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I know there may be widely differing opinions on this matter but I felt I should publicly say what I have been discussing with people.

 

I'm sat in my tent pondering my experiences of mega Wales and feel let down due to wasted opportunities during my stay.

 

The campsite , whilst adequate, was not up to the task of hosting large numbers of cachers. There appeared several others in the vicinity that offered better location, facilities , views and caching potential.

 

I came to the area without any knowledge of , for instance , the ten best caches that showed the true beauty that the gower had to offer, must visit locations, the history and monuments , the local culture or where to eat.

It was only when I was in a local pub that I discovered the " what's on " magazine , had this been distributed on my arrival I could have more fully experienced the stunning region I was visiting.

 

When I attended the mega itself I was hoping to come away with the equivalent stories that my friends had about mega Scotland. Apart from the Welsh mayor, a dragon and a harpist there was nothing to let me know I was in Wales , I could've been in any town hall in any town.

 

Is it not more than just a mega status? Should it not be about having a mega time, to come away with a feeling of having been to something special ?

 

I can truly say I am looking forward to the nw mega, I already have a book to tantalize and excite me with the things I will see.

 

I am sorry if my opinion upsets or annoys anyone, that is not my intention.

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I also didnt go to the welsh Mega but lets not forget all the people that had put this together for everyone to enjoy.....You dont get paid for working your bum off trying to find a harpist and someone to entertain the kids so i take my hat off to M.J and believe that both Lillian and Tony did a fantastic job to arrange a great weekend for you guys!

 

BTW The NW mega will be my first to attend....im excited so look forward to seeing ppl there (ill be wearing my special made geocaching tee) (youll love it) :)

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I have to say that if I go on holiday somewhere I research it myself, I don't wait for someone to spoon feed me stuff. A mega trip is no different. If you want to make the most of a trip you need to make that happen yourself. If you didn't know what were the best caches, best places to eat, best places to visit then I have to be honest - I think you only have yourself to blame for that. You were camped opposite a local - but you never asked me to recommend you a place to visit!! :P

As for recommended caches - the favourite points system does this brilliantly so there is no longer the reliance on bookmark lists like there was 2/3 years ago.

 

One of the reasons I enjoyed Scotland so much was because I made a list of the places I wanted to go while I was there (Ben Nevis, Loch Lomond etc) and ensured I incorporated them into my trip. I didn't rely on the Scottish Committee to tell me where to go or what to see! TBH the research is almost as much fun as the trip itself.

 

Some of the side events have really focused on Welsh themes. For example Tatty Bear's Picnic at The National Museum of Welsh Life and also the event at Big Pit. The sunset on the Welsh Mega event is located at one of the most scenic spots in the UK. I think the committee have done well to incorporate a subtle Welsh theme in to the week without over doing it.

 

I will say that I think that British Mega events have become a tad formulaic. It would be nice to see this freshened up a little. Speaking from experience I know that this is much easier said than done though. It will become increasingly difficult for future committees to do something original and different from the previous. I don't envy them that.

Edited by *mouse*
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I will say that I think that British Mega events have become a tad formulaic. It would be nice to see this freshened up a little. Speaking from experience I know that this is much easier said than done though. It will become increasingly difficult for future committees to do something original and different from the previous. I don't envy them that.

 

Agreed.

 

I've always wondered why we hold our mega's indoors - one of the reasons I cache is to get me outdoors, away from the city. I work indoors most of the week - I prefer to play outside :)

 

Perhaps it's time to follow the lead set by our cousins overseas (and more piratey colleagues this side of the Atlantic), and have weekend-long mega's based where most people are already camping and having fun??? I can't think of anything at this years Welsh mega that couldn't have been located outside or inside a marquee....

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I know there may be widely differing opinions on this matter but I felt I should publicly say what I have been discussing with people.

