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UK's first Mega Event

rutson

By rutson
in United Kingdom and Ireland

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rutson

+rutson

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hello Cachers!

 

The date has now been set for the first Mega Event in the UK!

 

Saturday 21 June 2008

 

The main event will take place in the Harrogate area from 12 noon until late with camping and caravanning facilities from Friday to Sunday (maybe longer). The lunchtime start has been chosen to allow ample time for people to travel to the event.

 

Event registration will be free, but if you wish to help fund the event we do intend on minting some Geocoins for the event. The cost hasn't been set yet, but expect it to be no more than £10. We do intend to have a version just for event attendees, and one for general sale.

 

Early registration will be appreciated so we can gauge number to get the coins made.

 

Can those teams for which this date is not suitable please delete their "Will Attend" log so that we can keep track of potential numbers.

Edited by rutson
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Stuey

+Stuey

Posted
Posted

 

Can those teams for which this date is not suitable please delete their "Will Attend" log so that we can keep track of potential numbers.

 

Yup, sadly will have to do so, falls right in the middle of an international conference I am organising :(

 

Me too (well, not organising a conference, lol).

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The Royles

The Royles

Posted
Posted

Those who are concerned about the date falling within exam time should find this link helpful. http://www.modernisationonline.org.uk/comp...ncedsearch.aspx

 

The site suggest that only 3% of all English and Welsh exams at all levels (GCSE, A-Levels NVQs etc) are after the 21st June.

 

I think more people will be concerned with it being in term time to be honest.

 

I sincerely hope that being outside of the school holidays does not affect the numbers too much.

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Mad H@ter

+Mad H@ter

Posted
Posted

Those who are concerned about the date falling within exam time should find this link helpful. http://www.modernisationonline.org.uk/comp...ncedsearch.aspx

 

The site suggest that only 3% of all English and Welsh exams at all levels (GCSE, A-Levels NVQs etc) are after the 21st June.

True, but bearing in mind the distance involved to make this viable for us we would need to make at least a mini holiday out of it, this would have been the preceding week. Yes we could make it the following week (assuming the exams are over) but then most other cachers doing similar will have gone home as it is the norm to come early.

3 very important % for those taking them though

Absolutely

 

Unfortunately the date chosen is very family unfriendly, lets hope the event doesn't suffer too much from this.

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Wadders

+Wadders

Posted
Posted

:( Surely, you are shooting yourselves in the foot by not holding it in the school holidays!

It was always dependant on the date, but by holding it outside of the holidays you lose the families..AND the children that would have helped with the numbers!!!

Heres another -3

And i thought the 1st comittee meeting took place in January!!!

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UK Mega Event Committee

+UK Mega Event Committee

Posted
Posted

 

Unfortunately the date chosen is very family unfriendly,

 

Knowing that a few members of the committee have children I have to agree :)

 

Never mind you will never please us all, and none of us with kids with that date :P

 

M :(

 

Sorry Mandy to hear about that you could not come

 

Just to let you know that 50% of the committee have children.

 

This date was discussed with Families in mind and we came to the decision that a weekend away would suit children. The data we had showed 67 children attending along with 267 adults who had logged an initial interest. Well on the way to a mega event !

 

Therefore children was very much in the discussion.

 

We decided that leaving school on a Friday with it being the longest day there was plenty of time even for the longest journey to get up or down to Harrogate that night or if Families did not want to travel that day leaving on Saturday Morning at say 7am even with a 5 hour drive they would arive in time for the start at Midday.

 

As I said in my log the other day, we are only a normal group of cachers and we are trying our best, some big lessions to learn....

 

Obviously I hope that when the "dust" has settled then cachers can think about the logistics and re-consider.

 

We also took into count that cachers with children could not attend in school holidays as they have prior committments and be away on Holiday !

 

Catch 22 !! What did we do !

 

We are learning fast

 

As I said from the begining "WE NEED YOU !"

 

Please continue to help us with your support and comments

 

Robin (Harrogate Hunters)

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maxkim

+maxkim

Posted
Posted

not sure about the family thing...... its a Sat afternoon event after all. We have travelled up to 2 hours for a cache event in a day with children in the past, certainly to the NE for CITO etc without problems and will be travelling to this. After all its not every day that a mega event comes along is it..... :(:)

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mongoose39uk

+mongoose39uk

Posted
Posted

not sure about the family thing...... its a Sat afternoon event after all. We have travelled up to 2 hours for a cache event in a day with children in the past, certainly to the NE for CITO etc without problems and will be travelling to this. After all its not every day that a mega event comes along is it..... :(:)

 

Looking at the way the numbers are dropping I think a mega event may no longer be on the cards.

