Calling all UKMOC Reps

19-01-2013, 05:24 PM

Hi all, have previously tried to organise meet ups in Norfolk but with little success. Seems to me what I need to do is get more Monster owners to join from my area. So Slob kindly sent me some UKMOC cards to give out.

Was interested to hear from other Reps about what things you have done to:-

1. grow your area membership
2. get people out/interested in meeting

Any help/advice appreciated, thanks

Rally · 19-01-2013, 05:45 PM

The Wiltshire and Hampshire regions pretty much work as one. We post together and it helps grow the membership. It also means that you have a larger region to meet at various places.
We regularly go to bike meets and always card other Monsters, unless we already know them.
We do shows with stands showing a selection of our bikes, which also gives a meeting point for members to congregate at.
Race meetings, bike meets, bike safe courses and breakfast meetings with a calendar for all to plan for helps as well.
It takes time, but gradually it will grow. Go and talk to your local Ducati dealers as well to see if you can place some cards on their counter and ask them to tell new owners of the forum as well.
Good luck.

Albie · 19-01-2013, 06:52 PM

Not at all a rep but I know what it takes to get a group together. Just meet and have some fun. No fun and no one will play. Its so important to become friends and thats where it all starts. Admittedly this time of year will be quiet but as long as you set off with a plan to do something in the early spring hopefully you will get some guys together. Another thing is to get together with neighbouring counties so you get a bigger spread.
Have a meet in a pub and just relaxed banter and ask who fancies doing what.

ricky · 22-01-2013, 12:02 AM

Last year quite a few new members from n,ireland joined.. i tried to welcome everyone (hope i didnt miss anyone) and gave them my contact details. i have met up with a few. this year ill push it abit further and see if we can get a few meets set up... especially at the Northwest 200 or something... but most people have their own friends and groups already it seems.

22-01-2013, 07:16 AM

How do you know who your area rep is? Is there one for lincoln? There now appears to be quite a few in the area

gary tompkins · 22-01-2013, 09:07 AM

http://www.ukmonster.co.uk/monster/s...ad.php?t=27575

Current Lincolnshire rep is listed as - Pooh

Any member can offer their services as area rep for UKMOC if the current one isn't active... provided you own a monster

uksurfer · 22-01-2013, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gary tompkins

provided you own a monster

and dont you forget it

22-01-2013, 12:11 PM

I always card if I have them and often stick a note on the back.
Or just say hello if I see someone.

I am not a rep but I see it like this.
PLEASE NOTE NOT A REFLECTION ON ANY REP!

A lot of people don't like to travel far.
More so at night.
So you need to make sure that you cover the whole county.
If you just hold meetings in say the south of the county then people up top are going to get fed up with travelling so ideally you either hold something slap bang in the middle so its a fair journey for all.
Or you do one meet say one month at the top of the county and the next at the bottom.

You have to make it accesable to all.

Also you need to be approachable and friendly and encompase all.
Lets face it you may get a right girly greebo like me

who is not all Dianese

But it doesn't mean I don't share as much passion for Monsters as the next person.

Try and meet up at local bike shows or do a chip run.
Keep in touch regularly just to remind people whats coming up, if they want to go they will !

If anyone is passing through get your kettle on and be welcoming if your about

In the winter months when most people have tucked up bikes then organise something like a meal out .
Keep in touch with people on a regular basis even if its a round robin email

If I am down at my local bike shop having a butty I do try and scare the locals and if they have a monster out of politeness say hi.
If they don't like the look of me and want to be a not fair enough their loss but I try and be nice .

utopia · 22-01-2013, 01:03 PM

I also think its important to be persistent.
Even if you organise a monthly meet and the attendance is poor for 3 or 4 months, its quite likely that there are those who would have come, but had other commitments on the day, or just simply forgot. I would imagine that it takes time to establish a routine, so its important to keep plugging away at it.
The lincolnshire pub meet that you were organising a while back is a case in point....I was hoping to make it over myself from the midlands, but couldn't make the first couple of dates and then heard no more about it, so I forgot.
I must try and do more in the midlands this year. Financial constraints have limited my activities last year, but hopefully this year will be better. The east coast makes a nice run for east midlanders, so perhaps we could arrange a joint venture sometime. I'm particularly thinking of the ukbeg gathering at east kirkby.....maybe that run on to cleethorpes that you suggested last year could be an organised event....? The Fenman show too......again something that I've intended to get to, following your invitations on the forum, for the last two years, but one way or another I've been unable. Maybe I could organise a midlands run out to that this year.

uksurfer · 22-01-2013, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mohawk

Was interested to hear from other Reps about what things you have done to:-

1. grow your area membership
2. get people out/interested in meeting

Any help/advice appreciated, thanks

Personally speaking, when i started Hampshire region many years ago, the first meet i did was by a personal 'pm' to a few of the local members that were on the forum, to meet up and have a cuppa.
i think this involved about 6 from the local area, then a few more and a few more, its not that hard if theres you and one other, getting about etc.

what you need is one or two to start, then a few pictures of what people missed, and go to the local events as a group, and talk to any body who turns up on a monster.......

