Community Guide to The 2014 WIT Club Grand National Rally

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Brenda Lindsey
6 years ago
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1 Community Guide to The 2014 WIT Club Grand National Rally

2 This guide is designed to provide business and civic leaders with definitive information regarding the scope and timing of the 2014 WIT Club Grand National Rally to better facilitate the planning of activities that would coincide with GNR. Many of the WIT Club members attending GNR have a deep affinity for Forest City and consistently express a desire to support the local community, especially civic and charitable organizations. By providing this Guide, our goal is to encourage you to develop and share your plans with us as soon as possible so we can better promote to our WIT Club members. To that end, we have asked Norma Hertzer with Grow Forest City to be the gatekeeper of this information. Please share your plans with Norma as they develop and she will maintain a "Civic" activities calendar. Noncivic- or business-related activity plans or questions should be directed to the WIT Club office at or gnr@winnebagoind.com. The WIT Club, Winnebago Industries, and the Forest City community are integral to each other's success and by working together, we can maximize this opportunity for all of us. Thank you, The 2014 WIT Club GNR Planning Team

3 Table of Contents Page Subject 1 What is the WIT Club? 1 What is the Grand National Rally? 1 Grand National Rally Timing 1 Theme 2 Marketing Opportunities 2-3 On-Site Rally Grounds Opportunities 3 Busing 3 Employment Opportunities 3 Rally Grounds Protocol 4 Master Schedule

4 What is the WIT Club? WIT Club is an organization of RV enthusiasts exclusively reserved for owners of Winnebago Industries products. Anyone who owns a Winnebago Industries RV is eligible to join the WIT Club and plenty of them do. Currently, the club boasts more than 10,000 owner members and nearly 500 dealer members. WIT Club members receive special benefits; gather with other people with similar interests for local, state, and national activities; and travel on a variety of special events called caravans and rallies, including the WIT Club Grand National Rally held here in Forest City every summer. What is the Grand National Rally? The Grand National Rally is the premier WIT Club event in an organization that conducts hundreds of events and activities at state and local levels. People come from all over the United States and Canada to participate. Approximately 2,500 RV enthusiasts in almost 1,000 Winnebago Industries RVs and several hundred out-of-town vendors were on hand last year for the Grand National Rally. These guests enjoyed seminars, entertainment, vendor displays, making new friends, and interacting with our local community. Grand National Rally Timing We have slightly modified the schedule and timing of the Grand National Rally for This year, GNR will begin on Wednesday, July 16, and conclude on Sunday, July 21. This weekendfocused format provides five full days of fun for our guests just like in years past and actually packs in more time for WIT Club member guests to be in town and participate in the local economy. Even better, this timing also better coincides with Puckerbrush in that we will have the full complement of our GNR participants in town to enjoy the parade, civic organization fundraisers and activities, and there will be no scheduled activities on the rally grounds Saturday morning. WIT Club is a fundamental and vital element for Winnebago Industries' future success and we needed to make this change to grow our event and generate more participation among WIT Club members who may not yet be retired, have younger families, or have other reasons that keep them from enjoying a Monday through Friday event. While the official GNR dates run Wednesday through Sunday, actual GNR related visitors and activities happen during the entire month of July. Our first volunteers will begin arriving for a July 1 start of grounds and facilities preparation. This will be followed closely with early bird parking availability on the rally grounds slated to begin July 7. Additionally, organized prerally activities will begin on Sunday, July 13. At the conclusion of GNR, there will be a few days of tear down and pack out for volunteers and guests. The rally grounds will be cleared and electricity shut off on July 24. What does this mean for you as a local businessperson, charitable organization, or community member? The opportunity to interact and provide goods and services to a group that will ramp-up from a few dozen to an influx in excess of 3,000 people residing in our community for a large part of the month of July shopping, dining out, and supporting our local charitable and service group fund-raisers and activities. In short, this improved format provides more opportunity. Theme This year marks the 45 th Grand National Rally and the 45 th anniversary of man's first landing on the moon. In fact, the actual anniversary date of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landing on the moon is July 20, years to the day on Sunday closing for GNR In celebration of both the inaugural Grand National Rally and the First Lunar Landing, our theme is "Out of this World." 1

