Merger of GS CW makes Rally an infomercial

Was this your first rally? Its been that way for the last 20 years that I am aware of. Vendors advertising and selling their products, with a little entertainment added, and maybe some stuff being given away as door prizes.

This was not our first. That was in 2010. It is an order of magnitude more connected than it was before. CW has direct control of vendors and exhibitors. Maybe I was a slow learner the first time but this is it for me.

Its been many years since we last attended a rally. In every case the sponsoring party had control.
We have some dear friends that conduct seminars at ralleys all over the US as a means to supplement their income. They also sell books they have authored about the RV lifestyle, along with a cook book. They have been doing this for almost 8 years now.

One with any of the rallies no matter who puts it on, they are expensive to put on especially at the scale if the GS rally. Someone has to pay for it, now that can be really expensive tickets for the attendees, or sponsors being soaked in fees or some combination of the above.

I believe the real difference is CW is the main commercial sponsor now, but at least when we attended Phoenix last, by no means the only one.

The original concept behind GS is long gone of just a bunch of people that like to camp and get together and plan some service type events that enhanced the camping experience.

Some of this was driven by US the members, as I tell my kids all the time careful what you ask for you may get it!

You see posts here all the time what do I GET for being a member of GS. We want discounts, services, this board etc. Our parents and grandparents grew up with sharing the work so that they could afford to do things.

My generation and especially the younger generations following are used to paying for what they want not participating. Think abut it what chance would cable TV have had of making it in the 60's? You want me to PAY to get TV!!!

Same with rallies, they used to be small and all volunteer and meals were joint adventures, like most RV.net rallies. Now though we want vendors, we want classes and no we don't want to teach them! We want to be entertained and kept busy.

"We have met the enemy and he is us."

That was why I did not signup. When I had to join and enroll in all types of services I did not need, just to be able to get a decent price on going to the show, my better judgement said no.
The whole show other than the entertainment looked like nothing more than a GS/CW advertisement that I was paying to see.

poqprince wrote:


One thing that has been overlooked is a new generation has begun to reach the prime years but little is available for boomers. It reflects old thinking and formulas for past generations.

You are right on with this observation. Many of us of the boomer generation are more interested in boondocking, 'greener' RV living and different activities, like hiking, kayaking, canoeing, cycling and biking. Many of us do not feel we fit with the the GS crowd but I continue to be a member out of respect for its heritage. :)

poqprince wrote:
This was not our first. That was in 2010. It is an order of magnitude more connected than it was before. CW has direct control of vendors and exhibitors. Maybe I was a slow learner the first time but this is it for me.

CW and Good Sam have belonged to the same company for many, many years - the Affinity Group. The only recent change was changing the name from Affinity Group to Good Sam Enterprises.

Mockturrtle that was exactly my point on what is available. We are active in all of the activities you listed. Right now at 65 our retirement is an active retirement. We enjoy those activities with two younger generations. I have yet to find a pop up, teardrop or seminar associated with them. Very few state tourism folks or even much on the provinces. It is activity poor but could be such a rich experience.

Thanks for the insight some of you have provided into organizational structures.

I guess my disappointment centers on what could have been...

I do have to agree with a few of the aforementioned posts. I am well into my senior years but very involved with this forum and the Elks as trustee/director. I have also belonged to FMCA for fifteen years. Most of these organizations / fraternal orders are having problems attracting new members and volunteers. I have long suggested we must have venues that attract younger members and families. Times change and so must organizations or they risk the probability of demise.

I have to agree with several people who posted above. The problem with these rallies is that they are aimed at a generation that is now rapidly leaving the building. With all due respect, the demographic of RV'ers is getting older and if this industry is to survive it must welcome younger people to it.

Using myself as an example, I would pay NOT to see Wayne Newton and C+W music, in my view, should be used to punish bad children. There were virtually no activities at the Syracuse rally that appealed to anyone younger than 70.

A mass renewal of wedding vows?

Games in a warehouse?

Seminars from vendors?

Please! All wonderful events to someone but not to me and I am willing to bet thousands of other 'Me's' too.

Can we not have entertainment other than C+W or performers who were over the hill when Jack Benny died? How many younger RV'ers would have attended if there had been a known rock group from the 60's on stage for example?

Couldn't there have been a coordinated system of trollies picking up people and letting them off at various sites?

Why was there no real food concourse? How about inviting some of the touring "BBQ Rib" guys for example. Or Micky D's. Or Tim Hortons. Or any of the major foodies who maintain mobile facilities for just such an occasion.

Signage. There were few signs inside the rally site and almost none outside. Tourists need help finding what they are looking for and there was little enough signage.

Now let me be clear here. I am not criticising the wonderful people who put the Syracuse rally together. And I am certainly not criticising the volunteers who stood in the rain and the mud with smiles on their faces and helped whomever needed help. An event is only as strong as the volunteers who work at it and this event could not have been stronger. Each and every volunteer should be personally thanked by the Good Sam organization for their sterling efforts in the face of unbelievable adversity.

But having said that, it is clear that the entire Good Sam organization that ultimately is responsible for the quality of these rallies needs a good dose of professionalism when it comes to designing, arranging and operating one of these rallies. And the members of this organization deserve no less.