2016 Shootout Feedback

SCrazy

SCCoA Member
Each year after the Shootout we do a thread like this to get everyone's feedback on the event, we then try to incorporate as much of the comments into next years program as possible.

I personally think this was one of the best years we've had. The hotel was excellent, rooms were good, parking was great, staff was good, the banquet hall and food were excellent, carshow and dyno went smoothly (especially with all the cars being in one area) and racing was great.

Here is the downside of this year. The event took in about $2k less than we spent, not a big deal this year since in each of the past few years we had a little extra $$ that was used to make up the difference.

There were a number of things that added up:

1. The biggest was the banquet. People wanted a catered banquet and this years was excellent BUT it costs quite a bit more than what we had done in the past.
2. The party tent. We needed to set the tent up on the paved area of the lot this year rather than in the grass and all the concrete barrels to anchor the tent were expensive. The tent creates a focal point for all our activities on Friday and Saturday and I think it is a worthwhile amenity.
3. Our raffle revenue was down. The vendors who have so graciously supported us in the past we not able to do as much this year so the raffle income was way down.
4. Only 14 out of the possible 20 dyno slots were filled, leaving us short there.

If we choose to continue with events similar to this year we are looking at about a $30 per person increase in cost for next year. Keep in mind that the registration fees have not gone up in 4 or 5 years so maybe this increase is just coming due.

What do you all think???
 
Each year after the Shootout we do a thread like this to get everyone's feedback on the event, we then try to incorporate as much of the comments into next years program as possible.

I personally think this was one of the best years we've had. The hotel was excellent, rooms were good, parking was great, staff was good, the banquet hall and food were excellent, carshow and dyno went smoothly (especially with all the cars being in one area) and racing was great.

Here is the downside of this year. The event took in about $2k less than we spent, not a big deal this year since in each of the past few years we had a little extra $$ that was used to make up the difference.

There were a number of things that added up:

1. The biggest was the banquet. People wanted a catered banquet and this years was excellent BUT it costs quite a bit more than what we had done in the past.
2. The party tent. We needed to set the tent up on the paved area of the lot this year rather than in the grass and all the concrete barrels to anchor the tent were expensive. The tent creates a focal point for all our activities on Friday and Saturday and I think it is a worthwhile amenity.
3. Our raffle revenue was down. The vendors who have so graciously supported us in the past we not able to do as much this year so the raffle income was way down.
4. Only 14 out of the possible 20 dyno slots were filled, leaving us short there.

If we choose to continue with events similar to this year we are looking at about a $30 per person increase in cost for next year. Keep in mind that the registration fees have not gone up in 4 or 5 years so maybe this increase is just coming due.

What do you all think???

I did not make it this year but am reserving that time for next year to be a part of the event. I would have no problem with an increase. When I think of what it cost to get tickets to a concert or pro football game our event is very reasonable, just my two cents

Ken
 
I agree, Brian...this was one of the more enjoyable Shootouts since Danielle and I have been attending - despite our travel hang-ups on Friday! The extra space available around the hotel grounds was a VERY big plus for me. Overall, the hotel wasn't bad...the lobby and meeting rooms were awesome, but our room on the 3rd floor was sub-par...I'll spare the details unless you think they would be relevant! Considering all the things that turned out great about this hotel though, I'd be very willing to vote on returning there!

Your family and helpers that have cooked Sat nights in the past deserve to relax a little for Saturday dinners, so the catered meal raising the price a little is okay by me. The braised beef was exceeeelllllent, but as an overall dinner, it wasn't any better than what you've prepared for us in the past! :)

I know it's impractical, but the dyno shop in Xenia being available for dynos on Friday afternoon (and LATE Saturday night too!) was a really cool place to hang out and created some really memorable times for me. I bet the portable dyno is much more feasible though.

One thing that was a real "adder" to the event and didn't add to the registration costs was the visit that some made to Parkette Drive-In! This was on Friday and we were too late to join in, but it was awesome seeing pictures of several SC's stopped at the drive-in! I'm sure the company during dinner was a blast too!

I think having "meeting places" for Friday Lunch, Dinner and maybe Sunday dinner too would be an awesome addition to the itinerary. Just listing some restaurant that we can hang out at and a time...totally optional. This give a little chance for everyone to cruise as a group too...something that adds to the fun. :)


Thank you so much for your work, Brian and your family, the Niebert's, Dalke's, Kreisz's, DiPersia's and anyone else trying to avoid public recognition!
 
