was an accident to occur so drastic measures had to be made. Its a shame but unfortuately it only takes one person to ruin an entire weekend and we wanted to avoid that at all costs. I can assure we love the chance to rag our cars as much as everyone else but in this case safety comes first.

As for the spaceing of it all, we had pre booked 800 cars in the club display area alone. The area allocated to VR6.com was allocated on the basis that gazeebos plus car allowance and extra cars on the day would help fill the area. i did at one point approach the organisor to see if we could allocate part of the plot to anotehr club who were further out and who kindly agreed. It is difficult to entertain and to satisfy everyone. Had i stuck everyone on top of each other people would have complained at being cramped. This way allowed people to make proper use of their plots in order to show off their clubs, greet potential newbies without being crowded out, I can admit to possibly a miscalculation and my only excuse is that the space seemed smaller when i was laying it out on Friday in the rain!

As for putting everyone on hardstanding this was near impossible in order to keep the show as compact as possible. Using the grass area ensure that clubs have more freedom as opposed to it being more like a car park arrangement but does not interefere with the show and shine , trade or the sprint. There was no way we could forsee the weather and although we expected rain we did nt expect it in the manner in which it came down.

The area behind the trade had to be kept free as it served as a sprint return lane and along side the trade was part of contractual deal with vollkswagen in order to ensure the safety of the W12 so that was not an option. We figured having the W12 would be worth it.

The argument surrounding food prices this is a delicate issue as we dont set the prices for the food and infact i have paid the same if not more at shows myself. The prices which are charged are what it seems to be competitive amongst these sort of traders at most shows not just gti international. We do not have the means or the man power to provide our own caterers and definetly would not be able to offer the choice that is there.

It goes without saying that improvements need to be made. Having been to several European shows i can aprreciate the atmos being different but i think that may be due to the fact that Inters does not allow camping facilites on site and the cost involved does not make it an option.In effect it is always going to have the one day show feel. The camping is not something we get involved, it is a seperate organisation and the feedback against the campsite was that it was water looged and simply not usuable with people being turned away. Unfortuately i'm not sure the camsite organsiors took into account the weather conditions and tried as best as they could to accomodate as best as possible but many were left dissapointed.

In order to help the atmos I tried to get people involved in club activities which i accept is nt everyones cup of tea but it does help and creates a spectacle and i think those who did participate had a laugh which is what its all about.

Our aim is to to try to provide a show to cater for all, from sprint fanatics to the show and shiner .

I shall continue to take on board comments made on this post because contrary to belief we are actually a very small team of VW/Audi mad enthusiasts who all own and love our cars and who work tirelessly inorder to get the show right and are striving to ensure Inters gets better and better.

Cheers

Shane

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His 2ps worth

Hi Shane,

Thanks for taking the time to let us hear your side. I can appreciate that organising such a show can be difficult and that a lot of the time you find yourself between a rock and a hard place.

I'd guessed 'us' hooning around the track last year was the reason behind the change. Security did jump in quickly when the general public started doing it on the way to their parking.

TG.

P.s. Nice to meet you on Sunday and no worries about letting the little group share our space. Had it been Saturday someone might have found a two-toee horn up their arse as I had the hangover from hell

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I don't think many people would mind the extra walking distance if club stands were on hardstanding as thats one of the main reasons for going to the show. People spend a lot of time and effort to get a car looking top notch just to have to park it in long grass in a muddy field.

I thought that it was all to compacted in this year. The club stands could go at the other end of the show and shine then its almost weather proof and people can still see all the cars on show.

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Shane - Thanks for the feedback from the organisational side of the event.

Bruntingthorpe is such a huge venue that I gues it could be difficult to work out the best way to use the space. Is the runway not big enough to accomodate the show and parking? Hard standing for everyone? Goodies and food for sale round the edge and club stands/show & shine in the middle.

Steve

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Personly i had a great show, the food is always expensive at shows so i bring my own. loved the models at teh show :) wish id met more of you, i was only there sunday btw.

only bad thing is i didnt bring sun cream due to reports of rain, so my GF has 3rd degree burns :(

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Hi Shane,

Firstly, thank you for coming on here and taking the time to respond.

A lot of flak has been fired at GTI International for this year's event. But once you delve into the reasons for peoples' dissatisfaction, it all seems to boil down to just four things:

1) First, and most definitely foremost - Traders. Or, to be more specific, the amount that Inters is charging them for plots. The high price of trade stands at Inters seems to be the main reason (in some cases, the only reason) why traders are staying away. It is also one of the reasons why the traders that WERE there could not offer competitive pricing, the food people being the most notable example. You guys need to get together & brainstorm, speak to the organisers of other similar events, speak to the traders themselves, or better still, poll all the traders on your mailing list for their views, and don't stop until you've worked out a more acceptable charging scheme. Here's a few ideas:

1) Heavy discounts for booking next years trade plot a year in advance?

2) Very heavy discounts for booking the next 3 shows in advance?

3) Heavy discounts for first-timers?

4) Heavy discounts for one-man bands?

4) Charges based on % of takings rather than a flat fee?

