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We out in GA eat VIPers for breakfast. Without gravy.
Finally someone said it....karma mac!. GA4LIFE!!!!
You GA4lifers are crazy. Biglou and I checked out shakedown and we couldn't wait to get back to VIP. Maybe I'm a puss, but I like it that way.
Anywho, regarding the VIP traffic debacle, the problem was NOT everyone showing up at once to check in. The problem was a teeny tiny parking lot with ONE freaking entrance/exit. And add to that, RVs that were bigger than some people's houses trying to make their way through. What they need to do, is NEVER EVER have the check-in at that hotel again. That sucked.
I don't know when everyone else ate, but there was always a line for the food when I walked by, which was often. We only ate twice there. I expected lines, but there weren't lines cuz of a ton of people getting food all at once. There were lines cuz there was never any food. I always went to the front to see what kind of food was available, and every time the trays were empty. So off to centeroo for a $5 corn dog.
Other than that, we had a pretty good time. There were a few other inconveniences like the AC going out in some of the VIP bathrooms, the long lines at the showers (which we never used, instead we had a portable shower from Cabela's ;D), but that stuff isn't worth bitching about. You're always gonna have stuff like that happen no matter how organized it is.
Anywho, regarding the VIP traffic debacle, the problem was NOT everyone showing up at once to check in. The problem was a teeny tiny parking lot with ONE freaking entrance/exit. And add to that, RVs that were bigger than some people's houses trying to make their way through. What they need to do, is NEVER EVER have the check-in at that hotel again. That sucked.
I have to respectfully disagree that the problem wasn't about everyone showing up... while I think there were a few perfect storms, one of the largest was the increased number of VIPs in total and clearly that most of them showed up at 10am. There were even more there at noon than even by 11am when I showed up in 2006. More than one staffer commented how there has never been a line for VIP like there was this year. There were just as many RV's last year, checking in at the same space-- but again, not all at once like this year. Moreover, you might be mistaking many of the RV's and buses that were actually artists and guests who had to check in at the same place-- note that this year there were more artists than ever checking in on Thursday since Thursday was now a more full day of music.
In previous years the HIE always worked fine, but I can certainly see them staggering VIP check in, or having either VIPs or artists checking in at a different location.
Different strokes to move the farm. I have a great time in GA, but it's not my first time on the farm either, so I'm well aware of how to avoid some of the pitfalls.
I have to respectfully disagree that the problem wasn't about everyone showing up... while I think there were a few perfect storms, one of the largest was the increased number of VIPs in total and clearly that most of them showed up at 10am. There were even more there at noon than even by 11am when I showed up in 2006. More than one staffer commented how there has never been a line for VIP like there was this year. There were just as many RV's last year, checking in at the same space-- but again, not all at once like this year. Moreover, you might be mistaking many of the RV's and buses that were actually artists and guests who had to check in at the same place-- note that this year there were more artists than ever checking in on Thursday since Thursday was now a more full day of music.
In previous years the HIE always worked fine, but I can certainly see them staggering VIP check in, or having either VIPs or artists checking in at a different location.
That's cool. You would know better than me, since it was my first Roo. But it seemed to me, the location was terrible, since there was only one entrance/exit, and everyone had to turn left across traffic to get in, and then left across traffic to get out. I'm sure it would have been smoother if there was someone directing right away.
I know that some of the buses were artists, but regardless of who they were, it doesn't change the fact that the parking lot was not laid out or big enough for those RVs and buses. We were stuck in line on the way out, watching this ginormous bus try to unparallel park and uturn to leave. He shimmied back and forth for a half an hour and probably only moved the bus one or two feet from its original location. IMO, they need a lot with a straight(er) shot through, like an entrance on one end and an exit on the opposite, so no one needs to turn anything like that around. Or like someone else mentioned, don't allow RVs in the lot at all and shuttle people from across the street or wherever.
