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Mega Event - South Africa


Team_vdlo

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Hi all,

 

South Africa has successfully hosted the FIFA Soccer World Cup.....Are we ready to host a Geocaching MEGA event in South Africa?

 

Can this be pulled off in 2011 (second half) to still form part of the 10 years Geocaching in SA? :laughing:

 

I love a good event... the Mega the Better I always say :):lol:

 

I guess the question would be the logistics of where to host it... I vote Cape Town :lol:

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GEO936 have been investigating this for some time and are in consultation with Groundspeak. There is a lot involved and it will take at least 18 months to coordinate it and meet the minimum requirements. (For example: you have to guarantee a minimum 500 attendees.)

But yes, in principle, South Africa should and can host an event like this. Contact GEO936 if you would like to contribute and be part of the LOC. (Local organising commitee)

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Hi all,

 

South Africa has successfully hosted the FIFA Soccer World Cup.....Are we ready to host a Geocaching MEGA event in South Africa?

 

Can this be pulled off in 2011 (second half) to still form part of the 10 years Geocaching in SA? :laughing:

 

I love a good event... the Mega the Better I always say :):lol:

 

I guess the question would be the logistics of where to host it... I vote Cape Town :lol:

 

I think the only problem is the number of attendees - does it not have to number 500 (is that cachers or caching ids?) for it to be a Mega Event I don't think we have enough cachers in SA. Other than that I would be interested. Cape Town FTW

 

Trev

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GEO936 have been investigating this for some time and are in consultation with Groundspeak. There is a lot involved and it will take at least 18 months to coordinate it and meet the minimum requirements. (For example: you have to guarantee a minimum 500 attendees.)

But yes, in principle, South Africa should and can host an event like this. Contact GEO936 if you would like to contribute and be part of the LOC. (Local organising commitee)

 

I think the only problem is the number of attendees - does it not have to number 500 (is that cachers or caching ids?) for it to be a Mega Event I don't think we have enough cachers in SA. Other than that I would be interested. Cape Town FTW

 

I'm sure the boys over at "Statistics - bend it anyway you like!" will be able to tell us how many ACTIVE cachers there are, but the problem might be, based on our little community down here, that there are a lot of cachers I see logging finds, but a much smaller group of us that always attend the events.

 

I wonder if a Mega Event can be made up of several smaller events spread across the country?!?

 

Perhaps GEO936 can jump in here and give us some idea of what they have found out and how the discussions with Groundspeak are going.

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Perhaps GEO936 can jump in here and give us some idea of what they have found out and how the discussions with Groundspeak are going.

I shall nudge them to give an update of the progress made thus far. They are doing all the back-breaking work on it.

They have approached me to be part of the LOC and it seems a formidable task! More volunteers needed.

They are currently negotiating a venue with sufficient conference facilities to host concurrent mini-events and presentations. You also have to guarantee a minimum amount of accessible accommodation available.

Then there is the funding aspect, as you can't charge directly for attending but can be funded through sales of "Mega" merchandise: coins / clothing etc.

In short - We shall keep you all posted...

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The problem is to find a venue large enough to host 500 people.

It would have to be central - not many people will be willing to travel over 1000km's to attend an Event.

It must also be near to Game Reserves to lure overseas cachers.

The Germans love the Eastern Cape and are big visitors to the area between PE and Grahamstown. Being malaria free is a big drawcard for the folk from Europe.

The problem here is: does the area have a large enough venue?

Edited by cownchicken
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I do not think that we will be able to get the necessary 500 attendees; we are simply too few. It is difficult to numerically decide when a cacher is active, but if one takes the number of cachers who have found an average of one cache per month for the last year, then we currently have 765 active cachers in South Africa. Add to that the travel distance for some, which makes it unlikely...

Edited by Danie Viljoen
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Hi Everyone

We are indeed working on the First MEGA Event for South Africa. We really believe it will be possible. A Mega Event is not restricted to just the geocachers within the country, but to all geocachers from around the world.