Alot of people dont regulary check the forum, so a message dropped into there inbox normally means a email alert, just get on with it, see how it goes, the busiest breakfast meets we have had down here are always a pm to the person getting them to make a note and pointing them in the direction.

Alot of people wont check the forum, or will miss the meet posting, so always pm them, and lead them in

you got to sow to reap

simples

slob · 22-01-2013, 06:11 PM

I would say it's important to organise a regular Monthly meet, regardless of how poor initial attendance is. That way people know when and where to come. We (I) organise a London meet at the same place on the 1st Saturday of the month, hopefully this means if I'm unavailable for whatever reason, the meet will still occur. The date was carefully chosen not to conflict with neighbouring meets, which encourages Kent and Essex members to come along as those with family commitments etc. may only get a one day pass at the weekend. I used to go to Kent meets simply because there wasn't a London one (until I was cruely tricked into taking it on.) If you sit in a pub/cafe on your own for an hour one Saturday a Month until June, don't be surprised but perserverance should pay off eventually.
I would say that social networking clearly has its place in modern communications but if you arrange stuff on facebook please ensure put a link in your regional forum so all the information is available on or via the UKMOC site, otherwise the club is weakened, the forum is just another form of social networking after all and some people, myself included, don't 'do' FB but that's a whole other thread.
Some changes are afoot in the world of Ducati clubs but what that will be isn't yet clear but that's also another thread and I will pass on any news as soon as I know what's going on. Regional branches seem to ebb and flow as, Leicester, Kent and Surrey/Sussex were very active 10 years ago. Now it's more Hants/Wilts and Kent. We have NeilO organising North Wales as of last year, Moira in East Anglia and recently Strumbuddy starting to put something together in the North East. If there isn't a local meet and you'd like one PM me and I'll see how I can help you try and build it. I'd also like to encourage anyone reading this who feels the forum a bit cliquey to get out and meet some people, it'll break down those barriers (but that's another thread too, feel free to PM or email me if you feel this is the case and I'll see if I can help in any way there too)

alan c · 22-01-2013, 10:23 PM

Hi Mohawk, i would say the best thing to start with is a monthly cafe meeting. Find a good cafe, pick a meeting time etc and then post up on Forum. Its a good chance for people to meet on a regular basis and then you can start to arrange days out etc
i would say post up for next month and see what responce you get, it is always better when the weather good but people can always drive if weather poor.

We meet in Kent on the second Sunday of the month, it seems to work well.

Go for it and good luck !

23-01-2013, 10:39 AM

All the advice above is the way forward. I am based in London and ssince joining some years back, i have also managed to get a handful of monster owners to join up, some are more active than others, but i make an effort to include them on meets and ride outs etc with a pm or even a text. And as mentioned ablove persistances is the key.

I feel the main reason people have bikes in general is to ride, so when the weather gets better get down to the local bike hang out/cafe and drop some cards and get chatting.

I just seen your in Norfolk, some of us Londoners ride out Essex way very offten so perhaps we can all get together and rideout and meet half way somewhere, we have been know to travel a few hundred miles in a single ride out, we can get a few pictures of all the bikes and peeps, you could post them around and hopefully that will help you attrack even more fantastic monster riding bikers. If you remind my when the weather improves i will arrange a ride out and try to get as many as possible we'll arrange a meeting place.

Hope i am not treading on anyones toes?

23-01-2013, 08:58 PM

thanks for the replies. Yes think I need to be more persistent.

I'll get a PM out to the Norfolk members to see who'd be interested in meeting and in getting out when the weather improves. Even if only one or two do to start with it's another two members trying to help grow the local group.

Be great to meet up with neighbouring groups too as we get into Spring. I'm often down Bury St Edmunds way and the Finchingfield run's a nice one.

Thanks again for all your ideas, and encouragement :-)

LouSCannon · 23-01-2013, 09:28 PM

....Don't get promoted in work....

