AMVIV5 08

2008 Wrap Up and Photos for A Mini Vacation In Vegas 5

by Andrew Ross

A Quick Overview

Well, it seems like I'm typing the same thing each time I do one of these. "Bigger and better", "more cars", "Palace Station took great care of us", "fun runs", "fantastic vendors", and so on. All of that is true once again. Almost 600 of our favorite little cars this year, with a nice jump in Classic Mini attendance.

The drives seemed to be popular as ever, with (in some cases) 200 or so cars on a drive. The all day Route 66 drive was included due to some quite loud requests from attendees and was enjoyed by the group that made the trip. The Death Valley run this year was cut down to a half day run, though if you stopped at the track to watch the race (and have lunch courtesy of MINIUSA and the Sin City MINI Club), it wound up being a pretty full day. There were half day runs to the Moapa Valley, Mount Charleston, Red Rock and Nelson's Landing, as well as the traditional Las Vegas Strip Cruise.

The banquet dinner for around 550 people was where DB and Todd from WhiteRoofRadio gave away the largest/most valuable prize from each vendor, with the bulk of the prizes being given away during the runs and the Boot N Bonnet Show. A generous last minute contribution from SoCal MINI Maniacs helped the Sin City MINI Club cover the costs of the "Meet the Miniacs Mixer", incorporating the 2nd Annual AMVIV Photo Show. There was a MINI only driving school at the Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump. There were "excursions" to the Shelby Museum and factory, and the Imperial Palace's Auto Collection, for anyone who wanted something different from the usual Vegas of MINI fare. The farewell breakfast in the parking garage on Sunday morning was a great way to see off new and old friends until next time, as well as a tasty and filling breakfast before the drive home.

As seems to be a trend now, this year was the biggest and best AMVIV so far, with fun things to do the entire weekend, and no pressure for those who just wanted to hang out with friends or gamble a bit.

Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada
Photo by Agro

The Hotel

Palace Station now knows and loves AMVIV. The room rates went up quite a bit from 2007, which concerned us, but even with the rate jump, it's still one of the best deals in Vegas. They took great care of us with catering, rooms, security and general MINI love.

Palace Station across a sea of MINIs.
Photo by Colorado Rick

Get Your Kicks on Route 66 - Thursday all day

Thursday morning, an intrepid group set off for historic Oatman, CA where you can feed the burros that wander around the town's streets and "Main Street USA", the Mother Road, Route 66.

Crossing the Hoover Dam is always less painful in the morning.
Photo by Xiek

Traveling historic Route 66. A far cry from the Interstate.
Photo by MINI Artist

Twisty roads, amazing scenery, what's not to love?
Photo by MINI Artist

Wait a sec! How did that non-MINI get in there? Causing a traffic jam it seems.
Photo by MINI Maybee

Checking out the museum.
Photo by Xiek

Oatman is and old-timey tourist destination.
Photo by Xiek

Mmm...historic tourist traps...
Photo by Xiek

The MINIs got to spread out a little.
Photo by Xiek

North Shore Drive - Thursday afternoon

Thursday afternoon, it was time to head off to Overton and the run along the North Shore of Lake Mead. A good turnout saw some fun "swoopy" roads and a different side of Nevada than most people get to see. There aren't many photos, as it appears everyone was having too much fun driving to use their cameras.

Regrouping at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Photo by AllBlack05S

Mountains, clouds, fun roads, MINIs, a GP...
Photo by AllBlack05S

Overton residents had never seen so many MINIs!
Photo by MiniFTMFW

Overflowed the parking lot. AMVIV can do that to parking lots.
Photo by MiniFTMFW

The Boot and Bonnet Show - Friday and Saturday, all day

The Boot and Bonnet Show is the showcase for all of our wonderful MINI vendors. It's where the attendees get to walk around looking at all the different MINIs. And they certainly were different. This time around, I don't think I saw 2 identical cars.