I agree, Brian...this was one of the more enjoyable Shootouts since Danielle and I have been attending - despite our travel hang-ups on Friday! The extra space available around the hotel grounds was a VERY big plus for me. Overall, the hotel wasn't bad...the lobby and meeting rooms were awesome, but our room on the 3rd floor was sub-par...I'll spare the details unless you think they would be relevant! Considering all the things that turned out great about this hotel though, I'd be very willing to vote on returning there!

Your family and helpers that have cooked Sat nights in the past deserve to relax a little for Saturday dinners, so the catered meal raising the price a little is okay by me. The braised beef was exceeeelllllent, but as an overall dinner, it wasn't any better than what you've prepared for us in the past! :)

I know it's impractical, but the dyno shop in Xenia being available for dynos on Friday afternoon (and LATE Saturday night too!) was a really cool place to hang out and created some really memorable times for me. I bet the portable dyno is much more feasible though.

One thing that was a real "adder" to the event and didn't add to the registration costs was the visit that some made to Parkette Drive-In! This was on Friday and we were too late to join in, but it was awesome seeing pictures of several SC's stopped at the drive-in! I'm sure the company during dinner was a blast too!

I think having "meeting places" for Friday Lunch, Dinner and maybe Sunday dinner too would be an awesome addition to the itinerary. Just listing some restaurant that we can hang out at and a time...totally optional. This give a little chance for everyone to cruise as a group too...something that adds to the fun. :)


Thank you so much for your work, Brian and your family, the Niebert's, Dalke's, Kreisz's, DiPersia's and anyone else trying to avoid public recognition!

Very happy with the hotel! If cost is increased a little thats fine!

Also very happy with the catered meal (also don't care about increased cost and gives you organizers a break!)

The cruise to parkete drive-in was awesome and something that needs better organized next year so MORE people go! Very good food and very neat retro place!

Meeting up sunday after racing for dinner is a great idea in the lexington area! I have met up with Matt and danielle and others several times for this over the years everyone is hungry after racing and most people are either staying in the area another night OR going through on the way home.

Amanda suggested EVERYONE bring a raffle item of some sorts. I was going to bring about 150$ worth of Reynolds products this year and they changed the day i can buy stuff from the company store so i did not get to bring anything. Everyone has something they can get free/cheap from work or whatever that can be donated to raise some extra $ for a good cause OR donate a decent part like tom downs did that was really cool of him. I am not even saying make it mandatory just a friendly suggestion! every little bit helps!

Guys get your'e crap together and start working on these cars and planning off time NOW for next year so you can make it! its sad to see the numbers drop every year on attendance!
 
I would have happily payed for additional dyno pulls at the end of the day to play with my tune a little if i would have known that slots were open!
For that matter i would have paid for (2) more slots and dyno'd the truck!
 
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Shootout Review

I thought it was great!!! I agree that the hotel and the grounds surrounding were very nice and fit our needs very very well. kept things centralized and more organized! I liked that the dyno was so close to the car show, because you weren't missing one to enjoy the other.

Tent is a GREAT idea. For this shootout it provided shelter from the rain, but who knows for the next one, might be a nice shady place to escape to as well. Definitely a KEEPER in my opinion.

I thought the run into Parkette was great, wish more had known so they could have joined in. HOWEVER there was a reunion that evening which resulted in slower than normal service...But if there's a decision made to have things in same location for next year, I can work with them to have a more "official" time slot added for Shootout to make an appearance.

Food and service was great. Like Matt, I like making the Oatway's life and Shootout experience easier so I am all for it,and don't mind paying more for that to become a standard.

I would still LOVE to have one of the "reaction time simulators" as part of the event! :rolleyes:

Sal
 
Raffle items

Amanda suggested EVERYONE bring a raffle item of some sorts. I was going to bring about 150$ worth of Reynolds products this year and they changed the day i can buy stuff from the company store so i did not get to bring anything. Everyone has something they can get free/cheap from work or whatever that can be donated to raise some extra $ for a good cause OR donate a decent part like tom downs did that was really cool of him. I am not even saying make it mandatory just a friendly suggestion! every little bit helps!

I agree with Amanda, Kathy's quilts are proof that it can be something other than car parts too!!
 
