What is the ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv® National Convention? To understand that, it’s important to know what it was, then we’ll tell you what it has become.
In the early days (the mid-1940s), what is now the ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv National Convention was simply the Club’s Annual Meeting, where members would speak directly with each other – and eventually the ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv Board of Directors and ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv National Staff – to report on the health of the Club (then they’d look at pictures of cars). With time came additional programs, and an organized convention was added to the Annual Meeting, with the ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv National Convention being the physical convergence of members from across the nation, where matters of the moment were discussed, along with details of competition program logistics, and more. Awards were also celebrated in formal affairs – and in 2005, the ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony joined the mix. While retaining all of that, the ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv National Convention eventually became virtual, making it easier (both physically and financially) for members from all ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv Regions to attend.
So what is the ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv National Convention today? It’s an online gathering of the minds, with members from all 115 Regions invited to meet with each other, the National Office staff, the ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv Board of Directors, members of competition boards, and more – and it’s completely free for ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv members to attend. And since it’s gone virtual – and free – attendance has more than doubled.
Great! What’s up with 2024’s National Convention?
The coming year’s ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv National Convention will take place at the same location (online) as it has the last few years, with the dates being Jan. 18-26, 2024. It will also retain the same pricing structure as previous online National Conventions – which is to say that it’s completely free!
ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv National Convention week will jump into action in a familiar way, with the traditional Annual Meeting taking center stage. There will also be a welcome session hosted by ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv President and CEO Mike Cobb, and come the next day, five members will be inducted into the ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv Hall of Fame. In the mix for those opening days of the ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv National Convention, the Club will also present numerous significant awards, from ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv Road Racing’s top recognitions to the prestigious Member of Excellence and Woolf Barnato awards.
From there, the meat of the National Convention begins.
Building upon the success of last year's theme of "Engage," the 2024 ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv National Convention quite naturally introduces the newest theme: Grow. Harnessing enthusiasm and connections forged in prior years, the 2024 ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv National Convention aims to foster personal and collective growth within the ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv community through sessions that include everything from the basics of certain programs to advanced methods of growing your ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv Region through achievable marketing efforts.
The 2024 National Convention will also kick off the Club’s 80th birthday party.
Sign Me Up!
Whoa there, not so fast! The birthday cake’s not ready yet – as you can see, we’re still putting the ingredients together. What you need to do right now is put a reminder in your calendar for Dec. 1, 2023, which is when ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv National Convention registration opens (and remember, registration for the 2024 ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv National Convention is free – if you’re a Club member, you’re in).
We’ll remind you on that date, then we’ll be back in mid-December with a list of National Convention sessions you’ll be able to attend.
While you’re waiting, go ahead and download the Whova app – the central location for the ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv National Convention:
Conventions Near You
Want to meet with Club members in your ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv Division? We do too! In fact, members from the ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv staff will be at all of the 2024 Divisional Conventions. When are the Divisional Conventions? Here’s a list:
- Southeast Division: Feb. 3-4, 2024, in St. Simons Island, GA
- Northeast Division: Feb. 9-11, 2024, in Scranton, PA
- Rocky Mountain Division: Feb. 17, 2024, virtual
- Midwest Division: Feb. 24-25, 2024, in Topeka, KS
- Great Lakes Division: March 2, 2024 in Ft. Wayne, IN
- Central Division: March 16, 2024, in Oak Creek, WI
Note that not all Divisions are hosting conventions, and registration information for the Divisions that are will be available shortly.
Sit tight…we’ll be back with more…
Photo by Jon Krolewicz