NOT a warm welcome at the thumper club stand at classic mechanics show stafford

[guest1529]

i would have liked to say how nice to meet the members on the stand on staurday
UNFORTUNATELY no one wanted to talk even though i stood a there for a good 5 mins or more.(my mate said you were an ignorant lot!!)
trying to get someones attention,
im a member on here & i was annoyed
how would none members or someone who would like to join on here feel.
it doesnt portray a friendly club,
this would do more harm for the club than not having a stand

[booxbr]

Same on Sunday when i visited 

[steveD]

Well I'm very dissappointed that this is the case......and I hope that someone from the stand will be along to explain themselves.
I have been a member of this club for quite a few years now and there is a small group that is true to the spirit of the single cylinder appreciation. This has however for the last few years diluted, there are a few cliques and the Stafford stand has suffered. I for one have always tried to attend this 'meet' but unfortunately my own circumstances have meant that I have to work most weekends. Had I been there I would certainly have welcomed you to the stand and had a chat but then I cannot comment on what has actually happened. If what you both have said is true then I suspect that others have had a similar experience. This is not acceptable and if I find that this is true then my affiliation to this group will have to cease. I have many other groups to meet up with and certainly don't need this sort of embarrassment. Someone owes a BIG appology for this behaviour.

[Ian]

Hi, I spent all of my weekend at the show on the stand, apart from the time when I either needed a break away from the heat and crowds to have a walk around the show or just needed a comfort break. We had a lot of people come and chat to us whilst we were there. I myself can only apologize to whoever thought we were an ignorant lot!.
We have always prided (?) ourselves in finding time to make anyone or everyone welcome but some people just want to stop look and walk on by. We would never intentionally ignore anyone but on the other hand I didnt feel I wanted to push my views on everyone who stopped and looked. Did you make yourselves known to us? I do not know many people from the club by sight so I need a bit of a reminder or whatever.

Ian

[Propellor]

I found the guys on the stand (Gareth, graham, Ian, Simon and Michael) to be a very friendly bunch o lads.

Thanks for making me feel welcome. Some good bike banter and the odd joke thrown in.

I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend. The warm weather was the icing on the cake.

[Andy M]

The place was heaving. In places you couldn't get to the stands as the surrounding crowd was just gridlocked. I think I got about five minutes talking so Simon, GC and guys, interrupted with excuses-me's from the throng and other people trying to catch up. The Moto-Guzzi club were in the same position, no way they could talk to everyone. I don't feel ignored, it is simply an impractical environment.

Andy

[Steve H]

Hi, I visited the stand on the Saturday and bearing in mind I had not seem anyone for a couple of years had a good welcome, in fact I struggled to get away. I know most of the team fairly well and I would be very surprised if you were actively ignored.

You need to bear in mind that, apart from free tickets, the people that were on the stand pay for everything out of their own pockets and are there because they love the bikes. Simon's bike must have been one of the few that were actually ridden there.

I'm sure this can be resolved in a positive manner, can I suggest you send Graham (onepot) or Gareth (silverfox) a message through the site and I am sure they will provide a response.

[guest1882]

I was there on Saturday and had a very interesting chat with one of the good people running the stand - the long and short of it was that I was home in nearby Stone by early afternoon and the first thing I did (after giving the dog its lunch of course!) was that I joined this club. I have run many exhibition stands myself over the last 50 or so years, and its a very fine line when talking with one guest that comes onto the stand and all the while trying to interrupt and welcome other visitors. On Saturday I personally think the Thumper Club managed it very well!

[guest7]

My first response to this was one of mystification. We've attended this show for over a decade and all we've ever had is lots of fun, great meet ups and praise from attendees. However, if two people found us to be unfriendly then we must have got it wrong. And I'm mortified.
I'm going to have to talk to Gareth about this but my initial thoughts are that in our desire to make helping on the stand as easy as possible, perhaps we weren't as diligent as usual about maintaining numbers on the stand. Everyone involved is a volunteer and we try to make it possible for them to see the show as well as manning the stand.
What worries me is that your experience is so different to those of club members over the last decade, but to us on the stand there didn't seem to be a change in attitude or emphasis. I need to sit down with Gareth and discuss this because it's absolutely the last thing we wanted to happen. Of course I, for one, apologise fully. And thank you for bringing it to our attention.
Please could you both tell me if you made yourself known as a club member to one of the stand helpers? And how did the conversation go, etc.
I'll add more after I've talked to Gareth, he's the one so organises the whole thing these days and I'm sure he'll be as upset as I am that we failed our members

[SteveC#222]

I have to say that when I read the thread title I was very suprised, I've helped on the stand in the past and it was a great craic and the stand very busy and we were run off our feet chatting to stand visitors.

