[Deadhead]

Well, I just think that there is a lot of misguided thinking here if the organization wants to grow. Dayton is a fine city, but I am talking degree here. To attract people you have to provide things that are exciting and appeal to those who are not already members.

Here is my response to the letter. I will remain a member, but I doubt seriously that I will have the stamina to make further efforts to revitalize the organization.

Don,

I am very pleased with your decision not to include me on the POCI board. It is not about me. It is about the future of the Pontiac hobby.

POCI's emphasis on the "affordable" is a big part of the issue. Lasting memories and repeat customers are not built on the cheap. People do not go on family vacations that they remember forever to places that are cheap. They go to Disney World, Vegas, Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, Hilton Head, Vail etc. Places cost more because they are worth it. Supply and demand you know. People do what they have to do to have these great experiences. I doubt seriously you are going to find much enthusiasm for Witchita, KS. That is not a destination that typically inspires visions of lasting memories. Not to mention that your argument of the board deciding to go where the members are is a perfect example of why these types of places are better. Lots of members are concentrated in popular destinations. Perhaps Detroit or Pontiac Michigan would have been a good idea for the GTO 50th anniversary? This is not rocket science. You want more members? You provide something attractive and or useful. Not just to existing members but to potential members. Think about how incongruous your argument is. People spend tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to restore and maintain these cars, and then they don't have the money to spend on a vacation in a great venue? That makes no sense. If you want to be cheap great. But do not relegate the rest of us to that. Please. I do not waste time on the cheap and going to places that are not excellent. Neither do the vast majority of other families going on vacation.

My contribution to the Pontiac hobby is daily helping people repair and restore their cars with my knowledge. I take the time to share the process of all of the different areas of restoration I have learned. I do this daily. I do not simply show up at a convention once a year to postulate on the virtues of Pontiac and what my shiny car looks like since last convention. It is not all about the convention. Because of modern technology we are able to gather and share information continuously. POCI is failing big time in this area. They are not helping people actually work on their cars and stay enthusiastic daily to a great degree - or at all as far as I can see at the moment. Tech is seriously lacking. How many tech articles have been in Smoke Signals in the last year? How many helpful replies to tech inquiries on the POCI web site? It would bring people back again and again if they saw it as a source for help in their restoration and maintenance. If people need affordable as you claim, then helping them to do more on their cars themselves would serve that need and make it so they could better afford to travel to the convention.

While many may not agree with these ideas, I personally feel strongly about them and would not spend my time pounding the table on it if it was not important to me.

Best of luck going forward. I hope you are able to find success clinging to the old ways.