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martlakes

+martlakes

Posted
Posted

I guess one trouble with the summer holidays is that lots of families will be going away anyway and trying to divert to a caching event when you've already got a weeks holiday booked isn't going to be easy. I don't think there is any easy date that will guarantee to suit everyone.

I don't envy the committee's job of making these fundamental decisions - the only sure thing is they will annoy someone whatever they do! :(

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The Royles

The Royles

Posted
Posted

I guess one trouble with the summer holidays is that lots of families will be going away anyway and trying to divert to a caching event when you've already got a weeks holiday booked isn't going to be easy. I don't think there is any easy date that will guarantee to suit everyone.

I don't envy the committee's job of making these fundamental decisions - the only sure thing is they will annoy someone whatever they do! :(

 

Please do not misrepresent people, I dont think anyone is annoyed. Disappointed we cant make it maybe, but not annoyed. I am sure that those who have to withdraw from attending wishes the event all the success it deserves, and will continue to follow its progress.

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Mad H@ter

+Mad H@ter

Posted
Posted

I guess one trouble with the summer holidays is that lots of families will be going away anyway and trying to divert to a caching event when you've already got a weeks holiday booked isn't going to be easy. I don't think there is any easy date that will guarantee to suit everyone.

I don't envy the committee's job of making these fundamental decisions - the only sure thing is they will annoy someone whatever they do! :(

 

Please do not misrepresent people, I dont think anyone is annoyed. Disappointed we cant make it maybe, but not annoyed. I am sure that those who have to withdraw from attending wishes the event all the success it deserves, and will continue to follow its progress.

--- deleted ---

 

Best say nothing here I think

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mollyjak

+mollyjak

Posted
Posted

Sorry but we'll be out with that date as well.

Too far to travel for just the week end and don't think my headteacher would take kindly to me taking time off.

Was really looking forward to spending 5 to 7 days in an area we haven't been to before.

Thought and hoped it would be at any time during the school holidays then we could have made it

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Jaz666

+Jaz666

Posted
Posted

Right folks.

 

The committee is listening and talking options, we were expecting some fallout, but I feel some of the comments made here and on the cachepage have overlooked the fact that we are human, and venturing into something never done in the UK caching community before.

 

Can I ask that no further comments are made until the committee are ready to make a statement, and can I also ask that the mods close this topic.

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Us 4 and Jess

+Us 4 and Jess

Posted
Posted

I guess one trouble with the summer holidays is that lots of families will be going away anyway and trying to divert to a caching event when you've already got a weeks holiday booked isn't going to be easy. I don't think there is any easy date that will guarantee to suit everyone.

I don't envy the committee's job of making these fundamental decisions - the only sure thing is they will annoy someone whatever they do! :(

 

Please do not misrepresent people, I dont think anyone is annoyed. Disappointed we cant make it maybe, but not annoyed. I am sure that those who have to withdraw from attending wishes the event all the success it deserves, and will continue to follow its progress.

 

In reply to martlakes post.

 

A lot of familes make geocaching events into holidays if they have to travel a fair distance and will stop for a long weekend and maybe even a week, I know we have done this and I know many other caching teams who have too.

 

In reply to Andy's post.

 

We were all looking forward to this event, and I am annoyed I'm bliddy annoyed what a cr*p date for all the caching teams with families, (and yes I know I will be slated for saying so) but I bet many others agree with me too, but wont have the bottle to say it!! :)

 

M

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MBFace

+MBFace

Posted
Posted

I have just had a look through the attendance logs and I reckon if all the caching teams who have kids pull out of this event you will loose 101 attendees (and that is only the folks I know have kids!!!) :(

 

M

 

Not to mention those without kids who go away outside the school holidays :) .

 

Disappointed rather than annoyed MBF

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Deceangi

Deceangi

Posted
Posted

At the request of a Member of the organising committee, I'm closing this topic. To allow them to consider the comments that have been made and their options over the actual date of the event. Please bear with them as nothing this size has been organised in the UK before, mistakes will be made. The lessons learned will I'm sure be passed on to next years organising committee. They are listening and paying attention to the feed back.

 

Deceangi

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