TL;DR
Where ever two or more Rootes fanatics are gathered in the TEAE name, it counts as a BASH!
This is Appendix B supplied to Regional Reps about a BASH
Any gathering of Sunbeams/Rare Rootes can be termed a BASH in your promotions, and you should use this term. Some events are limited to gathering of two or three cars at a meeting place, where the entertainment is limited to conversation; some can be more extensive including a prepared drive or rallye, meals, tech sessions like a carb rebuild, fix-ins where a member’s car in need is addressed.
Consider partnering with an already established event like a British Car or other type show. Ask their organization to promote the BASH concept. Ask them to promote the BASH, a gathering of Rootes vehicles. Giveaways like TEAE magnets, or water bottles, etc. are available at a nominal cost. Each region has a TEAE banner to put on display. Updated brochures to hand out to prospective members will be distributed. Contact the membership chairman.
The key to a successful event is in the planning. Leave yourself enough time to get organized. For anything more ambitious than a cars and coffee, consider enlisting an accomplice. For planning purposes, you can use the roster sorted by region available on the website here: https://www.teae.org/downloadable-rosters/. You can get an up-to-date list of members and their contact information for your region and contiguous regions by requesting it from the membership chairman. Until your region has coalesced into a community, you may find that people ignore email communications. We encourage phone contact to establish a rapport.
You will be busy during the day of the event so enlisting help for some tasks is a good idea for a larger event:
- Organizing parking
- Registration (when participants pay a fee to enter)
- Photographer (need not be a pro; your event report will be better with photos of people & cars – preferably action or candid shots, not portraits, and in)
- Organizing food and drink (coffee for early arrivals – lunch later)
Connecting with a larger car show is a good way to get exposure for the Marque and an easy way to put on event. For the more informal shows, just meeting together at the show will probably allow you to park together. For larger shows where cars are organized by Marque, you should contact the show promoter to ensure that there is an area designated for your group. And don’t forget the club banner.
Some of the more active car clubs sponsor events on a weekly or monthly basis, often a cars and coffee. During the off-season when our cars may be hibernating, a social get together for a meal or conversation at a member’s home or local restaurant. For example, the UK Hillman group sponsors a monthly pub night. This is another way to build community.