RESULTS OF THE 1999 STOC MEMBERSHIP SURVEY
First of all a big 'thank you' to all who returned their questionnaire. The results of the survey have given valuable feedback to the Committee on what members look for in their Club. We sent out 350 questionnaires and a total of 81 were returned including a number from Europe. The prize for the longest travelled however goes to the member replying from The Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
The first question was:
Do you currently own a Tiger?
Yes 79- No 2
Most owners' (70) had just one Tiger but 7 people owned two, 1 admitted to owning two and a half and 1 owned 3 Tigers.
We then asked how you use (or don't use) your Tiger.
Is your Tiger (If you own more than one please answer for your main one)
In limited use 43.
In regular use 19.
Off the road/under restoration 14.
Competition prepared 5
What annual mileage do you do in your Tiger?
Answers to this question ranged from zero (off the road) to 10,000 miles per annum with a majority in the 2,000 - 3,000 range.
The next section covered your experiences past and present with the Club.
How did you first hear about the STOC?
Magazine/Magazine article 32
Can't remember 21
Personal introduction 13.
Previous owner 8.
Exhibition/exhibition stand 3
Other: Manx Classic, Founder Member.
For how long have you been a Club member?
We received replies from Founder Members (approx. 25 years) to more recent Members of 7 months.
Interests in STOC.
What are your main interests in the STOC? We wanted feedback on both general interests (where you were asked to tick as many items as you liked) and on main interests where you were asked to tick only one item. Your general interests were:
Source of advice on technical matters 72
Cat's Whiskers magazine 63
Source of spares 57
The STOC newsletter 51
Meeting other owners 40
Advice on renovations 37
Social events 28
Competition events: 21
Other interests: Insurance discount. 1
Your main interests were:
Cat's Whiskers magazine 23
Source of advice on technical matters 22
Source of spares 14
Meeting other owners 13
Social events 8
The STOC newsletter 7
Competition events: 6
Advice on renovations 5
Both general and main interests are primarily focussed on the technical aspects of owning a Tiger with Cat's Whiskers high on the list of priorities. Responses to a later question asking which sections in Cat's Whiskers were most interesting reinforce Members interests in technical matters.
Do you ever go to local STOC area meetings? Yes 14 No 67
If Yes, which?
London/Surrey Reigate
Cirencester
The Surrey Chapter Reigate/Surrey
Midlands (Griffin at Shustoke) Harrogate 1988?
Manx Classic '97
Surrey Meeting in Reigate on 3rd. Weds. Of month.
Birmingham
Redhill Reigate (Surrey)
Silverstone, Cirencester, Blenheim, Woburn Abbey.
Midlands
Southern (Reigate)
Clearly, the Reigate/Surrey area meetings are the best attended with little awareness of any others.
Would you be prepared to help the Social Secretary in arranging Club events? Yes: 13
Thank you, your addresses have been passed on to Robin Howard.
Club Communications. We wanted feedback on the impact of the Newsletter amongst members: Which of the following is most important to you? Cat's Whiskers: 61 Newsletters: 33 STOC Website: 6
(NB replies add to more than sample size due to multiple response). Clearly Cat's Whiskers is of major importance to you with the Newsletter receiving a substantial vote of confidence.
We also wanted feedback on the impact of the Club's decision to join the WorldWideWeb:
Do you browse?::
I don't browse 52
The STOC site: 25
Other Tiger sites 21
Already 30% have visited the STOC site and having done so many have gone on to visit other Tiger related sites. However over 60% of you do not browse which for the time being eliminates the STOC website as a principal means of communication.
If you browse other Tiger sites please give address (es):
Tigers East/Alpines East
STOA
STOA, Mark Olsen, Norman Miller etc.
Everyone, except Norman's.
Mark Olsen.
WWW.CAT MBR. ORG.
Tigers@autox.team.net
Do you have any comments on how the STOC website could be improved?
Place dates against adverts. People can gauge whether items for sale are still likely to be for sale.
It could contain a current list of members and their contact details.
Add Regalia Stock List When I looked it up it was only one page?
Updated more often.
