RDU Meet-July 30, 2022

[oscar]

I voted for July 30, the only date with no obvious conflicts for me. But my interest in the meet is moderate, I might clinch I-885 on my own some other weekend.

November 12 makes a lot of sense, since it minimizes conflicts with other summer activities, and also takes advantage of the Veterans Day long weekend. Alas, that's why one of my nieces scheduled her wedding that day.

[CanesFan27]

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=13255.msg2734957#msg2734957

So oddly enough November 12th barely won the poll that I previously ran.  I think it is best that we go with a revote so that we can clarify that date is what we want.

I am hoping for a mid-June opening date at this point.

Otherwise, if we do November 12th, I am thinking about having us meet up at the Sheetz on NC 42 at Cornwallis Rd at 10 AM so that we can hopefully tour the I-40 construction without too many issues.  In this format, we would do a late afternoon lunch/dinner after the tour.

Also, please clarify if you can vote in the poll.  I do not know if you are able to vote at the moment.

At this point, Just have it whenever works best for you - if Someone can make it They make it. If They can't, They can't.

[kevinb1994]

I voted for July 30th. I'd like to make it as early as possible,

[A.J. Bertin]

One thing to keep in mind is that Nikolai is planning on hosting his Janesville/Beloit WI meet, likely in September.  As of now, on his date poll, September 10 is in the lead so it's possible he will select that as the date of his meet.

This is not to say that two meets cannot happen on the same day, but there may be folks who might want to attend both of them.

[74/171FAN]

One thing to keep in mind is that Nikolai is planning on hosting his Janesville/Beloit WI meet, likely in September.  As of now, on his date poll, September 10 is in the lead so it's possible he will select that as the date of his meet.

This is not to say that two meets cannot happen on the same day, but there may be folks who might want to attend both of them.

I added that date without looking at his poll.  I pretty much have moved on from attending that meet anyway due to taking so many longer trips already.

[CanesFan27]

AJ,

The two meets are 900 some miles apart.  Unless the attendance of Jason Ilyes or Brandon Gorte is that big of a draw for additional attendance, it's not that big of a deal.

Then again - I may be wrong. 

[roadwaywiz95]

The individuals who are hosting their respective events ought to pick the dates and venues that work best for them and not worry so much about deferring to what others have to say. We've had occasions over the years where there were two meets on the same day (in different parts of the country), so this would not be unprecedented should it occur here.

[jpi]

On a side note, I am planning on hosting a York County\ central PA based road meet on Saturday 9/24/22, I plan on making it "Facebook official" with an event and as of a week ago have a lunch venue lined up that I think a lot of you will like

[Laura]

Sometimes meets have national appeal, but more often than not they have mostly regional attendance with a person or two flying in for the occasion. I suggested that Mark not have this meet on 7/23 because the Extra Miler Club Annual Meeting is in Hampton, VA that day, which has both regional and national appeal as a larger number of folks plan longer vacations around those meetings. Same deal for the National Meets that Alps hosted in NYC in 2014 and Dan is hosting in Philly this August. St. Louis in 2014 was a rare occasion where a regionally focused meet turned into a meet that attracted national attention and folks flew in and drove long distances to attend.

That's my thought behind meets being on the same day - are they close geographically? If not, does one of them have national appeal?

As of now, it looks like WI and Raleigh's meet are attracting different, more regional crowds of roadgeeks. It sucks for the few who would consider attending both, but as meets have gotten more popular and there are only so many dates in a year, I don't see a reason these couldn't be the same day.

As for polling, if the host is flexible on the date I don't see an issue with polling. Sometimes it makes a big difference on attendance. There's also nothing wrong with a host picking the date that works best for them. I've done both when I've hosted meets.

[vdeane]

How often does the "two meets on the same day" thing happen?  I'm struggling to think of a specific time when two official meets lined up that way.

As a point of information in the other direction, I remember when I was scheduling the Capital District meet around Birmingham, people were saying not to worry about it, and fortunately I did as both myself and half the northeast contingent of roadgeeks went to Birmingham.  So it can be hard to predict sometimes which meets will go big and which will stay local.

[A.J. Bertin]

I guess I need to clarify that I was not telling Mark that he must avoid a specific date because of a different meet happening on that day.  All I was doing was saying it was something he should "keep in mind".  Of course I understand that hosts can certainly have their meets on whatever date they choose.  I wasn't trying to suggest otherwise.  Some hosts will consider the possibility that potential attendees might want to attend two meets happening on the same day, while others won't consider that.  It's okay; different hosts have their different styles.  But whenever I see the possibility that two meets might happen on the same day, I'm always going to say something about it... as a way of advocating for anyone we know about or don't know about who might want to attend both.  Just because I speak up about it doesn't mean I expect the host to do what I'm requesting.  It's their decision.

As far as whether meets are "national" or "regional", I think it's silly to label them as such.  I've probably attended several meets over the years that would have been labeled as "regional" even though I was driving from far away to attend.  A road meet is a road meet... regardless of whom it draws.  There's always the possibility that someone from far away might attend, even if the host was only considering it to be "regional".  If it's announced in advance on this forum, it can be attended by anyone coming from anywhere.  If the host doesn't want folks from outside a certain geographic area to attend, it probably shouldn't be announced on this forum.

[74/171FAN]

On a side note, I am planning on hosting a York County\ central PA based road meet on Saturday 9/24/22, I plan on making it "Facebook official" with an event and as of a week ago have a lunch venue lined up that I think a lot of you will like

Right.  That was why I did not add 9/17 or 9/24, but only added 9/10.

