North of 49 - Beer gardens vendor or casual BYOB?

Post by **John Kwong** » Sat Mar 27, 2021 1:25 pm

For the North of 49 event we would like to create an time opportunity for the racers to mingle and socialize without the immediate distraction of the races. We are working on having a catered Saturday BBQ and the suggestion of having a beer gardens at the event has come up. We wanted to gauge the interest and feedback for getting a vendor to handle this. Basically, the beer gardens would have an actual vendor with a liquor license and an area segregated such as the BBQ shack area for those who would like to partake. The vendor handles beer tickets and serving. Consumption and distribution would be controlled and only available to non-raceday participants while the track is active and to raceday participants(drivers and mechanics) after race activities have been ended for the day.

The BYOB option would only be applicable once the on-track activities are finished for the day which is the same as any club race day.

Post by **Jackmazury** » Sat Mar 27, 2021 5:42 pm

The beer garden seems like it raises a lot of potential issues. Firstly would be enforcement of who can and can not purchase beverages during the day. Somebody (likely not related to the serving or distribution company) would have to be responsible for this. Would we allow mechanics to drink during the day? There's hazards which could potentially arise out of that on the pre grid as well. How many drinks would people be limited to, and would these allotments be sold by the club or by the third party vendor? There needs to be a clear outline of how all of these things would be handled before the membership should have reasonable confidence in the beer garden proposal in my mind. From a risk management standpoint I voted for the BYOB option. Plus there's also the COVID situation to consider.

Post by **Jen and Don** » Sat Mar 27, 2021 7:53 pm

I have to agree with all the points made by Jack. It will also draw attention from the town as they will be aware of the liquor license being drawn. BYOB puts more responsibility on the individuals . One bad incident and fingers may point towards the fact that the club openly sold alcohol at the event. The laws now can point fingers at the servers if there is a situation where a patron of a bar ends up in a traffic accident and causes injury or death in an accident related to drinking and driving. I don't think the extra revenue from this would out weigh the risks involved. It can't be compared to a professional racing event where 90% or more of the people there are just spectators. At our events, I feel that the majority of people are actual participants, whether it be mechanics or drivers.

My thoughts anyway, Don

Post by **Tjfast** » Sat Mar 27, 2021 11:27 pm

Having a beer garden will help to create the atmosphere of a karting festival which has been mentioned before. Jack brings up very good points, however, with proper planning we can make sure that all of the concerns raised are addressed. John mentions that this would be likely a Saturday event, which I dont see any issues that cant be solved. Perhaps having the beer gardens not run the entire day but open later in the evening would help to alleviate some of the issues. To address the point of legal issues brought up by Don. The vendor of the alcohol would be responsible for any issues as a direct result of the sales of alcohol; this is straight from AGLC, which im licensed with, so the club wouldn't have any direct law problems but the image impact could be there like you said. Having a dedicated area would help, but this would need to be policed, which should fall onto the vendor but we would need to find out if thats something they will do.

With alcohol being present on the weekend regardless of BYOB or vendor, there needs to be a clear plan in place. If people want to drink and drive on track they will, regardless of BYOB or vendor, at least with a vendor, there is some level of control. Ive been to many drag races where alcohol is sold during the day, where drivers and mechanics are in the same situation as we are now ( I know that its hard to compare us to large events, my point more goes to the fact of mechanics and drivers having down time between events). This once again falls on personal discipline, which the club cannot control. I would like to see a vendor used, as it adds to the "festival" feeling that is talked about. During racing hours, spectators will have to consume responsibly, which is no different than going to a baseball game, hockey game, or any event that sells alcohol. If we work with the vendor to establish a clear plan, we can make it work.

I like the discussion we are having, and i hope it continues. I hope the executive will speak with the vendor to see what they have in mind. Lets keep the ideas rolling. And perhaps after enough club response and discussion, the beer garden is not in the best interest of the club. Its important the the interests of keeping the club safe and compliant with rules comes first. If no plan can do that, then a beer garden will not be viable.

Post by **pauldeadman** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 1:52 pm

All great points and good discussion. The vendor can easily manage this with a wrist band system. Different colors for spectators v drivers/mechanics etc. As Evan says if people want to drink and drive they would be doing that anyway and i hope and trust our membership would not behave like that.

The biggest issue i see are the government covid restrictions for year at least

Just being able to hold the event would be a great start.

Fred · Post by **Fred** » Mon Mar 29, 2021 9:27 am

The vendor would be responsible for all licenses and control of sales .. Racers , Mechanics and Race Staff would not be allowed into the Beer Garden area until all on track activity has ceased. A list of competitors, Mechanics and Staff would be passed to the Vendor and of course the Penalty of TOTAL EXCLUSION from the event would be enforced if anyone were to transgress.

The beer garden area would need to be policed by the vendor either by Staff or Private Security company.

The Idea of the beer garden was to offer something that runs with the festival theme that may draw people from the town to come and see what we do. We want this to be different from any other event that will draw in different people (We already have you lot)

Other Ideas on how we can draw spectators from the town would be welcome.

Post by **pauldeadman** » Mon Mar 29, 2021 3:57 pm

Something for the kids apart from the racing. Bouncy castle, slot car racing area, stage for music/ bands?

Nathan B · Post by **Nathan B** » Tue Mar 30, 2021 1:35 pm

Beer gardens sound like a great idea to me, obviously there are items that need to be addressed as per Jacks post. But all par for the course, if small town soft ball tournaments can get it together I am sure we could as well. I don't think there is any additional risk regarding mechanics and drivers, they could all be drinking in their pit spaces if they were so inclined, the rule is no booze and anyone caught would face enforcement from the club.

Maybe a great way to entice locals to come out and spectate would be to create some kinda race betting? If we made up some driver profiles ( Career wins, kart model, engine model, average finishing spot) and put some odds together we could let spectators bet on the races just like at a horse race... Obviously we are not a gambling establishment so we can't be taking cash bets and paying out cash. But there could be a $20 entry fee and you put together your picks for each race. Then at the end of the day the points are all added up and there are prizes to the winners.

The F1 Fantasy actually has a pretty good system. Each driver is worth a certain number of points, you have 100 points to pick your team. We would have to exclude all the Junior classes I would think. But the senior classes could be fun to do.

Post by **Jen and Don** » Tue Mar 30, 2021 4:03 pm

We always ran 50/50 draws at Carter's hockey games. Really simple, only need a roll of tickets that have a matching pair using same number, one for the bucket one for the buyer. Downfall could be whether to stipulate the winner be present or not. Could have them write their phone number on the ticket before it goes into the bucket? . Think it was $2 each, 3 for $5 or, 10 for $10. Some pots grew substantial and club gets half. I thought of raising the idea for all our race days. Maybe a draw that is $5 per ticket and your next race entry admission is the prize?

Post by **Tjfast** » Tue Mar 30, 2021 5:51 pm

I love the idea of a 50/50 or betting program. With betting however, im not sure how this would fall under AGLC since it would involve some sort of "odds", unless it was done as complete fantasy like draft kings but this would require some research to make sure we have a solid plan. 50/50 is something that should be done. Its a great way for spectators to support the club, since we dont charge any fees. best way for 50/50 draw is telling people when the draw will happen. Say buying starts at 10,am selling stops at 2:30, and draw is at 3:00, doesnt have to be that exactly but something of the sort encourages people to stay.

Great ideas people.

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