It has to be alive, with good images. Don't do like the others - use imagination introducing good working links, be active. (Hard work for the Webmaster).
Trouble accessing certain pages.
Great as it is.
Cat's Whiskers With a view to the improving the appeal of Cat's Whiskers we asked:
When you receive your copy of Cat's Whiskers which sections do you find most interesting? Technical articles 65
Members' letters 45
For Sale 44
Club Spares39
Racing articles 30
Reports on Competitive Events:
28 Rally articles
25 Reports on Social Events:
24 Other sections - please describe: Regalia 1; Overseas News 1; Profile of Committee Members 1; Articles on Tiger history 1.
Although there is a clear preference for Technical articles in Cat's Whiskers the distribution between the other seven sections (ranging from 24 to 45) indicates that the magazine has a balanced view of Members' interests.
What other topics would you like to see featured in Cat's Whiskers?
Regular features using archive photos from the Photo Fund
The range of topics when the mag. was being produced regularly was a good balance I thought.
Reports from around the regions.
Member/Car profiles.
More on the basics for new owners, advice on the most suitable alternative parts and their sources.
Restoration topics, body, engines etc. Reprints of USA articles.
Anything would be good, to see Cat's Whiskers would be even better.
'Finds' of Tigers purchased for restoration.
Pieces from other (overseas) Tiger Club magazines.
Curing overheating. More technical tips.
Historical.
Advice on mods. E.g. Fitting anti-tramp bars.
More contemporary Tiger articles, reminiscences, rallies etc.
More photos of Tigers.
International events. More info. On events abroad.
More renovation articles. Complete description on rebuilding the Tiger.
Touring.
Racing scene.
More technical articles. Other owners cars & their owners.
More technical articles. More technical advice, more marque history.
More technical articles from those who have already restored their cars.
Cat's Whiskers is currently produced in A5 format. If the format changed to A4 there would be more scope for the editor in terms of layout and design. What are your views on this?
Retain the current format 19
Change the format to A4 17
I don't mind 44
Although 20% thought the format should stay as A5 the overall vote was that you would not be concerned if the format changed to A4. The Editor's decision is final!
The Newsletter
Which features in the Newsletter are of most interest to you?
Items For Sale 49
Forum of Technical Queries: 48
Member's Stories: 45
News of forthcoming events: 42
News of local meetings: 24
We were interested in getting feedback from members on the overall balance of the Newsletter. From your responses the current content would appear to be about right with perhaps less interest in news of local meetings than would be expected. However in view of the relatively low number who actually go to local meetings (14) this is not surprising.
Are there any other features that you would like to see covered in the Newsletter?
Calendar of Social & Competition events
Maybe something North of the Border?
Could the Newsletter be expanded to cover more of the Magazine's features and say have one mag. a year with a round-up of events past.
I'd rather see a monthly magazine
More member travelogues with the Tiger.
Interesting Websites.
The Newsletter is the single best thing the Club has done for years!
No - get them too late!
Not really, it is excellent and has plugged a gap very well.
Would you be interested in contributing an article to the maga
Club Activities.
What sorts of events interest you as a spectator and as a participator? We wanted feedback on the events that interest Members a) as spectators and b) as participants. Your answers regarding events of interest as a spectator were:
Race events 49 Rally events 27 Sprint events 24 Drag racing 15
And as a participator: Rally events 12 Sprint events 11 Race events 9 Drag racing 5
Others mentioned: Classic car Shows 4 Hill Climbs 3 Rally Cross 1 Track days 1 Classic car Runs 1 Seminars 1 Le Mans 1
Clealy you were most interested in Race events from a spectator point of view. As far as participation was concerned the emphasis changed to Rally and Sprint events.
What activities organised by the STOC are you interested in attending?
Informal, one day, Treasure Trails: 29
Informal, weekend, Point to Points: 29
Local evening meetings: 27
Trips to the Continent 14
Any others? Track/Race Days, Motorsport 1 Pub lunches 1
We wanted to know how strongly Members felt that the Club should be active in the Classic Car Show world. Do you feel that the STOC should be present at a Classic Car Exhibition every year?