As far as quality of food goes, I really liked the dinner from the previous years much better. Like other were saying, though, it's tough to require you guys to do all the cooking, planning, collecting, and distributing. So it may be unfair to you guys to suggest going back to the previous year's dinners since it's more work. If it isn't a big deal and it's too much of a risk of going out of budget, then I'm sure some people wouldn't mind helping out to cut the cost.

Really the Shootout is about cars and people, not so much the food.

The head count concerns me. Were there even 20 cars there to fill the dyno slots? I'm not sure what the root cause of the reduction in head count over the years is. People phasing out based on interest, life changes, and/or just that they need more time to get their cars back together? Maybe the location change from Dayton was the partial cause. There definitely needs to be a fire lit on some people's motivation. Most of that can only be self-propelled, though.

I agree with Matt on the Dayton setup. The dyno used to start pretty early because DD would do tuning starting Thursday with a dyno shop. Then that brought a lot of people to the event based on opportunity, but that isn't really part of the scope anymore. So I thought it would be neat to find a location that has daily dyno services and will let people use it on Fridays for tuning. Might be a good attraction feature. Also, the Dayton setup separated the hotel from the dyno and car show. Probably just me, but I feel like separating the hotel from the two helps with the event's atmosphere. You get out and around. More opportunity to cruise with the gang.

I really think the committee did a great job this year. They do great every year. It's tough to accommodate everyone on everything and you guys do a good job with it.
 
Also, the Dayton setup separated the hotel from the dyno and car show. Probably just me, but I feel like separating the hotel from the two helps with the event's atmosphere. You get out and around. More opportunity to cruise with the gang

There are two groups of people who speak loudly on this issue. The other group strongly prefers the dyno and car show at the hotel so that they have access to their rooms and amenities at the hotel.

I too fondly remember crowds of people huddled around dynos until the wee hours watching DD tuning.....not sure if DD remembers those days as fondly though.

The year in Dayton we did a pig roast in the dyno parking lot, with a big tent and had a car show co-hosted at the neighboring Harley shop with another show they were doing there was a great year. Huge amount of work putting that one together though!!! I don't remember spending any time at the hotel that year.
 
I'll chime in even though I've regrettably never attended a shootout in the 17 years I've been on this message board, which certainly isn't helping the head count any.:(

For me the main reason for not attending is the distance. A 16-17 hr drive from NH isn't really ideal. I know the venue is more centralized to cater to most people, but unfortunately, it just doesn't work for me. I'd have to account for an entire day of travel on each leg of the trip, which means more time out of work, and that always isn't possible.

I'm with Casey on the amenities. The shootout should be about cars, whether that be from the car show event, dyno competition or the actual race track. I would never be expecting a 4-course meal and could care less what the hotel was like as long as I could grab some sleep and a shower. Order a bunch of pizza and subs and I'd be happy as a clam.

To help make sure the funds are covered for the dyno, can people just pre-pay with a full deposit? If they can't make it their money is still held unless their spot is able to be filled, in which they would receive a full refund. As far as dyno location, I'd rather see it at a facility rather than at the hotel. I think it'll give more flexibility to which hotels are willing to host us due to noise and safety concerns.

Just my two cents....
 
I agree on the dyno at separate location. It creates a different atmosphere, and is just more fun. There's usually work in progress cars at these shops which are cool to check out, or motors being built etc, or maybe its all the trapped exhaust fumes. Many times this year, dyno pulls were happening with basically zero people watching. In the past it has always seemed like more of a competition. A pull would end and people were fighting to get to the screen, anxious to see the numbers. I'm sure part of this is because of how tight the group is. Its likely that everyone could have guessed within 25hp of what someone was going to make. We know each others builds, and we know 90% are going to pull 285-385 for m90 and 385-485 for twin screw, with some exceptions.

