The 1980 meeting, hosted by Southern Van Council, was held February 16, 1980 at the Sheraton Motor Inn in Birmingham, Alabama. Representatives from Southern Van Council (SVC), Florida Van Council (FVC), North Carolina - South Carolina Van Council (NC/SC), Georgia Van Council (GVC) and Hoosier Van Council (HVC) were present.

Richard Bishop, president of SVC, chaired the meeting and announced that a general meeting would be held in the afternoon. The general meeting to be open to any council member. The following topics were covered:

1. The Gasoline Problem FVC noted that host clubs should try to work with local gas stations to try and line up a guarantee of readily available fuel to ensure good attendance. HVC and GVC noted that one solution to the high cost of fuel is to have couples double up and go in one van. It currently takes over $100.00 in fuel to get from the SVC area to Florida, for example, for an event. Currently NC/SC charges extra for more than 2 adults per van. FVC generally allows 4 adults per van in the admission price. FVC suggested charging something like $7.00 extra for each adult more than 2 in a van but guarantee them a goodie bag, door prize tickets, etc. SVC suggested that the councils may want to cut back on the number of sanctioned events in light of anticipated decrease in the number of vans at events. GVC noted that the councils should make their members aware that, with high fuel costs plus inflation, its going to cost more to maintain a high quality event. It was concluded that the events will have to maintain high quality, perhaps even increase, to have reasonable attendance with today's prices. People are going to be more selective about attending events.

2. Bands GVC noted that the biggest expense for an event is high quality live entertainment. A good band can make a truck-in and a lousy band can ruin an otherwise good event. Having the right sound system for outdoor playing is also essential, adding to the cost of high quality entertainment. At one event more people enjoyed the recorded music than the live band but the consensus was that it is essential to have a live band for Saturday night. HVC is attempting an event with two bands for Saturday night. It was concluded that even with inflation, vanners will truck to a quality event. It was also noted that more people will be doubling up in vans and going to more 3 and 4 day events than 2 day events.

3. Facilities HVC noted that 70% of their members have portable toilets and shelter so lack of facilities is not a real problem for them. They are used to lack of facilities as most midwest truck-ins are "hard core". GVC referred to that as a "survival" truck-in. It was concluded that the southeastern council members generally insist on better facilities and Florida, being a tourist state, is especially blessed with an abundance of campgrounds with very good facilities. In either case, it was concluded that the flyer for the event should spell out exactly what facilities are available so each vanner will know exactly what is (and is not) available.

4. Meeting Agenda Larry Owen noted the following outline for the days events:

c. SVC has set up tours of Birmingham and transportation to World of Wheels show.

d. Party at 8 P.M.

5. Clearing House for Regional Events GVC wanted to know why all councils had not notified the clearing house of their 1980 events. FVC and NC/SC noted their failure to do so and apologized for the oversight. The clearing house, established at the last meeting, was explained to HVC. It was noted again that knowing when and where events are being held is essential to host clubs in planning a quality event, particularly in conflicting date situations. Since FVC meetings are on weekends and not at events SVC suggested that FVC also notify the clearing house of those meeting dates.

6. Discounts to Other Councils The administrative problems of offering discounts to all out-of-state vanners versus only to van council members was discussed. It was concluded that we should present a unified front and state on flyers that only van council members get discount rates, even though it is understood that absolute compliance to this decision at every event will probably not be feasible.

7. Communication Between Meetings NC/SC said our communication, other than at the yearly meetings, is poor. We should share newsletters and have more written communication throughout the year if we are to remain effective.

8. Pre-Registration The usual problems with people not pre-registering were discussed. The most significant thing the group could come up with to encourage pre-registration was to note on the flyer that only those people who pre-register can be assured of having a goodie bag. The host club should set these goodie bags aside and have them available so pre-registered people who come late or don't show will still be assured a goodie bag. HVC noted that they run everything, "show' n shine", longest haul trophy, activities, etc. based on pre-registration only. If you don't pre-register you can't enter. They always mail dash plaques to no-shows automatically.

9. "You Ain't Shit-In" This promoter-backed event was discussed. It was noted that none of the attending councils sanctioned the event, nor should we ever sanction these events. The "Southern Van Council" supporting this event is based in Texas and has nothing to do with the SVC attending this meeting. The SVC at this meeting is based in the Alabama-Tennessee area. GVC reiterated that the fast buck promoter truck-ins do nothing to help our image. A number of attendees objected to the four letter word used in the event title and suggested we take pains to eliminate these words in any material we issue that will normally be seen by the public at large.

10. Copyright Protection NC/SC noted that they failed to copyright their logo and a vendor is using it without their permission. After a year without being copyrighted the logo is now public domain. A local NC/SC boycott has prevented the vendor from making any profit but they noted the copyright fee is only $10.00.

11. Complaints at Truck-Ins Heavy Haulers noted an excessive amount of unwarranted complaints about activities last year and suggested the club offer constructive criticisms through a single spokesman, such as the club president. Richard Bishop wished everyone would adopt his attitude: that he feels the host club is doing him a favor by working so hard to put the truck-in on for his enjoyment.

12. Medical Assistance at Events NC/SC suggested it should be a part of the sanctioning procedure to require Emergency Medical Assistance at the event. It was also noted that the host club should know where the nearest hospital is located. Having a First Aid Station is a requirement for HVC sanctioned events.

13. National Council – Meeting HVC clarified its idea regarding a national council. Basically one member from each council would attend a national convention to share ideas, solve national vanning problems and let the rest of the nation know what events are being held, and where. For example, there could be a national clearing house so anyone could find out what sanctioned events are available in any part of the country.

14. Banner Stealing The problem of club banner thefts was discussed and it was concluded we should all discourage this practice. It has gotten to the point that some clubs won't take a valuable banner to an event for fear of it getting damaged, or stolen and not returned.

15. Council Size It was noted that FVC currently has 615 members, SVC has 175, NC/SC has 200: and GVC has 106. This represents a loss in both number of clubs and. actual total number of members. This was assumed to be due to the higher cost of living. No one could explain why HVC has experienced an increase in number of clubs and total membership.

16. SEMA This organization has recently made accommodation for van councils and members to join as an "enthusiast" member. It is in our best interest to join and support this organization. They aid in such things as fighting unwarranted restrictive legislation regarding custom modification of vehicles.

17. T-Shirts Mike Smith of NC/SC provided special 1980 Council of Councils T-shirts to all the elected officers of the attending councils. This was in addition to the goodie bag, with dash plaque, supplied by SVC.

18. 1981 Meeting The chair asked for comments or suggestions for the 1981 meeting. NC/SC suggested the meeting be held in a campground or other less formal setting to help offset the high fuel cost to get to the meeting.

19. Special Invitation Ralph Petersen offered to assist any members coming to a Florida event. They can stay at his place if they want to come early or stay late as part of a vacation/ truck-in stay in Florida.

20. Conclusion The meeting was concluded. Minutes courtesy of Florida Van Council.