2010 Spring Convention
KOA, North Houston
formerly Haven's Landing RV Resort
Montgomery, Texas
Friday, March 19 - Wednesday, March 24

It Happened!

SCHEDULE of ACTIVITIES

Note the shift in starting day from the traditional Sunday to Friday. This is due to a number of requests to have seminars on weekends so those who have only a few days due to work schedules can attend some seminars.

---

 

Ths Convention is now history. We all had such a wonderful time. View Dan Gregg's and Glenn Hertzbergers photos of the event. Professional photographer and fellow member Don Eddy shares his photos.

---

CONVENTION REPORT

We had another great convention at the beautiful park and facility at Montgomery, Texas. We had a total of 137 registrations, but 5 of those cancelled, and 8 were there for 3 days or less, so we had 124 "full time" attendees.

19 registrants came without motorhomes this time which is an unusually high number. This was due to a substantial number of people who live in the area and commuted, and also because of the availability of very nice on site housekeeping units at a fairly reasonable rate, so that was a good thing.

Starting on Friday instead of on Sunday was a first for this convention, but the reviews are mixed. The goal was to have seminars over the weekend so those who could attend only on the weekend could attend some mainstream seminars. That was partially successful. The eight "part timers" mentioned earlier all attended over the weekend, and some expressed appreciation for being able to attend seminars. However, we were all confused the entire rally regarding what day it was, when certain things were to occur, and it rushed the exceptionally good Sunday morning church service which seemed more like a weekday than Sunday. Also, attendance was not as high at this rally as was expected, so we have no way of knowing how many could not attend at all because of the schedule change. Your comments and input regarding this matter would be appreciated.

Double parking was also something new for this convention. It had some snafus, but mostly because the facility failed to block out some sites we were promised. However, the rally fee was $60 less for those who chose to share a site with another registrant, so it made the convention more affordable at a premier site for the high percentage of participants that chose to share a site. Personnel changes were made at the host location to assure the snafus would not occur in the future. Our apologies to anyone who had to work around the snafus, and especially to the parking crew.

Thanks to the raffle, and our generous vendors and donors, and reasonable attendance, we came out slightly better than breakeven financially even with lower than expected attendance. We do not budget to make a profit, so it is reasonable to expect a surplus at some rallies and deficits at others. Due to Carol's and my conservative tendencies, we have built up more surplus than is necessary, so look for generally slightly lower fees in the future, or an upgrade in facilities and/or schedule. Please believe that it is not our intention to make a profit. It is my fault, not the fault of the board or treasurer or some secret policy, that the surplus is so high. Ha, never thought I would be apologizing for building up a surplus, but it is somewhat embarrassing that it has reached such high levels. Some of this surplus will be going back to the rally attendees in one form or another.

We had 13 tech sessions, down about two from normal because of the cancellations mentioned earlier, and due to the church service using one of the seminar spots. Carol scheduled 12 non tech sessions, and from the rumors I hear, she outdid herself on the quality and subjects of those sessions. Kudos to Carol! The presenters were very professional and did a super job. They put a lot of work into their presentations and appreciate a kind word from you when you learn from their efforts.

We had a book exchange, flea market, three excellent catered meals, open houses, weighed coaches, and had some club get-together's so we had a full schedule. We also ran our second, what we hope to be semiannual, GMC Pinewood Derby, which was a huge success. Everyone had a great time hooting and hollering for their favorites. It turns out that complete novices who put their racers together at the rally got first places in the men's and women's divisions, so don't worry about not having the expertise to build a winner. Just come and join the fun next time. Thanks to the crew running the races, things proceeded on time and moved along quickly to keep everyone's attention.

Finally, and most importantly, the board chose Kim and Keith Weeks to take over the Convention Manager's job from Carol and me. We had three very qualified man and wife teams to choose from, and we believe Kim and Keith will do a superb job. We will share responsibilities for the next convention to assure a smooth transition, but Kim will be the "face" person since she is much better looking than I am{:>) Many thanks from Carol and I for your support and indulgence for the past several years. It has been a great ride, but we are ready to be in the bleachers.

See you in Duquoin, IL, at the fall rally!
Ray and Carol Swartzendruber

 

---

Raffle Drawings:
Following the 11:15 AM adjournment, the raffle drawings were held.  Here is the outcome:

Item	Donated by	Winner
Purse	Betty Kennedy	Eileen Edwards
Two Tee Shirts	Kara Kosier	Charles Wersal
Fashion Jewelry 4 sets	Jean Price	Ethel Walters Corky McHaney Jolene Johnson Joyce Murdock
GMC Dominoes	Glyn Trimble	Grace Kanomata
GMC Model Decals	Steve Ferguson	Glyn Tremble
Six Quarts of Amzoil	John Richardson	Richard  Smith
GMC Tumblers	Motorhome Enhancements Gene Dotson and Jim Buchanan	Jerry Barnes
Set of UV Airbag Protectors	Steve Ferguson	Dave Wood
Radiator Rock Guard	Blane and Diane Merrell	Don Brown
Docking Lights	Paul Smith and Ken Robinson	Stan Edwards
Copper Exhaust Gaskets	Dave Lenzi	Jim Dall
Headlight Bezels	Frank Jenkins	Byron Songer
Spark Plug Wires	Springfield Ignition  - Dick Paterson	Lucy Weidner
Lighted Entry Handle	Classic Coaches & Accessories - JR Slaten	Willard Murdock
Hess GMC Model	Anonymous Donor	Thomas Jetzer
Free Convention	GMCMI	Bob Price
Thorley Exhaust Headers	Applied GMC - Jim Kanomata	Jerry Reeves
Final Drive	Applied GMC - Jim Kanomata	Harry Driskell

---

 

Here is an interesting report by a first timer, Byron Songer:

For those of you that have never been and are interested in attending, read on. Those of you who have attended, delete this and move on.

