Words by Jeff Whitehead
From your Events Coordinator
Motafrenzs newly elected Committee has just held the annual Events Planning meeting, which went very well indeed, spread over some four hours in an atmosphere of congenial hospitality and sharing of ideas. As a result, some adjustments have been made to events generally, and the itinerary overall, which we believe will bear fruit with more enjoyable events being held for the club and its members.
I have dived back into this role as Events Coordinator having had extensive previous experience. It’s a challenging role, but now with the new committee structure operating as cooperative teams, there is more support, and hopefully, more wonderful and successful events as we endeavor to plan and provide something that all members may enjoy.
Below I outline some items that are changing or being redeveloped, and if you have any feedback or suggestions, please email events@motafrenz.org.au as we welcome all feedback in planning our events and itinerary. In the meantime, we all hope to see many new and established members coming along and participating in many of our events, where everyone will be made welcome and included.
DATA (Drive And Take Away) events will replace monthly Cheap-eats. We know DATA events attract a wide range of members, as they’re held in various locations around Melbourne in the evening. The locations will again be varied around Melbourne, and will generally involve some sort of drive where we can stop and chat about our vehicles, and socialize with each other.
They’re intended to be monthly, and on a weekday evening which may typically be a Friday, but can be any weekday evening. DATA events will mainly be held around a tasty outdoor takeaway, but may also be held indoors depending on the weather, such as in a pizzeria restaurant in winter or other inclement conditions.
Some successful DATA events from years gone by will be resurrected, and the drive destination may vary accordingly. The Committee is also keen to support members who know of a great takeaway idea that includes a bit of a drive, so please come along and let us know your thoughts, and with your ideas and input, we’ll assist you to run your own DATA event.
As a general guide, a DATA event has a picturesque drive or a stopping place with a view, but it is not a pre-requisite, as the idea is to just get together, have a fun bite to eat somewhere, – or bring your own food, – and catch up and have a bit of a cruise together.
Please feel free to chat with any committee member about your suggestion. We are certainly keen to see DATA events spread over the breadth of Melbourne so as to be accessible as possible to all members with your ideas and input.
Long weekends: Long weekends are being kept to around 3 per year, however, this is not necessarily set in stone. The Daylesford Chillout long weekend has grown and is still growing over the years, and various others have had good success. In the coming year, we’re trying to keep it to around three long weekends a year if possible, such as highlighting the event as something rather special and hopefully avoiding conflict where possible with other social events on the general calendar.
Members car show: Motafrenz holds two major public events in its calendar. These are; The Magical Mystery Tour for Midsumma and; the Show and Shine, where general public entries can outnumber club members’ vehicles.
Understandably, there has been some feedback that the Show and Shine is too public for some, so we intend to have a smaller, more intimate car show just for members and their personal guests. We’re considering this to be suitable for the ‘Annual Motafrenz Picnic’ event.
Memorial Drive: The memorial drive started originally to remember the late Brett Tooke, and from there, we now remember all past members on this event.
Lastly, on behalf of the committee, I would like to thank our kind hosts Chris Quirke and Matt NM for opening their home to us for the planning meeting, along with wonderful hospitality, and for arranging a splendid meal afterward at a lovely local restaurant with stunning views over the water. It was an excellent and very productive day, enjoyed by all who attended.
