The Future Of VIM!

[Two Plugs]

As you all know, the next two venues of our annual meeting – VIM – are secure. This year Skye will host us at VIM19 on the Swedish isle of Gotland, and next year – another anniversary – Josep will host us at VIM20 in Andorra, in the middle of the Pyrenees Mountains. From next year (2018) we have neither official proposals nor invitations to host another future VIM. We have had several occasions in recent years where people have volunteered to organise a VIM but have struggled or backed out as we get nearer to the event.

When this has happened, in the past, it has been possible for other forum members to step in and run the event. Examples have been last year, where the Belgian bid failed and we had to reorganise the event in Winterberg, Germany and a few years ago, where the Romanian bid failed and Josep kindly stepped in and welcomed us in Tarragona.

From the beginning in 1999, we have managed (together!) to put a V(C)IM on track every year. Each one with its own charm and character. Just to provide a comparison: the ITT (Int. Transalp Treffen) on which VIM was originally based, has skipped a year several times recently due to problems with local organisation.

Stewart has mentioned earlier on: the energy and time needed to organise an international meeting like VIM is often underestimated. It takes a lot of time and if you can’t rely on a local host (for example a hotel owner) who is able to take over some of the organisation (like we had in Zams and Winterberg) it’s up to the organiser and helpers to make things work.

Please understand… we consider ourselves lucky to have a community that is alive, and with members who are willing to cross half the continent (and half the planet, looking at Mr Kiwi!) to meet up once a year again, over and over again. But we have to also acknowledge that the interest and energy of providing a solid proposal to host a future VIM is slowly fading away, a point of discussion amongst both the Admin Team and some of the past VIM organisers.

From our (Admin & some or the veteran VIM organisers) point of view, we rely on offers and proposals made by you out there. And to make an successful VIM happen, we (with many years of VIM experience) are eager to give you the best possible assistance to make it happen, providing bank accounts, booking & registration websites, etc. but the local work has to be done by the local expert.

We very much hope that 2018 (next year), when we celebrate 20 years of VIM and 20 years of our community, isn’t the last one, and kindly invite you to make a proposal to host VIM21 and so on. But please be aware of the task you are taking on. Both the Admin Team, and previous VIM organisers, are willing to put our experiences at your disposal; you are not alone, but we are depending on your local expertises.

Please share your thoughts & proposals, and don’t hesitate to send us a PM for further information, or speak to us next June 2017 on Gotland, or next year (2018) in Andorra.

Keep our community ánd our annual meeting alive! 



Your Admin Team:
Bernard 'Two Plugs', founder of VIM.
Stewart 'SB'
Gilles 'Zebulon'

Josep 'JosepM' (VIM Tarragona)
Erik 'Snurrepus' (VCIM Geiranger)
And many others!

[varonda]

 Whilst I do not do VIMs as it's not my 'scene' I do appreciate the time and effort put in by people to facilitate such events and do hope that they continue , as a suggestion why not 'fix' the event for a couple years in one place using a tried and tested formula ? this would ease organization and take a chunk of work out of the system. It's only an idea and hopefully will generate a bit of discussion on the subject.

[Skye]

Honda adventure rider..

Taste the words.

Most adventureriders I've met often prefer the simplicity of travel and acco. The goal is the actual journey, not the target. The adveturerider is often a loner having time off, be by yourself a moment, skip the stress and wherever the helmet is put off, that's the home. Solving problems during the way and often what you laugh about a half year later, is how everything solved but during the present you didn't know how things will go.

Meetings are good. You get personalized with a lot of friends with a lot of common. Wherever you are riding, you always got a friend that you can visit all over Europe (mainly) but else in the world too. Whenever I roll in to a campsite with my Varadero, fully packed other bikers often get the attraction and joying the lifestyle of a bike. How the bike is equipped to handle a week or two without 230V currency etc etc.

Today the VIM has become more a social meeting with a lot of comfort options where bed, food and drinks are higher rated than the actual first agenda of having bikes in centre. There is a pricetag on this meetings aswell. Actually I'm considering flying to Andorra to attend on the meeting. Love to ride in the Pyrenees but the transit with bike takes time and isn't cheap. VIM is often a budget of over €1000 to start with.

We could have meetings in Malaga every February, just enjoying the hospitality with friends and go with Ryan Air. Option to rent bikes for a saturday tour in Andalucia and that will be cheaper than a VIM arrangement. No weather problem, just have a holiday with friends you meet every year.

