1st time rally attendee

[bensonhurst]

We also found the vendors and the MOA to have their products very resonabley priced. My thanks go out to all the organizers and volunteers for all their hard work to make our 1st rally such a positive experience.
As for any nay sayers...as my dad would say "They would complain if you hung them with a new rope!"

I would complain being hanged with ANY rope.
There were NO bargains there. I took $3000.00, in cash, thinking there would be things too good to pass up, but everything there could be had for less elsewhere, I didn't spend a nickel.
I guess the vendors thought BMW = lots of money, I was very disappointed.
I've been to LOTS of rallies, shows and swap meets, in the USA and Europe, and this was the most disappointing.

[beemeup]

I was a first time International Rally attendee too. I had a great time, I came early and camped at Lake Carmi.........Carmi was great! I enjoyed riding the roads of Vermont, the vendors were good, the entertainment was great too.
My registration volunteer asked me if this was my first rally and gave me the new guy ticket and instructions to the Ambassador's Tent.

I had a great time, now I know why everyone gets so excited about the
"National". Thanks organizers and volunteers for your tireless efforts so that
I could have a great time!

[bensonhurst]

I too was a first time National Rally attendee and was suitably impressed by the level of professionalism and enthusiasm shown by the organization and the volunteers from first to last. On arrival on Thursday at Registration, I was asked if this was my first National, I must have had that lost look!!!!?? When I replied that I was a NooB I was given a new guy ticket and directions to the Ambassador tent to collect a prize so, OK, off I go, thinking right! Probably going to get a rubber biscuit! But no its a poker chip good for a free beer and a little mug to drink it from Cool, I didnt use the chip, maybe Ill save it for Wisconsin, but I had a great time and met a lot of nice people and just wanted to say THANKS.

So much for the beer chip, when I tried to redeem it for a beer, I was told by the beer vendor that I needed TWO tokens to get a beer.
This was my first rally
This was my last rally.

[WLDBT1]

Great riding . good time.

[121390]

My 1st. time and I had a great time. The poeple were so nice. Will go next year.

[RevWillie]

So much for the beer chip, when I tried to redeem it for a beer, I was told by the beer vendor that I needed TWO tokens to get a beer.
This was my first rally
This was my last rally.

Domestic beers were 1 ticket/token O'Douls were free
Microbrew drafts were 2 ticket/tokens

All us beer tent workers were volunteers, some knew more than others at different points-in-time.

This was a major rally run by volunteers! Cool your jets and calm down a bit and try another National before you state: "my last rally".

Ride safe, have fun,

[tuber1]

I wasn't told about the first timer coupon when I started registering voulunteers on Wed and they were all gone when I worked again on Friday.

hey I worked with you Wed...lol iwas the guy in the deadhorse shirt from St Albans

[bensonhurst]

Domestic beers were 1 ticket/token O'Douls were free
Microbrew drafts were 2 ticket/tokens

All us beer tent workers were volunteers, some knew more than others at different points-in-time.

This was a major rally run by volunteers! Cool your jets and calm down a bit and try another National before you state: "my last rally".

Ride safe, have fun,

My apologies to the volunteers.
But the vendors were there to make a killing.
IÔÇÖve been to LOTS of rallies and this was the pits.
Riding the roads in Vermont was spectacular, but I didn't need a rally to do that.
Never another BMW national rally.

[Paul_F]

It was my first National Rally. I loved it. I attended about twelve seminars and learned something new from each one. I found the vendor items (that I was interested in) to be cheaper than back home in Canada. People were very willing to talk to about their bikes and modifications. I prefer travelling alone but conversations with total strangers were so easy to either initiate by either of us. My bike remained parked at the rally as I had ridden two weeks through eastern Canada and the northeastern states before arriving. Vermont I explored before and after the rally. Shower facilities were fine (if youÔÇÖre an old man who always wakes up early). Food on site could possibly had a few more healthier choices but I never went hungry. I only missed out on being asked if I was a newbie and therefore did not receive any newbie package. An ambassador did give me a token for a brew on the last day. Noisy campers? There were a few but none to prevent me from drifting off to sleep. Actually the first night I went to bed around 8:30 p.m. The group talking around my tent were French Canadians. My french is so rusty that I was not distracted by listening to the words. It was more like a lullaby that help me drift off.

Next year? You bet IÔÇÖm going, only rather than planning a trip before it as this year, with the rally near the end of the trip, Wisconsin will be first stop with a two or three week trip to follow through the north western states and returning east via the western provinces. As well, I will volunteer next year. I am really looking forward to the next one.