 

The minimum number of attendees of people (geocacher or not) is 500. So if the average geocaching team consits of 2 people, you would need at least 250 teams attending. We think it is very doable. A lot of marketing and begging may be required, but it is possible.

 

In terms of the rules from Groundspeak, an Event is not given "MEGA" status until it has at least met the first requirement of a minimum of 500 people. Then they also have a rule that they don't give Mega status to the first Event which has over 500 people attending. The usually only give Mega status to the second 500+ people event. However, they did say that if it was the first Event to reach more than 50o people, they would consider to give Mega status if specially requested to reconsider the rules. We motivated this by telling them that we do not have a large geocaching community and it would be a huge effort to get one done, and they said they would look into it. So there is no guarantee.

 

We had a long chats to Tricky Vicky & Mickey who attended the Mega in Scotland this year. They gave us lots of advice. The most important piece of advice was that it will take at least two years to arrange and plan a Mega Event. So mid 2011 is out of the question. We need time in order to get some fundraising done, as a Mega costs money and we cannot ask people to pay for it upfront. We can give people the option of paying something, but they would need to get a geocoin or something for it. Getting geocoins requires money upfront, as well as Venue hire, etc.

 

In terms of location. That will be a tricky one to decide. I think it is unfair to say that some geocachers won't travel further than 100Km for a Mega Event. Guys this will be the FIRST and maybe ONLY Mega in South Africa and 1time has cheap flights, so there is NO reason to say that you can't fly up to Gauteng, or Mpumulanga or wherever the venue is decided. It will be a ONCE IN A LIFETIME experience, so if you know about it two years in advance, start saving and make a plan to attend.

 

As part of our preparation and planning, we will be going to two Mega Events in Europe next year August 2011. Yep, us little South Africans will be travelling the globe to attend two Megas so please don't tell me that a Capetonion won't cross the Vaal river for a Mega in SA!!

 

The first Mega will be in Finland, and that will be their first Mega too. They were awarded Mega status when after a week they had over 400 Will Attend Logs. That is all it took for them, and now they have over 700 Will Attend logs. There are cachers coming from all over the world - not just Finland. The second Mega will be in Germany two weeks later. We will learn a lot from these guys.

 

When we started researching this Mega idea last year already, I was in contact with the team that did their first Mega in Austria. The important thing is to have a venue that offers all sorts of accommodation and is easily accessible. Remember, it is not only locals that would be attending. Then there are the "sub Events" which are little Events part of the Mega and then the invitation for all the businesses to come and sell their wares, including gps companies, geocoin companies, etc.

 

The planning and organisation is paramount, and we would need to set up a committee with representatives from each Province, as each rep would need to rally his/her geocaching community to attend. Some Megas involved the ENTIRE community/suburb/village, such as Finland's one. That would make it work.

 

This is not an overnight thing, it is a future thing that will take time, money and loads of effort.

 

The MOST IMPORTANT aspect though, is to be passionate about geocaching and to want to attend the Mega. Without that the Mega will not be possible. So if we do not have at least 250 committed teams to attend, it won't work. I would like to believe that we do have this, or at least the few passionate teams that we do have could do some convincing in their area.

 

Thanks Team vdlo for opening this thread. I've been meaning to do it for months now, but never got round to it due to work commitments. Thanks to Tricky Vicky & Mickey, we got a lot of guidance of what to do for SA and in time (after Aug next year) we'll be much more wiser.

 

The Mega would need to happen in 2012 or 2013 depending when we decide to have it. September has been put forward as an option, and the requirement for it to be during school holidays. Winter is not the ideal time unless you're at the Natal coast, but this is just the start of great things to happen!

 

Warm regards

GEO936

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I do not think that we will be able to get the necessary 500 attendees; we are simply too few. It is difficult to numerically decide when a cacher is active, but if one takes the number of cachers who have found an average of one cache per month for the last year, then we currently have 765 active cachers in South Africa. Add to that the travel distance for some, which makes it unlikely...

