International Weekend 2022

[Stuartjensen]

International Weekend 2022

Save the dates! 10-12 June 2022 - Got page 2 of this post to see the booking details or head to our website at https://joc.org.uk/events/international-weekend-2022/

The club has booked Eastwood Hall (near Nottingham), long standing members will recall our previous successful events at this venue though this was under different management. The dining suite has been completely refurbished (just before closing due to Covid!).

Key points:

• Back to our traditional dates: 10-12 June 2022.
• Easy communications (just off the M1), sufficiently distant from urban areas that security is not a major issue.
• Use of the car park, previously a walled garden for Concours. This is flat and has a water supply.
• We have provisionally arranged a meal with choice (3 starters, 3 mains, 3 deserts) which will have to be chosen ahead of time; naturally we will incorporate veggie/vegan alternatives.
• Dog friendly rooms available.
The hotel is confident they will be fully staffed and open, thus dinner will be served in a timely manner and bar snacks will be available for Concours attendees who have not booked lunch.

We will be setting up a web page for booking, members will need to choose their dinner preferences and the menu details are being finalised. I will post again when this is available, there will be a paper form in the magazine as well in due course.

[shaun]

Thank you Stuart,

Not many know the effort that has gone into arranging this.

It has not been easy but the JOC has an event to aim for.

Many thanks from the current Chairman.

[shaun]

And of course Gill!!!!

[zacmarshall]

I'm sure you are on top of things Stuart, but please remember the majority of Jensens there will not be in the concours. There were a lot of club members alienated at an earlier visit to Eastwood Hall that were told they couldn't park in the walled garden even though there were lots of spaces. For some due to limited parking in other areas there was nowhere else for them to park so they went home.

• Use of the car park, previously a walled garden for Concours. This is flat and has a water supply.

[Stuartjensen]

Yes Zac

We have the enlarged carpark outside the walled one and overflow in front of the Hall now.

Also I will liaise with Dave, unless there is a large concours entry (which would be great) we will designate only part of the walled area. It is flat!

[colin7673]

Thank you for this information, but are you making any provisions for those that DO NOT want to attend the dinner and dance or will they have to "fend" for themselves ?

[Chris_R]

Colin, Do you mean someone who is coming to the International, staying in the hotel, but just not joining with everyone else in the evening? Why would someone do that?

[Mark1Stu]

To be fair Chris, over the years I’ve attended the dinner/dance, there have been a number of people who prefer to meet up with their close friends and go off site for dinner and catch up - later returning to the International venue where they are staying over and rejoining other members in the bar. They fend for themselves in arranging alternative eating venues and I can only assume they prefer the range of food, drink, perhaps price, and ambiance it offers. Furthermore, not all members will necessarily want to listen to a specific type/era of music….or have their eye taken out by my elbow while attempting a John Travolta move he would cringe at.

Not sure what alternative arrangements Colin is referring to…but I’m sure he’ll respond in due course.

[Stuartjensen]

Hi Colin

We are a little behind the curve this year as we were messed about royally by a hotel which decided they didn’t want the business but were reluctant to tell us. This is why I put the “save the date” notice here whist settling the details of the catering etc.

We generally get a deal with hotel for a package but every year cater for a few for whom this is not appropriate. You ask about the Dinner Dance and I can share that in a normal year we have more attendees for this than we do for the package as some members living locally choose to join us whilst sleeping at home. Similarly some members choose not to join the planned drive or enter concours whilst still enjoying socialising and/or looking at the cars prepared for concours.

We did have an issue this year with the hotel not being able to offer the promised restaurant or bar snack service at lunchtimes due to staffing issues as they re-established after their enforced closure. We have visited Eastwood hall and it is currently fully staffed and catering services are back to normal. We anticipate there will be no issues in 2022 though I cannot give a cast iron guarantee as it is just possible (though unlikely) some restrictions are re-imposed as has just happened with international travel.

Gill & I have really enjoyed meeting old friends face to face again at car shows, area meals, the International and the NEC and look forward to seeing as many as possible in June next year. I will write as soon as details are finalised and Raj will set the booking page up.

[kees]

Hi Gill & Stuart,

Must have been a bit of a scare when the first hotel turned you down at late notice. Happened to us a few years ago as well.
Our aim is to be at the International in June if at all safely possible. We are really looking forward to it.
At the moment travel to&fro the UK is still restricted and difficult and it will stay that way for quite a while I am afraid. Brexit does not help either. Hopefully restrictions will be lifted by June 2022.

[VFK44]

Thank you Stuart. Thanks also for the humility which you have displayed in listening to comments and trying to cater for everybody. After struggling for months to sort out arrangements, it must be tempting to say, "there you go, like it or lump it" but you have resisted that. I hope you both have a lovely International weekend yourselves.

[Mark1Stu]

Well said Stephen.

[zacmarshall]

I must sort out that like functionality people were asking for Well said Stephen. Having organised a few events myself I don't envy Stuart and Jill and really appreciate all the work they put into the role.

Thank you Stuart. Thanks also for the humility which you have displayed in listening to comments and trying to cater for everybody. After struggling for months to sort out arrangements, it must be tempting to say, "there you go, like it or lump it" but you have resisted that. I hope you both have a lovely International weekend yourselves.

[DPP]

Colin, Do you mean someone who is coming to the International, staying in the hotel, but just not joining with everyone else in the evening? Why would someone do that?

We have done this many times as we always bring our dog. We do not expect anybody to organise our meals and as adults are used to being able to fend for ourselves.
I would never expect any special treatment and dont see the problem with organising an evening meal either at the hotel or going into the nearest town ourselves.

Thanks to Stuart and Gill for all there efforts in organising another International weekend.

[colin7673]

Colin, Do you mean someone who is coming to the International, staying in the hotel, but just not joining with everyone else in the evening? Why would someone do that?

This is exactly what I mean Chris I'm glad you managed to understand this.. but as Stuart has said there are those that attend the International, but do not want to attend the dinner and dance,
I will admit over the last twenty years of membership their has been a few times that we haven't attended the dinner and dance because of circumstance,
There have been members and the odd committee member have been able to make a booking for the International through 'lastminute.com' because there circumstances have changed and are able to attend, but still are unable to attend the dinner and dance because being fully booked.
In the past there was a couple that would organise a meal at a local pub where, as Stuart has said, friends can meet, have a great range of food choice without the disco getting so loud you can't here yourself think and this has been enjoyed by many, again Jensen people meeting up in a more relaxed and quieter atmosphere not feeling left out.

It would be a nice idea if a phone number of a good local pub that serves food, could be provided before hand, maybe on the booking form, stating that this is for selfbooking only, but if you put a 'tick box' for numbers, so you are aware of how many would like to go, maybe the club could provide transport, plus it might mean that Jensen members are not spread though the village or town as so many times in the past I've heard people saying " I wished I known which/where you were I would have joined you'

And as for the comment Dave has made,

I would never expect any special treatment and dont see the problem with organising an evening meal either at the hotel or going into the nearest town ourselves.

It isn't special treatment, it is making sure that all those members that make the effort attend the International and don't want to attend the Dinner and Dance are being catered for and not being forgotten, after all, all members make the International a success, not just those wishing to attend the dinner and dance