[roadwaywiz95]

As far as whether meets are "national" or "regional", I think it's silly to label them as such.  I've probably attended several meets over the years that would have been labeled as "regional" even though I was driving from far away to attend.  A road meet is a road meet... regardless of whom it draws.

Ok, well, the next time you host a "National Meet"  or a "City Meet" , you can call it whatever you want. Your decision.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand. I echo mine & Adam's remarks from earlier in stating that hopefully Mark will pick the best possible day to hold his event and will make a decision in plenty of time for us folks considering attending to make our own decisions and travel arrangements accordingly. One of the things that I think has frustrated people over the past year or so is this general lack of decision-making when it comes to the hosting of these events. To Laura's point, there are only so many weekends in a year that people would be available to begin with, and folks generally like to know what the calendar looks like well in advance so they have enough time to decide what their meet-related travel plans are. And I do think that the see-sawing back & forth that has occurred in some instances has contributed significantly to an overall diminished level of interest in these certain events. Everyone is different, but I think that people in this community generally appreciate it more when the host gives it to us straight - tell us when/where and we'll be there. And if there happen to be two meets on the same day in different geographic areas, then I guess folks would have to choose between them. Nothing wrong with that either.

In summary, as the late Bob Ross would say, "See, that's all it takes to make a decision - just decide!"

[hbelkins]

How often does the "two meets on the same day" thing happen?  I'm struggling to think of a specific time when two official meets lined up that way.

There were meets in Lawrence, Kan., and Columbus, Ohio, on the same date a number of years ago.

[Laura]

Yeah, oops, I've been guilty of the see-sawing thing myself...but these has been two of the weirdest years ever with the pandemic and people were nervous about planning things in 2020 and 2021.

Anyway, getting back on topic, I'd like to go to Raleigh and vote for November 12 because of the Veterans Day holiday being the day before. That gives me more time to drive down on Friday.

[Brandon]

AJ,

The two meets are 900 some miles apart.  Unless the attendance of Jason Ilyes or Brandon Gorte is that big of a draw for additional attendance, it's not that big of a deal.

Then again - I may be wrong. 

Well, there's my fifteen minutes of fame.

[Alps]

How often does the "two meets on the same day" thing happen?  I'm struggling to think of a specific time when two official meets lined up that way.

As a point of information in the other direction, I remember when I was scheduling the Capital District meet around Birmingham, people were saying not to worry about it, and fortunately I did as both myself and half the northeast contingent of roadgeeks went to Birmingham.  So it can be hard to predict sometimes which meets will go big and which will stay local.

It used to be more common when we were more regional. People lately have gotten into traveling farther for meets. Which is fine! But nothing bugs me about two being on the same day this far apart.

[A.J. Bertin]

As far as whether meets are "national" or "regional", I think it's silly to label them as such.  I've probably attended several meets over the years that would have been labeled as "regional" even though I was driving from far away to attend.  A road meet is a road meet... regardless of whom it draws.

Ok, well, the next time you host a "National Meet"  or a "City Meet" , you can call it whatever you want. Your decision.

Of course.  I guess it's not so much the "label" that I think is silly; it's more the idea that road meets should be categorized based on the geography of where potential attendees are coming from.  Call it what you want, but any road meet could (or should) be classified as a "national meet" because any meet could draw people from all over... unless only people from, say, a certain geographic area are invited.

And I do think that the see-sawing back & forth that has occurred in some instances has contributed significantly to an overall diminished level of interest in these certain events.

I assume that's your personal opinion and that you're not trying to speak for the entire community.  Some folks will agree with you; others won't.

I think that people in this community generally appreciate it more when the host gives it to us straight - tell us when/where and we'll be there.

Again... I think this your personal opinion.  Not everyone will agree with you, and that's okay!  Some of us in the community do appreciate the opportunity to vote in a date poll.  For the gatherings I've hosted, I do like giving folks the opportunity to vote so I have an idea of which date(s) will work for most people.  Nothing wrong with that.

Not all of us in this community share the same opinions about these matters... and, again, it's okay!  Differences in opinion can lead to good discussions and different ideas, as long as everyone is respectful.

[74/171FAN]

I will not make it official yet, but I am planning to currently host this on July 30th.  With the amount of construction going on in the area, and my current plan of covering the I-40 and I-440 widenings via a pre-meet (that I will post about later), I need to have as much daylight as possible for this.

[CanesFan27]

This would be the hottest meet I've been to in some time. That being said, I'm still looking forward to it. 

I'm not in the shape I once was, but I'm still flattered.

[Dougtone]

This would be the hottest meet I've been to in some time. That being said, I'm still looking forward to it. 

Are you saying that there will be scantily clad road signs?

[Alps]

This would be the hottest meet I've been to in some time. That being said, I'm still looking forward to it. 

yeah unless i'm there it can't be that hot

[NJRoadfan]

Too bad it isn't a Sunday. Saturdays are a bit of a logistic problem for me if I'm driving down there for my annual vacation (I can alter the date if needed). I'm either driving in from NJ that day of the week, or I'm leaving the next morning.

[74/171FAN]

I am planning to scout a potential itinerary tomorrow.  I will obviously not be able to drive the connector, but I think that is a minor inconvenience.

[NJRoadfan]

Has this meet been locked in for July 30th? I might just take an extra day off.