I am in no way doubting the experience that Carbon Moto and Booxbr had, but I can only think that something went very wrong on the day. I know first impressions are important, but please don't judge the club on your unfortunate Stafford experience, this is the friendliest and most inculsive club I've ever been a member of and everyone is always made very welcome either on the forum or at the rallies.

Hopefully now GC is on it we can find out what went wrong but please give us another chance because this was highly unusual and not the way the Thumper club works.

[xbally]

I was at the show on Saturday but as i was there through work i only had a very limited time to say hello.When i called by it was early and therefore quiet.There were only one or two people manning the stand and they were chatting to others which i think is fair enough.This is in no way a criticism as people give up their time and money and with limited resources and man power it's difficult to please everyone.

[booxbr]

This was the 2nd year i have attended the show .Last year i had a good chat to Moto63 about his XBR and what had he  done to it .This year me being the only thumper rider in our gang had to wait till the others had finished drooling over the classics down stairs before we could venture upstairs .We found the stand in a much better location than last year not tucked away in the corner.Moto63s bike was the first thing i saw as i approached the stand but did not see him. Had a look at what he had done to it over the last year but did not see him if i had i would have had a chat to him.Not once was we approached by any one on the stand .I know you all give your time for free we have the same problems with our local bike club. After about five minutes my gang was getting restless so i had to leave .I was hoping to bring my XBR down this year but may mate with the van would not commit him self  so may be next year.cheers XBRboo

[Silverfox]

Firstly I would like to thank everyone who helped out on the stand for making it such a thoroughly enjoyable show. Better location for the stand, pretty good weather and a nice albeit small selection of bikes on show. Apologies to booxbr and carbon moto if we didn’t get chance to speak to you both, we tend to let people approach us rather than dragging people onto the stand and it’s a shame you didn’t introduce yourselves as you would have been showered with coffee, sandwiches and anything else that was on offer, except Ians jelly babies!!!! On a serious note, were certainly not in the habit of ignoring anyone who shows interest in the bikes on the stand and try to get round everyone, so sincere apologies for not being as vigilant as we should have. Sunday was a sad day for GC as his beloved Ikuzawa was sold, but great day for Moto63 as he bought it, I’m sure he’ll do a great job with it and hope to see it on the stand next year.(if we have a stand next year)

Bit disappointed with Steve Ds comments, we work very hard to get the stand at the show, keep it manned ALL weekend and try to talk to as many people as we can within reason, not sure what else we could have done!

Silverfox

[Moto63]

Evening all
I really can not understand what all the fuss is about, it "appears" that we are talking about 2 disgruntled members out of how many other people we (myself, Andrew , Ian , Simon , Gareth and Graham) all spoke to during the course of the weekend. You can,t please all the people all the time as they say. We are surely allowed a little time out ourselves over the course of the two days to take in some of the show, which is what I can only assume had happened when the stand was supposedly undermanned . As for being called an ignorant lot! Well As they say in text jargon LOL  (laugh out loud) I have very rarely had the pleasure over recent years to spend my time with a more likeable bunch of blokes. (Loved the jelly babies Ian)
I can start to understand why Ian used the word cyber bullies with comments like that thrown around, however I for one will certainly not let it bother me or stop me turning up with my bike (bikes? ) next year to hopefully pull in some of the couple of thousand punters that came through the doors.
Ps yes I am now the very gratefull owner of Graham's Harris framed ikuzawa which I hope will be back on the stand next year and back to it,s former glory
Pops hope the zorst repair held out simom?

[Moto63]

Pops?   Oops shudda read pps.