shows are starting to cost

LA Roadster Show is free to qualifying cars and always has been. One of the all time great shows, free bbq for roadster entrants and they give thousands to charity every year. So please explain why they can do it and others can't????

 

I would guess it is because of the fees that vendors and the swap meet guys pay. Just a guess though, only been once.

 

We all have choices. We've had our Dragway Reunion for nine years now and have never charged a penny. We DO have an auction of donated items and all the proceeds go to local charities with a small amount held back for postage and mailings for the next year. We have great support from local businesses who donate door prizes, etc. and that helps a LOT.

That being said, I gladly pay $20 to attend events like the Rust Revival and the HCPU. Pretty damned cheap entertainment, ......... in my opinion.

 

Our car show (Road Zombies BBQ) cost $10 and that includes three bands and all the food you can eat and a 18"x24" color poster. We supply hot dogs, hamburgers, salad, some desert. A lot of people bring a side dish. I think that is a fair price.

 

It cost me right a $100 to go to Sins of Steel a couple weeks ago, I'd do it again tommorrow, for me its all about value and thats a personel thing.

 

From my experence it is ALWAYS the same old cars/farts! Cruise in or shows. That's why I cruise and hang out for FREE and if I pay, it's for something out-of -town. That way I can see something different. And forget the trophy BS, if I get something fine, I have more fun driving than cleaning.

 

They can afford to let the Roadsters in free as for one Swap Meet spot for the weekend is now $65.00.

I cant tell you what a Vendor spot is but its WAYYYY more that a swap spot.

I think Everyone who Bitches about $20.00 to get in should Just Stay the Fuck Home & order your $50.00 Football or Boxing on Pay Per View.

 

Heck, going to one or two "BIG" shows a year to me is like a trip to Mouse Mansion, a mini-vacation and fun road trip. But I have to plan ahead to pump up the budget for them. But as you might not have noticed, there is RARELY a good cause associated with any of them. More importantly, they have the draw to charge a lot of spectators, too. So why are the participant costs getting higher? Perhaps the event staff or overhead needs to be downsized also in these hard times to help lower the costs of running their "associations?" Anyone really need another fucking mug, ball cap, tool box plaque, poster, or choice of 27 kinds of T shirts? Have their staffs grown too large to support without increasing entry fees? Can they find a less expensive venue to lease?

So a few bucks for a local car show is ok with me if there is a good charity involved and it sure is cheaper than per diem costs on the road and motel bills. But how come the spectators aren't at least run thru a turnstyle or choke-point in the fence so they can to see a display or meet some charity workers and get a brief on what the show is trying to accomplish and make their charity donation? Perhaps because the promoter (local eatery) wants you to buy food before making a contribution? Crowd control too hard? Lastly, do the local hosts REALLY like cars, or are they just in it to sling more burgers? Some local shows are great, and put on by owners who also have cool cars. But I suspect most aren't.

It has always bugged me that I have to pay to show my own car, but feeding the ego is rarely cheap either, eh? Gary

 

My buddy and I set the limit at about 15 and that has to be a great show. My buddy was planning on going to The Gettysburg show a week or so ago but it cost too much to get in for one day. Their attendance would have been higher with a lower participant entry fee. At least by 2

It's not the fault of the promoter for the cost of fuel but it is an expense that we must factor in. A 2 hour trip one way not a problem...100 bucks for the round trip in fuel...that's a big problem. Entry fee, food and drink can make it a 150 dollar day for just the driver.

I've helped put on local shows for over 30 years just slave labor but we get to see some of the promotions cost. It ain't cheap. You think that the cop directing traffic in the street out side the gates is there because he likes old cars? Think again. $$

So I do get the costs involved to the promoter. The promoters need to think about the costs of attending a show to the car owner. It would not be much of a show with out the cars.

I don't know how Liberty Street Rods do it. 15 bucks a person and 25 bucks for a couple gets you and your car in, an all you can eat pancake breakfast and a complete kick ass fried chicken dinner for lunch including the drinks. Needless to say it's a great show. I feel like I'm getting something for my entry fee. The fuel bite doesn't hurt so much.