During the BnB, vendors were selling and installing merchandise and MINI upgrades. All up, we had about 35 vendors here at Palace, plus several who couldn't physically make it to Vegas, but who sent goodies for us to give away to the attendees.

As a special bonus, in keeping with the theme of the weekend, Elvis was in the building. Yes, the King was wandering the parking garage, talking to people, getting his photo taken and generally making AMVIV feel just as Vegasy as possible.

SCMC / AMVIV mascot, Mr. Cone, getting into the whole "Elvis" theme of the event
Photo by MiniMaybee

The club and vendor stalls are very popular during the BnB event.
Photo by Avery Wong

At the SCMC booth, we have a whiteboard for leaving messages, selling parts, and displaying the BnB prize winners.
Photo by Avery Wong

On some of the more popular runs, the staging goes up a couple of ramps, around the top floor and down the other ramps. It's actually more organized than it looks.
Photo by AZ Mini Man

I love my classic, but I MIGHT trade it for this one.
Photo by Colorado Rick

I love this photo of a family of MINIs at Palace.
Photo by Crrikey

The King was in the building!
Photo by MiniMaybee

Some of the last minute vendor signups still did excellent business.
Photo by Gromit

Palace Station could use this pic for their events promotions
Photo by JimZ

Oh yeah, the top floor of the parking garage couldn't come close to holding all the MINIs!
Photo by MiniFTMFW

Matching MINI and Mini from REME. The classic was the crowd favorite for Best in Show.
Photo by YakiMini

The Cheat Death Valley Run - Friday morning

The Death Valley Run left Palace Station early Friday morning, heading south through Pahrump and Shoshone into Death Valley. After a stop for pictures at the lowest point in the US (Badwater), the motorers headed back to Pahrump. At the Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump, they could stay for lunch paid for by MINIUSA and the Sin City MINI Club or head straight back to Vegas. Staying at the track meant being able to watch the MINIs only racing that was going on there.

Restroom / regroup stop in Shoshone.
Photo by JimZ

Shoshone from another angle.
Photo by MiniFTMFW

I love these pictures of a huge string of MINIs.
Photo by MiniFTMFW

MINIs overflowing the parking lot at Badwater. How unusual!
Photo by Japic

SinMINI giving away prizes at the Badwater photo stop.
Photo by Bourne Again

Not often you see a tour bus trapped by MINIs.
Photo by SinMINI

Badwater is officially the lowest point in North America.
Photo by Xiek

Heading into Death Valley from Shoshone.
Photo by SexyChai

Phil Wicks Driving Academy and the North American MINI Cooper Challenge - Friday all day

Once again this year, the driving school and NAMCC was held at the Spring Mountain MotorSports Ranch out in Pahrump, Nevada. It is a great track with lots of turns and is a favorite of the Nevada road racers.

About half of the cars returning from Death Valley stopped at the track to watch the NAMCC race and eat the lunch paid for by MINIUSA and the Sin City MINi Club. Everyone I talked to said it was well worth the trip out to the track.

Lining up on the grid for a session.
Photo by Bourne Again

You know you're having fun when you can only keep 3 wheels on the ground.
Photo by Lexster

Same kind of fun in a classic Mini. How cool is that?!
Photo by Lexster

I thought everyone was supposed to go the same direction?
Photo by Lexster

Visual horsepower to match what's under the bonnet.
Photo by Lexster

All the non-racers who came to cheer and have lunch on MINIUSA and the SCMC.
Photo by Xiek

Anyone who was there for lunch could take part in a couple of "parade laps" on the track. The 1st hit is free.
Photo by Xiek

The Red Rock Run - Friday afternoon

Red Rock is a short run through some absolutely spectacular scenery, that we skipped in 2007 and added back into the schedule for 2008. There were over 200 MINIs on this run, which was certainly a sight to behold as MINIs totally overran the parking area near the gift shop.

