Bright Rod Run under threat … again!
Club wants accommodation owners to take a hit
For the second time in recent years the organisers of the enormously popular Bright Rod Run are threatening to take the event away from the town. This time the complaint is over concerns that entrants are being “ripped off” by accommodation providers. In his letter to last week’s Bright Observer (below), Club President Ray McDonald makes it quite clear that he wants Bright accommodation owners to reduce their minimum stay requirements from 3 nights to 2 nights or the club will either take the event elsewhere or cancel it altogether. My further comments are ‘over the fold’ (click on “more” below the article to continue reading):
Mr McDonald spells out his demands - click on image to enlarge.
Comment:
I’m not sure if Mr McDonald has really thought this through. I don’t wish to offend him but, as an accommodation provider myself who has a 3-night minimum stay requirement, I don’t see how his proposal – that we exclusively offer the actual entrants to the Rod competition a 2-night minimum - can work in practice.
To start with, we are already fully booked for next year’s event with most people actually staying for longer than the 3-night minimum (because they want to, not because they have to). I don’t think any of our guests were actually entrants in the rod event this year, however, several of them do have some kind of customised rod and may well decide to be entrants next year. What should I do in that case, call them up and tell them they only have to stay for 2 nights IF they decide to be an entrant? That’s a pretty big “if”.
Then there’s the issue of just how do accommodation owners discern between who is a genuine entrant and who is not. How do we verify that someone is - or proposes to be - an entrant and therefore entitled to book for only 2 nights? The club has not yet opened its entries for the 2012 Rod Run so what are accommodation providers supposed to do in the meantime, wait until all entries have closed before they take any bookings or just take their word for it that they will actually enter a car in the show ‘n shine?
I don’t understand how Mr McDonald sees this working. Moreover I don’t understand why he thinks it should. A three-night minimum for what is arguably the most popular event on the Bright calendar (there were at least 6,000 visitors at this year’s event) is not unreasonable. It’s not as though our prices are charged at ”premium” rates, in fact (in our case) we only charge the standard off-peak rates. By any measure, I think Mr McDonald will find that accommodation in Bright is not expensive compared to many other towns.
Also, it seems to me that there may be other factors at work that have caused the claimed drop off in actual entry numbers this year - like the economy. Let’s face it, everything is down, tourism included, so it sort of stands to reason that fewer people chose to enter a vehicle in this year’s event.
Mr McDonald’s suggestion of moving the event to some (as yet) unnamed town that has a “show grounds complex” where entrants could “camp on site” seems somewhat at odds with the type of accommodation most participants and visitors are seeking. There are plenty of camping facilities in Bright too but, from what I observed, they were far from taken up. If entrants are happy to stay in tents, they could also do that here.
It also strikes me as odd that so many of the 800 – 1,000 entrants would only want to stay for 2 nights. Bright is a long way from Melbourne so (naturally) the latest anyone tends to arrive is on the Friday. The main event runs until well into Sunday afternoon so why would any entrant want to check out on the Sunday morning and pack all their belongings into their car? The reality is that most participants need their accommodation on the Sunday anyway and, indeed, most do stay on the Sunday night and go home on the Monday. I guess they take a day off work (either from their annual leave or a rostered day off) and create their own long weekend.
Mr McDonald’s suggestion that somehow accommodation providers collectively set aside about 800 rooms or apartments or units as ’2-night minimum’ stays held exclusively for the as yet unknown number of entrants is a logistical nightmare, if not totally unworkable. I mean no disrespect to Mr McDonald, but his letter very much reads like he’s holding a gun to our heads – i.e. he’s saying, “give us shorter and/or cheaper deals or we’ll go elsewhere.” I don’t think that’s the way to approach it.
I can’t speak for other accommodation providers but, somehow, I don’t think there’s much we can do to meet Mr McDonald’s demands. As much as we want to keep the event, the economic realities are that when you create an event as big as the Bright Rod Run has become (and it is the club that has grown the event, not the town), then demand will inevitably exceed supply.
Maybe it’s just a case of if the club wants so many (fee-paying) entrants, then they actually need to consider expanding the event over a whole week, embracing two weekends – so more people can participate.
