Its a bit like a double edged sword for me. I won't go to rallies because i don't know many people and don't want to go alone but then because i don't go i don't get to meet many people. It takes some big balls to go to a rally alone for the first time with no one giving you advice on how it should be done or where to put this and that. Maybe next time theres a big rally arrange a meeting point away from it so the new ones can get to know just a few friendly faces before they are surrounded by loads of strangers or meet up a couple of weeks before. Just my opinion but if i met up with say 3 or 4 people a couple of weeks before then rode to the rally with them this would really encourage me to go. I'd feel much safer knowing i'd got friends to go to.
                                                                                                                                                                             

It seems to me that it is the differnece between bikers and peeps who simply ride bikes bt wouldnt necessarily want to be a "biker"..... smaller rallies are brill and i have never seen any "brawling hairy meaty gangs with back patches and fighting ect"!!!  LMFAO bt i have seen young and old bikers there havin a feckin good time ....
I guess it depends totally on what you want from riding a bike and which type of peeps you want to hang out with......   There is diff types of peeps ride bikes from all ages and no point mixing with peeps that aint your kinda peeps - it works both ways....   so i guess if you want to go small rallies you will and if you dont you wont!!! BM caters for all diff bikers, motorcyclists, and non-riders and we all find the way that suits us surely  and mix with the peeps that are our kinda folk                                                                                                                                                                             

OMNF that is the thing I mean, a lot don't go for the reasons you gave, I was the same... Thinking what's the point going on my own.... But BM is a good medium for it.... The guys and girls I usually travel south with I met on here and we are all still in touch and met up for the rally's when we can...

I'm sure there are lots of people even not in your area would meet up and run in to the rally's..... Most of the well attended rally's the people on here go to have a meet up point several usually to grab solo people on the way up... I know a few of us have gone a good distance past the rally location to pick people up closer to their homes...gives them a bit of confidence especially if they don't have a lot of experience travelling fully loaded..... Keep an eye on the posts weeks before there is usually a thread for it..