What do you think of a (physical) Club House for owners

Roach said:

Great point. There are so few of these that will be delivered in 23/24. I’ll have to start noodling on how many members does it take to make sense.

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For what it’s worth, When I get mine, I will be traveling all over North America meeting up with other owners in various places. At least that’s my intention.
I will probably keep a utility version at our house in Scotland.

Roach said:

There is one other possibility down the road and that is the "clubhouse" could also be your dealer (or maybe delivery point).

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I have high hopes that the Tampa/St Pete dealer will buy into this! The GM is an off-rod enthusiast and They are starting with a "blank slate" for the Grenadier dealership. They have the land and will "build for purpose" I already suggested he plan for a "club" area, where owners can hang out. Whether we would get access to their mechanics area is highly doubtful (liability) but the idea that we can get together for refreshments and tire-kicking is one I think will happen

anand said:

Only because you specifically asked for feedback.
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I think your concept specifically serves the "lifestyle" enthusiast, who will outfit their vehicle with the latest and greatest item with sufficient "overland tax" added on to it without further thought (not using Affirm to split their payments), and will love sipping on an Americano while listening to someone give a talk about how to adequately prep a vehicle for a Pan-American highway journey. In the end, these owners will conquer a few miles of Anza-Borrego SP's trails to get to a camp site, spend an hour setting up all their camping gadgets, and enjoy the stars for a weekend.

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Nothing wrong with this. Some of us may be happy to do short trips between the big ones. And some people do need instruction on how to outfit for off-road! I sold my D90 complete with all my accumulated spares, recovery gear, et. (even left the Engel fridge!). So I am right now on a buying spree! But at least I know what I need and where to get it

anand said:

The existence of this market segment is made blatantly aware by the absolute growth of Overland Expo (in number of attendees, new vendors, and the topics of their speakers); not to mention the fact that the show has been sold/repurchased twice in as many years. The amount of money that visitors are willing to blindly dump into their vehicle and for "experiences" is staggering, but it's there and plenty of people are reaping the financial benefits of it while the customers enjoy that they are feeling what their favorite content creators are feeling and think they are having the time of their lives.

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I travelled (from Texas) to two of the "real" (as in initial!) Expos, when they were "relatively" small (one south of Tucson, one in Flagstaff. Both were great (but better as I combined them with two epic 1.week offroad adventures with my pals from the Arizona Land Rover Club). They were great, and back then were small enough that you could meed some great people, But I have a feeling that it, along with the "Overland Journal" seem to have changed to a more commercial trend. And theequipment reviews, sadly, seem to be almost manufacturers advertising.....

anand said:

, for education I'll go straight to the source instead of involving an intermediary, and much of my vehicle-related merch (and legitimately, my overall wardrobe) comes from companies in the "overland" and off road world that I whole heartedly support and have become family over the years (for everything else, there are plenty of REIs across the country and MEC in Canada for merch);

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Absolutely! I cannot remember how many trips and training sessions I have had with Bill Burke. I see he just gave a dealer Grenadier a quick look. Cannot wait to get a gang of Grenadiers together for an "Exclusive" BB4WA trip!

anand said:

if I need food/drink, I'd rather swing through Chick-Fil-A or Starbucks than drive to a specialized location.

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You just mentioned two businesses that I would not be caught dead in!!!!

Not exactly what I was looking for but here is a building that almost meets the vision. Not much to look at but the idea isn’t ultra modern but more clubhouse smashed up with safari

We have a grenadier bar here in Courchevel, only 6 owners locally besides the Ineos sponsored Ski Club who have 5 trailmasters to ferry the kids around to competitions!
Be sure to call in for a beer if you are over this way skiing!

I think its a cool idea, reminds me of the Adventurers club in LA that I was honored to speak at. I think it would be more of a southern California thing. Sure, I might come one time, but given the traffic,11 hour drive and such it would not be a regular occurrence. Similar to the Mitsubishi Montero group I built I think week long overland gatherings are easier for many to attend and justify a long trip, with more local gatherings for mod days, pub days or day trips. I suspect the Ineos will far exceed the potential of the Montero groups due to Mitsubishis non-stop self mutilation. But when you think about it, Nissan, Toyota, Jeep you name it, they all get together for week long trips, with many having local clubs in big markets.