Any artists out there ?

[crazylegs]

At a show this weekend it was mentioned to me how few members we have. Nowhere near the number I thought. Now my way of thinking is that if we dont get some more interest the club will gradually shrink to nothing. Some time ago I think a windscreen flyer was suggested. Anyone think this is a good idea? Put one under every mk1 wiper you see in the hope they may be interested.
This is where the artists come in. Something eyecatching with info and meeting dates that can be downloaded and printed off. Nothing huge or too fancy but it may encourage a few new faces or enquiries, What do you all think ? Free membership for the best design ?

[HT]

Perhaps there is just less of them around. You see more being broken than fixed!

[crazybrightman]

alot of clubs have dwindling numbers these days. this is for many reasons but the informal comunity created through forums etc means the need to join a club is less. ive found most clubs are a bit funny in the way they are run and very set in their ways so it seems the case that the clubs will dwindle and die unless they change to keep with the times.

[BIGBOBO]

Hey, if there's wasn't a sea between the UK and Belgium I'd show up sometimes

[waynestoyotamr2]

Also, remember peoples interest in cars wains quite heavily.

Many people will only join a club, or come to a meeting just to find out what a good garage is to have the arches repaired at - then you will never see them again.

Some people will attend for a year, then sell the car, and you'll never see them again.

Ones that stick around for 5+6 years, and 10 years plus are few and far between, well, they are certainly in the minority!

Indeed, and as I've found recently, car clubs are pretty low down peoples lists of priorities when it comes there overall life.

I guess to get more people interested in the club, it would take a prolonged period of marketing activity and also organising incentives to come to shows and generally be a member.........

[phaeton]

The other issue that appears to be MR2 specific is the number of different forums/clubs out there to join, thinking about it after I typed it Mini's seem to suffer the same problems. For the MR2's I can think of MK2MK1, IMOC, MR2OC, MR2DC, Twobrutal, xxxx I'm pretty sure there will be others. They are all catering for a dwindling quantity of owners, personalities often get in the way of a good club.

Alan...

[Mk1 Turbo Powered Steve]

I agree with what has been said on here but putting flyers on peoples Mk1's does work.
I put one on a very tidy Mk1 a while ago and he has now started to come to meets.
It's very little effort to put a flyer, advertising the Mk1 Club and IMOC on a Mk1's windscreen, unless they are flying past you, or you them

I wouldn't have thought it would not cost too much to get some flyers printed, sent out to reliable members, then we could all have a go at spreading the word

[HT]

Also, remember peoples interest in cars wains quite heavily.

Many people will only join a club, or come to a meeting just to find out what a good garage is to have the arches repaired at - then you will never see them again.

Some people will attend for a year, then sell the car, and you'll never see them again.

Ones that stick around for 5+6 years, and 10 years plus are few and far between, well, they are certainly in the minority!

Indeed, and as I've found recently, car clubs are pretty low down peoples lists of priorities when it comes there overall life.

I guess to get more people interested in the club, it would take a prolonged period of marketing activity and also organising incentives to come to shows and generally be a member.........

Good points wayne

I'm never sure whether a club should be seen or run as a business. I mean so long as the information and opportuntity to enjoy the mk1 is there does the actual club numbers matter. I'd be very surprised in the information technology age that windscreen flyer are worthy of any effort, in fact are just a PITA for the owner to remove and bin before driving away.

[crazylegs]

thanks steve for a positive note. i know numbers are falling but do we just sit back and say "oh dear its a sign of the times" or do we try and reverse the trend ? Any other ideas ? Lets try and think of things we can do to help. We must have all thought " why dont we do ..." So lets hear the why dont we.... in full.

[greglebon]

Kev.

I dont think that our problem is unique...or even that it can be described as a "problem"?

Take, say, the Triumph Spitfire owners club....
(I'm not a member of this before you ask! )

Now, I would suggest that it too has a relatively small club membership / interest?

And that most of its members will be in their 40's+...?

Why?