I think and all of this is my humble opinion, that we need get back to basics to keep the costs down. We are in the same personality but our personalities also are different how we want the preferences of the meeting.

[zebulon]

@varonda
not sure I really understand; but sure my poor English ; sorry
do you mean we'll have to organize 2 adjoining meetings? not sure past or future organizers want to !!! and what is interest for participants, only meet but do not discover a new country?

@ Skye You have chance to organize this year meeting; ,why not organize a cheaper one if you think it is the way !
think about world have changed during these last 20 (19) years ... and we are all older. yes I need now more comfort the 20 years ago !... I know some of our older members and participant still go on camp place . Not my pleasure. My pleasure is not to ride alone, but with wife, and meet people along the trip.
I do not expect to meet in a sunny place every year on a bike which is not mine; my pleasure is to organize my travel when I have enough time, and sure to meet friends in a nice new place ; some times meet others on the way. yes it is a budget , we do not still have this year...
So expecting meet you these next years in different place of the world . 

[Skye]

@Zebulon I'd tried to do it as cheap as possible and with alternatives but Orgateam took over..

[varonda]

 Hi Zebulon , all I meant was to use the same place for a couple of years using the same hotels / campsites/ dates etc this would
 save hunting round for places to stay and you just transfer details to the next year -- that would possibly give people the impetus
 to come forward in the organization department. From my limited experiences on committees in clubs it's usually the same people
 organizing and 'doing things ' and when they get tired and jaded , either some one enthusiastically steps up to the plate , or it all falls down and then every body loses [  apathy rules !!! ].

[Two Plugs]

Actually, that is how the Honda XLV750R meeting works: every year again in either the same village in Switzerland, the other year in the same town in southern Germany. But they have only 20 participants or so....

The charm of a VIM (and in that aspect the ITT as well) is to take you to unknown places. Without VIM, I would NEVER have visited Igoumenitsa, Ballycastle, Assos, Castle di Bueno, and all those other wonderfull places.

@Zebulon: Spot on. I totally agree!

Hi Zebulon , all I meant was to use the same place for a couple of years using the same hotels / campsites/ dates etc this would
 save hunting round for places to stay and you just transfer details to the next year -- that would possibly give people the impetus
 to come forward in the organization department. From my limited experiences on committees in clubs it's usually the same people
 organizing and 'doing things ' and when they get tired and jaded , either some one enthusiastically steps up to the plate , or it all falls down and then every body loses [  apathy rules !!! ].

[Jyrays]

Actually, that is how the Honda XLV750R meeting works: every year again in either the same village in Switzerland, the other year in the same town in southern Germany. But they have only 20 participants or so....

The charm of a VIM (and in that aspect the ITT as well) is to take you to unknown places. Without VIM, I would NEVER have visited Igoumenitsa, Ballycastle, Assos, Castle di Bueno, and all those other wonderfull places.

@Zebulon: Spot on. I totally agree!

Hi Zebulon , all I meant was to use the same place for a couple of years using the same hotels / campsites/ dates etc this would
 save hunting round for places to stay and you just transfer details to the next year -- that would possibly give people the impetus
 to come forward in the organization department. From my limited experiences on committees in clubs it's usually the same people
 organizing and 'doing things ' and when they get tired and jaded , either some one enthusiastically steps up to the plate , or it all falls down and then every body loses [  apathy rules !!! ].

I did!

[stoldar]

I had my Varadero from VIM10.
If not VIM I would not visit these cool places in Europe. VIM has been stopping for a few days on a trip or a final trip before returning home. Then there was my second Varadro and another VIM.
Now I am waiting for my new Africa Twin and if I succeed I will be on her next VIM.
I think that visiting the same countries on the next VIM is inevitable.
Of course, if our VIM meetings continue ...

[zebulon]

Perhaps an other VIM in Poland ?   

[Snurrepus]

Perhaps an other VIM in Poland ?   

Or in Greece...

[Two Plugs]

Or... in New Zeeland? 

[MrKiwi]

Or... in New Zeeland? 

Crickey that would be expensive. I know what it is costing me to come to Europe.

[meine dicke]

Perhaps an other VIM in Poland ?   

Or in Greece...

Eric,

I see it as you. Greece should be our next country where we meet.


Greeting from the Sout of Germany
Rainer alias meine dicke

[SB]

The Isle of Man is small and hard to get to but it does have one rather unique advantage !