When it gets to 20 bucks just for the permission to park in an empty field with other old cars, I'll stay home and play in the garage or watch a ball game.

I hope greed doesn't kill the golden goose. The promoters can price themselves out of business and then we all lose.

 

Our little car club has put on a show the last few years and only charges 5.00 per car and 2.00 per walk in to cover expenses ( porta potties, music, trash removal etc.) and the rest goes to hospice.

 

That's why I do NOTHING local....
Best bang for the buck is Back to the 50's, Minnesota
25.00, 10,000 plus cars...I'll be there thursday


I know they had one 2 weeks ago in Canada that was 25.00..
Had the Beach boys, 5,000 cars and raised $500,000 for Charity..

 

The local cruise nights are still free, thankfully. I'll go to a pay show, but only if it's for a good cause and $10 max. Our club co-hosts several shows a season, so we get into those for free.

 

I think that the money spent for trophys is a waste.

Many a show that I have gone to have different ways to award them and I think they all are flawed.

I went to a show once with my late 50's dragster only to lose the trophy to a two year old Peterbuilt dripping with chrome! Not that I realy wanted the trophy, (we have won scores of them at the drag strip and they only collect dust) but the judges were over welmed by the pink mini skirt that the driver wore.

I firmly belive that the only reason they award trophys is to keep the people there until all the hamburgs are sold!

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by terry48435
I quit doing the shows where you have to pay unless the money is going to a needy cause.



QUOTE=That guy with the coupe;6649763]I should have to pay people to look at my car?[/QUOTE]

thats backwards, agter I spend my time and money to build and display a car, VISITORS should pay to look at it, not me!

 

Most shows suck anyway, bunch of wankers who paid other people to build their ride, sit arouns preening and posing. No way I'd ever pay anything to hang with them.

Don daddy O has it right, thats what we always did, sit around someobodys yard have a few cold ones....bench racing until ya got called out...

Cheers!

 

To me that seems backwards. I'd charge the cars 2 bucks and the spectators 5 bucks.

 

Don't like it, don't go. Self correcting problem. Start your own shows if you want. Last time I checked none of that was illegal. I can understand it, but not sure there is really a need for all the bitching and moaning.

 

The shows I'm talking about are the open parking lot shows. No frills. I'm going to a show in Lake George NY I will spend over $1,000 for the weekend but that's a real show. I have no problem with a real show. The cost of gas, food and motel for my wife and I

 

Most, not all of the local shows have become jokes over the years. I prefer what I like to call "get togethers" For example Mick's StrayKats events are great and HAMB events. The best is just a bunch of guys getting together comparing notes and getting ideas.

 

Agreed !! It's the me generation, poor me

 

Back to the fifties costs 35 for the weekend and there is 10000 cars there, and some of the small parking lot shows around here charge 10 or 15 to enter and its only 500 to 1000 cars including all sorts of mini trucks and muscle cars and 80's garbage. It makes more sense to me to just cruise with friends if I wanna enjoy my car, and wait for the one or two shows a year that are worth it to see a show.

 

Absolutely NOT true. If you want your eyes opened, volunteer to sit on the organizing committee for ANY car show. The 'per-car' cost of putting together a 200 car judged show, a 100 car 'Top 40' and a cruise-in on the same lot are VERY different. Our club puts on 3 shows a year. We've managed to keep the entry fee at $10, but only because we have some really good sponsors. While the per-car cost is always variable, the organizers have to use past shows as a yardstick when purchasing awards, registration/operational supplies and incentives like t-shirts and dash plaques. The same per-car discretion has to be used when deciding on the number of flyers to be printed and whether or not to use newspaper or radio/TV ads.

What really amazes me is the number of requests we get from various organizations (cities, schools, churches, etc.) to put on car shows. Most of them think we're trying to blow them off when we explain how much it costs to put on a show. The general opinion seems to be that car shows (or even cruise-ins) are a 'free' way to generate interest in their organization...