We'll be travelling over 10,000km to attend two Megas. It has to do with "wanting" to attend and not about the logsitics. If you really want to be there, you'll make a plan! It will also help if you know about it in advance for saving and planning, as all Megas need to be made public at least 1 year in advance. All we would need is a minimum of 250 teams consisting of 2 people each team. It is very possible to happen - statiscally speaking or not! :laughing:

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Maybe Sept. Rhodes Vac. would be a good idea. Speak to Rhodes in connection with accommodation during vac.

Cincol is also connected with Grahamstown.

No Western Cape cacher will travel further than this.

We just have to look at Bodacious Bloemfontein And Back Cache Dash Braai. by DAN404 and Louwtjievdw (GC2D950)

A Western Cape team travelled to Scotland to attend a Mega. I think they would make an exception if there was a Mega to attend in Gauteng (for example).

 

The problem with a Mega lies with changing the perception of the RSA geocaching teams and making them think more positive!

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I have no problem in helping....Have you spoken to potential sponsers? e.g. Garmin

 

Not as yet. We would need to set up the committee first and then start the initial planning. Will probably look at doing this in the new year, as this year is almost over and not much will get done in December with all the festivities on the go. Perhaps put your ideas on a PM to us - geo936@gmaill.com - and we will put everything together for the Agenda of our first meeting in early 2011.

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The problem is to find a venue large enough to host 500 people.

It would have to be central - not many people will be willing to travel over 1000km's to attend an Event.

It must also be near to Game Reserves to lure overseas cachers.

The Germans love the Eastern Cape and are big visitors to the area between PE and Grahamstown. Being malaria free is a big drawcard for the folk from Europe.

The problem here is: does the area have a large enough venue?

 

We may need a venue that can host more than a thousand people!! It could happen....some Megas involve an entire village or suburb!

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Hi all,

 

South Africa has successfully hosted the FIFA Soccer World Cup.....Are we ready to host a Geocaching MEGA event in South Africa?

 

Can this be pulled off in 2011 (second half) to still form part of the 10 years Geocaching in SA? :laughing:

 

I love a good event... the Mega the Better I always say :rolleyes::laughing:

 

I guess the question would be the logistics of where to host it... I vote Cape Town :)

 

I think the only problem is the number of attendees - does it not have to number 500 (is that cachers or caching ids?) for it to be a Mega Event I don't think we have enough cachers in SA. Other than that I would be interested. Cape Town FTW

 

Trev

 

Trev it just has to be a minimum of 500 people (animals don't count I'm afraid). So granny, gradpa, baby, husband, wife, all six kids, aunty, uncle, long lost cousin, you name it. The "Will Attend" logs will give the indication of Mega status. If we would rally our community to log their Will Attends within the first week of being published and indicate their number of attendees in their team, it could work in our favour for Mega Status.

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Hi all,

 

 

South Africa has successfully hosted the FIFA Soccer World Cup.....Are we ready to host a Geocaching MEGA event in South Africa?

 

 

Can this be pulled off in 2011 (second half) to still form part of the 10 years Geocaching in SA? :laughing:

 

Too soon....we could only look at 2012 or 2013 as loads of work will be required long beforethen and the Event would need to be published a year in advance too!

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I think that this is a wonderful idea and I support Team GEO936's initiative in arranging this. I am convinced that South Africa will be able to pull it off and will have many overseas cachers attending - provided the timing is right - northern hemisphere summer [holiday period]. I for one will be attending if I can arrange it - just need to plan my leave to coincide with the Mega.

 

Thanks and good luck with the arrangements. :laughing:

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The minimum number of attendees of people (geocacher or not) is 500. So if the average geocaching team consits of 2 people, you would need at least 250 teams attending. We think it is very doable.

 

Can one not have this as part of an outdoor expo - like the Getaway show - and then it will have more than 500 people?

 

Hi CH...yes for sure that is an option, but again it boils down to the fundraising aspect of the planning. It requires upfront deposits to secure the venue, so we would need to look at getting some money in first and then secure the venue with the deposit.