5 We would welcome and encourage you to incorporate and utilize this theme in your marketing and interactions with WIT Club members. A.jpg or.eps version of this logo is available by contacting the WIT Club office at or Marketing Opportunities Several marketing opportunities are available for local businesses seeking to attract WIT Club member traffic. These include: At-a-Cost Opportunities WIT Club News Advertising ad space is available in this bi-monthly publication sent to all members. Registration Package Advertising ad space in the packet each participant receives at time of registration. Free-of-Charge Opportunities Goodie Bag Advertising advertising opportunity "buck slip" in packet that each registrant receives when entering the rally grounds. o "Buck Slip" must include a specific value offer to WIT Club members (i.e., 5 percent off, 2-for-1, or free item, etc.). Civic and charitable organizations conducting fund-raising or service activities coinciding with GNR will receive free listings in schedules and information provided to attendees beginning with January 2014 issue of WIT Club News. This year we will be incorporating a streamlined process for selling/distributing tickets for fundraising meals or activities to GNR participants. A booth will be centrally located in Friendship Hall to sell all civic-related activity tickets from a single location. Grow Forest City will administer the booth, collect the funds, and distribute them to the proper organizations. On-Site (Rally Grounds) Opportunities On-site vendor opportunities are available on the rally grounds during GNR in the form of booth space in Friendship Hall or outdoor tent space around Friendship Hall. Space is limited and vendors who participated last year have right of first refusal. If you have an interest in participating as a vendor, please contact the WIT Club offices at or gnr@winnebagoind.com. 2

6 NOTE: Food-related vendor opportunities (i.e., catering/meals/coffee are not available as these services are provided by previously contracted vendors). Baked goods, fresh produce, arts and crafts, as well as nonprepared food offerings (i.e., frozen steaks, etc.) are open opportunities. Busing Winnebago Industries will once again provide shuttle bus service for a time frame leading up to and through the Grand National Rally. This represents an investment by the company of more than $20,000 to bring visitors to local business and community attractions. Routes will vary by day and activities and events in the community. Limited shuttle service begins on Friday, July 11, with increased volume as the GNR opening approaches and will run through Sunday, July 20. A total of five shuttle buses are available to take our visitors anywhere in the Forest City area. Employment Opportunities The Grand National Rally creates a variety of seasonal employment opportunities, including: Ground Crew Labor setting up chairs and tables, water delivery, and related day labor activities. Youth Program Coordinators provide supervision for Youth Program and activities. Wait Staff and Bartender provide hospitality related functions at on-site lounge facility. People Mover Driver operate people movers on the rally grounds. Inquiries about GNR related employment opportunities should be directed to the WIT Club office located in the Winnebago Industries Visitors Center at or gnr@winnebagoind.com. NOTE: Age requirements apply. Ground crew and Youth Program minimum age 17, wait staff 18, bartender 21, and driver 25. Seasonal employment requires passing a drug screening test. Rally Ground Protocol WIT Club members pay a fee to participate in the Grand National Rally and related on-site activities and entertainment. During this time, the rally grounds, in essence, become their home. As such, the grounds and on-site activities are not available to the public. Access to the grounds is administered by Winnebago Industries Security and entry requires a name badge or pass. Name badges and/or passes are controlled, but available for those who have viable interaction with WIT member guests. These do/can include: Vendors Service providers Civic/charitable group participants Volunteers On-site workers Badge/pass holders must follow all rules and regulations regarding access, driving, and parking. At no time is vehicle traffic allowed on the main Boulevard. Requests for a name badge/pass should be directed to the Winnebago Industries Visitors Center at or gnr@winnebagoind.com. Youth-related activities are limited to WIT Club member participants who pay an additional enrollment fee for these activities. As such, carnival rides which operate on the rally grounds are not available to non-youth Program participants. 3

7 Master Schedule Tuesday, July 1 Volunteers begin arriving on the rally grounds o Volunteer meal tickets issued and are valid at participating dining establishments until food service starts on rally grounds Monday, July 7 Parking begins on rally grounds Thursday, July 10 Saturday, July 12 Prerally activities available Sunday, July 13 Prerally activities 12:00-4:00 Prerally activities 4:00 Open time for community activities Monday, July 14 Food service begins on rally grounds o Volunteer meal tickets valid only on grounds for remainder of GNR 8:00-4:00 Prerally activities 4:00 and After Open time for community activities Tuesday, July 15 8:00-4:00 Prerally activities 4:00 and After Open time for community activities Wednesday, July 16 Rally begins 9:15 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Vendor displays/seminars/activities 4:00-7:00 Open time for community activities 7:00 Entertainment/evening activities Thursday, July 17 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Vendor displays/seminars/activities 4:00-7:00 Open time for community activities 7:00 Entertainment/evening activities Friday, July 18 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Vendor displays/seminars/activities 4:00-7:00 Row Parties 7:00 Entertainment/evening activities Saturday, July 19 8:00-1:00 Open time for community activities 1:00-3:00 Seminars 3:00-5:00 Car Cruise 5:00-7:00 Open time for community activities 7:00-9:15 Entertainment/evening activities o This will be the keynote entertainment 9:15 Open for fireworks Sunday, July 20 8:00-11:00 Open time for church services 11:00-3:00 Limited activities on-site. Focus on available Heritage Park opportunities. 3:00 GNR closing ceremonies Thursday, July 24 Rally grounds closed 4

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