 

*Snip*

 

I'm glad someone said it, as I was holding off doing so. We stayed from Thursday to Monday on the camp site and had a brilliant time. Thoroughly enjoyed it, although I can't help but think that was due to us making our own fun with our friends there. If we stayed any longer we would have been bored.

 

We were quite disappointed with the events. We bumped into many other cachers during our stay and they did all have the same opinions as we did: They were more meetings than events and there wasn't that much exciting that happened other than turning up, signing a book and mingling with other cachers. I could have stayed at the camp site and done that. The events were a long way to go just to mingle. You could go and do the caches in the area, but then again you could do that any day.

 

After hearing for a year how brilliant Scotland was, it's a shame that I can't do the same and rave about Wales as much as my friends. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful to the organisers for the time, effort and money put it. It's just my opninion that perhaps the spark was missing...

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I agree wholeheartedly with nobby.nobbs.

 

Whilst I genuinely do appreciate the time and effort taken to organise the event and side events, most were no more than meetings. Wouldn't it have been great to turn up and be handed a list or puzzle with some new, unpublished caches along the theme of the event, or even use those in situ and add a code letter/number to each for a bonus cache. We even do that for our regular regional pub meets.

 

The Saturday barbeque was a real wasted opportunity. Nothing except the chance to sign a Welsh flag. Where was the fun and entertainment for the kids? How difficult is it to organise a little treasure hunt for them, or some silly games for kids and adults? As it was, by 8.30pm it was dying out along with the embers of the pile of disposable bbqs. Luckily, I joined a group that decided to have some fun on our own and went out caching again.

 

I've only been caching for a few months and had heard rave reviews about other big events such as Scotland and Piratemania (which this event seems to have a big chip on its shoulder about - there's one UK Mega a year, but other events can have mega status, get over it), but apart from now having a Welsh Mega souvenir on my profile, I could have done the rest any other weekend.

 

I also agree with the comment about running it outdoors. In fact a marquee could have been put up in the BBQ field and used for the duration for so many events, meets, as a bar, etc. I do, however, have faith that the Cartmel 2012 event will be good – they were so welcoming and even gave me a cracking book to whet my appetite.

 

I have been involved in organising big events and understand what it takes and do thank all those involved, but with a little more imagination this event could have been what it wasn’t – mega.

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Quite agree with the above post, the BBQ would have been an ideal opportunity to organise a few things on site at kennexstone.

Attended an event last year where the organisers had arranged three competitions for the attendees, a 'mark the co-ord spot' a 'cook off' & a '1 hr limit geo/orienteering course'. All organised by 2 people so I am sure that there could have been something done.

With the amount of kiddlywinks that were there surely something could have been organised for them, the highlight of the BBQ was the ice cream van arriving for most of them.

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I don't want to get dragged into this to far, but this is a quick note to say Mega 2012, right from the first committee meeting nearly 2 years ago, has had the ethos of putting together an event that breaks the mould.

 

It will not be indoors based, and we have already taken on board some if the comments regarding camping.

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Attended an event last year where the organisers had arranged three competitions for the attendees, a 'mark the co-ord spot' a 'cook off' & a '1 hr limit geo/orienteering course'.

 

You forgot "colour in the nudey gnome" and "dodge the helicopter-flying drunk"..... :laughing:;)

Edited by keehotee
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Luckily i have a brother who passed 11 years ago and the words from my dads mouth was as follows "Dont worry love, you no you and dylan will always get the same so when you pass your driving test you will get exactly the same as what dylan got"

 

Which includes:

A car

Insurance (1 year)

MOT

Tax (1 year)

 

and the icing on the cake - A Leeds united back window sticker :)

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Luckily i have a brother who passed 11 years ago and the words from my dads mouth was as follows "Dont worry love, you no you and dylan will always get the same so when you pass your driving test you will get exactly the same as what dylan got"

 

Which includes:

A car

Insurance (1 year)

MOT

Tax (1 year)

 

and the icing on the cake - A Leeds united back window sticker :)

 

See you are from the North West, you could have traveled with me to South Wales, this year. It was a 100% fun experience for me and quite a few others.

