The advice from ACP to the delegates at the 2018 presentation was that you should aim to complete the longest possible BRM in 2018 in order to be sure of being able to pre-register. (The pre-registration dates are at http://www.aukweb.net/events/pbp/). They commented that since 2015 there has been a massive growth in randonneuring (what we call audax) around the world,
The components of that growth were in place before 2015, and were apparent at LEL 2013. The trend towards a global intake might mean problems with numbers of volunteers.
When PBP was a majority French affair, there was a natural progression into supporting the event. When I first rode, there was more informal support, as at Gorron. It will be interesting to see if PBP follows the trend at LEL, in tapping into a broader volunteer base.
I made a film prior to PBP 2015, looking at emerging trends. Internationalisation, technology and adventure cycling were the main ones. I'd concentrate on volunteers if I made another, as that will determine how much to rely on formal provision, and how much to live off the land.
The pre-ride meal was an interesting example. The catering was through the velodrome, previous PBPs had more volunteer involvement, and there was no problem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wOKnul5ylA