A Few Comments

Just a couple of comments. First, great event! Definately show all sides of BMW ownership from the classic, consertatives to "The Dark Side". Every year I am amazed at the variety of cars and owners.

Second, $40 entry fee. Total rip-off! Last year was $20 and you got a goodie bag. Last year more gates were open and cars got in MUCH faster. The so-called Early entry fee was a total joke. One guy taking money and talking to every driver like they had all day. I kow the police want the cars off the street as fast as possible. Why not open several lanes when you get in the lot with several people taking the loot. And the entry fee was supposed to be to get you in earlier than 9:00, namely 8:00. So why were cars already parking shortly after 7:00???

Third, many owner took pride in their cars and spent days preparing for the event, washing and waxing their cars. Then they arive and you make them drive through the dirt roads of the stables. Some idiots were doing burnouts in the dirt to pass the time. Almost caused a riot. Where was the logic in that?

Take the time to look at these issues and that rediculous fee. Doubled the price and slowed the process.

PS, I had a great time once inside, pin heads and all!

Originally Posted by BMW-CarGuy

Just a couple of comments. First, great event! Definately show all sides of BMW ownership from the classic, consertatives to "The Dark Side". Every year I am amazed at the variety of cars and owners.

Second, $40 entry fee. Total rip-off! Last year was $20 and you got a goodie bag. Last year more gates were open and cars got in MUCH faster. The so-called Early entry fee was a total joke. One guy taking money and talking to every driver like they had all day. I kow the police want the cars off the street as fast as possible. Why not open several lanes when you get in the lot with several people taking the loot. And the entry fee was supposed to be to get you in earlier than 9:00, namely 8:00. So why were cars already parking shortly after 7:00???

Third, many owner took pride in their cars and spent days preparing for the event, washing and waxing their cars. Then they arive and you make them drive through the dirt roads of the stables. Some idiots were doing burnouts in the dirt to pass the time. Almost caused a riot. Where was the logic in that?

Take the time to look at these issues and that rediculous fee. Doubled the price and slowed the process.

PS, I had a great time once inside, pin heads and all!

+1

I spent hours getting my car ready to only have to pay $40 and drive through the dirt. Only to find some Ford Focus, Honda 2000s, and Toyota Carolas parked on the main lot. I my mind Bimmerfest.com owes me an hour of labor for my wasted time.

I will most likely be attending next year assuming the event continues, but it will be more to be with my friends and I will think twice about parking on the lot and paying $20.

Just an idea: Make registration mandatory provide the owner of the car some kind of registration number and an assigned parking spot. That way cars can be aligned by model and series. It would take more planning but the organization would be worth it.

IMHO: The entry at this years fest was the most unorganized I have ever seen.

Originally Posted by ZeroG

IMHO: The entry at this years fest was the most unorganized I have ever seen.

I don't know what to say as several times more time and energy went into planning, and more than double the expense for the parking service fees. We were told by CHP what we had to do, and what you saw was the implementation of their demands. We will almost certainly be staging the event at a new larger and higher quality venue for out Tenth Anniversary event next year.

Thanks for the feedback. As Jon mentioned the plan this year was heavily influenced by local police and the CHP. It was either that or have them shut down the event. Driving on the dirt was a huge concern of ours, but it is simply a problem with the current facility. If we are at the same location we will have to figure out about putting plastic or something down, but we have our eyes on a couple new places that should alleviate 99% of the issues people have reported to us in the last year or two.

For this year, sorry there was issues, but thanks for coming out and being a part of Bimmerfest none the less!

Tim & The Bimmerfest Team

yea, understandable the whole CHP and SBPD issue, the freeway exit was lined up! and i know they didnt want that.

but anyways, hopefully next year will be good, i dont know any different my 1st year there.

btw where were these dirt roads and stuff i see in pics? i totally missed that area!

A new location!? It really wouldn't be the same if it wasn't in SB, especially for the 10th anniversary!

SB seems like the perfect place to have it. But maybe since it has been 10 years....it's time for a change?

B-fest was $40.00 this year? wow..

Originally Posted by Bmwcat

B-fest was $40.00 this year? wow..

Bimmerfest DID NOT cost $40 this year. Come on, let's get the FACTS straight (without distortions).

The fee to enter from 9:00 am onward throughout the day was only $20 -- the same as last year.

There was an early-entry premium of $20 for those who wished to get in an hour early. The intent was to accomodate drivers who wanted to ensure their show cars received premium placement for the Battle of the Bimmers.

