1997 COUNCIL OF COUNCILS MEETING
Wyndham Bristol Place
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
February 15, 1997
Brian Walker called the meeting to order
at 9:30 AM and welcomed the reps.
A motion by Raul to dispense with the
reading of the minutes of the last meeting was carried by voice vote.
Brian introduced the Council of Councils
(CofC) board.
Geoff Koome of the Ontario Federation of Vanners (OFV) welcomed the reps and noted the two "Best of Show" vans flanking the stage. OFV had arranged to have the U.S. NATS "Best of Show" van, "PRO-CRAS-TOW-NATION", and the Canadian NATS "Best of Show" van, "GLASS EAGLE", set up by the stage to help keep the reps focused on what we are all about.
Next there was roll call, with introductions
of the reps from each council. There were 32 councils in attendance, including
Scandinavia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
The NATS board reps introduced themselves.
There were two bids to host the 1998 Council of Councils meeting. Northern California Van Council made a bid to host the meeting in San Francisco on February 13-15, 1998. The Southeast Virginia Van Council made a bid to host the meeting in Virginia Beach on February 13-15, 1998.
Brian opened the floor to the NATS board.
Maryland Van Council gave an update on
the 1997 NATS. The theme is "Land of Pleasant Living". They noted that
the vanners should bring generators, hoses, and extension cords.
Geoff Koome read aloud a letter from Jeff
Johnston. The letter said that the last Van Scan East column has been written.
It noted that Truckin Magazine wanted "cutting edge" material, not just
who partied the best and the type of input found in a typical van council
newsletter. The lack of support from vanners killed the column. His comment
was that, "The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your
own arm."
Joe Madonia and others disagreed with
the comment about lack of support. Joe said he called Truckin six times
in the last two months with information and the calls were never returned.
He noted that, if they really want to see cutting edge mini-vans, they
can come to our events. Also, "Chevy Truck" magazine will have a van article
soon, and they appear to be responsive to more van articles in the future.
OFV and other reps noted that they had
sent information to Truckin via letters, phone and e-mail, with no response.
It appears that Truckin just isn't interested in vans anymore.
Brian answered the big question, "What happened to VANNING NOW?" After six years he said he is just burned out, and can't write another article. He noted that the appropriate subscription rebates will be sent to current subscribers. The reps said, "Thank you, Brian" to a round of applause for the effort that has been put in for the past six years.
A suggestion was made that folks should try having a Van Art (VART) show (art other than what is on our vans) at the events, specifically at the Nats.
It was noted that information on events should be put out as soon as possible so that vanners can make their plans. VannerNet is a good place to spread the word.
The topic of water usage at the NATS was brought up without comment. It was simply noted that the water was sometimes gone by Friday while some folks were swimming in it in their pools.
Brian read aloud a letter he received stating
that the old Econoline pickup should be considered as the original van,
which prompted the recurring discussion of "What Is A Van?" The NATS Board
has come the closest to putting down the definition of a van as anyone.
Actually, what they have done is to define what is an acceptable vehicle
to enter the NATS. The following is reprinted from the NATS Board Meeting
minutes:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The following is a list of Vehicles that
were discussed to determine which would be accepted into the Nationals.
This list is only to be used at the Nationals and does not regulate what
can or can not come to any local event. Local event attendance is governed
by the host club and custom of the area.
|
Type of Vehicle |
|
|
|
| Panel trucks |
|
|
|
| Windowed panel (pre 73) |
|
|
|
| Hearse/Sedan Delivery |
|
|
|
| Van Up |
|
|
|
| Swat truck, bread truck or step van |
|
|
|
| Cube van (ambulance) |
|
|
|
| Class "C" |
|
|
|
| TransVan |
|
|
|
| Explorer motor home (dodge) |
|
|
|
| Ambulance/Van (not Cube) |
|
|
|
| VW |
|
|
|
| MPV |
|
|
|
| Aerostar, Windstar, Astro Safari, Caravan, Voyager |
|
|
|
| Hand built box/mutant vans on van chassis |
|
|
|
It was noted that we keep talking about
what can be done to keep vanning from dying, but we aren't doing anything
to promote our sport. Joe noted that if you promote a sport (say football),
then the party (in this case, a tailgate party) will follow automatically.
Don't promote the party, promote the sport. Northwest said that we got
introduced to vanning by one-day mall shows, etc. so we need to have more
of those. Maryland suggested putting a float in local parades. Kathy suggested
having a reunion meeting once a year. Woodstock said we should quit bitching
about events, which causes folks to have less events. The consensus was
that we need to figure out what things we have to do to attract the 19-year-old
group. They don't want to hear the 1970's music. We have to start thinking
young. We're getting too lazy to even show our vans, which is our common
bond.
OFV said that they get local dealerships
to put a van on display at their events. They also invite customizers to
bring in customized vans to the event. We should show the kids our new
vans as well as the "rust buckets" & trick vans. How can we have a
van show and not intimidate the prospective vanners who might think they
need to invest a fortune in a new custom van? One suggestion was to raffle
off an older van just for the 16 and 17-year-olds. Another suggestion was
for the club to join in local parades and include all the vans, trick or
not.
OFV noted that they paid for radio ads
and got excellent results in turnouts for their events. Peter said the
press got results for them; a 20% increase resulting from press ads. Prior
to that it took 20 years to get 200 custom vans in the U.K.
It was noted that, if you have a President's meeting at your event, please don't have it Saturday evening or Sunday morning. Those are both bad times. A better time would be Saturday before noon.
Florida wanted the reps to know that the weather in Jacksonville today is better than the weather here.
M.O.V.E. said we talk about damage at events every year, but it just boils down to common sense: have respect for other people's property. The comment from the group was that the damage was not being done by the people at this meeting, who do use common sense and respect for other folks property.