I think the major turnout issues come down to little to no suspense, or excitement building up to it. I think all the SC guys and gals are amazing, its tight group and everyone cherishes their cars. I'm going to name some names here because they are on the top of my head, and I hope they don't take offence. Neibert, incredible paint, wheels, tires, brakes all clean, one of the top cars in the club, sounds nasty and always runs roll bar numbers, but I'm not excited to see it. I'm more excited to see David himself. If he dynoed, it would be similar feelings. Sorry to use you David, but everyone knows you :p. But anyways, that's kind of how we've all gotten. Dave Clark, tons of work, incredible car. I've seen a hundred pics, specs, bs'ed on FB. It was nice to see in person, but I wasn't all over the car, under it, looking at all the little tweaks because, like I said, in a way he's used social media to show off the work he's proud of. SO I glance at the car, and go find clark to shake his hand and catch up. My car is the same, it hasn't changed in 3 years besides wheels, which everyone saw on here and FB. In 2007 I rolled into the hotel and saw David's Ns car, Micahs, Tonys, Iras, and had a chubby! I told my buddy "look man, those are the unicorns, the baddest mofo's out there". I couldn't wait to examine every spot of the build. In 07 though, facebook was nothing, and cellphone pics sucked so bad you couldn't tell a bird from a cougar.

I guess what I'm getting at is, the shootout is a great event, especially this year. It was smooth, things ran on time, good food, etc, but it seems to lack excitement.


All the major car events that are thriving, have broadened the venue to allow other platforms. This brings spectators, and crowds and excitement, IMO. Texas supra meet used to be huge, hundreds of supras' then 75, then 50, then 25. Then call outs started happening to other cars, vettes, vipers, cobras, and a multi vehicle meet started. Now the meet is so large it basically shuts down half of Houston. Its actually too big.

I'm afraid if we do not do this, attendance will be sticking to this steady decline. I'm unsure of the proper way to achieve what I'm talking about but I think it would bring back the excitement.

Maybe if we rented a nicer track, people with racing connections like Casey/Dalke could invite a select few 15-20 high dollar cars out for a t&t. Like 200mph cars, x275 cars, 10.5", twin turbo lambos. Those guys need practice, give them a cheap track day, and let everyone, including them, T&T and grudge race while we T&T and grudge race. Just an idea. Dave Dalke's son Andrew is a perfect example, He didn't give two ~~~~~ about super coupes, he had seen plenty, but when Casey pulled out the racecar the one year, he was stoked!
 
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I disagree on the two locations thing. mainly it is super convenient to have the dyno at the hotel. You don't have to heat soak it to drive it there, if you need tools, parts etc you have your'e truck and trailer right there. Plus wives/girlfriends get bored with that stuff and can go chill in the room. If i'd have known that we did not fill all the dyno slots i would have loved to pay and throw the SC back on and crank up the timing until it quit making more power (since i have yet to get to do this) and i had race fuel in it. I thought the event went great and we just need to get the cars back that have not been able to make it. And get more vender support as it has been falling off badly every year! One thing that did not help we literally had 4/5 cars drop out because of breakdowns before racing even started. Mechanical failures were worse this year than i have seen since i started attending in 2012
 
The dyno/car show at the hotel has been more to help the wives and families, which if anything, have grown through the years. It's more the norm to be traveling with at least a spouse to the Shootout now. If you drive in a single car, the spouse may not be thrilled to be stuck at the remote dyno location for 8 hours. . . Not including children, over 70% of registrants brought a companion. That speaks volumes to our event!

But I agree, we need to at least consider opening this event up to other cars, whether we stick within the Ford moniker or not. It's going to be hard to attract new faces when we're dealing with a car that hasn't been produced in 20+ years and sells for under $5k. Sad, but true.

There was talk of having an "Epic Drive" next year, similar to the Power Tour. Do something like this in the Spring to get everyone revved up and ready to go for the Shootout in the fall. Dust off your car and be ready to roll! Would be a large undertaking to plan. . . Would be nice if we could do a fair amount of driving to hit various areas and pick people up along the way for a day or two, but would also be nice to find those off the beaten path restaurants, car museums, etc., instead of just driving 600 miles in a day.

Something to think about. We definitely need to change things up a bit. The location? Always going to be tough to handle. The main Shootout crew seems to follow wherever it goes. Picking up the stragglers is key. I did a 12 hour drive (Taking Friday and Monday off work), I know the Oatways had a good hike, some Canadians (eh?) and John from Vegas takes the cake. I haven't brought my Thunderbird in the past two years (And get plenty of flak for it), but I also just enjoy coming out to see everyone and their cars more than anything. I don't have a trailer (Or would bring the SC.)

The Shootout this year couldn't have gone any better in my eyes. Just need to bring in more people, sponsors, etc. Whatever it takes to do that is worth it or we won't have a Shootout in a few years.
 
..... but it seems to lack excitement....

