Couple of observations

[LugNutParticipant]

This was my first bash. I only was there for a couple of hours, so these are the views of an outsider. First I Think Texas Roadhouse did a great job. The mascot and the peanuts were a big hit. I think you ought to give them a big thank you.

I was expecting more booths. At least one GPS manufacturer. I also half expected Cabela to be represented. They are somewhat  local, they sell GPS’s, backpacks, boots, all kinds of outdoor equipment. Seems like a natural.

I wish I had more time. I didn’t get a chance to meet anyone.

 

LugNut

[BeccaDayParticipant]

There used to be two booths with GPS manufacturers – Garmin and Magellan.  I heard that they upped the vendor fees to participate and they haven’t been back since.

Not all who wander are lost. -J.R.R. Tolkien

[WalkingadventureParticipant]

Also a member of the WBCB committee mentioned the vendors were not excited that there is not more of a draw during the day to bring and keep people at the park, allowing them time to purchase. That + the increased fees may be why there were fewer.

Following the signals from space.

[LugNutParticipant]

Who increased the fees? The city/ park? I would have the chamber look into it. If they want this to be a yearly thing making it easy for vendors to return, Cut the fee or wave it all together.

I would think the Manufacturers just being there answering question will help in future sales. Not many people are going to make on the spot buy of $200 – $600 piece of equipment. Information sells.

[JimandLindaParticipant]

Vendor booth was $200. Hard to make a profit when everyone is out caching. An entirely seperate trade show at a geocaching convention will get vendors out. Face-to-face GPS vendors will be a thing of the past. If you can use a computer and a GPS, you can contact their “customer no service department” for help. And good luck with that!
After talking with one vendor, I’m pretty sure they won’t be back at any cost. I was only there for 1 hour, just to visit the vendors (and WGA booth) and buy some stuff. If they make the effort to come, I’ll make the effort to support them. I prefer the social aspect of Events anyway. I can cache some other time.

[hack1of2Participant]

Here’s my log from the event:

This was our 5th year attending, and the caches this year were the best EVER! We found 53 of the 66 new caches plus a few others. If anyone came for the new caches, the 1,000+ people, the fun and adventure, the cool pirate theme, it was unsurpassed. There were a great variety of cache types, cache events both official and non-official (lol) Thursday through Sunday, and lots of related activities for kids and adults. The QUALITY of the caches were outstanding (the best I’ve seen here and I’m not a newbie), plus there were more gadget caches than ever before, lab caches for the first time for a different kind of caching experience (fantastic), and for the numbers people there were plenty of opportunities for nearby power trails. There were tough caches for those seasoned cachers who wanted a good challenge, there were long hike caches, and short easy ones. There was a CITO event Friday morning (great time to have it, people can keep busy before the cache stamp books are released), and geocaching “events” scheduled Thursday through Sunday, including a photo scavenger hunt, a river float, and a stargazing event. The Cache Bash was good. In fact it was VERY good. Something for everyone. Never better.

Since you asked for constructive feedback (otherwise I would have sent this privately), there were some notable issues that could use a bit of help. As I understand it geocaching events are supposed to be about event activities and not just the caches themselves – mission accomplished! There were cool activities being offered at the park other than the caches themselves (swimming, geocaching 101 class, lab caches, photo-scavenger hunt, geo-bingo, etc.), but fewer vendors compared to previous years were a disappointment. I was looking forward to browsing and purchasing geocaching merchandise. I couldn’t even buy a cache container. Also the lack of food vendors at the event makes it feel like it’s not an all-day event but rather a flash mob. Seemingly nobody stuck around, although many people likely would not disperse for lunch or dinner if it was available in the park. Serve food at the park and people will stay and socialize more, and buy more from the vendors. Win-win. I’d like to see a picnic event option for dinner in the park on Saturday; geocachers are generally outdoorsy people. I’d much prefer to be outdoors at Regner Park rather than indoors at an overcrowded restaurant. The lack of quality raffle prizes was talked about quite a bit. In previous years GPS units and the like were given away. Perhaps the chamber businesses could donate something that’s more substantial instead of things like pill bottles, duct tape, empty “vintage bags,” and $5 gift certificates. Skip the cheap stuff; the raffle seemed to take a longggg time. Many of the regulars wished they could download and print up the stamp book at 6AM; the same time as when the caches are published, rather than wait six hours. I like it the way it currently is; it brings people into the park that morning to pick up the book and gives them time to socialize, shop the vendors (if any), or do one of the other activities. It also would be nice if the chamber could work with the local hotels on behalf of the attendees for a special reduced rate instead of an increased “event” rate. I can see where the chamber may not want to do these things if they don’t see any profit in it for them. Perhaps a bigger issue – is the West Bend Cache Bash’s purpose primarily for the enjoyment of the people or for the profit of the West Bend businesses? That’s not for me to say. Just my ponderings. I’m grateful for what was provided.

To end our log on an upbeat note, we had a great time. We mainly come each year to the Cache Bash for the CACHES, the PEOPLE, the FUN, and to a lesser extent for the numbers. Mission accomplished on all counts! We hope to be back next year and thank the Cache Bash committee for all of your hard work!

[Author]

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