I really don’t see any other answer apart from, well, quite frankly ……. c’est la vie.
Promoting 'Beautiful Bright'.
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It’s a shame that the Bright Rod Run has come to this, I can see both sides of the story, there is some Accommodation Owners as well as some Retail Owners that have put Prices up over this Weekend and as there is no Department like the ACCC there to monitor this behaviour, then it will never be stopped, but in saying that, I don’t think the above has any effect on the Rod Run itself…….now the other side is I do’nt think it will do any good for anyone to hold the Town of Bright to ransom for the above reasons, I have been to nearly every Rod Run at Bright & have seen this particular weekends Event grow to what it is today, up until a few years ago, the whole Rod Run Event was held up in the Town Centre Area, then the Event Organisers made the decision to take the Event to Pioneer Park, & I think the main reason at the time was because of unruly things happening up town that were creating a guilt by association stigma for the Organisers…..but Rodders & Car Enthusiasts being what they are will always want to Cruise in a Main Street, so even in the last few years there are many regardless of whether they have entered the Event or not have still maintained a fairly large following in the Main Street, & because of this I don’t believe the Town of Bright would have to worry too much about the Organisers of the Event taking it away, because the Main Street happenings has grown on it’s own autonomy & I think it will for many years to come, it does’nt need any organising, it only needs to have some kind of control & the Police have done a great job of that over the past few years…….I enjoy both the Main Street happenings & the Organised Event at Pioneer Park & what they have to offer, but if the Organised Event goes, I like many others will still go to Bright for this particular Weekend as there will still be plenty of Cruzin to be done & Cars to see.
Happy Cruzin
Steve
Thanks for that point of view, Steve. I’m not aware of any ‘price gouging’ that goes on in Bright for the Rod event though. Bright has many other equally busy periods & events (like @ Easter, all long weekends, the Xmas school holidays and events like Audax cycling and the Bright Autumn Festival) and we don’t get the sort of complaints expressed by Ray McDonald over minimum stays at those times. Maybe a handful of accommodation places are applying “premium” holiday rates for the hot rod event too (we don’t) but I think they’d be in a small minority. I doubt that any retailers are price hiking either.
If the organised event does go I agree that many people will still come to Bright for that weekend but I would think that after a year or two the numbers of rods would dwindle. That said, Bright is always fairly popular in November so I doubt it would mean we’d go from choca-bloc full to totally empty.
I think the club needs to face reality here. It’s their event and they’ve encouraged more & more entrants (for the benefit of the fees no doubt). If entrants are finding it difficult to get accommodation (and I don’t doubt they are) maybe the event should be widened.
As a street rod owner and long running Bright Rod Run entrant, I’d like to comment on your article.
You seem to confuse entrants with spectators, entrants spend a lot of money to bring their hot rods to a rod run which just happens to be in Bright. Spectators don’t contribute to the rod run in any way, they just come to watch the free ‘show’ provided by the entrants.
In regard to the issue of 2 nights accommodation for entrants, you ask how would it work in practice?
Fairly easily, the accommodation provider continues to take his/her usual 3 or more days booking and deposit for same, when street rodders enter the event they include their accommodation details on their entry form to NSSR and advise if they require a 2 night stay only. The club would then advise the accommodation provider in writing that this person is an entrant and they only require accommodation for 2 nights, all other bookings for longer staying entrants or spectators would remain unchanged. I fail to see the ‘logistical nightmare’.
It is not odd that entrants only want to stay for 2 nights, the reality is that most entrants come from Melbourne and are required to be at work on Monday morning, because of this the rod run finishes around 2pm to allow entrants to get home at a reasonable time on Sunday evening. I’m sure that if you check with the Police you’ll find that this is by far the busiest traffic period of the weekend. I guess they can’t ‘…create their own long weekend’.
You comment that ‘I don’t think any of our guests were actually entrants…’ NSSR is only talking about the actual entrants that provide the ‘show’ and not the spectators who come to watch it, I’m sure they are not concerned about what you, or others charge non-entrants/spectators.