I hate to be Mr. negative, but I agree with this 100%, just from the activity on the forums. I took a long break from these cars and from the forum while I wrapped up my graduate work and started a family. When I returned 5 years later, pretty much nothing had changed. The same 3 guys were fast and the rest have mildly stock cars. I think the same thing happens at the shootout. Everyone pulls the same dyno numbers and a few guys like Brian and Casey are pushing the envelope (which is exciting). If I ever do get to attend a shootout, it'll be to check out the guys that are pushing the envelope and to also toss my hat into the ring with them. The rest just seems to be lackluster. :cool:
 
I hate to be Mr. negative, but I agree with this 100%, just from the activity on the forums. I took a long break from these cars and from the forum while I wrapped up my graduate work and started a family. When I returned 5 years later, pretty much nothing had changed. The same 3 guys were fast and the rest have mildly stock cars. I think the same thing happens at the shootout. Everyone pulls the same dyno numbers and a few guys like Brian and Casey are pushing the envelope (which is exciting). If I ever do get to attend a shootout, it'll be to check out the guys that are pushing the envelope and to also toss my hat into the ring with them. The rest just seems to be lackluster. :cool:

Ouch my 737rwhp isn't pushing the envelope:p
 
I hate to be Mr. negative, but I agree with this 100%, just from the activity on the forums. I took a long break from these cars and from the forum while I wrapped up my graduate work and started a family. When I returned 5 years later, pretty much nothing had changed. The same 3 guys were fast and the rest have mildly stock cars. I think the same thing happens at the shootout. Everyone pulls the same dyno numbers and a few guys like Brian and Casey are pushing the envelope (which is exciting). If I ever do get to attend a shootout, it'll be to check out the guys that are pushing the envelope and to also toss my hat into the ring with them. The rest just seems to be lackluster. :cool:
Mr negative obviously hasn't been around for quit a while I push the envelope every year man.
 
The dyno/car show at the hotel has been more to help the wives and families, which if anything, have grown through the years. It's more the norm to be traveling with at least a spouse to the Shootout now. If you drive in a single car, the spouse may not be thrilled to be stuck at the remote dyno location for 8 hours. . . Not including children, over 70% of registrants brought a companion. That speaks volumes to our event!

But I agree, we need to at least consider opening this event up to other cars, whether we stick within the Ford moniker or not. It's going to be hard to attract new faces when we're dealing with a car that hasn't been produced in 20+ years and sells for under $5k. Sad, but true.

There was talk of having an "Epic Drive" next year, similar to the Power Tour. Do something like this in the Spring to get everyone revved up and ready to go for the Shootout in the fall. Dust off your car and be ready to roll! Would be a large undertaking to plan. . . Would be nice if we could do a fair amount of driving to hit various areas and pick people up along the way for a day or two, but would also be nice to find those off the beaten path restaurants, car museums, etc., instead of just driving 600 miles in a day.

Something to think about. We definitely need to change things up a bit. The location? Always going to be tough to handle. The main Shootout crew seems to follow wherever it goes. Picking up the stragglers is key. I did a 12 hour drive (Taking Friday and Monday off work), I know the Oatways had a good hike, some Canadians (eh?) and John from Vegas takes the cake. I haven't brought my Thunderbird in the past two years (And get plenty of flak for it), but I also just enjoy coming out to see everyone and their cars more than anything. I don't have a trailer (Or would bring the SC.)

The Shootout this year couldn't have gone any better in my eyes. Just need to bring in more people, sponsors, etc. Whatever it takes to do that is worth it or we won't have a Shootout in a few years.
The sho crowd no longer has a national meet. They would be the first group I could think of that would be a welcome addition to our venue. Several members own both and due to the fact that they were both produced first in 89 it kind of makes sense.
 
The sho crowd no longer has a national meet. They would be the first group I could think of that would be a welcome addition to our venue. Several members own both and due to the fact that they were both produced first in 89 it kind of makes sense.

I agree its another of fords bastard cars with a small following and in stock
form very comparable in prrformance. I would be completely cool with an sho
Merger there are probably 4 of those things still on the road!
 
Mr negative obviously hasn't been around for quit a while I push the envelope every year man.

I think this all got taken out of context. Wasn't trying to single anyone out but it just seems that only a small handful of people that are pushing the envelope and the rest stays fairly same between years. The point I was trying to make (or more agree with...) is that there is a lack of excitement as neverfastenough pointed out.
 
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