Originally Posted by Jon S.

We will almost certainly be staging the event at a new larger and higher quality venue for out Tenth Anniversary event next year.

In Ventura where we went that time? Was that part of the fairgrounds? If so, that would be a pretty good site.

Originally Posted by Jon S.

Bimmerfest DID NOT cost $40 this year. Come on, let's get the FACTS straight (without distortions).

The fee to enter from 9:00 am onward throughout the day was only $20 -- the same as last year.

There was an early-entry premium of $20 for those who wished to get in an hour early. The intent was to accomodate drivers who wanted to ensure their show cars received premium placement for the Battle of the Bimmers.

Thanks for clarifying!! Altho I would still pay 40.00 for a full day of fun. We were not able to attend this year for a variety of reasons..

I posted this on e46fanatics already, but it probably serves more purpose here...

Originally Posted by deafboy

Well this was my second year, and it is definitely growing. Even this year, the PNW caravan more than doubled. And we already have more people confirming for next year.

The whole event isnt very organized, but for the size of it, it isnt bad. I think the biggest form of improvement for organization would be to open registration sooner. It's hard to plan for things when you dont know for sure how many people are coming. I think it should be kind of worked into the whole pricing thing. Those who register pay less and those that dont register pay more. I mean it isnt asking a lot to register. I dont know how many of you ever organize drives and events, but whenever I do it I be sure to have a list of who is coming, who plans on coming, who wants to come, and who wont be coming.

Santa Barbara and the Fair Grounds. As a whole I think it is a great location. It may be a 2500 mile drive for me, but for the west coast BMW community as a whole I think it is decently located. I know a lot of people that would go if it was closer, but I know that Bimmerfest wont be moving this far north I do like the idea though of a better facility though, although I know the solution to that isnt necessarily easy.

The dirty parking was absolutely uncalled for. I know people have parked there before but come on. Not only does it cost the same to park their but its out of the way. If people are going to have to park there, at least cut them a break with the costs. Also I think if dirt parking is going to take place that it should be thoroughly looked through. One of my friends ended up getting a screw in his tire. I know that kind of crap can happen anywhere but its just another thing that should be looked at closely in dirt parking lots, especially when you know a lot of BMWs will be driving over it.

Pricing. So why exactly does it cost less for people to show up early? I would think getting primo parking would cost more. Instead people show up later, get worse parking, and pay more?

Vendors. I thought the whole thing was kind of disorganized. Not the fault of the fendors at all. More the location and organizers. I felt like everything was more like a swap meet. I think Bimmerfest sponsors should just have a little booth, maybe show off their products, hand out things (maybe discount cards or something for future purchases ). I would think it would make it easier for everyone involved. The sponsors wouldnt have to work so hard trying to sell stuff, would allow them to enjoy the event also. Sponsors could have a booth, maybe have a car or two showing off some of their products. Tuner Motorsports had a decent setup, they showed some parts but mostly just had reps giving people Bimmerfest Discounts from Online shopping. Maybe other sponsors had this, I just use Tuner for example cause my friend bought some brakes from them...but I thought it was a neat idea. I just think the event should be more about the cars and the BMW community rather than people trying to sell other people stuff.

Also, since the forums are such a big part of the BMW community I think they should also be incorporated somehow. Like a guest book or something for each forum that members could sign. And where you could get forum stickers and shirts and whatnot at. It'd also be nice if somehow we could have name tags or something Like I had my shirt this year with my screen name and forums Im on, on the back. So I was able to meet up with a lot of people that way. But I would have loved to be able to put a screen name to a face and name more. I know a LOT of you guys online, but I dont know what most of you look like. haha. But doesnt it make sense to incorporate the forums more?

Breaking the parking into types (e46, e60, etc) would be AWESOME! But like I said, it'd be nearly impossible without knowing who is coming, so if you guys want that to happen, registration needs to become a priority. This year I talked to a lot of people at the event saying that they didnt register. Registration needs to be explained better. I ended up telling at least 50 people why registration was so important. (again, I think pricing would play a big role with registration, give people a reason to register).