HAMBers and car-show types are pretty-much two different breeds. Car show entrants are usually looking for the t-shirt and trophy. Most real hotrod types build their cars to drive and enjoy talking to other like-minded folks, which explains the increasing popularity of cruise-ins.

Just 2 cents from someone who's there on a regular basis.

 

I've often wondered just what it costs insurance and permit wise for some of these "cruises" places seem to have where its all parking on city streets and in open parking lots. These kinda shows seem to charge less than 5 bucks if they charge anything, but there is still vendors and music. I have only been to north saint paul and hastings and anoka, but it seems like minnesota has a decent amount of these weekly or bi-weekly deals.

 

Our club throws two shows a season, and this year was far more expensive for us than ever for our 1st. Our Poker run is $25, but you get an enormous T-Bone (20oz), sides, salad, rolls, etc. The steaks were about 30% more this year. Our insurance has gone up as well, and we were lucky this year to have a spot with bathroom facilities because the porta jons were over $150 each! I'm not justifying anyone charging $20 to get in, especially if it's just to park your car in a lot and get a sunburn, but if the hosting club brings out all the bells and whistles, the higher cost is just a sign of the times.

My big complaint in this department is having to pay $5 or even $10 bucks to go to a cruise night. Every week!! Our club hosted a cruise for a few seasons. We were NEVER charged by the place we held them at. Actually, one of the places wanted to pay us for bringing in so many people. To many event organizers say the money is for a charity, but at the end of the night there is never anyone being awarded the cash. When we have an event, the money earned goes into our club account. We don't bull shit anyone by saying it's for a charity, it's for beer.

 

$20 seems to be pretty common around here for same day registration at shows. It's total BS! They all claim to have proceeds going to charities of some sort, but nobody's saying what portion goes there.
The weekly Wed. night show at Beaches/PIR costs $5, and it all goes to charity. For the $5 you get nothing; no dash plaque, trophy, etc., (and that's fine by me) but you get to watch the Wed. night bracket races free too. This cruise gets around 1100 cars each week, and gives around $200,000 to charities each year.
This just proves that the clubs that put on the $15-$20 cruises could easily do it cheaper if they weren't pocketing a fair amount of the funds, and worrying so much about giving their club trophy whores the tin to sit on their mantles.

 

Our club members volunteer to help one of the near-by cities organize it's monthly cruise night. We were shocked to learn that the $$ to block and un-block the streets comes out of the budget of the city office that organizes the cruise. They also have to pay the musicians and buy the door prizes. Thank goodness that the city provides the insurance! The $5 that they charge barely covers their expenses.

 

I've been to most of the big shows over the last 35 or 40 years and I'll take the little local shows over those. I took my 29 to the local cancer elimination fund raiser show this past weekend, first time out since I painted it two weeks ago,( I'll post some pics this week,) it was $10.00 to get in and proceeds went to the G.R.A.C.E. ( Greater Richland Area Cancer Elimination ) fund. 135 cars of all different types, Hot Rods, Street Rods, Muscle cars, Restored, you name it. A really fun time, DJ, trophys, t-shirts, dash plaques, no drama, just a bunch of car people having a good time. And all for the price of a large pizza. It ran from 8:00 AM till 3:00 PM and then a car cruise. Great day and home in time to take a nap.

 

agreed, let's face it, nothing that includes a good time is cheap anymore. you wanna play, you gotta pay. simple.

 

It is all about what you get for the money, not the amount of money. We put on a 120ish car show here in Roseau, MN. 10 bucks to get in. That includes a dash plaque and lunch for 2 people. We give about 60 door prizes worth an average of $30 each and $875 in cash along with 30 trophies. Can anyone in their right mind say that's not good value for the money?

Of course, its our awsome local sponsors that make this possible.

I have to admit, though, that I have gone to shows where you pay $10 or $15 to get in, get nothing in return and the money appears to disappear into a black hole.

As car guys, we can pick and choose where we go. Nuff said!