AUG 12-18 2018 - Goshen, Indiana - FROG International

[youroo]

Originally Posted by spock123

Not me, the Goshen rally is the only one I care about going too. I like to go my own way. Different strokes for different folks, I can see lots of people like to go to rallies just not me. I enjoy meeting new people just not the same ones all the time. Going to a lot of rallies is just not for me.

The best solution might be "Have You Own Rally" and it could be "By Invitation ONLY",this way you would be assured to Only Meet New People! Youroo!!

[Cowracer]

My vote is keep registration just the way it is. Ya know, if a popular rock band comes to your city, they don't reserve any tickets for people who never seen them before. Its first-come-first-serve.

We all stand an exactly equal chance of getting a space. People who been every year, and people who have never been. When the button goes live, we are all in the exact same boat in trying to get registered. Now I know that it usually goes live during the daytime hours, and some people don't have the luxury of internet access at work, but it took almost a full day to sell out. Even people that had to wait till later that evening could have gotten in.

The system works, and works well for the crowds anticipated. Trying to finagle it to favor one group over another will only lead to complaints and ruffled feathers.

Tim

p.s. I am referring only to the actual rally. The excursions are pretty much gone in a flash. Not sure what or if anything can be done about that, other than adding more.

[spock123]

I agree. There really isn't many ways to change the way it's done now without some people getting hurt. They could look at as someone suggested to let people stay somewhere else and just pay for the meals. Just be at the rally just not camp there. I wonder how many people didn't show up for the rally.

[Witch Doctor]

I'm for ZeeBreeze on this one

[F.R.O.G.]

Thanks to everyone for your ideas and suggestions. I've been following them and will be considering them, since every year we try to make the FROG International Rally a little better than the previous year's version.

Regarding the mix of first-timers vs returning attendees, we wrestled with this for a while this year as we changed the registration process. My sense is that we had about 25% first-timers this year, although that's from a quick look around the dining room when I asked the question the first night. We talked about setting aside the phantom "X" number of first-timer sites, but that immediately brings up the question of how one administers that. Going back and compiling lists of prior years' attendees, and then checking registrations against that list, would be a daunting and nearly impossible task. You can ask people to self-identify as first-timers vs returning members, but what do you do if someone simply doesn't tell the truth? Cancel the registration? I'm not at all sure that there's a lot to be gained by imposing a limit on returning members, compared to the mountain of paperwork involved in monitoring. I'm open to suggestions, though.

Regarding tours, there were about 850 seats available on the Amish area tours this year, with twelve tours encompassing 16 buses. Each of those 16 bus trips included either a dinner or a lunch in along with the destinations and attractions. There were also 24 factory tours, so over the course of the week we had 40 buses going out on trips.

We try to balance that against the need to have some people on the grounds attending seminars, dealing with service techs working on their units, shopping the vendor area to make the vendors want to keep returning for our event, eating ice cream (not that we've ever had a problem with giving away ice cream!), and other events. Again, we're open to suggestions on how much is enough and how much is too much.

Volunteers, as you know, are the life blood of the operation. On our parking and registration teams this year we had about 30% of the teams who were first-time volunteers, and about half of those were first-time attendees. Approximately the same was true of our shuttle drivers, office volunteers, hydration (intended to be water, but hot coffee and cocoa on a couple of the crazy-weather parking days), dining room setup and dessert servers, and more. We try to have a mix of experience and new members of our volunteer teams. We rely on experience, but also highly value new input and ideas. In addition, we never want to give the impression that there is an "inside" group or a clique and that new attendees and volunteers are not welcome or valued. Nothing could be further from the truth.

In the end, the decisions will be made by what I sometimes refer to as "benign dictatorship," simply meaning that someone eventually has to make and implement the decision and stand behind it.

One of the other topics that we're kicking around is the number of meals. From the first year (2012, as Oakman correctly stated, when we had 208 units) we've had four dinners and six breakfasts included in the package. Is that the right number? Should we do away with a couple of the group meals and look at replacing them with "fair food," providing vouchers for individual meals? Should we simply not include as many meals in the package, but make food trucks or other types of vendors available? Or should we simply stick with what seems to be working?

This year we put a few additional limits on how far back we would go on the age of units eligible for free service and on the number of repairs allowed. I know as well as you do that there were some instances where those guidelines were bent, particularly if there was a recall or a safety issue involved. As many of you know, the original intent of the FROG Rally was never to be a "service rally."