Caravans. Ugh. Where do I even start. For me the caravan is the best part. But man is it poorly done. I'm not trying to put blame on anyone, I know it's a lot of work and it's hard to organize something so large. I am just saying that there needs to be some ground rules or something. For the most part though, I thought the North End caravan was pretty good. I didnt see too many stupid moves. There were definitely some, but when you are dealing with this many cars and people, it will happen, period. People sped, but it was done fairly well (irony?). People used their blinkers, payed attention to other drivers, little to no swerving around people, etc. But things can definitely be better. I think the police should be incorporated (ban? ). Seriously though, I think things would go so much smoother if the cops were involved. Close sections of the highway down at certain time periods. Have cops in the front of the pack (that no one can pass) and cops in the back (that no one can go behind) or something. I mean, the cops are going to be a part of it one way or another, its not like you can hide 100+ BMWs going down the highway, so why not let them be a positive part of it rather than letting us be a cash cow for them.

I could go on forever but I will shut up. It all comes down to organization and planning. Hell, my group up here already started organizing and planning for next year before we even left for this years event.

This years event as a whole. It was great, but you can always improve on things. And for those who said last year was better...I agree and disagree.

I wanted to comment on a couple things -

I think the biggest form of improvement for organization would be to open registration sooner. It's hard to plan for things when you dont know for sure how many people are coming. I think it should be kind of worked into the whole pricing thing. Those who register pay less and those that dont register pay more. I mean it isnt asking a lot to register. I dont know how many of you ever organize drives and events, but whenever I do it I be sure to have a list of who is coming, who plans on coming, who wants to come, and who wont be coming.

Registration was opened in February, but we could open it sooner in 09 for sure. We're looking at ways to allow online payment to guarantee a good spot. The biggest problem this year was the facility. There simply wasn't enough room to reserve spaces.

Pricing. So why exactly does it cost less for people to show up early? I would think getting primo parking would cost more. Instead people show up later, get worse parking, and pay more?

Early entry was $40, standard entry was $20 (same price as last year). It worked the way you think it should.

Vendors. I thought the whole thing was kind of disorganized. Not the fault of the fendors at all. More the location and organizers.

How is this our fault? We give vendors space, what they choose to do with it is up to them. The range of what vendors want to do with their space is really crazy.

Also, since the forums are such a big part of the BMW community I think they should also be incorporated somehow. Like a guest book or something for each forum that members could sign. And where you could get forum stickers and shirts and whatnot at. It'd also be nice if somehow we could have name tags or something Like I had my shirt this year with my screen name and forums Im on, on the back. So I was able to meet up with a lot of people that way. But I would have loved to be able to put a screen name to a face and name more. I know a LOT of you guys online, but I dont know what most of you look like. haha. But doesnt it make sense to incorporate the forums more?

Great idea! This is certainly something we need to work on. So far we've been working on the basics (parking, vendors, etc.) but as the show matures we can start to work on the things that make the show better.

Breaking the parking into types (e46, e60, etc) would be AWESOME! But like I said, it'd be nearly impossible without knowing who is coming, so if you guys want that to happen, registration needs to become a priority. This year I talked to a lot of people at the event saying that they didnt register. Registration needs to be explained better. I ended up telling at least 50 people why registration was so important. (again, I think pricing would play a big role with registration, give people a reason to register).

Parking by E-code or even by series would be great, but we didn't have the space. I agree fully that next year online registration needs to work better/differently. How exactly I'm not sure yet.

Caravans. Ugh. Where do I even start. For me the caravan is the best part. But man is it poorly done. I'm not trying to put blame on anyone, I know it's a lot of work and it's hard to organize something so large.

If you have a suggestion for how we can help organize these we're interested in hearing them. So far we've left it to the enthusiasts.

Thanks for the feedback!

Tim

I said this in another post but I'll say it here also.
I got really upset when I saw some homos corvets and random honda civics and toyotas in the main lot, honestly what do you think your doing driving that peice of crap into bimmerfest? make car registration happen! so all we see are BMW's!

Originally Posted by MalibuMafiaV

I said this in another post but I'll say it here also.
I got really upset when I saw some homos corvets and random honda civics and toyotas in the main lot, honestly what do you think your doing driving that peice of crap into bimmerfest? make car registration happen! so all we see are BMW's!

I get your point but seriously?

Originally Posted by MalibuMafiaV

I said this in another post but I'll say it here also.
I got really upset when I saw some homos corvets and random honda civics and toyotas in the main lot, honestly what do you think your doing driving that peice of crap into bimmerfest? make car registration happen! so all we see are BMW's!

Everyone is welcome at Bimmerfest, but the main lots are supposed to be BMW only. Of course when 1500+ cars show up in an hour some non-BMWs slip past. The parking service has an overwhelming job and they do their best, but with enthusiasts and CHP banging down their door the first priority it to make sure the show stays open. If that means parking a few non-BMWs in the main lot that is a trade off we'll have to take for now.

