tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6722137562852954269.post3231744317554454950..comments2024-03-29T12:39:30.010+00:00Comments on Paul's Beer & Travel Blog: CAMRA - A Local PerspectivePaul Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09678639237696546268noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6722137562852954269.post-26394269598157183672012-04-24T22:14:39.247+01:002012-04-24T22:14:39.247+01:00Anonymous, the provisional dates for the SIBA Fest...Anonymous, the provisional dates for the SIBA Festival are Friday 13th-Sunday 15th July. Tonbridge Juddians will be hosting the event, as in previous years.Paul Baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09678639237696546268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6722137562852954269.post-73014671139999946672012-04-24T15:04:51.319+01:002012-04-24T15:04:51.319+01:00Can you tell us the date please of the siba beer f...Can you tell us the date please of the siba beer festival this year, so we can keep in free in the diary.<br /><br />ThanksAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6722137562852954269.post-21239557180393040112012-04-20T21:08:06.876+01:002012-04-20T21:08:06.876+01:00Thanks for your comments, Paul and Alky_Al; it'...Thanks for your comments, Paul and Alky_Al; it's encouraging to hear we are not alone with the active membership problem.<br /><br />To answer you question Paul, we have a Branch Publicity Officer who sends out regular e-mail "flyers" regarding up-coming events. The flyers include details of travel arrangements, where to meet, mobile contacts etc. Of course we can only contact those members who have "opted in", ie. given their consent to being e-mailed. We have found though that more and more people are choosing to be contacted in this fashion, especially as we can give them much more information than it's possible to put across in WB.<br /><br />With regards to concerns about being "roped-in" when one first shows one's face, whilst this is perhaps natural on the part of long-standing, and hard-working active members, I agree it can be rather off-puting. One friend of mine, who is a former Branch Chairman, has admitted that having done "his bit" in the past he now avoids any meeting where there is the slightest possibility he might be asked to do something! Breaking people in gently is certainly to be recommended.<br /><br />Alky_Al, we also have a website (not up-dated as regular as it should perhaps be), and also a Facebook page. We don't tweet as yet, but like your own branch there is only so much we can do.<br /><br />Once again, thank-you both for your feedback which I will pass on to our committee; they will be heartened to learn that other branches are in the same boat!Paul Baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09678639237696546268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6722137562852954269.post-81392464642741495012012-04-20T08:49:20.075+01:002012-04-20T08:49:20.075+01:00Sounds normal for a lot of CAMRA branches, and qui...Sounds normal for a lot of CAMRA branches, and quite a lot of other community organisations. We have about 10 active members from a branch membership of nearly 300 and the youngest committee member is 55. We still tweet every day, mainly retweets of pub beer lists etc but also to advertise our socials and formals, we regularly update the branch website and our facebook page. Our WB entries try to give as much detail as the rules allow. Result? still no new members coming to socials never mind business meetings, but we'll keep trying because of the disasterous lack of active members. Liverpool has had some success with special new member evenings so breaking in gently isn't a bad idea - as long as people turn up rather than spending their 'spoons vouchers.Alky_Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6722137562852954269.post-32797074511116158252012-04-19T23:25:11.092+01:002012-04-19T23:25:11.092+01:00480 odd members in the branch, most of whom we unf...<i>480 odd members in the branch, most of whom we unfortunately don't see</i><br /><br />Well, my suggestion is that it's best to break these people in gently. Seems to me that many members would like to see a social side to their CAMRA membership (I know I would). My local branch 'advertises' their events in WB as something like: "soc, pub name, date", "formal, pub name, date". Tells you loads doesn't it? Sounds welcoming, don't you think? That's sarcasm going on there (I'm sure you could spot it).<br /><br />I did turn up to a few some years back but they, like your branch, were low on numbers and seemed to spot new blood who could help them in their work. Whoah! Not so fast! Let me see what it's all about first. As I say, once you've got a new person on board, I'm sure it will be easier to get them involved in this & that.<br /><br />And to ramble back to an earlier point, your branch clearly has some interesting things going on, but how are your 480 members notified? Perhaps you only know about the next event by going on the last one? [that's 'you' as in 'one' - I'm making a more general point, I hope].paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03444657226013406660noreply@blogger.com