I sometimes cringe when I hear someone say he or she isn't going to attend because nothing needs to be fixed. Come and enjoy the fun, the friendship, the entertainment, the seminars, the vendors. Come and see that you're appreciated, that we value you not only as FROGs and Forest River owners, but also as friends.

So please continue to give us your ideas and suggestions. Will we implement all of them? No. But there are a lot of great ideas that we've not thought of, or that we're considering and that you can influence. We don't necessarily want the FROG Rally to be the biggest, but we certainly want it to be the best.

[eye95]

However you handle the reservations, if I get in, I will declare your system the best possible ever!

That's e-y-e-9-5. [emoji48]

[W5CI]

I think everything went Great this year. But you could do away with all of the Meals for my part.

[Cowracer]

Bob,

The secret to sanity is to understand that you cannot make everyone happy. The best you can hope for is to p*ss them all off equally.


Tim

[spock123]

I like the meals as it was another way to meet other people, we did not sit in the same area every night. We really didn't go for the food but to meet people I talk to on here and I got to meet a few of those but we met other people too that DW really got to know and hopefully we will get to see somewhere camping this year and next. DW did not really want to go to the rally but she had a great time and she wants to go back next year. Can't wait

[spock123]

There is one suggestion that I would like to make on the food. Since there was a lot of ex military there how about asking the food caterer to serve SOS one breakfast, chipped beef on toast made with hamburger. It's only good if it's made in a large batch.

[BandJCarm]

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spock, the food is already "military food". If they served SOS, I'd run away so far! Bad, bad memories of that crap.

There's no way to feed 1600 people the way us old folks are used to eating. They do the best they can. Not my cup of tea, but I'm a 'hard sell' when it comes to food. Nobody's problem but mine.

[Oakman]

Originally Posted by spock123

There is one suggestion that I would like to make on the food. Since there was a lot of ex military there how about asking the food caterer to serve SOS one breakfast, chipped beef on toast made with hamburger. It's only good if it's made in a large batch.

NO NO NO, I'm ex-military and want nothing to do with SOS thank you very much.

[aceinspp]

Originally Posted by Oakman

NO NO NO, I'm ex-military and want nothing to do with SOS thank you very much.

X 2 at least we now have choice Later RJD

[packrat48]

I am ex military and love SOS

[spock123]

Yea me too but I don't know the recipe for cooking a small batch. In SOS a large batch is better, anyway it was just a thought
Happy Camping

[Total Bliss]

I have the solution Bob. Instead of 1 rally for 800 rigs, how about 800 rallies, 1 rally for each rig.

[retiredcamper47]

Bob,

Another form of leadership and decision making is "voluntold". That goes hand-in-hand with "benign dictatorship".

Bob

[keith52]

Frog Bob,
I thought the food service was as good as could be expected trying to feed 1600+ people. The wife and I were very pleased with this years catering service and the food that was served. (No eggs with green beans) For the folks that did not like the food service, might I suggest any one of the numerous restaurants in the Goshen area.

As far as the food trucks, I see long lines in the hot sun or pouring down rain. How much food can a truck hold before they run out of certain items? Also, "I lost my food voucher...or I didn't get a food voucher". Now as far as the ICE CREAM, FROGS LOVE ICE CREAM!!!! Just my 2 cents

[Oakman]

Since lunches are on your own at the rally I’m going to recommend a place for y’all to try. It’s the South Side Diner in Goshen.

This place serves up some real American classics. I highly recommend the beef and bean chili. They also make their own pies daily and serve up ‘50s style floats and malts. Along with the counter stools there is also booth and table seating. Seating is limited but it’s worth the wait to get in.



If you look in the lower left of the photo you can see some of the pies cooling.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by Oakman

Since lunches are on your own at the rally I’m going to recommend a place for y’all to try. It’s the South Side Diner in Goshen.

This place serves up some real American classics. I highly recommend the beef and bean chili. They also make their own pies daily and serve up ‘50s style floats and malts. Along with the counter stools there is also booth and table seating. Seating is limited but it’s worth the wait to get in.

Attachment 151048

If you look in the lower left of the photo you can see some of the pies cooling.
Attachment 151049

It has an episode on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives. Truly awesome food and the best Philly Cheese steak you will find outside of the Philadelphia metropolitan area. He is a relocated Philly Phanatic!

Not diners and dives episode but watch!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oVO6opE9Dk