You mention that you do not get these sort of complaints from the Audax cycling event, I think that maybe you should urgently talk to their management ,because I believe they are having similar problems with accommodation providers and are expressing similar concerns as NSSR.
I do not see that Mr McDonald is holding a gun to your head, what I see is a genuine attempt to discuss and solve a major problem that may have a serious effect on ‘what is arguably the most popular event on the Bright calendar’.
Hi Ray……..are you relying on what Accommodation Owners & Retail Owners have told you or are you relying on the premise that you have not experienced raised prices personally……sorry but I have & so have many others…….some of us live in this area, so we frequently visit Bright, so I think we know when Prices change or not……& I would think as you are a Promotor of some kind for Bright & the Area itself, it’s probably not in your best interest know or indeed Promote……when you say “maybe the Event should be widened” what do you mean….as the Town is busting at the seams on the Rod Run weekend now.
Steve (Wilson),
I’m not confused about entrants & “spectators”, but they go hand-in-hand with any big event. You can’t have one without the other.
As for your suggestion on how a 2-night minimum would work you seem to be suggesting that entrants who only want 2 nights should go ahead and book for 3 nights anyway knowing that the club will get it reduced for them later. But would those entrants inform the accommodation provider when booking that that is his or her intention? If not, then that’s rather deceptive. If so, then we’re back to square one.
Audax has made some noises about accommodation availability but that’s simply because they insist on holding their event in a peak period when the town is full anyway (Australia Day & school holiday period). However, they’ve never complained about minimum stay requirements to my knowledge.
I don’t see how Mr McDonald’s letter is a genuine attempt to discuss and solve a “major problem”. The town does all it can do to accommodate their needs.
Steve (Jones),
Which prices are you referring to? I went to the shops myself over the event and the prices looked normal to me. Are you suggesting that the supermarkets & restaurants put their prices up just for the event? I have lived here for nearly 16 years and I’ve never seen that happen. We ain’t some backwater Hicksville town that sees a once a year opportunity and decides to “cash in”. We’re a full-on and quite professional tourist town and we don’t rip our customers off … because we want them to come back. You must be thinking about the mountain resorts – they do that.
I explained what I mean by “widening” the event. Widen it to a whole week embracing 2 weekends, so more people can get in. You know, relieve the congestion sort of thing. Let’s face it, the club would then get a lot more fee-paying entrants, which seems to be their main concern.
Now, now Ray you are starting to sound P*#@ed off, that’s not good…..I never suggested any one place at all, that’s why I wrote it as Retail Owners, I’m not a Restaurant eater, so I wouldn’t know there, & as for the Supermarkets, they could’nt be any more accommodating or hospitable if they tried……the guy that owns the IGA Store there should be awarded top honours as he was & has been looking after people with good deals for a long time well before the other Supermarket was opened, every year he runs out of Alcohol because of his prices, everyone goes there & not the Pubs……& there was no suggestion that Bright was a Backwater Hicksville Town….but I will give you this, you need to go no further than a couple of your Pubs after a certain time of Friday & Saturday Nights at the Rod Run & you will see Prices rise over the Bar & your Accommodation Prices at some of the Holiday Parks are way over priced your in Town….$40 for an Unpowered Site, if you think that is reasonable, then you obviously don’t do much Caravanning or Camping.
No, I’m not pissed off, Steve, I just like people to say what they really mean and be specific. At first you were suggesting that there were general price hikes in Bright while the Rod Run was on. Now though (that I’ve asked you to name them) it seems to boil down to the price of drinks at the pub. Well, Steve, both pubs are owned by the one bloke and I don’t know what he charges because I wouldn’t go inside them myself. As for $40 for an unpowered site at the caravan parks, you’re right … I have no idea what one is worth. Looks like we’re arguing about the bottom end of the market here, Steve. Sorry mate but that’s a market I’m none too familiar with.
Ha! ha! ha!…bottom end of the Market…….I love the way you Numbers & Marketing people think, so I guess we are 2nd class Citizens for trying to do things on the cheap, sorry we can’t all afford your $60 Dinners, $100 Bottles of Wine & stay at $170 + a Night Accommodation…….Changed my mind now….your not p*#@ed off……your Arrogant.
