Cholmondeley Pageant of Power
Discussion
I like it because it's local to me, but I was very surprised at how many car enthusiasts I'd talk to in the local area who had no idea it was taking place. They had one year where they managed to get on the local BBC news programme, but just that once. There's been some terribly bad luck with weather over the years, so anyone paying on the door would probably have stayed away, and there's been some terrible decisions made too. A change of sponsors hasn't made it easy for the last couple of years, and other stuff like the difficulty of running air displays, entirely out of their control, takes away from the event as a whole.
They we're getting to greedy with ticket prices for those showing imo
No cars = No show
I can see more shows going this way if they don't reduce prices for those showing
I stopped going a few years back when it rained the week before, marshalling was awful... nobody knew who was where, loads of cars getting stuck, half a car club one side, the other half of the club on another side...
No cars = No show
I can see more shows going this way if they don't reduce prices for those showing
I stopped going a few years back when it rained the week before, marshalling was awful... nobody knew who was where, loads of cars getting stuck, half a car club one side, the other half of the club on another side...
I've heard quite a few people not wanting to display their cars because of the cost, and the same idea that without the car club displays there's no show. While that's true at something like the Tatton Park shows, or the Andrew Greenwood show at Cholmondeley later in the year, I don't really agree that it's the case at CPoP. Just like (on a different scale) the classic parking area at Goodwood is a nice attraction, but it's probably not why people go. Don't get me wrong, I'd love it to be cheaper, and Russ (who organises that side, and posts on here from time to time) has said he's been trying to get the price lower or free.
I imagine most paying visitors go for the track action, the air displays, that kind of stuff, rather than the static club displays. Maybe I'm wrong, though, I'd always thought the clubs were "tolerated" until we had spectacularly bad weather (that almost cancelled the event) one year, and they put on a special morning do for us later in the year to make up for our display area being disrupted. It was good of them to do that, especially as it wasn't their fault. I think that's the year you were talking about - we got marshalled into a field while they decided what to do with us, then ended up in the main car park. In fairness it had been much better after that, but it did put a lot off.
I imagine most paying visitors go for the track action, the air displays, that kind of stuff, rather than the static club displays. Maybe I'm wrong, though, I'd always thought the clubs were "tolerated" until we had spectacularly bad weather (that almost cancelled the event) one year, and they put on a special morning do for us later in the year to make up for our display area being disrupted. It was good of them to do that, especially as it wasn't their fault. I think that's the year you were talking about - we got marshalled into a field while they decided what to do with us, then ended up in the main car park. In fairness it had been much better after that, but it did put a lot off.
I had my car on a club stand for 2 days about 6 years (I can't exactly remember when now) but we never paid and got in to the rest of the show for nothing. It was the same when I went to CarFest about 3 years. Again, on a stand, no payment and free entry. There's no way I'd ever pay for either event. In fact, when I went to them, I do remember thinking "these poor b
ds have paid for this".
The trouble is, I find it okay for an hour or 2, but then what ?
ds have paid for this". The trouble is, I find it okay for an hour or 2, but then what ?
Well, you did really well at Carfest at least. Back in the very early days of CPoP, car displays were free for the car and driver, entry to all of it. Then they charged for paddock entry (which caused quite a bit of confusion and hassle), and then they just did discounted tickets. From what I can gather, the issue was that a few groups of people formed car clubs just for the sole purpose of getting in for nothing, then got a display spot, crammed it full of everyday things with no attempt to make any kind of display. I must admit if I'd given someone tickets in return for a car club display and they did that, I'd probably not ask them again. It's just a pity it caused problems for the rest of us.
I've never found a way of displaying my car at Carfest, paid or not paid. Club stands used to have to have seven cars, and started at £420 + vat cost, but included seven pairs of adult tickets. If you have seven cars, each with two adults who wanted to go for the whole weekend, that's a bargain. I'm not in a club that does, unfortunately. I don't know whether some clubs are more favoured than others, whether some get the stand for free, or whether some larger clubs cover the cost for their members. I tried applying as an individual entry at Carfest North, got one reply to about a dozen emails over a period of three or four years, and he obviously hadn't read my application - asked for an individual spot at North, got offered a club spot at South. For £550 + vat. I went as a normal visitor to the first northern one, and it was reasonable, but far more car-related stuff at CPoP - Carfest is (or was) more about bands and food than cars.