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I think that this is a wonderful idea and I support Team GEO936's initiative in arranging this. I am convinced that South Africa will be able to pull it off and will have many overseas cachers attending - provided the timing is right - northern hemisphere summer [holiday period]. I for one will be attending if I can arrange it - just need to plan my leave to coincide with the Mega.

 

Thanks and good luck with the arrangements. :(

 

Thanks cincol....we need more cachers to have your positive outlook!

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The minimum number of attendees of people (geocacher or not) is 500. So if the average geocaching team consits of 2 people, you would need at least 250 teams attending. We think it is very doable.

 

Can one not have this as part of an outdoor expo - like the Getaway show - and then it will have more than 500 people?

 

Hi CH...yes for sure that is an option, but again it boils down to the fundraising aspect of the planning. It requires upfront deposits to secure the venue, so we would need to look at getting some money in first and then secure the venue with the deposit.

 

Just another note, we are not allowed to "piggy back" some other Event with a geocaching Event. The Mega Event has to be a stand alone thing. Sorry, originally misunderstood your post as getting a venue like that for the outdoor shows, but Rolf understood differently and said we won't be able to be part of another show or event. I know we experienced this with a CITO we had planned early on this year, but had to shelve it due to the fact that it was on the same day as another rubbish pick up day!

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Hi all,

 

It is actual very simple....We need to grow the amount of Geacachers in South Africa.

 

Each active Cacher must just introduce one or two new team to the game and we can easy get to 500.

 

We also need to get the local community newspapers more involved in our events....

 

We can....

Edited by Team_vdlo
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A Western Cape team travelled to Scotland to attend a Mega. I think they would make an exception if there was a Mega to attend in Gauteng (for example).

 

They actually travelled to Scotland on holiday to visit their daughter and granddaughter who live over there. The Mega just happened to be on while they were there.

 

Just a suggestion: Why don't you organise an Event centrally in the country as a trial run and see how many people will attend.

A cacher from KZN phoned for help with a cache last week and it came up in the conversation that maybe something like this should be organised so we can meet cachers from other Provinces.

Also you would have a chance to speak to fellow SA cachers about their views on a Mega Event.

One would also have to personally e-mail active cachers to get their views - most cachers do not even read the Forums.

Edited by cownchicken
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A Western Cape team travelled to Scotland to attend a Mega. I think they would make an exception if there was a Mega to attend in Gauteng (for example).

 

They actually travelled to Scotland on holiday to visit their daughter and granddaughter who live over there. The Mega just happened to be on while they were there.

 

Just a suggestion: Why don't you organise an Event centrally in the country as a trial run and see how many people will attend.

A cacher from KZN phoned for help with a cache last week and it came up in the conversation that maybe something like this should be organised so we can meet cachers from other Provinces.

Also you would have a chance to speak to fellow SA cachers about their views on a Mega Event.

One would also have to personally e-mail active cachers to get their views - most cachers do not even read the Forums.

 

Yes, of course we would be contacting local geocachers directly. A tiny percentage of cachers frequent the forum, just take a look at the forum page for Finland!

 

But a Mega is not just about the local cachers, it is for international ones too. Arranging a "trial run" would be costly and we would need to save as much as possible to host a Mega. We think that appointing a custodian/representative for each province who is committed and positive, would be great to rally up the teams. Then there would be personal contact. In any case the reps would form part of the organising committee and we would need to meet virtually to discuss the arrangements. It would be impossible and too costly to arrange Events far away in prep for a Mega which in itself would be an expense. Keep it simple, keep it smart. We have loads of ideas and plans and we'll start with the process in ernest at the start of 2011! :(

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A Western Cape team travelled to Scotland to attend a Mega. I think they would make an exception if there was a Mega to attend in Gauteng (for example).

 

They actually travelled to Scotland on holiday to visit their daughter and granddaughter who live over there. The Mega just happened to be on while they were there.

