Participating in Contests

I have been watching the threads about club class and the SRA pilot
opinion polls with great interest. There (statistically) has not been
much of a change in the US with participation in contests in recent
years. For everyone, Europe, USA and elsewhere....what draws, lures
or interests you in a contest? The location that has lots of
amenities? The proximity to your local club? The group events? the
group meals? the ground schools? The mentoring? The camraderie?
The prizes/trophy's? The learning? The sense of accomplishment?

What would it take to draw you into a contest as a first-timer? If
you regularly attend contests, what are the things that you look
forward to the most? Contest organizers all over the world would
really like to hear. Each of us does our own thing in a different
way, but it would be nice to hear some differing opinions to help grow
racing/competition and hopefully the cross-country pilots and the
sport in general. Hopefully you can spend a minute giving us some
data to analyze! Thanks Micki Minner