First Turn

Peter Olliviere , President

Here it is early August, and I’m thinking about the full schedule of events we have coming up through the rest of the year. The majority of our 3,000-plus members have no clue as to how much work and planning must go into the simplest of Club sponsored events. When an event is proposed it first must be approved by the Board of Directors. The Board is mainly interested in determining whether the event is possible in the first place. And secondly, whether it falls into the guidelines and framework that is established by PCA National. For example, could we hold an event of bull riding? The answer is no; our insurance would not insure it. Any event put on by Gold Coast Region must meet the guidelines established by Porsche Club of America and its insurance partners. Before final approval of the Board, a budget must be submitted outlining what the expenses will be for the event and what income is expected. When the budget is approved volunteers are assigned to the event committee with the job of pulling all the parts together. The committee must address things like, insurance, parking, cost of venue, number of people that can be accommodated, food, marketing, registration, and volunteers needed. Depending on the type of event several other items come into play. As you can see, for even the smallest event several things need to be accomplished for the event to be successful, but even with all the work we keep pushing out great events.

Why am I bringing this up? Because I am extremely proud of our directors team and the events that are being brought to you from now to the end of the year. Escape to the Cape as of this writing is around the corner and the team is deep into final preparations. ID badges have been made, car show trophies have been ordered, t-shirts have arrived, a hospitality suite has been organized, car show registration documents have been printed, restaurants have been coordinated, and starting locations for each Region have been sited. And a small army of volunteers have been recruited. All I ask is that as you enjoy the event just remember that small army of people that came together so you can have a good time.

One of the biggest requirements for event planning is thinking months in advance. As an example, the Board of Directors has just locked in the venue for the 2022 Holiday Party. The location will be—drum roll, please— Margaritaville Resort in Hollywood, Florida, on December 3rd. The event theme will be “Holiday in Paradise” and dress will be resort casual. Information about the event will start appearing as soon as the various aspects are locked in, so keep an eye out for information.

We also have the New Members Picnic scheduled for September 17th, and Octoberfest scheduled for October 8th . All of this leads up to the Gold Coast Region 60th Anniversary Celebration. This will be a year-long celebration that will be recognized in just about every event in 2023, culminating in the gala event at the end of the year. The calendar is full—and this does not include our regular events such as Porsches and Pancakes, and the Thursday Night Socials. As you can see, we have a lot planned and every one of these events have had to go through the approval process mentioned earlier. So, as you enjoy these events, remember to put gas in the Porsche, and remember to thank the people that make all this possible.