A Regatta With A Concierge Service?

We had an organizational meeting last Friday evening for the 2014 Lightning North American Championships to be held August 7-15 next Summer (You are already planning on attending.)
Our group has divided itself into working groups largely organized by whether the activity will be enjoyed on or off the water. We're working out budgeting and the events calendar so that we can soon broadcast a regatta price, please watch this space as the weeks go by.

One thing we are not short on at this point, is ideas. And one thing we all agree upon and have a lot of respect for was the way the 2013 NAs organizational team culture was so strongly focused in its commitment to customer service. It's been very clear that the competitors felt like the quality of their experience was thee top priority of the folks from Cedar Point. Our team feels precisely the same way. In fact we may just make the uniform shirts idea our own so sailors can find a volunteer whenever they need one.

Then we learned about an idea we hadn't heard of before: A Regatta Concierge Service.
This will be a desk probably adjacent to where you register staffed full-time throughout the regatta where you can get personal attention to any 'challenge' you have during your time in Sheboygan.
• Need your van's transmission repaired? Go to the Concierge and they will recommend the best alternative.
• Need a ride back to the transmission repair shop? The Concierge will drive you.
• Need a restaurant recommendation? That is right in the center of the enormous Concierge sweet spot.
• Want to know where to locate the best brat buns in the area?
• Want to know when the Farmer's Market is next open?
• Want to know how to get a day pass for the water park?
• Need a replacement preferred parking pass?
C O N C I E R G E...You get the idea.

Here's the best part:
The Concierge desk will be manned (personed?) by the people who thought it up: Fred and Gail Tyszka or people they deputize. For anyone who doesn't recognize the name, perhaps this will help:

Gail is Dr. Kristine Wake's mom and Fred is Gail's husband. They're even nicer than Kristine! They know everything about Sheboygan. Gail is a nurse. AND, they understand what it's like to travel a long way from home to a Lightning event. They've attended three Lightning World Championships in Vermont, Greece and (pictured here) at the last one in Italy. They have oodles of empathy and mad organizational skills.

The organizing committee is convinced that this idea is going to have real positive impact on our guests' regatta experience. We're SO convinced, that we're even considering asking Fred and Gail if they'll go on duty immediately after the first of January 2013, staffing a virtual Concierge desk on our website (which isn't live yet, but will be soon and would be already if I got the NOR finished and approved internally and by the ILCA!!) Can you imagine how much of their time we could burn up all Spring if sailors could pepper them with questions about where to stay or how to get to Sheboygan from the Milwaukee airport? Mind boggling!

Ok, that's all for now.  Repeat after me...Fred and Gail....Fred and Gail... Who you gonna call at 2:20AM during the NAs next August? Fred and Gail!!