Review of the WBCCI 2006 International RallyPreparingNote: This site has no official connections or ties with WBCCI. It is strictly a personal effort to assist us in preparing for and participating in the international rally in Salem Oregon. |
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Probably the most important factor influencing your enjoyment of the rally is being prepared, knowing what to expect, and planning for what you do know as well as for the unexpected. |
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Arriving at the rally site |
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Coming with a group or a caravan. |
Caravans are assigned a special date and time for their arrival. Although WBCCI does not guarantee a group will be parked together it will try.
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Arriving at the rally site and finding your parking assignment |
Official rally parking for participants began on Monday. Early arrivals were parked in the “bull pen”, a field outside the main rally site parking areas. People arriving on Sunday were met with parking officials who checked your registration, gave you a tag for your windshield and then told you to park in the appropriate line in preparation for being led into your assigned rally parking area on Monday. As with many other aspects of the rally, there was confusion and inconsistency in information and procedures. One official parker said we could park in an area where there was electric hookups. Another came along and angrily said that was incorrect and that we had to park in the open field in the specified lines. On Monday we were led, with several others in our line, to our rally parking site. After getting to the designated area, parking and getting ready to place the jacks and blocks and official came along and said were were in the wrong area and had to move. We got ready to move and followed him to the gate where a conference was held with other parking committee volunteers who were waiting for word from the guy in charge to determine where we were supposed to go. |
Arriving at the rally via the bull pen sets the stage for the entire rally. All volunteer parkers and other staff should be fully informed of the latest rally information. They should be able to provide consistent and correct information and directions to every arrival.
In the bull pen area there were no accommodations for the excessive heat. Salem was experiencing record high temperatures. The heat really indicated an emergency situation. There should have been at least a shade or shelter area for people and their pets. Cold beverages, ice cream, ice, and other such items could have been available for those arriving during the heat of the day. An air conditioned room nearby could have been made available to provide relief from the heat.
When you check in at the bull pen you should be given a map of the fairgrounds and parking areas. These maps should include all key information such as the names of the various parking sections, key buildings, the location of registration and various administrative services and where medical or first aid assistance can be found. There was a map of sorts in a booklet you received but it didn't provide much detail.
It is not clear why, when you have registered for the rally in advance that you can't drive directly to your designated parking spot. It seems to be more a matter of convenience of the parking officials. There were plenty of them around the bull pen on Sunday checking your registration to make sure you were supposed to be there and telling you which line to get into for parking the next morning.
Also in the bull pen you were given a card with a letter on it. Although it was fairly easy to guess, this information should have been included in a comprehensive rally booklet and also made available to participants prior to arriving at the rally. Posted on the web for instance. The letters indicated E = Electricity. P = Pets, etc.
The signs indicating the various parking areas did not all seem to be in place when people were being parked on Monday. When you did see one they were small and non descriptive. For instance a P1 was the section named Purple One. It would have been great to carry the theme of the rally into the naming of the various parking sections. The theme “Westward the Airstreams” lends itself to some creative names based on Lews and Clark's expedition. Each section could be named after one of the members of the expedition or they could be named after the various stopping points – towns, Indian villages, and other spots along the way.
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