TheFanatics Event Feedback Thread

R!Yo

Staff - Social Media
Staff member
///Moose said:
I've been guilty of missing a few of the recent events however I opened a Pizzeria in addition to my day job so my weekends are pretty hectic till 10pm.

Having said that we can do a Cars @ Pizza meet lol

I can already smell the pizza :rollsmile: :roflol::roflol:
 
I am going to comment, but not to give feedback on what I feel events should or should not be.
My 2c is to the staff of the forum.

When one asks for feedback you dealing with other people's perceptions. You might no always agree with it, but you asked it, so you can determine where you can tweak things.
One does not justify, attack or rationalize feedback. You take it for what it is, FEEDBACK.
You can never keep everyone happy, but you can manage the perceptions of the majority of the community you are trying to serve. Hence the existence of this thread.
 

Arbee

Honorary ///Member
Morning guys...

See how i said Morning and not Good morning... Waking up and reading some of these comments depress the hell out of me, personally. And with that said i can only imagine how crap (for lack of a better word) all of TheFanatics staff feel.

For the guys that have our back, i thank you, I appreciate the words of kindness towards TheFanatics and its team. We value your support and wish that you continue to support us to do what we love to do.

For those who assume that TheFanatics is a business, i beg to differ. While we strive to run it like a business, i must advise that NONE OF THE STAFF ARE PAID in any way. TheFanatics does not have that kind of float, floating around. TheFanatics, at this stage cannot afford R80 000 to hire out a track for events. We (TheFanatics) is alive now through the support from advertisers of this forum, we scrape our hosting fee's. There are times were the staff are actually paying for things for events on their own accord and not even expecting anything in return. Yet, some members still find it easy to flame them?

Events such as Race Day are setup for the members, TheFanatics does not make a cent, and even if it does, NO STAFF GETS PAID/MONEY. So please dont compare it to the likes of a BMW Dealership. All the staff you see working their butt's off do it for the passion and love for this community. Yet, some members find it difficult to swallow when these volunteers are fighting back at you? Come now... You have hurt their feelings, accept it and move on...

Yes, like i said, we strive to keep our members happy, thats the point of this thread. If you have skipped my posts, go back and read them, all i want is to get more members at our events, not cos I want to be best club out there, not cos i want to win the best crew trophy. Its cos i want members to come together and meet the people they frequently chat to online, in cyber space. In reality... Real life! No keyboard gangsters...

For those that say they dont come to events cos of the fighting on the forum or that the forum was better in the past. Let me be blunt, that is a sorry excuse, you want to know why? Heres a personal one, I (Arbee) have made friends, as much as i have made enemies in this place. I have made mistakes which caused friends to turn into enemies. Yet, today, if i have to meet these guys on the street, i will smile, shake their hands and strike a conversation. The forum is not what the club is portrayed to be. If we acted the same at events, we would not have a community...

One last point, my staff work dam hard to keep this forum running. From moderators, event staff, social media, merchandise. All of them, every single volunteer works bloody hard. The amount of effort and time put in, is nowhere what is seen on the front. And for that, i appreciate and thank each of them for their passion. The least the members could do is thank them before flaming them.

Okay rant over... Back to topic.

For all the members that have attended an event and did not enjoy it, please give us another chance? If, after the next event you still feel the same, then go ahead and flame the staff.

If you havent attended an event yet, please attend the next one and flame us if you did not enjoy it.

Some feedback from me, i am busy in the back rooms conversing with the events teams. We have a strategy in mind, but no confirmation as yet...

We are essentially cutting down on all events, keeping to 4 main events for the year and between these will be smaller, social events.

The purpose of my long, depressed, angry post is not to offend anyone in particular, its just to let you know that we have taken your feedback in and we are going to do our very best to accommodate each request. If i did offend you, please come see me at an event and we can chat about it face to face. Perhaps my emotion when we chat will give you an understanding of what it takes to keep members happy...

Arbee
 

Twinz

Forum - Support
Staff member
VukMiler said:
But maybe at events, the mods can wear identifying clothing (like the caps that have been suggested), so that newbies can easily identify them and then use them as a conduit into the pre-existing social circles.

Cool idea. Then new comers can intro themselves to staff and that will enable staff to ensure that newbys are welcomed.

I like. :coolShake:
 

dvst8

///Member
Weird how the same concerns are raised by the same people over and over.

Somehow, I feel that even if every member is instructed to wear clown suits and juggle for 1st time attendees as they enter their first events, they still not going to attend. There will be other issues.

For those that are looking back 3-4 years and how much better the forum was ! Thats a joke, we have mived leaps and bounds and TheFanatics is in a much better place. The work done in the back end has been amazing.