Post by I Can't Wait! on Jun 23, 2007 9:05:32 GMT -5
Does anyone know how many vip there were? We asked several staffers and none of them let on like they knew, some closely guarded secret I guess. One of the bartenders said she was told there were twice as many as last year. Last year we saw a catering sheet that said "food for 2000". I heard someone say there were 3600 vip this year. Anyway twice as many people and I would say less staff at the HIE.
Last year they were directing traffic in the parking lot. (busses and rvs over here, cars over here, and if you have your bracelets then get outta here) This year the only staff I saw in the lot were the people gathering up the "guests" to get to the front, and the people putting the sticker on your car. There also was law enforcement directing traffic out front so you could make the left turn.
Does anyone know how many vip there were? We asked several staffers and none of them let on like they knew, some closely guarded secret I guess. One of the bartenders said she was told there were twice as many as last year. Last year we saw a catering sheet that said "food for 2000". I heard someone say there were 3600 vip this year. Anyway twice as many people and I would say less staff at the HIE.
Last year they were directing traffic in the parking lot. (busses and rvs over here, cars over here, and if you have your bracelets then get outta here) This year the only staff I saw in the lot were the people gathering up the "guests" to get to the front, and the people putting the sticker on your car. There also was law enforcement directing traffic out front so you could make the left turn.
To be fair to them, they may not have known how many were actually VIP versus guests. There were ALOT more "guests" this year than last year for sure- living among the VIP'ers with creds swinging from their necks.
Having to make a left out of the Holiday Inn across that highway in order to get to Kimberly certainly could not have helped matters, but I do have to wonder if there was any better location this year given that Kimberly really did seem the absolute best way to shuttle in the VIP traffic.
Now... In a perfect future world of new roads etc etc etc, they could just either build a new location for handling VIP checkin on Kimberly itself, or else put in a new road that would connect the Holiday Inn to the farm.
But oh, I dream.... I dream of a future Bonnaroo unimpeded by the existing roads and structures... Where they actually have electricity wired on site instead of giant generators everywhere... Where they have appropriately seeded and nurtured the soil and grass so that it doesn't turn to either dust or mud because of the lack of vegetation...
Ah... perhaps... some day, such a nirvana shall appear!
But I've heard voices not in the head Out in the air they called ahead Through ripped out speakers Through thick and thin They found a shelter Under my skin -Evgeny Aleksandrovitch Nikolaev
Post by crazykittensmile on Jun 23, 2007 10:04:48 GMT -5
thursday was one huge C.F. for me and my boyfriend. we spent wednesday night in chattanooga and we were obediently following the VIP directions to the HIE when about 2 miles off the freeway a cop stopped us and told us RVs were not allowed on that road... he told us to get back on the freeway and get off on exit 114 (which is the GA entrance?) so we went past that a few miles and wound up on some tiny little back streets with no clue on where to go. luckily a local stopped and gave us directions to the HIE, saved us a lot of time.
did anyone else with an RV have this problem? i thought it was pretty ridiculous... and since i haven't seen anyone else gripe about it yet, i'm guessing it wasn't a hard and fast rule. which makes it even more annoying!
oh and then we spent the 2.5 hours getting from the HIE to the site, as well. lol.
We got to the HIE at 3PM, got our wristbands at 3:30 and made it to our campsite by 4PM. Compared to last year overall the VIP situation totally improved, the food was 10 times better, the tent was almost twice the size and they added a drink tent as well as adding the additional viewing space in front of the what stage bleachers.
The only things I think that need improvement would be a different hotel for guests to check in at, larger bleachers for the which stage, guests not allowed on the VIP bleachers since we aren't allowed on theirs, more showers and working bathrooms (not portajohns), and less VIPs. The people I saw in the VIP tent were so wasteful with food it was sad, but I think there was still plenty of food, near the end of tool i got some more chicken and it was awesome.
Last year they sent me a survey email about the VIP experience so i'm they will do that again this year, and like i said compared to last year they really did make some major improvements.
VIP was fantastic. Our neighbors were great and friendly. We had a lot of space to set up our gear. We were in close proximity to the port-o-johns, the hospitality tent and we usually avoided hassles getting into centeroo.