Ok, starting fresh with a new thread and laying some ground rules for future Meets. The Midwest/Int'l Meet must be set up with a location and date at least 8mo in advance. So by this time we need to have someone willing and able to host the Meet and having the basics set in stone. Now, because this has never been an issue before - we never had any sort of contingency in place in case a Meet fell through. As of now, we have a contingency (or plan B if you like). From here on out, typically the Int'l Meets will be central United States since MOST of our members live in the States and since (after many conversations regarding the matter) it simply makes more sense that it is centralized due to West Coast/East Coast trevelers. For the most part West Coast members won't be able to make East Coast events and vice versa. So being centralized will make things much easier.
Since the AMC Cordova Internationals are centrally located in Illinois on the border of Iowa and they already have most of what we need ready to go with a strong following AND they are easy to work with and welcome our participation - it just makes sense to have this as a yearly meeting spot. Of course, this may not be popular for all Nesters but first off, you can always have mini-meets anywhere you wish - no one would/could stop you from that. In fact, we encourage them! Secondly, IF someone/anyone (member of the Nest) wishes to host the Midwest/Int'l Meet - then you have the option of doing so, and again it is encouraged! Now, you don't necessarily HAVE to be in the Midwest but a somewhat centralized location in the mid United States is kind of a must. The Cordova Internationals will be our Meet spot every year for those who wish to attend (I will most certainly be at every meet) but if no one has set anything in stone to host the Meet elsewhere then I will take liberties to host it myself with the good folks at the AMC Internationsl in Cordova. They have everything we need/want including, an AMC car show with multiple classes and trophies, food vendors, AMC racing, AMC parts sales, lodging and an overall great atmosphere. It just works.
So with all that being said... our initial Meet for 2012 fell through kind of last minute. Several ideas have come up regarding where to move the Meet to. I tried back in June to get more info from guys looking to host a Meet and unfortunately didn't get a huge response. For the few interested this year - it seems kind of devided with the Annual Eagle Hotel Cruise in Colorado (being put together by Vangremlin and hosted by a great guy (Nashkid/Terry) with ALOT of really awesome Eagles) and then we also have the Detroit, Michigan AMC International show spotlighting the AMC Eagle's anniversary this year. And then of course, the Cordova Internationals are always an option.
So, we're going to wing it this year and see where it goes by taking a poll that will not stay open long regarding the three spots. Unfortunately, I think the Michigan trip is far too last minute for most folks to make die-hard plans and I know Colorado for whatever reason seems to only have a few people seriously interested. I think it has to do with distance mainly. Even though it's (in my opinion) pretty much centrally located - it just happens to be kind of in the boonies for most of the Nest members. I'm not sure why but it matters little at this juncture. We just need to set a date and commit to it.
All three Meets can be arranged whether they are mini-meets or whatever but I personally think that the Cordova Meet should be the "official" yearly Meet for the Nest. Mainly because there is little we have to do in preparation, there is still some time to make plans and, yes, it's obviously easier for me to plan because it's only an hour away from me. This in no way discredits the other Meets and if there are enough people at either - then I'm all for it! Please don't think I'm trying to force this choice on anyone out of personal gain. It matters not to me where the Meet is along as it's easily accessible to most Nesters and we have some sort of interest in it.
So... here are your options. Obviously, the Colorado Meet has the most time to plan. Let's get some opinions rolling here in this thread.