Event Reports - an aide memoire

The Events Diary looks interesting and with more events to be added during the year all members will have several opportunities to enjoy driving their Seven somewhere in the County. We are unlikely to see 20 – 25 Sevens supporting the monthly runs as we did in the Club’s heyday, but 8 – 12 would be a good start and a manageable number. Perhaps many of our favourite local shows will re-appear this summer after the two-year absence, but we should not be surprised if some do not. Attending local summer shows/rallies helps to promote our Club, Austin Sevens, and the wider historic car movement.

An event is not over until a report has appeared in the next issue of the Club's magazine and a summary published on the website. It reveals that we have an active membership who enjoy driving their Sevens and may encourage other members to support future events if they have not yet done so. Reports on events out of County, and your solo outings, are also of interest to other members.

Conceivably the lack of a report in the magazine may be construed as an insult to the organiser who has put a lot of effort into preparing the event, whether it be a route and venues for a run, a Club holiday or a gathering for a party or BBQ.

Most of our members must have written letters, or reports, for personal and work-related reasons and, therefore, should be able to write an interesting article. The aim is to hold the readers interest and make them feel that they have missed something, without the text being too long. The approach is simply to recollect the sequence of phases during the event.

Every event has a name/title so that is a good place to start along with the date.

For a Club run a report should mention:
1      where was the meeting place and how many Sevens/members attended?
2      was it run to Convoy Rules or a route sheet?
3      offer an outline of the route naming a few of the villages and places passed through.
4      comment on the weather, the beauty of the roadside flora and fauna, eye-catching buildings, the wider scenery and spectacular views.
5      any awkward meetings with ‘Chelsea Tractors’ whizzing along, walkers and/or horse-riders.
6      if anyone had a problem with their Seven be it a fuel blockage, puncture, whatever – a sentence or two on what, where, and how it was fixed.
7      where was the coffee/lunch stop, was it enjoyable but we do not need a glowing description of the food on the plates!
8      where the event finished after how many miles and/or hours?
9      do name members enjoying the day with you, it is ok in the Club magazine but names will be edited out of the summary published on the Club website

For a Club BBQ or party;

1      where was it held; how many members attended?
2      what was the weather like?
3      how was the food provided, cooked?
4      what were the activities?

Finally, whatever the event, do please thank the organiser(s) by name, they have put in a lot of effort for your benefit.

Illustrating the report with photographs is really a ‘must do’. Sadly, a photo of a line of parked Sevens, sans occupants, outside a café is not overly exciting, but better than nothing. The aim of any event is to enjoy driving our Sevens so action photos of cars being driven along the lanes, through fords, stopped with a breakdown or participating in party games are preferrable. If you can find a convenient place during the run, hop out and photograph a Seven or two following behind. Try and arrange it before the off so that the other drivers are aware of your intention and cars can be spaced out to give you time to be in position and to photograph them individually. If there is a route then liaise with the organiser to go ahead and be in position at an interesting place for a few photos.

Reports 1 Reports 2

For a local summer show/rally;

1.     the name and venue, if not obvious in the title, and the date.
2.     was it an annual event or one-off?
3.     what was the weather like?
4.     approx. how many, and type of, historic vehicles were displayed.
5.     if possible name the club members and their Sevens who attended.
6.     mention the entertainment or attractions, trade stalls.
7.     tell of any interesting, or nonsensical, conversations with members of the public.
8.     take photographs of people looking at, or sitting in, your Seven. Whilst it is legal to take a photograph of anyone in a public place without their consent and publish it, do please be very careful if children are involved. If a photograph is suitable for the website it can/may be cropped.
9.     which charities benefited from the event?
10.   would you recommend it to other members to attend next year?

If you intend to write a report inform the other members supporting the event, and someone else might be able to offer photographs if you cannot. It really does not matter if the Editor has two or three reports of the event, they will all have a different narrative and perspective of the day out. They can be reproduced separately or blended – that is the Editor’s choice. Please, do enjoy the event(s) driving, or displaying, your Seven whilst you can and tell others how much you appreciated the experience.

If you are a newish member and unsure what is involved then have a look at these articles.

Shall we do a Club run?

Club runs – Convoy rules

So, you want to go to a Rally

This article by Doug Castle, appeared in Seven Focus, February 2022 pp 6 - 9.

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