I guess it depends on what you're into, what you can make of it. I've done all three days at CPoP since it went to three days, and always come away on Sunday having missed something through just not having chance to get to it. But that has dropped off a bit - nothing on the lake last year, army display gone, rally stage gone.
I've never found a way of displaying my car at Carfest, paid or not paid. Club stands used to have to have seven cars, and started at £420 + vat cost, but included seven pairs of adult tickets. If you have seven cars, each with two adults who wanted to go for the whole weekend, that's a bargain. I'm not in a club that does, unfortunately. I don't know whether some clubs are more favoured than others, whether some get the stand for free, or whether some larger clubs cover the cost for their members. I tried applying as an individual entry at Carfest North, got one reply to about a dozen emails over a period of three or four years, and he obviously hadn't read my application - asked for an individual spot at North, got offered a club spot at South. For £550 + vat. I went as a normal visitor to the first northern one, and it was reasonable, but far more car-related stuff at CPoP - Carfest is (or was) more about bands and food than cars.
I guess it depends on what you're into, what you can make of it. I've done all three days at CPoP since it went to three days, and always come away on Sunday having missed something through just not having chance to get to it. But that has dropped off a bit - nothing on the lake last year, army display gone, rally stage gone.
droopsnoot said:
Well, you did really well at Carfest at least. Back in the very early days of CPoP, car displays were free for the car and driver, entry to all of it. Then they charged for paddock entry (which caused quite a bit of confusion and hassle), and then they just did discounted tickets.
This seems to be a common theme with car shows.For example, years ago I went to Supercar Sunday at Gaydon. It's pretty much just the cars that people bring and the museum (actually, that's all it was). A few weeks later people had a letter and plaque by way of a thank you for bringing your car. Then the next one I think you just had to pay for your passenger. Then the following year you had to pay to display your car. So I gave up.
It seems that these things start off okay, and then money becomes an issue, and then that's when it all goes wrong.
droopsnoot said:
I've never found a way of displaying my car at Carfest, paid or not paid.
The year I went for free they wanted 100 Aston Martins on each day. They had about 70 on the Sunday when I went. But leaving the show was an issue; the AM club organisers were not keen on you leaving before the end. You had to sneak off when they were not looking !I think if the car is part of a display that paying punters are coming to look at, I don't think it's that unreasonable to have to stay until a certain time, unless it's a silly time. For example I do Tatton Park shows, the organiser insists on no-one leaving until 4pm, because he's still got people paying to come in at 3pm. Some shows don't (or can't) enforce it, some don't give out plaques and prizes until late on, that kind of thing.
Last year at CPoP, clubs had the option of a place on the infield, or in the outer club area. The infield clubs were very small in number because it meant being in place before any track action (7am I think) and not leaving until after something like 6pm. Understandable from the point of view of not being able to cross the track once live, and no big deal if you're camping, but a long day for anyone else.
Last year at CPoP, clubs had the option of a place on the infield, or in the outer club area. The infield clubs were very small in number because it meant being in place before any track action (7am I think) and not leaving until after something like 6pm. Understandable from the point of view of not being able to cross the track once live, and no big deal if you're camping, but a long day for anyone else.
droopsnoot said:
I think if the car is part of a display that paying punters are coming to look at, I don't think it's that unreasonable to have to stay until a certain time, unless it's a silly time. For example I do Tatton Park shows, the organiser insists on no-one leaving until 4pm, because he's still got people paying to come in at 3pm. Some shows don't (or can't) enforce it, some don't give out plaques and prizes until late on, that kind of thing.
That is a good point. I think for CarFest I had to be there by 7am (certainly no later than 8am) and then stay until 6pm. But that made the day way too long (which is why I suspect they did not get the full 100 Astons).At Supercar Sunday I actually did not feel like I should leave early because the main (only) attraction was the cars that people had brought to put on display. And since people had paid to see those cars it was not fair that owners left early.
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