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I think we must have been at a different event. I'm sorry, if you want to be spoonfed entertainment go to But*ins

Wed.. A flash mob and a chance to try orienteering and some good caches in the area

Thu.. Teddybears picnic at the museum of Welsh life (st Fagans) with a 2-3 hr multi in the park

Fri A pub event with at least 11 new caches in the area as well as lots of existing caches

fri launch of Geolimpics

Sat Picnic with large childrens play area , a great view, and timed so that 'low tide' caches were accesible

Sat.. Campsite event with a chance to meet lots of interesting people from all over the world.. the kids seemed to be having fun....

Sunday Mega the only change from last year was that the Scots had a piper and a different mascot

Mon...A picnic on Pen-y-Fan for those who like a walk and the NW mega launch with lots of tasty food to try

Tue An event at Big pit the Welsh Coal mining museum with a chance to go underground with new caches in the venue

Wed a pub event with a chance to explore Cardiff's water front with caches on the way

Wed A chance to try night caching with two great night caches+ others

Thu CITO Event a chance to pay back the area

Fri A sunset event to finish at a beautifull location with a few caches about

The only major thing missing from last year was a Ceilidh for which I don't think the Welsh have an equivalent and neither of the first two Megas had this type of event either it is unique to Scotland

We have been on the campsite for nearly two weeks and have never been boared with lots to do in the area if you look for it... the other sites in the area would not take a booking for so many people in peak season or were too expencive and I think the site coped well concidering the camp was booked to it's limit(+) with about 90% being cachers

Just our opinion but the 'fun' was there if you looked for it and didn't expect it to come to you

 

Edit to add we forgot a couple of evevnts so even more to be done .... bored never!

Edited by fuzzybears
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I take on board that I could and, indeed probably should have planned for myself a little better. I was also in a handy position of knowing a local to whom I did not refer.

 

Please do not think I am joining in with any fight or arguments or discussions regarding events that I was fairly aware of in the run up to the mega, that is not my intention. This is fresh in everyone's minds, this is the time to discuss the mega in a constructively critical manner. Not to opportion blame, what's the point? Sometimes it's good to analyse and see what the good points were and what the bad points were. Thus allowing for the future to include the include, build upon that and avoid the bad.

 

This is an event not just for old moaning gits like me. It's for people with hardly any or no caching experience. With hardly any or no planning experience. No I don't want to be spoon fed my experience of an area but neither do I want to know of any cacher having deciding at the last min to visit with no time to plan and to miss out on the items I mentioned.

 

The reference to Scotland had it but the previous two didn't. It was good, people haven't stopped talking about it, surely that's the point? Embrace that and make sure you do it not say " the previous ones didn't have it"

 

To agree with Keehootee. I'm a cacher. I spend time outdoors enjoying the fresh air. Any idea why we have to have megas in a building?

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This is an event not just for old moaning gits like me. It's for people with hardly any or no caching experience. With hardly any or no planning experience. No I don't want to be spoon fed my experience of an area but neither do I want to know of any cacher having deciding at the last min to visit with no time to plan and to miss out on the items I mentioned.

 

The reference to Scotland had it but the previous two didn't. It was good, people haven't stopped talking about it, surely that's the point? Embrace that and make sure you do it not say " the previous ones didn't have it"

 

To agree with Keehootee. I'm a cacher. I spend time outdoors enjoying the fresh air. Any idea why we have to have megas in a building?