If you can attract traders en-masse, it might even justify a small hike in the attendance fee. It's all about "value for money"

2) The weather. Inters 2006 had bright sunshine all weekend and not a cloud in the sky. That show received a very positive response, even though the venue and layout was identical to this year's show (lack of traders was still raised as a problem, though). Obviously you guys can do nothing about the weather, but if you want to place traders on grass areas and the long-term forecast suggests possible rain, get yourselves some plastic walkways so that we don't all get too muddy. Here's a firm that hires the stuff out:

http://www.esc-events.co.uk/hire/track.html

Thoughtful touches like this make the world of difference.

3) The campsite. I didn't go there myself, but I have read lots of complaints about the site being on the side of a hill (a big problem for cars + mud), and there have also been complaints about the farmer that owned the land being rude to people. I would suggest that you don't use this campsite again.

4) Entertainment. Many people feel there should be more to do there than look at cars. Worthersee has a big stage with various entertainment going on all weekend. Even at Inters 2006 I can remember a radio DJ being there (on one of the audio manufacturers' stands if I remember rightly). You might find that many traders will be happy to provide entertainment if it will attract people to their stands. See (1)

I'd just like to say that I really enjoyed Inters both this year and 2006, but then I'm a VW nut who can happily just walk around looking at awesome 'Dubs all day! With a few "tweaks" I'm sure that GTI International will silence all the critics and stake its claim as one of the best VW shows in Europe.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi,

I am a member of staff at Autometrix Publications, part of the tiny team who out this event together,

About the caterers. We put this out to tender so they actually tell US how much THEY want to pay. Its like an auction! Of course we will take the highest bid - who in their right mind wouldnt. We had some serious issues with them last year - hiking up prices. And we thought we had sorted out the proverbial wheat from the chaff. Maybe not?

We really do appreciate constructive comments and feedback but its very difficult to sit and read through lines and lines of people saying 'its shit' and 'the burgers were too expensive' and stuff like that - it gets a bit demoralising and (dare I say it) a bit boring after a while. At least you guys are making a bit of an effort here. By all means send in feedback.

We actually took on board a lot of comments from last year's event and believe it or not, this is why the trade ended up on the grass, like others have said. The show WAS too stretched out, the main reason for that last year was so people could watch along the Sprint, something else which we had acted on from previous comments... but then a load more commehnts came through that it was too far to walk !

The Show n Shiners (quite rightly) complained about the cars being on grass last year, and we moved it this year to great effect I think.

At the end of the day, if it had been perfect weather, then there would be half the comments and everyone would be moaning about how sun burned they got over the weekend...

I am not involved with the sales and trade aspect of the show, but I am sure we charge them what we think is fair for an event the size of Inters. Obviously the price seems unfair if there are no punters to buy stuff, but I can assure you that when things are going well for the traders, the amount they pay for the weekend will seem trivial compared to what they can make over the 2 days... ! On the other hand we dont take this for granted and we are genuinely concerned for the traders as we need them as much as they need you!

We did try and move as many traders as we could, but many simply did not want to (or COULD not) move.

Rest assured though that we are already re-planning the trade to be on hardstanding! There is the vague idea that the show will be in a kind of cross shape, with the centre point being roughly where the W12 was and trade branching out from there. As far as club stands go, we have not got that far yet.

Its a learning curve for us too. Even though the show has been going for 20 years, each venue has its own difficulties and situations to overcome. We will get there I am sure. But its whether any of you guys will still be with us when we do...

We are trying to work on the atmosphere thing. You remember when everyone wore tabbards? Well thanks to myself and Shane, most of the staff (except people dealing with traffic movement) wore special t-shirts to try and 'play-down' the perceived over-officiousness whilst remaining visible... every little helps - or so we hoped!

And as for the jobsworts, yes, some of the staff ARE jobsworths who have little or no interest in the scene, but they are usually the car parkers or something like that! There is a hardcore element to the team who are as mad as anyone else about Dubs, as Shane said and we are truly working hard to make Inters the best again. Its a bit of an uphill one, but we hope to get there. One day!

Sorry for the massive read, but I hope you realise we DO take note, we DO listen and above all we DO care! After all, we do want you to keep coming back!

Cheers, Ian

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on the inters show issue i didnt attend - as most of you probably read my thoughts i posted elsewhere!!!

The main gripe everyone seems to have is

A. the location, nobody want to pay £25 to park/stand in a muddy field!!

B. The prices the traders are being charged isnt worth them turning up, and as has been said you cant get a bargain from the ones who do turn up because they have to sell loads before they even break even let alone make a proffit, so why would they bother? mail order is cheap and easy!!!!

C. The ratty burger vans are awfull period!!! even the ones at better shows take the mick with the prices of food and drinks, like i have pleaded before, dont buy it from them, as a club surely we could arrange refreshments prior to a show? bit of bacon, bread rolls, sauce tins of coke? portable barbie, chip in a couple of quid a head and everyones a winner, all the blokes think theyt can cook if you get a barbecue out dont they?

D. Inters is dead in the water as far as im concerned, its not fun anymore, its turned into money money money, at a crap venue, it needs to completely change and the stale organisers need booting out, get some fresh blood in thats what it needs!!

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....................all the blokes think theyt can cook if you get a barbecue out dont they?

No, thats what we have Donna for........she's a great cook on the BBQ. Now i'm gonna get shot for saying that......oh well better take my running shoes to Billing!!!!!!

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