Uhhh...there was quite a line waiting to get into the park.
Photo by Kristoffer

All these different mirror caps in a row, waiting to get in.
Photo by MiniMaybee

2 very different but spiritually similar beasts looking for a parking spot as the lot filled up.
Photo by Kristoffer

These roads would be a blast if it wasn't for the rangers and other traffic.
Photo by Colorado Rick

A string of MINIs cresting a hill on the Red Rock loop.
Photo by Colorado Rick

Phenomenal views are a major attraction of Red Rock.
Photo by Kristoffer

Meet The MINIacs Mixer - Friday late afternoon

Starting at 5:30pm, Sin City MINI Club and SoCal MINI Manaics hosted a mixer event in about 1/3 of the banquet area at Palace Station. The clubs provided cheese and veggie platters, and there were 2 cash bars in the room. Everyone I spoke to seemed to be having a good time.

In conjunction with the mixer, we held the 2nd Annual AMVIV Photography Show. A number of the shutterbugs in the MINI community brought pictures that they were proud of, which were mounted on foamboard and displayed around the room. No prizes were awarded (it wasn't that kind of show, partly because none of the organizers felt qualified to judge) and it seemed to be a great success. It seems that everyone was having such a good time that they didn't take any pictures. I can only find 2 people who have posted pics of the mixer.

The crowd seemed to have a good time.
Photo by Carjoy

The Blue Iguana at one of the photo show entries.
Photo by MiniMaybee

Munchies and beers make people happy it seems.
Photo by MiniMaybee

We had enough food this year, thanks to the Sin City MINI Club and SoCal MINI Maniacs.
Photo by MiniMaybee

The Las Vegas Strip Cruise - Friday evening

After the mixer was done, and people had time to grab some dinner, MINIs and their owners left Palace Station to do the traditional and now famous Strip Cruise.

Once the 227 MINIs and Minis were in the dead-end street we were using for a staging area, several Sin City MINI Club MINIs stopped traffic on the Strip and we waved all the MINIs out onto Las Vegas Boulevard. It was a blast! MINIs honking their horns. Motorists waving at the non-MINI tourists. You had to be there, and if you weren't, you HAVE to be here next year!

Staging for the cruise.
Photo by Avery Wong

On the corner, 1/2 way back in the staging area.
Photo by MiniMaybee

Not even to the Strip proper yet.
Photo by Dominic Tuso

Pushing the non-MINIs off the road, it looks like.
Photo by Xiek

MINIs EVERYWHERE!
Photo by SexyChai

This about as dense a mass of MINIs as you'll see on a public road anywhere.
Photo by Dominic Tuso

MINIacs having fun, cruising the Strip topless.
Photo by Xiek

New York MINI?
Photo by AZMiniMan

Traffic lights can be annoying, but they give some great photo oportunities.
Photo by Avery Wong

Where else can you see this much neon?
Photo by Bourne Again

MINIs passing the Bellagio. Get that Toyota out of shot!
Photo by Japic

Parisienne MINIs?
Photo by Kristoffer

Can we get some classic love?
Photo by Carjoy

Almost done when you get near the Stratosphere.
Photo by AZMiniMan

Motor Up Mount Charleston - Saturday afternoon

The run to Mount Charleston takes motorers from the Las Vegas heat to the the ski slopes in the surrounding mountains. There are fairly long freeway stretches to get there and back but the scenery and roads on the top of the mountain are well worth the trip. The mountain shows off some amazing scenery, and was a popular return of a run that was not part of the 2007 event.