 

For the beginner/not prepared there were about 500is people on the site like us with GSAK full of caches as well as others who arrived early with experience of some of the local caches. We converted at least 3 non-believers on site and there was the guy who turned up ar reception at the Mega to ask what geocaching was he left a while later having chosen a user name had a look round and was taken to do his first cache by a passing cacher. We spent about an hour at the BBQ talking to a newbie about going paperless and the insanity it can cause :) There is no way anyone could guess the best caches for all who visited as what you may enjoy I may not but if you chat to others at events you may find someone with a similar taste to point you in the right direction

What I meant to say about the ceilidh was HOW do you follow that it was a one off and the only alternatives would be another pub event/dinner dance/eisteddfod!!!!!! (sorry Wales :) )none of which have the raw excitement of Scotland's entertainment. If anyone can come up with anything as good I am sure a future mega committee would be interested

AFAIK the cost of hire for land, marquee, toilets, catering and the insurance for 1500ish people would be HIGH and is all included in the hire of a hall... Think Glastonbury on a rainy weekend if you want an outside event for lots of people

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Matt

 

I think here in lies the problem, I'm a Prince 2 project manager, and I know how hard it is to manage a project well, these Mega events are just projects, they have all the elements which require project management; but how many project managers are on event committees? My guess would be few if any.

 

Looking at the size of committees, the larger a committees then the more errors will be made along the way, and the greater the chance of breakdown in the functioning of the project. Personally I find meetings with over 6 people hard to gain results from, and are usually the most unproductive.

 

I'm not sure if the Wales Committee, or the North West Committee have looked at their structures but I'm sure that lessons can be learnt and brought forward for future planning of large events.

 

Take PirateMania as an example, this has a small base committee of a handful of Cachers, yes others come on board and help (team Captain's etc) , but I'm sure by the excellent work Mark and Liane is kept under control and and positive direction is provided by them, you can tell this by just attending this event, you can sense the planning but not see it, it's as if it was always so, and the reason for this, is because we have not noticed the breakdowns, as a small committee can handle these and over come these more than a large committee.

 

But all this said, the event was a success are it reached the Mega main goal of attracting over 500+ Cachers, some from as far as Australia and New Zealand, yes I know things were not 100%, but was it ever going to be with hobbyists mucking in to get it all to work.

 

Can I say, well done to Mega Wales

 

Moote (Milton)

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personally I enjoyed the Mega, meeting so manyu friends, as I have the last 4 we have intended. Although I take on the views of you all, All I can say is this. the venue took a considerable amount of time to decide on and this is because we set a criteria for wha twe thought as everyone. A place that could hold a 1000 to possible 2000 people if it was raining, I in my experience not seen a Marque that big. Also it had to be in a place that could cater for the non caching members of the families near shops or attractions (the beach in this case)because simply not all family members are into our hobby and although suffer the manic time consuming compassion we have to search for little boxes, want more than this for thier holiday.

To coin a familiar phrase "Mega's are like a Box of chocolates" everyone has thier favourite and as "me good ole papi"said you can please some of the people some of the time but not all of the people all of the time

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Take PirateMania as an example, this has a small base committee of a handful of Cachers, yes others come on board and help (team Captain's etc) , but I'm sure by the excellent work Mark and Liane is kept under control and and positive direction is provided by them, you can tell this by just attending this event, you can sense the planning but not see it, it's as if it was always so, and the reason for this, is because we have not noticed the breakdowns, as a small committee can handle these and over come these more than a large committee.

Snipped.

 

But goes along the same lines as my thinking.

Harrogate. Run by a cacher who had/has a reputation for organising events, and expanded to make Mega status.

Pirate Mania. Run by a cacher who had/has a reputation for organising events, and expanded to make Mega status.

 

OK, so Harrogate was set up with the intention of going Mega, and Pirate Mania has managed to get there over the years, but both were on the backs of previous successful events.

 

Maybe those wanting to run a Mega need to start small to get the experience...

(And a small group of local cachers in the pub doesn't count!)

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Matt

 

I think here in lies the problem, I'm a Prince 2 project manager, and I know how hard it is to manage a project well, these Mega events are just projects, they have all the elements which require project management; but how many project managers are on event committees? My guess would be few if any.