The forum may be a business, however, the staff are not a business, their selfless effort and sacrifrice comes at personal cost and not any business. The events are not organsied for themselves or the "business", it is for members who join this forum at Zero Cost. As members, you pay nothing for any service or product, BMWFantatics is a free platform for you to love your brand, Events take it a step further and allow you to experience your brand with your peers.
 

Arbee

Honorary ///Member
herr bmw said:
I stopped doing it as being awake for nearly 24 hours and doing over 350km in one day was taking it out of me


cheers herr bmw

Hi Colin,

Nice to see you posting...

The above has said enough for me.

Thanks
Arbee
 

Arbee

Honorary ///Member
Twinz@TheFanatics said:
VukMiler said:
But maybe at events, the mods can wear identifying clothing (like the caps that have been suggested), so that newbies can easily identify them and then use them as a conduit into the pre-existing social circles.

Cool idea. Then new comers can intro themselves to staff and that will enable staff to ensure that newbys are welcomed.

I like. :coolShake:

Caps are sorted, most staff have them already... A few more to collect/deliver...

Shirts are being sorted as we speak... At this point, we are collecting money from the staff members for their shirts, once all have paid we will send the approval and payment to the supplier...
 

Arbee

Honorary ///Member
dvst8 said:
Weird how the same concerns are raised by the same people over and over.

Somehow, I feel that even if every member is instructed to wear clown suits and juggle for 1st time attendees as they enter their first events, they still not going to attend. There will be other issues.

For those that are looking back 3-4 years and how much better the forum was ! Thats a joke, we have mived leaps and bounds and TheFanatics is in a much better place. The work done in the back end has been amazing.

The forum may be a business, however, the staff are not a business, their selfless effort and sacrifrice comes at personal cost and not any business. The events are not organsied for themselves or the "business", it is for members who join this forum at Zero Cost. As members, you pay nothing for any service or product, BMWFantatics is a free platform for you to love your brand, Events take it a step further and allow you to experience your brand with your peers.

Shikar, i value this input and im sure the staff will as well. Thank you.
 

beezo003

New member
Howzit Guyz

I know i dont talk much on the forum or at events that i do make it for, but i sit at work everyday reading whats happening, looking at all my dream cars lol...You guys have lovely cars...

I used to try and make it for ice cream meets, a few years back i used to love it, Honestly i think alot of the fighting that has happened here has caused alot of discomfort for members.But also what happened to ice cream meets once a month? also if you can have it after pay day thats great, middle of the month is very difficult most of us is broke by the first week.

I think ice cream meets was where alot of relationships were built, because that was when you used to talk about the cars meet the people etc we need that back, unless i just keep on missing it??

Fine you guys want people to attend the big events etc but why dont we build from scratch, because at big events you not building relationships, we rather looking at the other cars.

And some of you guys saying that you dont have nice cars, or there isnt the same type of car etc to come to the meets, its a bit of bull for me as, i used to have a E36 318, to be honest i was even embarrassed to go with my car, but then i went and it just gave me motivation seeing all these lovely cars and the care and pride people put into their cars.

I think this forum needs to build its foundation again, this is my point i am trying to make, this forum can be the best place for all types of cars, but everyone needs to be willing to build it together.

Cheers
 

ChefDJ

///Member
I'd just like to make a statement that the @TheFanatics staff body (those with @TheFanatics next to their names) is not a body with the same collective thoughts and opinions. Please do not regard the entire body as one with a single mindset or with a single direction of thought. To do so would be generalising the entire committee that runs this forum. Bear in mind that events are not governed by the forum shareholders, nor by the moderators and administrators that have taken up the task of ensuring the forum is kept in check.

Each and every individual who joined the forum hierarchy did so at their own accord, even the mods who were voted into place by you guys, the very members that make up this forum. Those mods were first contacted by the admins to ensure they were up to the task and to be asked if they accepted the position. They had every right to decline, and indeed some members did. Let me reiterate that no member of this forum receives a salary for being an admin, mod, events coordinator, social media coordinator or official photographer. The task of being involved is done so at the cost of the member himself - the cost of time away from home and family, the time away from work possibly, the time away from weekends meant for relaxing, and sometimes at the cost of that member's wallet.

Yes, the TheFanatics portal is a business. Any website is, where costs are involved, unless there's a guy behind it who doesn't mind paying for hosting costs etc out of his own pocket and not receiving it back. This is why I mentioned the shareholders. However, TheFanatics is not a very profitable business. Our shareholders are a group of fanatical enthusiasts with a love for the brand and the people of the forum. Time and time again ideas for events are scrapped and ideas for merchandise are scrapped because the forum simply cannot fork out the money for these "luxuries". So often the idea to host a track day at Tarlton or Kyalami comes up, but the forum simply cannot fork out the 100k needed just to host the day, renting the place and paying for authorities for the day, etc. The only way we could ever think of achieving this is to formalise forum memberships and have an annual fee for it. And even then we would still need sponsorships and entry fees to make an event that big successful and enjoyable.

