Rally Information Page

As can be seen by the increase in number of rallies each year, vintage rallies are very popular - so popular in fact that many fill up quickly and the "no vacancy" sign comes out early. Sponsoring a rally is fun and rewarding, and anyone can do it - there are no official VAC "rally creators". With that said, here are some tips on starting your own successful rally.

Let's start with the types of VAC Rallies:

The International Rally.

The largest WBCCI rally open to all Airstream product owners. Held during the week prior to the 4th of July. Group parking is provided for Vintage Airstream owners.

The Region Rally.

A WBCCI Rally open to all Airstream product owners. Smaller in scale than the International and organized by each of the twelve WBCCI Regions. VAC Members and Associates, within a Region, organize the VAC section of these rallies or a separately organized event, with Club liability protection, and advertising in the monthly WBCCI Blue Beret Magazine.

The Unit Rally.

A WBCCI Rally sponsored by Local Units where group vintage parking is encouraged to attract non-member vintage owners participation as a prelude to membership.

Vintage Gatherings and Rendezvous.

These events are organized by VAC/WBCCI Members and are generally not associated with any particular Unit. The VAC Rocky Mountain Rally is prime a example of this kind of event, These events are informal, smaller and designed to encourage non-member participation as a prelude to membership. In addition these events are often organized as Buddy Rallies, which allows friends of VACers to participate in Annual or Semi-annual events.

Vintage Club Caravans.

This is "the" event for VAC Members. Caravans are generally the best way to enjoy your vintage trailer because it was designed for precisely this purpose. These Travel Events are planned with en-route destinations over an extended period of time. They are led by an experienced Caravan Leader, who has taken travelers to places of interest throughout North America. The recent 'Caravan to Belize' is a good example and the yearly 'Wagon Wheels Caravan' held just prior to the International Rally is generally full early in the planning stages.

Vintage List Contacts.

Many newbies to Vintage Airstreaming make their first contacts with club members through the Vintage Airstream List. While a number of these folks have planned and attended informal gatherings from these contacts, at out of the way locations that are both fun and interesting, the VAC encourages attending official club events with the benefits of its association.

What are the VAC membership categories?

Now let's answer some commonly asked questions:

What happened to the Friends "Membership" Category?
In order to be a "Member of the VAC", an individual must join the WBCCI. The category of "Friend of the VAC" was created to allow “Future” WBCCI Members an opportunity to be on our mailing list and receive club news through our Newsletter "The Vintage Advantage". The success of our newsletter led to an unprecedented number of people receiving it. This in turn created the misconception of membership. The Friends category is now referred to as "Newsletter Subscriber" which more accurately describes the relationship with the club.

Do I need to be a WBCCI or VAC member to attend a Vintage Rally?
You do not need to be a WBCCI or VAC member to attend a VAC Rally (see exceptions above), but once you've experienced the fun of your first one, it is inevitable that you will leave a member of the VAC.

Are Vintage Rallies limited to vintage only trailers? Can a WBCCI member with a newer Airstream attend?
Vintage Rallies are not limited to vintage only trailers - if your interest is in vintage Airstreams and happen to have a newer Airstream, you're welcome - once again we'll bet you leave as an Associate member of the VAC.

Can non-Airstreams attend vintage rallies?
Non-Airstreams may attend an annual or semi annual VAC/WBCCI Rally (as the guest of a member or at designated Buddy Rallies). There have been an increasing number of friends of VACers who wish to attend with their non-Airstream Vintage trailers. In addition to this, many VACers have an interest in other makes and models of vintage trailers and tow-vehicles. These events give everyone the opportunity to revel in the delights of our Antique American Heritage and create a climate of general good will with the non-Airstream Community.

 

Lets get on with some rally organizing tips:

Components of a successful rally

Decide if it's going to be a Regional, Unit, or a "Vintage Gathering / Rendezvous"

Contact your Regional VAC Representative for assistance and any clarification required.

When scheduling, check for other VAC rallies within your regional area to avoid conflicts - there's 52 weeks in a year and its nice to have a variety of event dates to attend.

Start off with a small rally and build on the success. There have been no "failed rallies" yet.

Pick an area where people can park/camp together or reserve sites together if possible when using commercial campgrounds.

Non-campgrounds are OK too. A gathering or rally on private land with shared utilities or in a boon dock setting is actually camping in "vintage" style.

Hook-ups are nice, but not a prerequisite with most vintage owners. If no hookups are available, check for on-site/nearby facilities/showers and always be mindful of our environmental responsibilities when it comes to wastewater.

A central meeting place/hall/barn is ideal - cooking/BBQ/picnic facilities even better.

An area for group campfire creates a natural meeting place.

Enlist volunteers to assist with parking, cleanup, cooking, games, and activities. Have a sign-up sheet so that people can volunteer to assist during the rally. People enjoy contributing to the success, and being part of the rally.

Use e-mails to distribute information and updates, early and often. • Send out a form via Post Office mail to submit back registration information and rally fees.

Base the rally costs on the site fees (a "per night attended" cost), and then a set "rally fee" to cover expenses such as group meals, Event Commemoratives or special awards, and any other costs to be shared by the group.

Advertise early - VAC website, Blue Beret, Vintage Advantage. Advertise locally for the Open House.

Greet people as they arrive. Make them feel welcome. Register them in, and identify the places available to park. Its important to assign an individual to help park people as they arrive.

Have a pre-printed rally agenda & an information package on local sites & attractions.

Join in "Happy" or "Social Hours" in the late afternoon. These are great ways to recap that day's events, explorations, and to plan any events for the following day.

Plan a group event for the last evening. Catered meals, BBQ's, potlucks and even a Pizza Night are common events.

Provide some sort of memorabilia - plaques, labeled souvenirs, etc. This is a great way to highlight the members’ attendance.

Have someone designated to welcome and sign-up new VAC members or become Subscribers to the Vintage Advantage.

Plan a few tours of local attractions or areas, or prepare directions for self-guided local trips reflecting the attributes of the area.

Provide addresses and phone numbers of local emergency contacts, hospitals, police, etc. to all attendees.

Schedule time for personal exploration.

Plan an Open House, and time to prep for it. Signs with year/model/owners are a nice touch.

Provide information on local houses of worship.

Entertainment at rallies is always a plus -- Encourage people to participate if they have a special talent. Park Rangers are another source of entertainment, they are usually very willing to come to a rally and give a presentation on the local surroundings.

Seek interested individuals to be designated Rally photographers to take pictures (digital and film) for the VAC website and the Vintage Advantage. Also, ask someone to draft an after rally report. Nothing generates more interest for next year's rally than images from this year's event.

 

Recommended Format for Rally Reports

Check out the existing rally reports for ideas..

Information can be provided to the webmaster in one of two ways.

First, provide ready to go HTML files with web-ready image files. This is the preferred method, as it will get your report on the web quickly. You will also maintain control of the format this way. Try to limit your offering to no more than 5 MB. Compressing and correctly sizing image files is the easiest way to reduce your overall file sizes. Images need to be saved in medium quality (high compression).

Second, provide the raw image files direct to the webmaster, and include a rally write-up in either an e-mail or MSWord document. When time permits, the webmaster will create a layout using a standard rally format. Reduce the JPEG images to a standard 640 x 480 format with basic compression.

Files can be submitted on CD, Zip-Disk, Floppy Disk or by e-mail. Contact the webmaster for address if required.

Rally Summaries - include a little write-up of the notable events, places visited, details about the region, overall trailers. Set the atmosphere so that the person reading it feels like they were there, and those who were a chance to recall the fun and adventure.