 

Looking at the size of committees, the larger a committees then the more errors will be made along the way, and the greater the chance of breakdown in the functioning of the project. Personally I find meetings with over 6 people hard to gain results from, and are usually the most unproductive.

 

 

WTH is a Prince 2 project manager? Large successful events have been running since way before the faddy "project manager" title came into being. If meetings of more than 6 people are ummanageable it's time to ditch the manager and find a decent chairperson. The best events have far larger commitees without any problems.

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We were not at Mega Wales........so I can not comment on that

 

God Willing we will be at Cartmel........let's put it this way, the Mega Comittees, find the biggest campsite possible they can for such a large event, but the biggest campsite possible is not always central or the best, we know now where we will stay next year and I can guarantee it won't be the site the Mega Comittee recomend/Mega Campsite..

 

You have a year to do your home work

 

[:0]

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We were not at Mega Wales........so I can not comment on that

 

God Willing we will be at Cartmel........let's put it this way, the Mega Comittees, find the biggest campsite possible they can for such a large event, but the biggest campsite possible is not always central or the best, we know now where we will stay next year and I can guarantee it won't be the site the Mega Comittee recomend/Mega Campsite..but this is an area we know!!

 

You have a year to do your home work

 

[:0]

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We were not at Mega Wales........so I can not comment on that

 

God Willing we will be at Cartmel........let's put it this way, the Mega Comittees, find the biggest campsite possible they can for such a large event, but the biggest campsite possible is not always central or the best, we know now where we will stay next year and I can guarantee it won't be the site the Mega Comittee recomend/Mega Campsite..

 

You have a year to do your home work

 

[:0]

 

I really really hope im driving now :( ive been doing my homework on a few places around the area of cartmel n iv seen one of interest (but will still keep an eye to see where the mega have their camp as ive never been to a mega before and dont want to be sat in a field on my own with no cachers near by to chat with n have a few beeeers :)

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jady - you won't be lonely - the Wales campsite was full to brimming with cachers. I met loads of new people and cached with friends and strangers.

 

I hope people haven't misconstrued my previous post. Overall, I had a great time. End of!

 

I found some great caches and spent a long time laughing & for that I wholeheartedly thank all the organisers (whether acknowledged or not by the committee...). I have a background in organising events and whilst not PRINCE2 trained (always strikes me as over-bureaucratic and inflexible), can see the point that was being made above.

 

I don't want this to end up as a moaning thread, as without the work that was done, we wouldn't have had anything at all. All I was trying to do was offer some constructive observations of my experience v what I was expecting. Each and every Mega can learn from the previous and hopefully here we can say what we think to help organisers know what we, as a community, like/don’t like or thinks works/doesn’t work.

 

Again, thank you to all the Wales Mega organisers.

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Well my aim is to be driving by then so wish me luck :) Hopefully ill be able to camp for the main night because i dont no how my little lad will cope with sleeping outside (unless he stays with the granparents and its just adults only) B)

 

Ive just been browsing around the Mega area for next year and there doesnt seem to be many caches about so i hope we get some extras for the event........ (Everybody loves a good walk series..............dont they?? :ph34r: )

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Well my aim is to be driving by then so wish me luck :) Hopefully ill be able to camp for the main night because i dont no how my little lad will cope with sleeping outside (unless he stays with the granparents and its just adults only) B)

 

Ive just been browsing around the Mega area for next year and there doesnt seem to be many caches about so i hope we get some extras for the event........ (Everybody loves a good walk series..............dont they?? :ph34r: )

For some reason the Lakes have always lacked the number of caches that other areas have... But with lots of first hand experience of the area I'd have to say that they more than make up in quality what they lack in raw numbers.

 

I think I'm gonna be in Wales, and I won't attend the mega... But if not in Wales, I'll be in Cumbria... and willing to give lifts to the South Lakes if you're not driving.

 

PS... If in Cumbria, I will take in a side event, it's just that the official mega isn't my scene...

Edited by NattyBooshka
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