Bid History
This bid to host InterHash 2014 in Brussels is - perhaps surprisingly - not the result of a drunken late night conversation but the conclusion of a long thought process. Some of you may remember that BMPH3 already hosted EuroHash in the capital of Europe back in 1997. So let's do the time warp and go back to May 1993...
* May 1993 - EuroHash II in Madrid
As a side-effect of a non-hashing trip being unexpectedly cancelled at a very late stage, I investigated for plan B, heard about EuroHash via Magic's newsletter and registered a week before. Eurodong, Atame and the rest of the Madrid H3 only had one year to organise the event which attracted about 800 participants. It was a great weekend under the Spanish sun incl. a fantastic fiesta complete with mock bull fighting. So good indeed that no other European chapter was keen to take up the challenge at this stage, especially knowing the struggle to make it happen within a year. Therefore, the outcome of the GM's meeting was that EuroHash should be hosted every other year and also saw the creation of a European newsletter by yours truly. Through that initiative I eventually became the de facto European On-Sec.
* July 1997 - EuroHash V in Brussels
Back from Madrid, I thought it would be fun to organise a future EuroHash in my home town and started talking about this idea with Mismanagement. After the beer spitting and eyes rolling, first words uttered were « You're mad! ». Many years later I discovered this is a normal statement, the first phase of such a bid being denial. Eventually, a year of hitting the nail on its head at each and every Mismanagement meeting plus weekends away (and receiving too many down downs to count) raised BMPH3 committee awareness and enough members warmed up to support the project.
Actually, BMPH3 hosted 666 participants who drank 9.6 litres of various Belgian beers per head during a sun-blessed weekend. We barely managed, stretching our organisational capabilities and drafting every single members to help. Tired but happy, our commitment to solve problems as they appeared paid off and we eventually received lots of praise for the years to come. This event also secured the position of BMPH3 as one of the top party chapters in Europe.
The Terd, TAF, Burning Bush and the rest of the organising committee had a very boozy wrap-up dinner (we didn't have to stay sober to solve problems this time) where we shared the fuck-ups attendees didn't notice and vowed to never get involved in something that big again...
* September 2002 - InterHash XIII in Goa
I have to admit upfront that I was one of the sceptics as to the feasibility of hosting such a big event in a place with no local chapter and a country renowned for its bureaucracy. There was no real plan on paper in Hobart but all committee members were seasoned hashers so I ended up voting for Goa, Cardiff seemingly not having very much support - at that time - from the UK chapters.
My involvement on this project was extremely limited to haring the shortest trail (but longest circle). The weekend itself worked well and the venue was perfect for a hash event. Despite major last minute problems tackled with assertiveness by the organisers, it proved that volunteer hashers make the difference and that lots of people are willing to hare even in uncharted territory far away from home. Goa had proven the true meaning of « world » InterHash as the only tasks you cannot outsource to the general public is laying trails and RA-ing circles.
* July 2004 - InterHash XIV in Cardiff
Back to Tasmania 2000, just after Goa won the right to host the next InterHash, I went to talk to a disappointed GBH and proposed my help if Cardiff was to bid again. Over the next two years, all UK chapters bought the idea of hosting a 4,000+ hash event in Cardiff while providing bodies for laying trail and helping with registration. The chapter most difficult to convince was unsurprisingly the local one. It took several runs with Cardiff H3 and many pints to reassure them we were not (just) marketing guys who, once the bid won, would transform them into beasts of burden for organising this über-party. I must confess we DID get pissed travelling the world for promoting the event but also got our hands, legs and feet dirty to make it happen.
Initially asked to coordinate pre-rambles on continental Europe, I got more and more involved in background work during the year leading to InterHash 2004 partly due to my (un)employment situation. An experience I'm now reselling on my CV!
The event worked well and probably not many hashers realised the core committee was meeting every single morning at 7am to make sure problems identified had been solved the day before then try to anticipate the day ahead.
Goa 2002 had proven that finding helpers from other chapters or even countries was not a problem. Cardiff 2004 proved that hashers are also interested to travel to places that might not be always blessed by the weather gods and where sunny beaches are a postcard feature rather than everyday reality. And so northern Europe became an acceptable option for World InterHash...
* July 2006 - Feasibility study
Based on past lessons learned, I made sure NOT to ask BMPH3 hashers to comment on my next - but logical - « mad » idea. Instead I polled two dozen seasoned hashers for a first quick check on whether Brussels might be an acceptable candidate for bringing InterHash back to northern Europe in a decade or so. I was pleased to read that 90% replied not only with a resounding YES but most often with an offer for help « should they still be alive by then ». That was in August 2004.
Over the next two years, I asked more hashers in order to obtain a representative sample and switched from purely party mode to a mixed party/thinking mode. In 2006, I spat the bean to two leading figures of BMPH3 who - after the initial denial mode - agreed to listen to what I had to say knowing that I would not give up the idea unless proven wrong anyway. So Yark Sucker and Dr PP unknowingly became my « voices of reason ».
The blessing for the project came on 17 July 2006 as we met with reps from the Brussels Convention Bureau on a very hot and sunny day. Yark Sucker, Dr PP and myself with Gorf in tow (bringing an exotic touch since he was then hashing with the Dhaka H3 in Bangladesh) met event professionals with umpteenth years of experience helping organising events in the Bruxelles Capitale area. I had previously compiled a small presentation outlining the type of activities - in civilian-friendly terms - as well as the programme and support needs.
[Read the 
World Interhash in Brussels - Feasability Study]
My main concern was finding a venue big enough at a price we could afford as well as being able to book 80-100 coaches with drivers during the main holiday season. Not only did they confirm our plan was feasible that time of the year (« you may have to pre-book at least 1 year ahead ») but also congratulated us on the presentation, being so organised so far ahead. Please don't tell the Hash world, they would never believe this. ;-)
One month later, Yark Sucker and myself visited our target venue and also met with a hotel booking company that had done a grand job for EuroHash '97. The seal of approval was now on the project plan. We only had to decide on a more specific year and date if we were to set a time marker for our bid since it would obviously be a one-off.
Year 2014 - although being far ahead - seemed like a good compromise and would allow another 4 rotations of the World InterHash to circulate Asia, Pacific and perhaps Africa as well before coming back to Europe. As for the date, Brussels overnight visitors mostly are of the business kind. Therefore, hotels are desperate to sell their capacity between mid-July and mid-August, offering very good discounts the bigger the group the better. In order to avoid traffic congestion due to holiday goers and benefit of late sunlight, the last weekend of July has been chosen i.e. 25 to 28 July 2014.
* March 2008 - Bid campaign hashficial kick-off
Besides some earlier low-key advertisement, starting effectively our bid campaign at InterHash 2008 seemed like a no-brainer since by then we had 2014 as our year marker. If you didn't see our On On foot stickers all over Perth you were obviously not there.
* 25 October 2008 - Web site hashficial launch
After « Seriously Thinking about it » for 4 years, it's time to tell the world!
In the mean time, 99 hashers have decided to invest their hard-earned money in this project by purchasing an earlybird - option now sold-out. At the time of writing these lines (6 October 2008), our RoI of 0% is far much better than the stock market.
Spearheading our bid campaign, 69 ambassadors will be roaming the world in the coming years. They are reasonably identifiable by a yellow ID tag hanging from their neck and a love of Belgian beers since 95% of them have hashed in Belgium with BMPH3 already and committed to return by 2014 if not before. Some might even remember their visit now that the alcohol haze has subsided ;-)
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On On to Brussels 2014
Higgins, Bid Chairman