COFO Clubs continue to forge Ahead

Publication date: 20 June 2007

Over the past years, clubs in the Coordination Forum for Eastern and Central European Countries (CO FO) have made great strides forward in developing long-term objectives to create quality services and infrastructure for their members and members of foreign clubs visiting COFO countries, according to Chairman Boris Perko. He also recalled that Serbia and Montenegro are now represented by two independent clubs in the FIA, and that Bulgaria and Romania have joined the EU.

Perko's comments were made to 33 representatives of 22 clubs from 21 countries attending the COFO meeting on May 30 during Conference Week in Cape Town, South Africa.

Strategic planning remains a high priority, and clubs with strategy plans are currently adapting them to change while others are still developing plans. By 2008, most COFO clubs will have strategy plans in place.

Two "success stories" were presented. Viv Harrison described the evolution of the Caravan Club, which this year celebrates 100 years of success. The Club has 360,000 member households representing a million caravanners, and, with 200 club sites and 2,500 certified locations, makes up the largest private network of sites in the UK.

Ingredients for successful development were a strong organizational structure, the right staff, forward thinking, willing to take the lead, looking after member interests, listening to members and staying relevant. For the next 100 years, The Caravan Club plans to improve and evolve, stay true to its roots and ethos and keep members and their interests at its core.

For instance, members, with an average age of 50, communicate via the Internet. More personal information is provided at the sites by wardens who are members of The Caravan Club.

Juris Zvirbulis explained how the Latvian club LAMB started from scratch in a small office in 1990. Today, it has 51 employees and covers 93,000 vehicles. He paid tribute to three people from the worldwide federation: Martin Petrowsky, ÖAMTC, Eberhard Twiehaus, ADAC, and FIA Secretary General Peter Doggwiler. The call center handles 16,000 calls per year. Road assistance is provided by a fleet of 12 club-owned patrol cars, two tow trucks and 75 subcontractors.

LAMB is proactive in road safety and has gained publicity from programs such as "Stop Potholes!" "Headlights in order!" and others.

Danijel Starman presented the AMZS project "From Zero to a Hundred" based on the perception that apart from offering traditional motoring club services, the AMZS has to develop its role as a responsible social organization for the benefit of its members and society as a whole. AMZS has to track people through the different stages of their lives, listen to their needs, offer help and ensure a higher level of road safety.

Projects would provide for activities meeting the needs of preschool children, primary school pupils, students (young drivers), middle age (experienced drivers) families and older people in their golden years and contribute to the Slovenian National Road Safety Program.

Wil Botman reported on the 4th EU Enlargement Workshop for COFO clubs the European Bureau organized in January 2006 in Brussels to allow new and future EU members to get acquainted with the European Commission and the European Parliament and to meet MEPs. The president of the Romanian club used the opportunity to officially sign the European Road Safety Charter.

Kresimit Viduka made a short report on the 3rd Road Patrolmen Contest organized in 2006 in Kutina (Croatia) by HAK. A video film illustrated different phases of the contest won by the MAK team from Hungary.

Staso Popdimitrov from the AMSM gave a short overview on the Middle Management Workshop held twice a year since 1997. Workshops deal with topics related to marketing, communication, management and strategic development. Thirty one clubs participated, and 136 participants benefited from interactive work sessions.

Violeta Maksimovic reported on the 21st European Traffic Education Contest organized by the AMSS in Belgrade. Teams of schoolchildren from 23 clubs participated in the event, which is an excellent way to improve road safety.

In Serbia alone, some 200,000 school children participated in the national contest. The winning team was the UAMK team from the Czech Republic and the newly introduced poster contest on "Safety on your Bicycle" was won by Yanitsa Petrova, a Bulgarian girl.