Every single cent this forum earns from the limited number of Google ads you see every third or fifth post, plus any margin of profit the forum sees from an event such as the race day at ODI, goes to firstly the hosting and services of the forum and secondly to the small events that we can afford. BMWFanatics birthday where there might be a cake? The forum will pay for that, if no one sponsors it. My point here is again to reiterate that this business is here for the members and that its staff does not gain a single cent for their time and effort.

There will be events that not everyone will enjoy. I am guilty of not attending every single event. Some of them I enjoy more than others. Some of them I don't enjoy at all. ODI? I might attend for support but I really don't see myself slamming a car down those strips. Ice cream runs? I will be there for the ice cream, and even convoy to the final meeting spot for even more ice cream. But when the guys start gearing up to do the last midnight run part of the event, I say my goodbye's and I make my way home. I also can't commit myself to every event due to me having a demanding lifestyle in my private time. I run two other jobs after my priority work during the day. In fact I get more free time to relax at work than I do at home. So I might have commitments, as I'm sure some of you do, that prevent me from attending events. My first event was an ice cream meet and I vaguely remember it being the one where a certain Lamborghini got stuck in a massive downpour with its roof off, and it took like 5 guys around 10 minutes trying to secure the roof back in place while the poor Lambo gets filled up with water. At this event I met a total of zero members. Not one. I walked around taking photos of the cars for 20 minutes, and when the storm hit and after I'd finished watching the Lambo guys struggling, I went home and posted my pics on the forum. After that I started attending more events and slowly but surely I met a few Fanatics (one of which still owes me a Wakaberry and a few lanyards from one of my earlier events :) ) and this is how I started to build up my presence off the forum and out in the open, learning that, yes, there is indeed life outside the forums!

I agree with some members here that perhaps some of the events are badly timed (financial sectors of the month being a concern), but let me also point out that this is the first time ever that the forum has actually got an event committee. All events from around a year and a half ago and back were organised by members of the forum doing the "hey lets have a breakfast run to this place on this day" type of thing. So it will take time for the events committee to get into a routine and learn the do's and don'ts of how to host an event. Hosting events is not a forum obligation. It gets done because to some people this forum is their biggest hobby/pastime/passion/pleasure.

If you see a thread pops up and an official event is announced, and you don't like something you see, then make it known. It might just be something that slipped the minds of those who organised it. Trust me when I say that the events committee's greatest benefit would be feedback from the members who attend or would like to attend the events. Last year there was hype for a paintball event. This year it gets organised, and then? It gets cancelled because too few commitments. What happened? You wanted it? Was there something wrong with how it was planned? Was it the location? Nobody said anything to better the situation and so it got cancelled. What else could have been done to save it? Make it known to the organisers otherwise they do not know what to cater for.

On the subject of the organisers/committee members/staff showing animosity in this thread... I have seen it from a few, but also don't think it's done purposely or intended to pass insult. I see animosity from members to staff as well, and not only in this thread. So perhaps a few of the staff have taken this a bit more personally than what they should have, but this topic has become a sensitive one and I assure you that the organisers/events committee have already begun discussions on how to deal with this issue and how to improve on the situation going forward. This is no lie. I can see the events discussion subforum and what happens in there (yes there is actually one, where events are discussed and planned and even dummy threads are posted before they post the live thread for the rest of the forum to see). So yes they are attending to this issue and it may take some time to resolve.

Reach out. If you don't want to post in an events thread about something you don't like in fear of being ridiculed on the open forum, then PM the guy who posted the thread. Or PM a mod or admin. We will relay the message so they can discuss it. We are very approachable. I am very approachable. We're here to serve the forum and its members to the best of our ability, but we cannot please every soul.
 

VictorMike

///Member
I do apologise to any member/mod I might have offended, was not my intention.

All I really want (and I don't believe I am alone in this) to meet up and have a good time.
 

KarshS

///Member
I remember my first ice cream meet some years back. I dint know anyone, i walked around lost. next event i was two minds about going.

As i became more involved posting on the forum and getting help from the guys soon enough i made friends with a whole bunch of guys and their family's.

today i can say those people i have met are involved in my life daily and became like family.

Their will be groups at events.....Some talk about engines.....Some talk about weather....some talk about cars and women :rollsmile: Guess you know the group i stand with.