 

Thought it was the other way round, attended Mega then visited the family at the same time, but it really doesn't matter. They were there at a Mega, prepared to attend the Mega 18 months in advance (hence the fundraising info) and we can learn loads from them! :(

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The keyword will be commitment. One have one year to plan to attend such an event. Bottom line is – to do one of these events you have to get on a plane and you have to spend a fortune to attend them. If you do you meet with cachers you never met before. But we can do it here in RSA at much least costs. The positive spin off of such an event is that the caching community could experience a quantum leap in cacher numbers and this could be the plaster that holds the bricks together. I think there are enough cachers that have the will, the ability and leadership to help with the arrangements. One person will not be able to deal with the issues. The best way to deal with this is to get all the info from every angle and one will have to test the waters to see if the idea is feasible or not. Maybe a voting process must be done to test if cachers are willing to participate. It will be a real pain to start the process and to realise that they do not support the idea. At present uncharted waters are ahead and one need to eliminate the surprises that could await one. Bruce you are going to be busy from now on. Gerhard

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Hi guys, I think it is great that you take the initiative.

 

MadSons (Mad, wife, 2 daughters, 3 Sons) will attend the Mega. Now you only need 493 more people to attend. I will gladly assist should you want my help.

 

I am a bit confused about cachers traveling or not. I thought the whole idea of caching was to take you to places you've never been, see things you've never seen, experience new things and from time to time meet other cachers who share the same strange passion.

Edited by MadSons
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I would like to suggest Graaff-Reinet as a possible venue for such a mega event.

 

A few point about Graaff-Reinet.

1) It is 7 hours from CapeTown (caching time excluded)

2) It is 8 hours from Johannesburg (caching time excluded)

3) Durban, East London, and Bloem are not to far away either.

4) It has many Bed and Breakfasts for cachers coming for the weekend.

5) It has lots of historical sites to visit.

6) It has space for lots more caches which could be placed in the area.

 

My brother in law lives in the town, and he says the best time would be in June or July for such a type of event, as the B&Bs are very quite during that time.

He suggested one could also organise that one could visit all the monuments, and historical sites at a reduced price if one is a geocacher over the weekend.

 

The only problem possibly be the exact venue where we would meet.This could either be at the boat club, but major preparations would need to be done.

Or in the caravan park.

Maybe someone knows a farmer in the area, and we could have it there?

 

If there is an interest in hoding such an event in Graaff-Reinet, I can find out more.

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Hi all,

Any place in the country would be great, as long as we know well in advance (and 1 to 2 years is definitely) where and when it would be. I think Madsons, and GerhardOos started a nice count down and if we all that do read the forums (even if it is only occasionally) start with the count down then we would quickly get an idea of how many actual persons might attend. I think it is a brilliant idea though!!! B and C Inc (2 active cachers and two children) now we only need 484 persons :laughing: if at all possible we would really love to be part of it (arranging, attending, etc).

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We will be having the first meeting with regards to South Africa's first Mega Event. It will take place on Thursday, 24 February 2011 and will be in the form of a Brainstorming Session. There will be a few of us in person and a whole bunch of us from across the country joining in via Skype group conversation.

 

We will post updates on the developments in due course.

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We will be having the first meeting with regards to South Africa's first Mega Event. It will take place on Thursday, 24 February 2011 and will be in the form of a Brainstorming Session. There will be a few of us in person and a whole bunch of us from across the country joining in via Skype group conversation.

 

We will post updates on the developments in due course.

 

excellent!

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A HUGE, BIG, GREAT, MEGA, MOERSE Thank You to all involved in our first Brainstorming session last night. I personally think it went very well, and think that we achieved what we wanted to achieve viz. 1. Get other cachers across the country involved (tick - we had reps from Cape Town, KZN and Free State) and 2. Get as many ideas and suggestions for each Agenda point (tick - got lots of positive and valuable ideas).

 

Thank you to all of you who helped with setting up the Skype technology (DRDM & Raider), with helping out with the Skype part during the meeting (GlobalRat), with making the delicious dessert (BruceTP), recording the meeting (Team_vdlo) and the rest of the teams who came from far and near to share in this momentous occasion. Thanks RedGlobe for coming early and helping out with our kids - they too felt very special to be the centre of attention while Mom & Dad ran around getting the last few things organised.