Martha and I returned last week from our first GMCMI convention. Here are a few of my "caught thoughts". They are in random order.

A few people said, "Have you ever seen so many coaches in one place before?"
My thought was, "Duh, that's one reason I came."

There were about 135 coaches scattered about the large campground. It is gratifying to see so many in one place. (Misery loves company, you know.) While this was a large gathering, it wasn't the largest in recent history.
Still, it was significant.

Texas and Texans -- need I say more? They were all over the place. The Classics were there in full force helping support the event. They also enjoy partying. I appreciated being able to get better acquainted with a few of them over some card game I've never played before.

The bulletin board -- more posted than at your typical convention. There's the schedule, the campers and campsites, notices, etc. What is especially appealing is the photos and bios that Carol has collected and posted over the years. Many people stop by to read about others and to read something besides "we have a blah-blah-blah coach." She posts interesting, personal stuff.

New people -- there are many there who realize that the life of MI is in the people. They also realize new people are needed and are always glad to meet new folks. There are, unfortunately, a few that don't care if they meet anyone outside of there group of friends they already have in place. May their tribe decrease. May the tribe of those actively interested in newcomers increase. Really, we met so many nice, good folks. We now have more friends. A person is rich that has friends.

Pinewood Derby -- was a great activity. The arrangement of the raceway into the middle of the audience worked. Last convention, I understand, it was a bit confusing. The Great Lakers got a great thing going with those racers.
Now to sand and paint my own. I'm hoping it'll roll well. There were some very nice looking entries.

Equipment -- in case you didn't know, GMCMI owns a lot of equipment that gets shipped from convention to convention. I figured there was a lot of property but I had no idea that it included several chest freezers, many toasters, and some significant coffee-making equipment. On top of that is enough electrical infrastructure to support the toaster, freezers and coffee makers.

Volunteers -- this was the really nice part. Many people volunteer to do specific tasks that add to the enjoyment and success of the convention. Many other take advantage of that. However, I noticed that no one complained about either. Martha and I signed up to help with two breakfast times and one of the ice cream times. It's a great way to meet people and get better acquainted. We'll do it again because it's the responsible thing to do.

Worship experience -- more than half the group was present on Sunday morning for the service. Dan Stuckey, the unofficial chaplain, did a great job with the message (homily for others of you). It was personal and real. The choir had nearly two dozen in it. That was fantastic. I've heard better but I've not heard more enthusiastic. Attitude counts more than ability. Thank goodness for attitude.

Seminar -- technical and non-technical. I have to tell you, even though some of them are repeats, I heard guys saying "I learned some more again even though I've set through it before". The session with the "experts" was great. Though I don't plan on putting a new engine in my coach, just knowing others have and know how to is amazing. And, knowing other things about the coach is a plus. Shucks, even my wife got something out of the women's session on driving our coaches. I enjoyed the "show and tell" session. It included a lot of variety and I learned stuff there, too -- told my wife about it.

Breakfast -- I get tired of donuts, bagels and muffins. I think I'll set up a concession for eggs and sausage next time. I'll charge and make money. I just won't get rich. Of course, I'll want a concrete area outside my coach for "Byron's Breakfast Place". I fear DuQuoin won't have such.

Vendors -- glad many were there. Others will be in place for DuQuoin. Not everyone comes because it isn't handy for all of them. I also realize they don't get rich at these events. They are a necessary evil for bean counters.
Thank goodness the vendors realize they also are there to generate good will. Dave Lenzi convinced me to buy some front-end parts from him. Easy sell. Next on my list are new windows and a macerator. I already have Eagles. A new dash would be nice -- Mac will be at the ES rally in April.

Timing -- this was an experiment to see if having the bulk of the seminars over the weekend would draw more folks. Well, I don't know what the expectation was but there were several folks present for the weekend that came just for the weekend. I call that a good start and a good level of success. I understand the issues with scheduling, etc. but I encourage the MI leadership to give it another try in the near future. It will work to help bring in owners that have jobs and don't want to devote a whole week of vacation taking their family to a motorhome convention. Thanks, however, for making the effort. Yes, it confused some regulars that were used to a fixed schedule. Personally, I didn't know what day of the week it was anyway so it really didn't matter to me. Those of us used to change are also used to adapting.

People -- I have to tell you, it seems that "the salt of the earth" was in attendance. I met so many, interesting people. As I said before, Martha and I have new friends. Really, this is the most important part of the convention; renewing acquaintances and making new ones. People are so important. As result of so many being in one place, there's a great pool of knowledge and experience there just waiting to be tapped.

The facility -- this has to be one of the larger if not the largest KOA. It was a great facility. Though the weather wasn't always cooperative, we had places to meet and eat. Administratively, the KOA folks could have been a bit better but I didn't have to deal with that. Jeanne Slaten did a great job of working things out.

Convention Management -- the Ray and Carol are great folks. They had a good couple to follow in Emery and Michelle. I'm trusting that a great heritage will be carried on in 2012.

Martha and I felt it was a positive experience and are looking forward to others. We would have gone to other but there is this thing called "job" that kept us from doing it sooner.

OK, guys. Those of you within range of Southern Illinois start making your plans to attend in September. It's gonna be great.