NB not all answered this question Yes 48 No 31
Having elicited responses to how important Members felt on attendance we felt that it would useful to have some measure of commitment: If you answered Yes to the above question would you be prepared to help in setting up, manning and taking down an exhibition stand? Yes 14 No 34 For those answering 'yes', thank you, your name and address has been given to the Committee.
Finally, we would welcome comments on ways in which STOC could change for the better: Regular publication of Cat's Whiskers.
I have submitted numerous articles & sent several photos in 1998 and the latter part of 1997 yet nothing has appeared. My last issue was No: 53. Have I been left off the circulation list? Will I ever get my photos back?
National to be more than one day.
The website is good - keep up with 'internet' activities like mail groups.
More active interchanges with other Tiger Clubs, especially in the US.
How about an event nearer Scotland? Joint events with S.A.O.C. and events in the North.
I think it is essential for the membership to have a regular magazine/newsletter.
Obviously the committee/Mag./newsletter are all run on a voluntary basis and it is hard to maintain continuous enthusiasm. Circumstances change, but I feel a regular reasonably professional magazine is vital. We are not getting this!
Better co-operation with S.A.O.C. The annual spares day clashed with the Brooklands meet.
Promote closer ties with the SAOC. More support for those who are restoring Tigers. How about a compendium of technical advice akin to the SAOC's 'Alpine Guide'?
Since Cat's Whiskers conveys the 'spirit' of STOC it should be produced 3 times a year minimum.
Stop whinging at member's lack of interest - try publishing a Cat's Whiskers with 2 articles in it if that is all we contribute.... But publish regularly. Not publishing encourages lack of interest.
Communication = key. If Cat's Whiskers in its old format is defunct, need a new Editor, or beef up the Newsletter. Need reports of Tigering activity up to date not 12 months later. Someone must commit to cover, photograph and write up such events. eg. Two Tigers took 2nd. place Team Prize in a one hour endurance race at Brands on 2nd. and 3rd. May. Four Tigers in all were competing at that event. Where was Competitions Secretary?
Regular Cat's Whiskers. Local meetings.
Keep up the good work but don't tell fairy tales when presenting the history of the Tiger like others do. Pay attention to Members outside UK.
Which parts are supplied by STOC? No receipt list. Are there new parts coming?
As 'Tiger Tales' (sic) is a once a year mag. It may be best to just have regular news bulletins.
Find an editor who wants to produce a Club magazine.
Better communications, the Newsletter is good but needs expanding whilst keeping it simple enough to produce easily.
More events in the South would be helpful.
Hats off to all members of the Committee - you are doing a great job. One idea - could we return to having some sort of activity at the social events?
Advice on how to keep 30 - 35 year old cars in a safe and reliable condition viz life span of various components, preventative maintenance, most common failures, which modern tyres for old suspension geometry etc.
Seems to be in very good hands.
Publications etc. often seem to arrive too late - sometimes after the events they publicise.
Slick website kept up to date. Just one major event/year and specifically by STOC plus info. on others that we can join in on.
Answering letters from members who wait to buy either parts or regalia. I am disappointed in not getting answers. C.W. has about disappeared, another disappointment.
Better/more advanced notification of events. ie. STOC Spring Meeting flyer came only 3 days before event. If only the Spares Dept. was more easily available accessible AND took credit card orders over the 'phone I would use it!
Committee Members should try to introduce themselves at the National meeting. Speak to members about their cars not just the 'same old faces' but try talking to us 'unknowns'.
More joint outings with other clubs.
Please make the remittance of membership fee by using credit card. It is most convenient for foreign members. Like to see the Magazine at more regular intervals. We should always try to stay at grass roots level - not get too posh.
We live in California and were fortunate to attend a Manx Classic '94 and enjoyed the social contact and generous hospitality of STOC.
General direction is correct. Keep in contact with 'Classic & Sportscar'; 'Classic Cars'. Mags. Etc. and NEC Show to maintain or even raise the profile of Sunbeam Tiger in general. In publications, less emphasis on competition, more on restoration and keeping our cars roadworthy.
Well! Plenty of comments from you for the Committee to mull over.
Graham Fothergill, July 1999.