 

We have a great support structure with level headed thinking guys & gals, who know their stuff and that helps a lot.

 

Now we just need to rally the numbers and get our country to unite and submit their intentions to attend this Mega!!

 

We are grateful to be involved with such an AWESOME geocaching community - we are PROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN!!!

 

Warmest regards

GEO936

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Two people from Team Ginger - and maybe 3 by 2012/13 <_<

 

So, 476 - and I'm sure I can force (I mean convince) a few friend teams to join... like Brick (5), Spiderfinder (2), Red Gnu (2), Sh0w me the cache (1), warthog (2), Team ToBea (2), Katundu (4), NotBlonde (2), 4 Blind Mice (3), EragonSaphira (2), Timmo1977 (2) etc......

 

See how easy it can be? If they can all come too - its another 27 - and I only wrote down a few names as I could quickly think of... If you put some effort into it - we can do this, easy peasy!!

 

Good going GEO-team!!! We're right behind you!!!

So for now, add Team Ginger's 2, so 476 to go!

 

O yes - and how about cosidering where the most cachers are in SA... would it not make more sense to get a location closer to where the most concentrated group of active cachers are?

I mean, let's say there's a 100 cachers in Bethulie (not to cause a stir about where the most cachers may be - hehe) and 20 in Springbok - then 80 more cachers have to pay lots of money to attend an event in Springbok.

 

I know that places like Colesberg and Victoria West (close to Mokala Reserve) are the most central in SA... though not great with accommodating 500's of people. hehe

Also, places that are easily reached by public transport will be better than small town in the middle of 'nowhere'.

How about - as an idea - trying to get varsity Rag grounds (like potch) or even smaller show grounds/school grounds? During holiday times, school sports fields may be more available and affordable...

 

Sorry I missed the brainstorming session... we had another appointment...

 

Maybe we should ask Kurt Darren for his Plaas. LOL :anibad:

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Two people from Team Ginger - and maybe 3 by 2012/13 <_<

 

So, 476 - and I'm sure I can force (I mean convince) a few friend teams to join... like Brick (5), Spiderfinder (2), Red Gnu (2), Sh0w me the cache (1), warthog (2), Team ToBea (2), Katundu (4), NotBlonde (2), 4 Blind Mice (3), EragonSaphira (2), Timmo1977 (2) etc......

 

See how easy it can be? If they can all come too - its another 27 - and I only wrote down a few names as I could quickly think of... If you put some effort into it - we can do this, easy peasy!!

 

Good going GEO-team!!! We're right behind you!!!

So for now, add Team Ginger's 2, so 476 to go!

 

O yes - and how about cosidering where the most cachers are in SA... would it not make more sense to get a location closer to where the most concentrated group of active cachers are?

I mean, let's say there's a 100 cachers in Bethulie (not to cause a stir about where the most cachers may be - hehe) and 20 in Springbok - then 80 more cachers have to pay lots of money to attend an event in Springbok.

 

I know that places like Colesberg and Victoria West (close to Mokala Reserve) are the most central in SA... though not great with accommodating 500's of people. hehe

Also, places that are easily reached by public transport will be better than small town in the middle of 'nowhere'.

How about - as an idea - trying to get varsity Rag grounds (like potch) or even smaller show grounds/school grounds? During holiday times, school sports fields may be more available and affordable...

 

Sorry I missed the brainstorming session... we had another appointment...

 

Maybe we should ask Kurt Darren for his Plaas. LOL :anibad:

 

Great ideas Team Ginger and we hope to see a little third Team Ginger attending ;) How about getting Granny and Grandpa to attend too, to give you support?

 

You are right, we can rope in loads of other teams, it just takes a little bit of sweet talking and they will do what we ask.

 

GREAT!!! idea - I will speak to Kurt Darren right away! How awesome would it be to get some South African musicians at the Event and we P. A. R. T. Y.........AWESOME....... I like it.....

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