Because the Spitfire is not a really trendy car, and is getting on a bit....

Unlike, say, the Scooby, Golf GTi, Saxo, etc......?
Look how popular the XR3i was in the 80's/90's...
I would suggest that the original XR3i has the same situation as us: things have simply moved on......not a problem: just a sign of the times?

The AE86 is a classic example of trendiness..........I reckon if a Mk1 MR2 was to appear in, for instance, the next 007 / Batman movie, membership would increase 10-fold within a few months.
Its all down to current trends: I would suggest that the Saxo owners club will be struggling for members in 20 years time....

Just my opinion....!

[vix]

Just a few interesting facts.

We had a lot of new members in July, more than usual - hurray!

We don't have that many cancellations, and the majority of members who do cancel state the reason as they don't have an MR2 any more. So I think the fact that the number of Mk1s on the road is dwindling is a factor to our membership.

However, a flyer is always a good idea, I leave notes on any MR2's I find lying around, although the last time I did that, the owner gave the car to us!!!

[Charged]

I haven't seen any Mk1s (excluding my dad!) on the road round my ways for weeks/months!

[BIGBOBO]

Kev.

The AE86 is a classic example of trendiness..........I reckon if a Mk1 MR2 was to appear in, for instance, the next 007 / Batman movie, membership would increase 10-fold within a few months.
Its all down to current trends:

Or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over_Rev! gets released in english.

Altough you probably don't want to many of those japanese-loving fanboys near you.


also

http://www.imcdb.org/vehicles.php?make=toyota&model=mr2

[widster]

I don't wish to be negative but i for one would not want to join a club. I get all i need from this forum. I was in the Mk12 club for a while but i didn't feel it was value for money. This forum is free and is 10 times as useful. You can also arrange to meet people informally if you want the face to face contact. I think the whole idea of clubs is now slightly antiquated with the presence of the 'virtual' club on the internet.

[widster]

I don't wish to be negative but i for one would not want to join a club. I get all i need from this forum. I was in the Mk12 club for a while but i didn't feel it was value for money. This forum is free and is 10 times as useful. You can also arrange to meet people informally if you want the face to face contact. I think the whole idea of clubs is now slightly antiquated with the presence of the 'virtual' club on the internet.

Sorry, that should read mk1 club noy mk12!

[widster]

And that should read not instead of noy! Need to remember to preview my posts!

[Charged]

And that should read not instead of noy! Need to remember to preview my posts!

Or perhaps use the edit button

[classic mk1]

I think its a good idea, it may prompt people to join. However i feel the dwindling numbers are our own doing. My area is the S/E as i live at dover and the bulk of the meets are over an hours drive to get to them. I brought a MK1 because i like MK1s, i like many others would like mk1 specific meets in more realistic areas. Take last years Kent coast run this was open to smart roadsters, scoobys, evos. Hence i and many others failed to see the attraction and didnt go. So to attract numbers we need to offer meets/events for MK1 in more local areas i feel.
Monthly S/E meet Hemel hempsted 230 mile round trip 4 1/2 hours round trip. If theres interest in a mk1 only meet in the real S/E then im prepared to organise one.

[waynestoyotamr2]

Just IMO - but in my experience, people will come to club meets or shows to find out a piece of information that is immediately pressing to them - and then usually 80% of them wont bother coming again.

Am sure John R would agree with me, but through my eyes, this is the battle the NW area of the Mk1 Club has been fighting for some years now........

I guess its life, but car clubs are inherently for people that want to "take" and those that do want to "give back" should be valued, nurtured and appreciated by the clubs members - no matter what there contribution.

[Mk1 Turbo Powered Steve]

I'm not suggesting that we just advertise the Mk1 Club, we can also let people know about IMOC, so a joint flyer would help all of us.
I enjoy being a member of the Mk1 Club but appreciate that a lot of people are happy just being online.
What i can't understand, is what is the problem with advertising our clubs?
If the person that gets a flyer is not interested, they throw it away but you might get someone that hasn't heard of us before