I have to agree with many of your comments.
I did try and say hello to everybody, and show an interest in other peoples cars, no matter how clean/modified they were. Certainly you have to speak up - although your guest did try. I get the feeling Simon has been asked many times about his "spare" and took things the wrong way. Not sure I would want to be without a spare, legal or not.
I confess I could only stay an hour or so as had promised to go see some friends at the BookaTrack track day, and then on to the hell that is Ikea. I think everyone else wondered around to see the track day, and then off to the services. I am sure they just didn't recognise you in the services.
Yes it was wrong to move away from the planned meeting point, but as I say, it was rather chilly, and we must have been there for a good 90 minutes.
If the club wants to grow, and meetings to get bigger, there is a need to cater for all types of owners. The common theme is that we all love our cars. Some people will want to keep 100% standard others will have lots of plans, many people in the middle.
Changing to a Sunday will help as I am sure more people can make that, but pushing the time to midday would help people arriving from places further away, those that want to wash and polish and those that just need beauty sleep ;)
Once we head into the summer it will help, as it was bloody freezing.
Although the venue was a good idea ( plenty of parking, easy to get to ), it would have been handy to have food and toilet facilites.
While the meetings are small in number ( and perfectly formed :P ), could we not piggy back onto other Jap car meetings. That way there should be other things to do / see.