Rich
Administrator
Welcome to April's update. I hope it will help keep you, the Members, up to date on Club matters but it is also an opportunity for you to ask questions which I will always answer as honestly as I can.
SHOWS and REGALIA
With the prospect of getting out to shows, all Regional reps have been invited to put in a request for whatever show regalia they require. We are also in the process of topping up our central stock of bunting for use at the larger shows. A new flyer has been produced introducing the CCCUK to any non- members who we may meet at shows. Everyone is invited to help, so if you would like any flyers, please email Rob Tring membership@corvetteclub.org.uk
CLUB FINANCES
This is an area where I take a very keen interest (probably due to 30+ years in Banking). We have had a bit of a windfall during this financial year due mainly to reduced show costs and savings on the magazine production. My view is that whilst this is a Member’s Club, there has to be some element of running it akin to a business where cash is king. Without cash, we can’t survive so it’s good that we have a float for any famines. The Club's accounts will be struck as at 30th April and will be presented at the AGM.
SHARNBROOK HOTEL & THE CCCUK NATIONALS
You may have noticed that the Sharnbrook Hotel is up for sale. We are as certain as we can be that the AGM and Nationals will go ahead providing that some form of Covid-19 restrictions are not re-introduced.
CORVETTE BOOK
Included in your Membership renewal pack is a Corvette “Bookazine”. That’s a term which is new to me, but it appears to be a cross between a book and a magazine (clever people, these publishers!!).
We took up the opportunity to place an advert in the Bookazine and were later offered the chance to buy some copies. The Club purchased a number of copies, so if you see it on the shelves in WH Smith or Tesco try to resist the urge to buy it (unless you need two copies). The Committee felt that we needed to provide something for renewing Members as a token of our appreciation for your continued support, and the Bookazine seemed to fit the bill.
When you get your copy (subject to availability), you may notice that the CCCUK advert (which appears twice) has a rather odd looking black panel at the top. Unfortunately, there was some form of file corruption between the Media Company and the Printer which went unnoticed by them at proof stage. We bought our copies at a very advantageous price which was further discounted due to the above, but unfortunately the entire print run had been distributed to the stores by the time the error was noticed. These things are sent to try us, but I was quite disappointed.......................
NEW WEBSITE
Questions have been raised elsewhere about the reasons behind the Website change. I’m no technical expert so please don’t shoot the messenger, but here goes…….
Firstly, our version of the core software platform was several versions behind the latest one, so we weren’t up-to-date on bug fixes etc. A revamp seemed sensible. Also, the calendar module was out of date and was not easy to use. We sourced an improved version which we felt could encourage easier and more frequent use by members and (more importantly) Regional Reps who have been asked to post ALL their events on the Calendar. The homepage needed attention so that we could provide better links to the highly fashionable social media platforms (Facebook in our case), the Merchandise Website and Membermojo. There is also greater prominence given to joining the Club. At the same time, we have also completed a review of the Merchandise Website.
We also wanted to attract all those interested in Corvette to the Website and increase traffic, so it was felt that more images would give a greater impact, and make the Website more attractive.
I appreciate that some may not like the new format, but I hope that I have explained the rationale behind the change. Incidentally, this process resulted in minimal cost to the Club thanks to the considerable efforts of Mike Buchanan and Ben Harvey.
SHOWS and REGALIA
With the prospect of getting out to shows, all Regional reps have been invited to put in a request for whatever show regalia they require. We are also in the process of topping up our central stock of bunting for use at the larger shows. A new flyer has been produced introducing the CCCUK to any non- members who we may meet at shows. Everyone is invited to help, so if you would like any flyers, please email Rob Tring membership@corvetteclub.org.uk
CLUB FINANCES
This is an area where I take a very keen interest (probably due to 30+ years in Banking). We have had a bit of a windfall during this financial year due mainly to reduced show costs and savings on the magazine production. My view is that whilst this is a Member’s Club, there has to be some element of running it akin to a business where cash is king. Without cash, we can’t survive so it’s good that we have a float for any famines. The Club's accounts will be struck as at 30th April and will be presented at the AGM.
SHARNBROOK HOTEL & THE CCCUK NATIONALS
You may have noticed that the Sharnbrook Hotel is up for sale. We are as certain as we can be that the AGM and Nationals will go ahead providing that some form of Covid-19 restrictions are not re-introduced.
CORVETTE BOOK
Included in your Membership renewal pack is a Corvette “Bookazine”. That’s a term which is new to me, but it appears to be a cross between a book and a magazine (clever people, these publishers!!).
We took up the opportunity to place an advert in the Bookazine and were later offered the chance to buy some copies. The Club purchased a number of copies, so if you see it on the shelves in WH Smith or Tesco try to resist the urge to buy it (unless you need two copies). The Committee felt that we needed to provide something for renewing Members as a token of our appreciation for your continued support, and the Bookazine seemed to fit the bill.
When you get your copy (subject to availability), you may notice that the CCCUK advert (which appears twice) has a rather odd looking black panel at the top. Unfortunately, there was some form of file corruption between the Media Company and the Printer which went unnoticed by them at proof stage. We bought our copies at a very advantageous price which was further discounted due to the above, but unfortunately the entire print run had been distributed to the stores by the time the error was noticed. These things are sent to try us, but I was quite disappointed.......................
NEW WEBSITE
Questions have been raised elsewhere about the reasons behind the Website change. I’m no technical expert so please don’t shoot the messenger, but here goes…….
Firstly, our version of the core software platform was several versions behind the latest one, so we weren’t up-to-date on bug fixes etc. A revamp seemed sensible. Also, the calendar module was out of date and was not easy to use. We sourced an improved version which we felt could encourage easier and more frequent use by members and (more importantly) Regional Reps who have been asked to post ALL their events on the Calendar. The homepage needed attention so that we could provide better links to the highly fashionable social media platforms (Facebook in our case), the Merchandise Website and Membermojo. There is also greater prominence given to joining the Club. At the same time, we have also completed a review of the Merchandise Website.
We also wanted to attract all those interested in Corvette to the Website and increase traffic, so it was felt that more images would give a greater impact, and make the Website more attractive.
I appreciate that some may not like the new format, but I hope that I have explained the rationale behind the change. Incidentally, this process resulted in minimal cost to the Club thanks to the considerable efforts of Mike Buchanan and Ben Harvey.
