The Honda Owners Club

Maybe this has been thought of before but could we not ask Honda and/or Honda Dealerships to ensure that a HOC leaflet with domain name and other contact details are included with the sale of every bike in the UK? The payback for Honda and Dealers would be totally measurable and it would certainly help to increase membership and establish new clubs. Just a thought.

Honda already have the artwork to print the membership forms and are supposed to be including them in all new bike packs. However we cannot make them do this, so it is an 'as and when' that the leaflets will start to be included.

Still a great idea and it has been discussed before. We placed a load of forms with Grantham Honda and asked them to include one with all new bikes sold. Im sure that if HOC members do the same with their local dealers, then some good will come of it!

Where would we get them from

Alan D your branch secretary has loads and already takes them to dealers. If anyone else wants some they can send me or Graham Gull their address and we can arrange for some to be delivered. Some idea of numbers would affect the method of delivery due to cost.

Please note all branches are supplied on request with such material to distribute to their areas. The management meetings (which the next one is on Sunday 11th) is the best place to get them as it involves no extra cost to distribute them.

Next MM is the 13th - not the 11th. Please don't turn up on Friday !!!!

DM4 wrote:
help to increase membership and establish new clubs. Just a thought.

This is a nice thought but a bit naive. Rather than just more members I suggest we should be looking for the magic button that motivates existing members to give us more ACTIVE members. As for new Branches perhaps more could be done to support existing Branches. I see from Golden Wing that the NESS Branch is following the Essex Branch into oblivion - along with the Varadero Branch.

Barry what is the news on the Varedaro branch as we have not been told of any demise? Thought that they had all the answers with their virtual world website.. At least that is what they used to say to us and about us.

NESS is still in being it has just stopped meeting at the venue listed. As per the magazine contact the secretary for any runs etc.

Barry's comments (shown below) is exactly what we don't need - for example, calling someone naive when they put forward a suggestion is hardly the way to win new members and keep them active. Also, you can't be any more naive than looking for a magic button, which really isn't necessary if you have a strategy that works. Yes, it's a good idea to get existing members more active and get them to introduce new people, but if they're not doing it, then new members is a better option (assuming the club is worth joining). Sorry Barry but being negative about it is the last thing we need and reinforcing your negativity with the weeping smiley speaks volumes.

Barry said... This is a nice thought but a bit naive. Rather than just more members I suggest we should be looking for the magic button that motivates existing members to give us more ACTIVE members. As for new Branches perhaps more could be done to support existing Branches. I see from Golden Wing that the NESS Branch is following the Essex Branch into oblivion - along with the Varadero Branch.

Barry does tend to be a bit contraversial (Sp?). Just ignore it if you don't agree. Barry, what is your definition of an "active" member?

I do think that new members can only ADD - so lets go and get them. If only 1 in 10 give something back, then we are doing well. And, if you think that attending club nights and rideouts is "giving something back", then I think we get much better than a 1/10 ratio.

Plus, look at the banter on this site. OK, not all are HOC members, but it does show what can be done with the new intake.

Alan

Dibble wrote:Barry what is the news on the Varedaro branch as we have not been told of any demise?

Can a Branch exists without any officers? Can it exist if there is no list of members? Have any Varadero Branch members ever attended the management committee meetings? Have a look at

http://www.honda-varadero-uk.org/forum/ ... pic=6216.0

If there is a Varadero Branch I am having difficulty in actually locating it.

alansh wrote:
I do think that new members can only ADD - so lets go and get them.

I do not underestimate the importance of new members, they are vital - they have to make up for those members who leave the club each year.

Perhaps I have been unlucky, but I have witnessed three Branches struggling for survival, mostly through the disillusionment of the Branch Secretary - they have felt isolated. The Club seems to have no provision for supporting and motivating Branch Secretaries in overcoming the apathy of members.

It is this lack of support that makes me favour satellite branches rather than just 'stand alone' area Branches. Rather than having to have members ride 40 miles to a meeting have a satellite branch meeting 30 miles away, with a deputy branch secretary. Some members could be encouraged to go to both the main and the satellite meetings.

The BMW Club have six meetings covering East Anglia, it works reasonably well, but they do lack cohesion. Mainly because they will not have deputy secretaries for each meeting place.

The VSOC have two very successful meeting places in Essex. They have a Branch secretary and a deputy secretary for North and South Essex. 4/5 members invariably go to both meeting places and often all three 'officers' will be at a meeting - there will always be at least one. This ensures good cohesion between the two groups. They also produce a monthly newsletter that members are encouraged to contribute to. This is now emailed to the majority of members, with just a few receiving a hard copy by post. There is also an active email ring. This branch of the VSOC has a 'churn' of less than 10% and shows a steady growth of 4/5% a year.

It's an interesting idea but the problem I (and others) have is one of time. I work quite hard and having a meeting once every 2 weeks is about all I can cope with.

OK, maybe we only have one meeting a month at the current location, but I think the existing users would be disappointed (and I'd probably get the sack!!!).

I have been trying to get a new branch up and running around the Stoke area (which seems to be a wilderness area) but I haven't even been able to get down that way to find a location - never mind sorting out meeting dates etc.

So, the short term answer is still to go for new members - if we get enough new ones, then they (hopefully) will create their own new branches rather than drive/ride long distances.

Alan

Barry
having read the pages from the link you posted I see that the Varadero group still do not grasp that nothing in HOC is compulsory. If being told when and where a meeting is happening and the fact food was available FREE is too formal then God help them.

I suppose if you are doing nothing then there is nothing to write up for Golden Wing. Strange how those of us who actually meet up and actually do things find plenty to write about. Perhaps if a few more of them got away from their computers they would find out more about what a really social motorcycle club does.

Upshot is I agree with you it appears the virtual branch has virtually disappeared.