[83467]

So much for the beer chip, when I tried to redeem it for a beer, I was told by the beer vendor that I needed TWO tokens to get a beer.
This was my first rally
This was my last rally.

For the last 2 years, one token = one ticket = $ 1.00
We in the beer garden were not aware of the newbie freebie, and were acting under past experiences. Still, paying $ 1.00 for a microbrew was a good deal, n'est ce pas? Our apologies for any hard feelings; in an event of this magnitude, there WILL be communication cracks.

Jim Faucher
Beer co-chair

[bensonhurst]

For the last 2 years, one token = one ticket = $ 1.00
We in the beer garden were not aware of the newbie freebie, and were acting under past experiences. Still, paying $ 1.00 for a microbrew was a good deal, n'est ce pas? Our apologies for any hard feelings; in an event of this magnitude, there WILL be communication cracks.

Jim Faucher
Beer co-chair

The people giving out the tokens stated
"it's good for one of ANYTHING in the beer tent".
HOWEVER: That's a minor detail, if the beer was free all three days the rally would have still been disappointing.
I've been riding the back roads through Vermont for over thirty years, it's great motorcycle country, but I didn't need a rally to do that.

The people of Vermont were, and have always been, the friendliest, everywhere we (a friend who came along for the ride) went, we got a warm and helpful greeting.
The only rude people we encountered were other rally attendees.
The vendors were out to make a killing, everything was overpriced.
It was my first rally.
It was my last rally.

[DMR]

I'm no businessman, but it would seem that if I wanted to keep prices low, I would utilize the internet to sell worldwide. Packing up my inventory, moving it to a rally site (where I assume their is a fee for the space), hiring employees for this temporary location, and then moving it back would add costs to any product. Anyone who expects less is naive. If you want to shop, you don't need to go to a rally.

I thought the souvenir t-shirts were reasonable, and the beer (should one choose to imbibe) was CHEAP. If you wished, you could go out on the town and I didn't notice any unreasonable prices there, either.

First and last rally- ok. But just where were these others that had great bargains and when are they?

And finally, I did not have a single negative experience. Great people, great time. I must not have been in the same place on the grounds.

[testinglogin]

I din't think the vendor prices were so bad as to be trying to cheat people. In fact, everything I looked at was at the most EQUAL to their online prices, and then you save shipping. Rev'It was selling their Cayeanne jacket for $50 less, which was a 13% discount, I believe. The only thing I thought was overpriced was the on-site food; $2.50 for a 20oz drink is out of line. Or so I thought; it was $2.75 at mid-Ohio. I just went to the store at the shopping center outside the rally. More "normal" prices on drinks. Beer, as has already been said, was a steal.

I went more for meeting people and good riding than to buy stuff, anyhow.

My first rally.
NOT my last rally.

YMMV.

[dancogan]

HOWEVER: That's a minor detail, if the beer was free all three days the rally would have still been disappointing.
I've been riding the back roads through Vermont for over thirty years, it's great motorcycle country, but I didn't need a rally to do that.

The people of Vermont were, and have always been, the friendliest, everywhere we (a friend who came along for the ride) went, we got a warm and helpful greeting.
The only rude people we encountered were other rally attendees.
The vendors were out to make a killing, everything was overpriced.
It was my first rally.
It was my last rally.

I guess the question that we need to ask you is, what were you looking for? The rally experience is different for different people, and depends almost entirely upon what you want to get out of it.

Buying at the rally, especially buying items that require installation, can be a hassle, and involve long waits. But as pointed out, there were some deals to be had, and a pretty good inventory for most of the vendors.

Anytime you get over 9,000 people together, there will be some that you'd rather not be around, but there will be many more that are anxious to meet, talk and make new friends. So, what were you hoping to find?

[vtpaul]

hey I worked with you Wed...lol iwas the guy in the deadhorse shirt from St Albans

I worked with so many different people I would have to see you again to remember. Are you the guy who helped teach me the ropes?

I had more fun at this rally than the other 3 I've been to, mostly because of volunteering. The only problem was that I volunteered maybe too much because I missed seeing lots of other stuff and some vendors.

I figured since I was local I should help out as much as I could and I was glad I did. I must say it is handy to have local people help out as I gave out lots of local information that other volunteers wouldn't have known.

Maybe for another forum, but if you do volunteer, I learned that it would be wise to at least tour the site first to get the lay of the land, exits, traffic patterns, camping areas, businesses etc to answer attendees questions better.

If I make it to Wisconsin I will have to think about helping again.