5 attractive reasons to put a convention on this year’s calendar

By Tim Suddard
Apr 19, 2023 | Vintage Triumph Register, Conventions, Car Clubs | Posted in Features | From the May 2023 issue | Never miss an article

Photography by Tim Suddard

In today’s age of immediate, worldwide contact via a device that fits in your pocket, why would anyone still load up the car and truck halfway across the country for a club convention? As we found during last fall’s Vintage Triumph Register convention in Galena, Illinois, there’s still something about the in-person experience.

Reason 1: To Venture Out

A lot of the participants at the VTR convention voiced a love of learning about different areas. They like the local expertise that regional clubs offer, along with the safety–and camaraderie–of venturing out in numbers.

Laura Cybulski and her husband drove their Triumph TR6 some 560 miles to Galena because they heard about the area’s beauty. Rather than make the trek to this picturesque corner of northwest Illinois alone, however, they waited for the convention. This was their third VTR meet, and they told us how they enjoy getting a local’s perspective on cool places around the country.

Reason 2: To Learn More

For some, the primary reason to attend a convention is to talk to owners of similar cars, participate in tech seminars, and simply learn more about the brand. First-time attendee and new TR6 owner Jacob Garfinkel, who drove in from nearby Davenport, Iowa, said he learned a lot and had fun. His highlight of the week: driving his car in anger on the autocross event.

Reason 3: To Compete for Honors

A lot of people come to compete. Whether the arena is some kind of driving event–rally, autocross or similar–or an award on the showfield, some participants care little for the social aspects and are there with great seriousness to take home some hardware. Other competition venues can center around event photography, model car building, newsletter production and even valve cover racing.

As explained by Rick Lockman, this event’s co-chair, some serious competitors are there to win at any cost. He recalled concours participants plucking blades of freshly mowed grass from their tire treads even though they had been repeatedly told that it wouldn’t hurt their scores.

Reason 4: To Catch Up With Old Friends

For a lot of people, the cars come second. The trip is about the friends, the dinners, the group outings, their local club’s caravan to the final destination–especially after the recent isolation.

During the awards presentation, in fact, expect to hear fellow locals cheer on the winners from their group. As Patty Clifford told us, she and her husband drove in from Englewood, Ohio, to reunite with friends in the Triumph community. It’s a regular event on their calendar.

Reason 5: And to Make New Ones

Car clubs also serve as an avenue for socializing. Jack Gleason from Arlington Heights, Illinois, told us that he made the trek not only because he’s a member of the host club but to see others he’s met at past conventions.