Steve, Bright is NOT an expensive place to stay. It’s more affordable than most towns and offers accommodation from the ‘bottom end’ to about the middle price ranges. If your beef is about spending $40 per night for a campsite AND about the cost of drinks @ The Alpine, well, maybe drink less? Cheers.
Ray, I haven’t read anything in the article by Ray McDonald to suggest your comment “Let’s face it, the club would then get a lot more fee-paying entrants, which seems to be their main concern.”
Your other comment “I’m not confused about entrants & “spectators”, but they go hand-in-hand with any big event. You can’t have one without the other.” Sorry Ray but you can have one without the other and there are many rod runs around the country that can prove your comment incorrect.
You also wrote “It’s their event and they’ve encouraged more & more entrants (for the benefit of the fees no doubt)”…considering that NSSR has donated some $200,000.00 back to the Bright community in the past 21 years I’d hardly say they are in it for the “benefit of the fees”.
You may know about Bright and surrounds but you clearly know nothing about hot rods or their owners.
Hi Gavin, I’ll answer your 4 paragraphs separately:
1. Obviously Mr McDonald is concerned about the running costs. He has stated this before (at the meeting he called in 2009) and in his letter he refers directly to a drop of “more than 100 entrants” and his club’s reduced capacity to make donations as a result of that. You seem to misunderstand my reference to that matter – it’s not a criticism and I understand that the club is run on a not-for-profit and charitable basis (after it meets its own costs of accommodation, food, etc of course).
2. Of course you can hold an event that is just for the participants but it’s then not a “big event” like the Bright Rod Run is. That was my point. The club needs to decide which way it wants to go I guess, but without the fees paid by the “spectators” to see the ‘show ‘n shine event at Pioneer Park surely their revenue will be down.
3. There is no doubt that the club wants more & more entrants to ensure a successful event. Again, I am not criticising them for that but I am pointing out that the club also benefits from getting more entrants. As I understand it, the club’s members’ costs of staying in Bright are covered by the revenue. Then there was something mentioned about getting new club rooms built too. I’m just pointing out that the event is actually a joint commercial venture benefitting both the town of Bright and the club itself – i.e. the individual 35 or so members.
4. I’ve seen 16 or 17 Rod Runs and I think I know enough about the event to understand that, given its size & scope, it requires a pragmatic business approach to ensure it remains viable.
For the life of me I cannot understand how anybody thinks it is possible to have a minimum 3 night stay for one group and 2 night stay for another.
I have heard the ACCC have started to investigate and I hope they find the minimum 3 nights ” Illegal”.
Not withstanding any argument, forcing more nights onto people than is necessary must be a low form of marketing.
I am involved in running a motorcycle race event and work with Tourism Victoria.
I am confident this gouging would be seen in a bad light considering all the effort put into promoting Victorians to visit Victoria.
Hi John. I agree with your first paragraph – that the club’s idea of having a two-tiered minimum stay system won’t work.
As for your second paragraph, there is nothing “illegal” about an accommodation owner having a minimum stay condition at any time of the year. There are no regulations over this and nor should there be as it’s simply market forces at work. I seriously doubt that the ACCC or Consumer Affairs would be the slightest bit concerned with this matter – it’s quite normal in many tourist centres. And it’s not a question of “forcing more nights onto people” – it came about because of the demand for extra nights.
I have personally found that for any ‘new’ bookings for this event, that the accommodation owners have felt the need to apply a 4 night minimum….would love to know where I can find a 3 night minimum!
I doubt that’s true for most accommodation places, Kim.
Gee don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story…….so why have you removed a couple of my posts Ray…….does’nt suit your agenda eh!!
What the hell are you talking about?
http://brightholidaypark.com.au/media/Bright/pdf/BR-04_Bright_2011Ratecard_WEB.pdf
http://brightholidaypark.com.au/media/Bright/pdf/BR-20_Bright_Ratecard_2012_FINAL.pdf
Interesting reading, lets talk facts here prices for the local council owned caravan park operated by ATPM.