Tim

Originally Posted by tim330i

I wanted to comment on a couple things -



Registration was opened in February, but we could open it sooner in 09 for sure. We're looking at ways to allow online payment to guarantee a good spot. The biggest problem this year was the facility. There simply wasn't enough room to reserve spaces.

I completely understand. Registration was open but it wasnt necessarily advertised I talked to a lot of people saying they had no idea it even existed. haha, let alone what it was. Not your fault by any means since you cant post it everywhere.

Early entry was $40, standard entry was $20 (same price as last year). It worked the way you think it should.

Oh. Gotcha, I guess I had it the other way around. The way I heard it was that it cost more to show up late. My bad.

How is this our fault? We give vendors space, what they choose to do with it is up to them. The range of what vendors want to do with their space is really crazy.

I'm not trying to put the blame necessarily on anyone. I understand it was more of a venue problem than anything. The reason I said the organizers is that you guys didnt really know what the vendors were brings so you could really deal with it Does that make sense? It just felt like some of the areas were crouded. Maybe restrict how much the vendors can bring depending on the size of their spot?

Great idea! This is certainly something we need to work on. So far we've been working on the basics (parking, vendors, etc.) but as the show matures we can start to work on the things that make the show better.

looking forward to seeing what you guys come up with

Parking by E-code or even by series would be great, but we didn't have the space. I agree fully that next year online registration needs to work better/differently. How exactly I'm not sure yet.

Yeah, I completely understand. It's just one of those things that would be nice to do but really hard to actually succeed in doing. Theres just a lot of unknown factors.

If you have a suggestion for how we can help organize these we're interested in hearing them. So far we've left it to the enthusiasts.

Thanks for the feedback!

Tim

All in all, for the size of the event I think you guys did a terrific job. Considering how much bigger the numbers were compared to those that actually registered, you dealt with it fanatically. But like always there is always roof for improvement as things expand. If I think of anything else I will be sure to let you know. If you guys ever need another helping hand please feel free to let me know

great work Tim

Lol Don't mind me, I just hate every other car but a BMW or Mercedes or greater.
I hope all American cars die.

Originally Posted by deafboy

I completely understand. Registration was open but it wasnt necessarily advertised I talked to a lot of people saying they had no idea it even existed. haha, let alone what it was. Not your fault by any means since you cant post it everywhere.

Bimmerfest is a competitor to the other forums, so you're not likely to see any paid or banner advertising for the event on other sites. Since the event is mainly targeted to California enthusiasts, the advertising comes in the form of stickies and word of mouth in the California regional forums on those other forums. I know there was a sticky on Bimmerforums in the California regional forum, and we had one on our SF area site. For example, we let our people know about the opening of registration on the day it opened. I'm fairly sure Jon posts in those other forums where he has a good rapport with the site owners to spread the word about the event.

This was my first Bimmerfest and I was amazed at the large turnout. I have had my car for just over a year now and it has been great, I can't get enough. My friend who owns an M coupe explained it to me as the "whole BMW experience". Bimmerfest was just the icing on the cake. It is the countdown to Bimmerfest, the preparation, cleaning and waxing the car and taking pride in what you drive. Talking to you guys here and reading your enthusiasm. Getting up real early on a day you can sleep in to meet up with the caravan. Watch the caravan traffic and bet on who will be the first pulled over. taking in all the ambiance of what is BMW enthusiasm. and enjoying the day.
For me, I had a great time which includes meeting other BMW crazed people and hearing all about it whatever it is and see that reflected in there rides. So even though there was a few problems as I read them here (I'm glad I didn't have to drive in the dirt) I sure enjoyed the efforts of those who put this together.

Originally Posted by Cliff

Bimmerfest is a competitor to the other forums, so you're not likely to see any paid or banner advertising for the event on other sites. Since the event is mainly targeted to California enthusiasts, the advertising comes in the form of stickies and word of mouth in the California regional forums on those other forums. I know there was a sticky on Bimmerforums in the California regional forum, and we had one on our SF area site. For example, we let our people know about the opening of registration on the day it opened. I'm fairly sure Jon posts in those other forums where he has a good rapport with the site owners to spread the word about the event.

Yeah, I completely understand and completely agree. I was just saying

Next year... Name tags.

I was looking for all you guys but no luck