19-01-2013, 05:24 PM	#1
Mohawk Guest Posts: n/a	Calling all UKMOC Reps Hi all, have previously tried to organise meet ups in Norfolk but with little success. Seems to me what I need to do is get more Monster owners to join from my area. So Slob kindly sent me some UKMOC cards to give out. Was interested to hear from other Reps about what things you have done to:- 1. grow your area membership 2. get people out/interested in meeting Any help/advice appreciated, thanks

19-01-2013, 06:52 PM	#3
Albie Fanactical volunteer Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Kent Bike: M900 Posts: 9,034	Not at all a rep but I know what it takes to get a group together. Just meet and have some fun. No fun and no one will play. Its so important to become friends and thats where it all starts. Admittedly this time of year will be quiet but as long as you set off with a plan to do something in the early spring hopefully you will get some guys together. Another thing is to get together with neighbouring counties so you get a bigger spread. Have a meet in a pub and just relaxed banter and ask who fancies doing what. __________________ http://albies93m900.blogspot.co.uk/

22-01-2013, 12:02 AM	#4
ricky 5ft 3 of perfection!! Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: enniskillen Bike: M620 Posts: 524	Last year quite a few new members from n,ireland joined.. i tried to welcome everyone (hope i didnt miss anyone) and gave them my contact details. i have met up with a few. this year ill push it abit further and see if we can get a few meets set up... especially at the Northwest 200 or something... but most people have their own friends and groups already it seems. __________________ wee man syndrome drunk: *Northern Irelands answer to common sense-NORTHERN IRELAND REP!!*

22-01-2013, 09:07 AM	#6
gary tompkins 1/2 man - 1/2 pogo-stick Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Dartford, Kent Bike: M900ie Posts: 7,241	http://www.ukmonster.co.uk/monster/s...ad.php?t=27575 Current Lincolnshire rep is listed as - Pooh Any member can offer their services as area rep for UKMOC if the current one isn't active... provided you own a monster __________________ GT Fully paid up member of the S.A.S. (Scottoiler Appreciation Society) 27,000 miles on original chain - and still going strong! Last edited by gary tompkins; 22-01-2013 at 09:18 AM..

23-01-2013, 09:28 PM	#15
LouSCannon These must fit a Monster? Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Stockton Heath Bike: Multiple Monsters Posts: 1,036	....Don't get promoted in work.... __________________ "Sometimes it takes a whole tankful of fuel before you can think straight."

19-01-2013, 05:45 PM	#2
Rally Taking life easy........ Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Wiltshire Bike: Other Not a Ducati Posts: 1,969	The Wiltshire and Hampshire regions pretty much work as one. We post together and it helps grow the membership. It also means that you have a larger region to meet at various places. We regularly go to bike meets and always card other Monsters, unless we already know them. We do shows with stands showing a selection of our bikes, which also gives a meeting point for members to congregate at. Race meetings, bike meets, bike safe courses and breakfast meetings with a calendar for all to plan for helps as well. It takes time, but gradually it will grow. Go and talk to your local Ducati dealers as well to see if you can place some cards on their counter and ask them to tell new owners of the forum as well. Good luck.

22-01-2013, 07:16 AM	#5
smiffyraf1 Guest Posts: n/a	How do you know who your area rep is? Is there one for lincoln? There now appears to be quite a few in the area

22-01-2013, 12:11 PM	#8
He11cat Guest Posts: n/a	I always card if I have them and often stick a note on the back. Or just say hello if I see someone. I am not a rep but I see it like this. PLEASE NOTE NOT A REFLECTION ON ANY REP! A lot of people don't like to travel far. More so at night. So you need to make sure that you cover the whole county. If you just hold meetings in say the south of the county then people up top are going to get fed up with travelling so ideally you either hold something slap bang in the middle so its a fair journey for all. Or you do one meet say one month at the top of the county and the next at the bottom. You have to make it accesable to all. Also you need to be approachable and friendly and encompase all. Lets face it you may get a right girly greebo like me who is not all Dianese But it doesn't mean I don't share as much passion for Monsters as the next person. Try and meet up at local bike shows or do a chip run. Keep in touch regularly just to remind people whats coming up, if they want to go they will ! If anyone is passing through get your kettle on and be welcoming if your about In the winter months when most people have tucked up bikes then organise something like a meal out . Keep in touch with people on a regular basis even if its a round robin email If I am down at my local bike shop having a butty I do try and scare the locals and if they have a monster out of politeness say hi. If they don't like the look of me and want to be a not fair enough their loss but I try and be nice .