Introduces a Premium season which is 20% more than High season.
Targeting two period Christmas and Hotrod weekend.
See the fine print minimum booking periods apply see management.
I’m shocked by that, David. I can’t comment about the site fees for vans & camping, etc but as for their cabin fees my opinion is they’re outrageous. Not my business of course but that’s considerably more than we charge in holiday periods and I think we offer a lot more than they do. Do they have a pool & tennis court? I don’t believe so. And we only have two rates – holiday & non-holiday and guess what? We charge hot rods the non-holiday, lower rate, about $130 per night for 2 people plus $20 per extra person. We do have a 3-night minimum but I think that’s reasonable. Look, as it’s a council owned park (leased out) I reckon that’s worth making a complaint to the council’s CEO Ian Nicholls over it. Or try Councillor Mark Steven – you know, the one who criticised private operators! Bloody hypocrites.
What!!…your shocked Ray……it’s not like you did’nt know…..,,you could have given me the same info you have stated above a few weeks back when I was trying to tell you about high Unpowered site prices instead of giving me thats the lower end of the Market & something you were not familiar with….would have saved all that arguing.
Steve, this is what I said to David: “I can’t comment about the site fees for vans & camping, etc but as for their cabin fees my opinion is they’re outrageous.” Sounds pretty consistent with my response to you.
Cabin fees ARE outrageous at the caravan park Ray, have been staying there Cup weekend since they were first built but 2 years ago was our last stay. No improvements to cabins since they were built and same crockery and cutlery I’m sure. Our group use to be made up of 20 people sometimes more and now only 2 stay there. Bright caravan park seems to have over priced itself for what you get – and a few years ago at Easter 7 days was the minimum booking – hard when you only can get main days off – once again we stopped coming up to Bright. Just read their website and
‘surprise’ fees going up again this year for cup weekend…….
It’s funny that they can call it the Melbourne Cup Week………the Race is on 3 days before the Rod Run starts & Bright is 400 klms from where the Race is held……so who’s touching who!!
Nonetheless, Steve, it’s very busy here for Melbourne Cup ‘weekend’, as a lot of people take the Monday off and make it a 4-day getaway.
So that should officially end by Tuesday then……..absolute “Greed” to continue it on into the Rod Run.
Ray would love to talk to you in person about the “Bright Caravan Park”,
Unfortunaltely not everyone in Bright who runs a business operates like you.
Anytime, Rod. My email is alpineopinion @ gmail .com
Friends from Melbourne have been trying to locate accomodation in Bright for the Audax event. He has just called to say, most places require a minimum stay of 7 nights.
Your friends have left it a bit late, don’t you think, Andrew? A 7-night minimum? Well, if there are any vacancies left in Bright then I guess you can’t blame whatever place that is for trying it. But give me a break, mate, that’s hardly indicative. Sounds more like a typical bitch. How many places did he try? I doubt there are more than a couple of overpriced holiday homes still not booked out. Pleeeeease, Andrew, you are sounding rather irrational lately. First your outrage over ‘bikies’ (wow, that’s a demographic we really want to attract), now this rubbish. Sorry mate, but I don’t buy it.
I agree (and so do my friends), they left their run late. In fact, according to them, they tried a about 8 different places for accomdation – some had plenty of room and were charging the 7 night minimum.
The reason they would have had “plenty of room”, Andrew, is because of their ridiculous 7-night minimum. That’s a bit rich, although my guess is they would be holiday houses, ie. not established accommodation properties. Profiteers like that deserve to remain empty.
In fact, they were accommodation properties they called. Not sure who they called though.
Anyhow – they found a house to rent for four days which suited them better and was far cheaper.
Nothing to prove Ray. I wouldn’t have wasted my time posting if it didn’t happen. It’s just a shame that it’s happens and it does. You can choose to be oblivious to it all you like but if The NSSR club are writing there must be others expressing concerns.
{remainder of comment edited – please stay on topic AND on the right topic. This is a different thread to the one we were talking on}
Scott .. your story doesn’t sound believable. And you’ve commented here before under different names. How’s the eye?