I can't count how many MINIs are in this photo.
Photo by SexyChai

A beautiful picture indeed.
Photo by SexyChai

Love those MINIs to infinity pictures.
Photo by Avery Wong

Classic or GP, the AMVIV welcomes all kinds of unique MINIs.
Photo by JimZ

Just for a change, let's overflow the parking lot!
Photo by Avery Wong

The run leaders sure gathered a crowd when it was time to give away the prizes!
Photo by Avery Wong

Scenic!
Photo by Kristoffer

Yep. Another parking lot overflowing.
Photo by Kristoffer

MINIs coming and going. The mountain was covered with them!
Photo by Mini Pirate

The Banquet at The Palace - Saturday night

The evening event of the weekend is always the banquet dinner at Palace Station, where we drew the lucky winners of the "biggest" prize donated by each of our wonderful AMVIV vendors. We also hand out the Boot N Bonnet Show prizes, voted on by the attendees.

This year, the food service went much better than in 2007, all 600 people in the room had their food and were sitting again in 26 minutes. That is amazing and my heartfelt thanks go out to the Palace Station Catering people for making everything so smooth. I think most of the people who skipped the dinner this year because of the slowness in 2007 will be buying tickets for 2009.

In keeping with tradition, the WhiteRoofRadio guys (DB and Todd), emceed the evening. They did a great job, keeping things moving nicely. In past years, we gave away all the donated prizes at the banquet. This year, most of the prizes were given away on the runs and during the BNB with just 1 prize from each vendor awarded at the banquet. This cut the prize section of the evening down to about 30 minutes or so and I think worked extremely well.

In keeping with the Elvis theme of the weekend, the King put on a show during the banquet. The sound system couldn't quite keep up with him once the room was full (it sounded too loud during setup), but the kitsch factor worked well.

When you can't decide if you want to go formal or casual, split the difference.
Photo by Avery Wong

Some of the attendees enjoying the available beverages.
Photo by Avery Wong

Our fabulous emcees, Todd and DB from WhiteRoofRadio
Photo by D Suiter

There was plenty to eat, and it was great too!
Photo by Avery Wong

There was actually enough space to seat everyone comfortably this year.
Photo by Xiek

Jayde is trouble incarnate!
Photo by Avery Wong

Their classic won an award, and made it all the way to AMVIV under it's own steam this year!
Photo by Avery Wong

Elvis put on a good show, though he could have been louder.
Photo by Xiek

Blast Off To Nelson's Landing - Sunday morning

Following the farewell breakfast, we headed towards California and Arizona for a nice run that the SoCal people especially could do without losing too much time on the trip home. This was a new run for 2008, perfect for the final run of the weekend as the photo op location at the end of the road won't hold many more than about 50 cars. The motorers who did this run mostly scored well as any BNB prizes that hadn't been collected were given away on this run. The Sierra Nevada Club in particular did well on this run, with every member winning a prize.

At the regroup point on the Searchlight highway.
Photo by Avery Wong

An absolutely gorgeous road down to Nelson's Landing.
Photo by Avery Wong

Steve and I did the prize drawing on this run. That's me (Agro).
Photo by Avery Wong

Sierra Nevada club with their haul.
Photo by Avery Wong

Stop for restrooms and sodas on the way to I15 and home.
Photo by Bourne Again

The whole thing

I seem to be repeating myself again, but running the event continues to be a lot of fun and extremely tiring. Through running AMVIV the last few years, I've met so many great people. While not everyone driving a MINI is part of what I consider "the MINI community", it seems like many people who are, know of me, even if we haven't met in person yet. I really enjoy that aspect of being the figurehead of such a well known event and club.

If you have met and talked to me for more than a couple of words, when I see you in March of 09, I'll probably remember you. I promise I'll try, at least. And I love meeting new friends, so please come up and say hi. I'm the furry, XXL Australian, probably wearing a lime green event worker shirt.

A word of warning though. By the time AMVIV6 comes around in 2009, I will be the father of twin daughters, so I will not have as much time to put into AMVIV as I have in past years. This should not be a huge issue as a number of SCMC members have stepped up to take over most of the roles I was performing to make AMVIV happen, but it means that I might have to pass you to someone else to answer a question or do something that I answered or did in the past. I'm still going to be involved, just not doing as much.

Agro.
I'm the one in the orange shirt