22-01-2013, 01:03 PM	#9
utopia No turn left unstoned Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: leicester Bike: M750 Posts: 4,561	I also think its important to be persistent. Even if you organise a monthly meet and the attendance is poor for 3 or 4 months, its quite likely that there are those who would have come, but had other commitments on the day, or just simply forgot. I would imagine that it takes time to establish a routine, so its important to keep plugging away at it. The lincolnshire pub meet that you were organising a while back is a case in point....I was hoping to make it over myself from the midlands, but couldn't make the first couple of dates and then heard no more about it, so I forgot. I must try and do more in the midlands this year. Financial constraints have limited my activities last year, but hopefully this year will be better. The east coast makes a nice run for east midlanders, so perhaps we could arrange a joint venture sometime. I'm particularly thinking of the ukbeg gathering at east kirkby.....maybe that run on to cleethorpes that you suggested last year could be an organised event....? The Fenman show too......again something that I've intended to get to, following your invitations on the forum, for the last two years, but one way or another I've been unable. Maybe I could organise a midlands run out to that this year.

22-01-2013, 06:11 PM	#11
slob . Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: East London Bike: Multiple Monsters Posts: 9,736	I would say it's important to organise a regular Monthly meet, regardless of how poor initial attendance is. That way people know when and where to come. We (I) organise a London meet at the same place on the 1st Saturday of the month, hopefully this means if I'm unavailable for whatever reason, the meet will still occur. The date was carefully chosen not to conflict with neighbouring meets, which encourages Kent and Essex members to come along as those with family commitments etc. may only get a one day pass at the weekend. I used to go to Kent meets simply because there wasn't a London one (until I was cruely tricked into taking it on.) If you sit in a pub/cafe on your own for an hour one Saturday a Month until June, don't be surprised but perserverance should pay off eventually. I would say that social networking clearly has its place in modern communications but if you arrange stuff on facebook please ensure put a link in your regional forum so all the information is available on or via the UKMOC site, otherwise the club is weakened, the forum is just another form of social networking after all and some people, myself included, don't 'do' FB but that's a whole other thread. Some changes are afoot in the world of Ducati clubs but what that will be isn't yet clear but that's also another thread and I will pass on any news as soon as I know what's going on. Regional branches seem to ebb and flow as, Leicester, Kent and Surrey/Sussex were very active 10 years ago. Now it's more Hants/Wilts and Kent. We have NeilO organising North Wales as of last year, Moira in East Anglia and recently Strumbuddy starting to put something together in the North East. If there isn't a local meet and you'd like one PM me and I'll see how I can help you try and build it. I'd also like to encourage anyone reading this who feels the forum a bit cliquey to get out and meet some people, it'll break down those barriers (but that's another thread too, feel free to PM or email me if you feel this is the case and I'll see if I can help in any way there too)

22-01-2013, 10:23 PM	#12
alan c alan (blockhead) c Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: dartford Bike: M1100 Posts: 2,228	Hi Mohawk, i would say the best thing to start with is a monthly cafe meeting. Find a good cafe, pick a meeting time etc and then post up on Forum. Its a good chance for people to meet on a regular basis and then you can start to arrange days out etc i would say post up for next month and see what responce you get, it is always better when the weather good but people can always drive if weather poor. We meet in Kent on the second Sunday of the month, it seems to work well. Go for it and good luck !

23-01-2013, 10:39 AM	#13
pegboy Guest Posts: n/a	All the advice above is the way forward. I am based in London and ssince joining some years back, i have also managed to get a handful of monster owners to join up, some are more active than others, but i make an effort to include them on meets and ride outs etc with a pm or even a text. And as mentioned ablove persistances is the key. I feel the main reason people have bikes in general is to ride, so when the weather gets better get down to the local bike hang out/cafe and drop some cards and get chatting. I just seen your in Norfolk, some of us Londoners ride out Essex way very offten so perhaps we can all get together and rideout and meet half way somewhere, we have been know to travel a few hundred miles in a single ride out, we can get a few pictures of all the bikes and peeps, you could post them around and hopefully that will help you attrack even more fantastic monster riding bikers. If you remind my when the weather improves i will arrange a ride out and try to get as many as possible we'll arrange a meeting place. Hope i am not treading on anyones toes?

23-01-2013, 08:58 PM	#14
Mohawk Guest Posts: n/a	thanks for the replies. Yes think I need to be more persistent. I'll get a PM out to the Norfolk members to see who'd be interested in meeting and in getting out when the weather improves. Even if only one or two do to start with it's another two members trying to help grow the local group. Be great to meet up with neighbouring groups too as we get into Spring. I'm often down Bury St Edmunds way and the Finchingfield run's a nice one. Thanks again for all your ideas, and encouragement :-)