Newbies find your group start to talk. I can tell you from the small group of friends we had to the large group we have now. They were not invited to join us they just walked up and joined in the fun.

I wish i could go to every event, sadly time is an issue. I only get time to spend with my son on weekends and with school projects and so on the weekend is over before i know it.

The forum has grown miles in the last few years.....You cannot compare what it was to what it is now.

I think we can all look back at events and think this should have been done different or i should have done better. Thats how we grow as people. We have to better our self's before pointing a finger.
 

Arbee

Honorary ///Member
Karsh330d said:
I remember my first ice cream meet some years back. I dint know anyone, i walked around lost. next event i was two minds about going.

As i became more involved posting on the forum and getting help from the guys soon enough i made friends with a whole bunch of guys and their family's.

today i can say those people i have met are involved in my life daily and became like family.

Their will be groups at events.....Some talk about engines.....Some talk about weather....some talk about cars and women :rollsmile: Guess you know the group i stand with.

Newbies find your group start to talk. I can tell you from the small group of friends we had to the large group we have now. They were not invited to join us they just walked up and joined in the fun.

I wish i could go to every event, sadly time is an issue. I only get time to spend with my son on weekends and with school projects and so on the weekend is over before i know it.

The forum has grown miles in the last few years.....You cannot compare what it was to what it is now.

I think we can all look back at events and think this should have been done different or i should have done better. Thats how we grow as people. We have to better our self's before pointing a finger.

Thanks Karsh... Here is a guy who mistakenly did not get the accolade due to him at two events due to me being tired and capturing incorrectly at prize giving, yet still supports our forum with his heart.

If Karsh can forgive and forget, i dont see why everyone cannot.
 

Arbee

Honorary ///Member
VukMiler said:
I do apologise to any member/mod I might have offended, was not my intention.

All I really want (and I don't believe I am alone in this) to meet up and have a good time.

:ty:
 

922-ZN

Well-known member
Fuzz@TheFanatics said:
Just going to point out the glaring difference of views between those who regularly attend events vs those who sit behind their PCs and come up with various (mostly untrue) hypotheses.

Attitude gents, that's what determines a lot around here.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Very well said:thumbs:


ET was here said:
is it possible that these so-called cliques are based on personal perceptions, perceptions based on race, ethnicity and religious persuasion

a solitary Afrikaner whitey, would feel obviously left out, or would feel hesitant and possibly unwelcome to join a clique or circle of strangers other than his direct values and comfort zone.

I see this obvious and natural behavior at my work place, and it does lead to a sensation of seclusion for the poor minority individual.

Then that's the solitary afrikaaners problem as he is the one feeling left out, no one is making him feel that way
 

Lizzard

Active member
Arbee, thank you for the opportunity you presented to us to comment like this thread. Yes there are fights here but that is how we all learn and understand.

I agree with the welcome thing and the fact that as a new comer to the events that you sort of lost when arriving there and not sure who to meet or who is who. It would be great if there is something we can do regarding this but like some of the fanatics (yes all of us is) said maybe put a place or sign for the newcomers to learn the old events people. I for one would like to learn more people, that i might know on the forum but have no idea who they are in real life or how they look. Long story short, i think an introduction booth or something will be way welcome at the events.
 

922-ZN

Well-known member
VukMiler said:
BMW Fanatics: Hey why is no one attending our events?

Forum members: reason a, reason b, reason c, reason d, reason e...

BMW Fanatics: SHUT UP! There is obviously something wrong with you! Why cant you be like these other guys over here, that are 700kms away from the event you are complaining about.

Forum members: wtf?

This right here is probably the reason you were met with the greetings you were at that event

#justsaying

I would like to commend the events committees and forum mods on a good job.

I thoroughly enjoy the kzn events.
Problem is dedication, my example here is purely based on KZN, we have a whatsapp group of 50+ participants, of which only, I'd guesstimate, 50% is active on the group and at events. There is no dedication of even an inkling that those other 50% even exist, I may be a douche but personally I'd rather have a club of 20 dedicated, passionate members than a club of 1000 no shows and nay sayers. My point is that regular attendees of events/gatherings enjoy the effort put in by the team and I think the team should focus on those inputs when it comes to events. If you want your moment, join the events, whether you enjoy them or not, mingle and make friends(I PROMISE you will if you make the effort) and EARN your right to criticise/suggest new things or events you want to see.

Lastly, ZERO negatives from my side to the events team, well done and I will continue to support your events.

Please note, this pertains to events only and not the forum and how it is run
 

VictorMike

///Member
922-ZN said:
This right here is probably the reason you were met with the greetings you were at that event

#justsaying

Thanks for coming in late, cherry picking, and then re-starting a conflict. I do so love antagonism.
 
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