The National Federation Van Council wants everyone to get at least one e-mail address for their council and update the mailing addresses.
It was suggested that we have a national
memorial service for those of us who have passed away. The Van Club Association
of Michigan has a memorial service every year (at a different city each
year) for members who have passed away. They parade across town to the
cemetery and have the service there.
The Hoosier Van Congress said we should
have a plaque with a photo album so we can recognize the face of the deceased.
Some clubs have one of the event trophies noted as a memorial trophy for
the deceased vanner. Another idea is to have a memorial scholarship, which
keeps the memory alive, promotes the sport of vanning, and helps education.
Judith said she would put together a photo album of deceased vanners if those who remain will send her a snapshot and a short summary of the deceased vanner's life and accomplishments.
The National Federation of Van Councils
suggested advertising on the business channel (TV cable channel) to communicate/advertise
vanning. Every city that has a cable channel has a Community Access Channel
and it should be free. Normally, they train you to use the equipment and
you produce the show. For example, Wayne's World is a community access
program. They also have a lot of cooking shows, camping shows, religious
shows, etc.
Raul noted that Colorado is producing
a 29-minute special on vanning from Littleton, Colorado. There are only
3 ways to produce a show. You have to be 1. a city government, 2. a school
system, or 3. a non-profit organization. The only catch is that the Community
Access Shows can only air in that town. Therefore, the 12 folks in Littleton,
Colorado will enjoy the show. However, the tapes of the show could be shown
at the NATS, for example.
Oklahoma noted that the hardest part is
the actual production of a 30-minute tape. The trick is to then share the
tape with other vanners in another town and get them to have the tape shown
on their local community access channel.
It was also noted that lots of TV stations
have community bulletin boards, free of charge, that can be used for spreading
the word about vanning and vanning related events.
Midwest Van Council wanted to know what happened to the video ripoff in Virginia. Bob Rowland said he hasn't heard anything about the Virginia Attorney General aggressively pursuing the issue, so he doubts if it will go anywhere.
New York Van Council wanted to know about hookups, etc. at events. We shouldn't fail to go to an event just because they don't have luxury facilities, but we do need to be sure that the event flyers state what facilities are (or are not) available.
At this point OFV had 2 local Hooter's
girls present plaques to each rep (one per council). The chosen rep got
a hug, a kiss, and a plaque.
The break was from noon until 2:15 PM.
The National Federation Van Council said we should strive for a better mix of music at events. There should be music for all ages and races.
Downstate Illinois Van Council wanted to discuss the inclusion of pickup trucks in clubs. OFV said they allowed pickups at their events. The Canadian Nationals allowed all classes in and vanners were treated like royalty. A number of councils do allow mini-trucks at their events. In a number of cases those folks saw the convenience of having a van after attending an event. They sold the pickup and bought a van. The bottom line is that it is up to the host club.
VannerNet. Bobby said we are currently worldwide. He needs help from the vanners in keeping his on-line calendar of events current. Raul said its up to us to contribute the information, whether its in cyberspace or newsletter.
Peter and Bev said that they are going to make a bid to have the Council of Councils meeting for the year 2000 in the U.K. The airfare would be around $305 round-trip from Boston. You will have to have a passport. It would be a 7-day trip, which would include the actual CofC meeting, and some scenic tours of the U.K., such as Windsor Castle. Room costs would range from $50 to $100 per night. They noted that it would take about 150 people to make it work because the plan is to charter an airplane or two.
There was some discussion about whether we could entertain a bid two years in advance of the actual meeting. A motion that we accept bids at the 1998 meeting for the year 2000 meeting was passed and then withdrawn. Peter and Bev said that the NSVA UK will put in a bid in the year 1999 to host the 2000 Council of Councils meeting.
FVC noted that Florida hasn't been getting their Vanning On The Trail subscriptions and others have been getting them sporadically. On The Trail reps said they have been sending them out.
OPEN DISCUSSION FROM THE FLOOR:
Some reps were concerned that they read 7 different vanning newsletters and see many of the same articles in each newsletter. Geoff Koome said that newsletter editors have to do this. If the vanners send in more articles, the editor won't have to "lift" articles from other newsletters. Many reps made the point that they don't get all the newsletters so they appreciate the fact that they get the information. It doesn't bother them that they may see the same article twice. Better than not seeing it at all. Also, some items, like the Council of Councils minutes, are things that should be shared across all newsletters, as those type items are of common interest across the nation.
Brian concluded the meeting by announcing
that the Southeast Virginia Van Council had won the bid for the 1998 meeting
and he would see us in Virginia Beach next year.
ATTENDEES AT THE 1997 COUNCIL OF COUNCILS
MEETING
1. A.L.I.V.E.
2. Colorado Van Council
3. Corn Belt Van Council
4. Downstate Illinois Van Council
5. Florida Van Council
6. Greater New York Van Council
7. Heart of America Van Council
8. Hoosier Van Congress
9. Inter Vans & Truks of Scandinavia
10. Maritime Van Council
11. Maryland Van Council
12. Midwest Van Council
13. Minnesota Organization of Van Enthusiasts
14. Missouri Van Council
15. National Federation Van Council
16. National Street Van Association -
UK
17. New York Van Council
18. New Jersey Van Council
19. New England Van Council
20. Northeast Ohio Van Congress
21. Northern California Van Council
22. Northwest Van Council
23. Ontario Federation of Vanners
24. Quebec Van Council
25. Pennsylvania Van Council
26. Southeast Virginia Van Council
27. Southern Ohio Van Council
28. Southern Van Council
29. Van Association of New Zealand
30. Van Club Association of Michigan
31. Wisconsin Van Council
32. West Lake Erie Van Council