Planning the 2005 Challenge Championship

This is to bring you up to date:

We have signed the hotel contract with the Chateau Elan in Braselton Ga, for the Sept dates quoted.
The hotel is a fantastic place, perfectly located, great facilities, 4 golf courses, room for our concours, and near the Road Atlanta racetrack where we hope to run our own track day and slalom.
It is a VERY expensive place under normal conditions. In order to get room rates even close to "affordable", (we expect to subsidize) we had to schedule the event at a time of year agreeable to them, and such that the HIGHEST occupancy in the hotels, would be on the weekend. The contract is firm, with horrendous cancellation provisions.
Our concern is that if the main event, the Concours d'Elegance were scheduled first, and the awards banquet 3 days later after the "driving" events, that fewer than half of the peak number of folks at the concours, would still be there to occupy the rooms and attend the banquet on the weekend. That would blow the rates sky-high, or cause penalties for not meeting minimums.
In Phoenix, the event was subsidized with sponsorship to the extent that the entry fee, (single price) covered LESS THAN HALF of the actual cost!
In 2005, our challenge is to raise enough money to subsidize $160.00 PER ENTRANT! (room rate subsidy)
These events are VERY challenging to organize and fund. Mistakes are costly. I understand your reasoning for wishing the driving after the Concours, even tho I expect that complaints would surface from those having driven their cars to the event, as

"not being given enough time to clean & prepare!"

We'll take your wishes into consideration for the 2007 event, tentatively sceduled for St Louis, or INDY. The 2005 dates are "chiseled in stone".
Please, let's make a concerted effort to SUPPORT THE ORGANIZERS of the 2005 event. Plan your club's 2005 schedule so as not to compete with the Challenge Championship, the event being conducted for YOUR benefit!

Gary Hagopian