Car Show attendance requirements
Discussion
I've just had the following from the JDC regarding the Laverstoke Park display over the August Bank Holiday.
"This year the Club will be attending Car Fest South, which is being held at Laverstoke Park in Hampshire over the August Bank Holiday weekend (28th to 30th August). The organisers have reduced Car Club entry to 5 cars per Club and the cost is a non-refundable £60 for one car and two people per day.
Before deciding if you wish to attend, please note that the organisers have informed us that you must arrive between 7am-9am on Friday and 7am - 8am on Saturday and Sunday and you will not be permitted to leave until 7.30pm. Anyone who arrives late will not be permitted entry until after 12.30 pm and at the discretion of the organisers. There is a no refund policy as a Club we have to pay in advance and the tickets are non-transferable.
If you would like to attend please contact the office by return, with your payment details and day/s you would like to book."
I haven't put my car on display for some years since moving to France but in the day we were invited, got free admission, and they were quite free and easy about when we should turn up, although we all tried to play ball and be as early as a hangover permitted. I've experienced this many times at the Silverstone Classic, at Tatton Park, Donington and many other venues. The above seems to me to imply that the organisers are doing us a great favour, that our cars aren't really needed but that we will pay through the nose to help them out. Is this the usual form of things these days and are people falling over themselves to pay out £120 per couple just to park their car?
"This year the Club will be attending Car Fest South, which is being held at Laverstoke Park in Hampshire over the August Bank Holiday weekend (28th to 30th August). The organisers have reduced Car Club entry to 5 cars per Club and the cost is a non-refundable £60 for one car and two people per day.
Before deciding if you wish to attend, please note that the organisers have informed us that you must arrive between 7am-9am on Friday and 7am - 8am on Saturday and Sunday and you will not be permitted to leave until 7.30pm. Anyone who arrives late will not be permitted entry until after 12.30 pm and at the discretion of the organisers. There is a no refund policy as a Club we have to pay in advance and the tickets are non-transferable.
If you would like to attend please contact the office by return, with your payment details and day/s you would like to book."
I haven't put my car on display for some years since moving to France but in the day we were invited, got free admission, and they were quite free and easy about when we should turn up, although we all tried to play ball and be as early as a hangover permitted. I've experienced this many times at the Silverstone Classic, at Tatton Park, Donington and many other venues. The above seems to me to imply that the organisers are doing us a great favour, that our cars aren't really needed but that we will pay through the nose to help them out. Is this the usual form of things these days and are people falling over themselves to pay out £120 per couple just to park their car?
The Car-fest events are hugely over-subscribed for general entry tickets and numbers are limited so it makes sense to limit the number of 'exhibit' day-entry tickets like this. Also, I would have thought the 'car-show' aspect of the event is only a small part of the weekend so it's not a direct comparison to the more traditional classic car shows at Tatton Park / Donnington etc.
The times for entry etc will be to minimise vehicle movement during the busy times of the day. It's common these days for show organisers to be instructed to prevent vehicle movements when the public are about for insurance reasons.
Oh and it's all the charity you know
The times for entry etc will be to minimise vehicle movement during the busy times of the day. It's common these days for show organisers to be instructed to prevent vehicle movements when the public are about for insurance reasons.
Oh and it's all the charity you know
From : http://www.carfest.org/Content/FAQs-1
A minimum of 25% of the price of each ticket sold goes to BBC Children in Need (registered charity number 802052, England & Wales, SC039557, Scotland), plus all further profits from the running of CarFest.
CarFest has so far raised over £3.5 million for BBC Children in Need. We'd like to thank everyone who contributed to that figure by purchasing tickets, auctioning for cars, buying the t-shirt and handing over all of your loose change!
This table explains how much of each ticket bought for the 2015 events goes to BBC Children in Need:
A minimum of 25% of the price of each ticket sold goes to BBC Children in Need (registered charity number 802052, England & Wales, SC039557, Scotland), plus all further profits from the running of CarFest.
CarFest has so far raised over £3.5 million for BBC Children in Need. We'd like to thank everyone who contributed to that figure by purchasing tickets, auctioning for cars, buying the t-shirt and handing over all of your loose change!
This table explains how much of each ticket bought for the 2015 events goes to BBC Children in Need:
Ticket Type Face Value To BBC Children in Need
Weekend with camping, Adult £142 £35.50
Weekend with camping, Child £35 £8.75
Weekend with camping, Family £284 £71
Weekend without camping, Adult £116 £29
Weekend without camping, Child £27 £6.75
Weekend without camping, Family £232 £58
1 day (Saturday or Sunday) Adult £65 £16.25
1 day (Saturday or Sunday) Child £11 £2.75
1 day (Friday) Adult £60 £15
1 day (Friday) Child £11 £2.75
VIP Weekend with camping, Adult £278 £69.50
VIP Weekend with camping, Child £53 £13.25
VIP Weekend with camping, Family £556 £139
VIP Weekend without camping, Adult £252 £63
VIP Weekend without camping, Child £44 £11
VIP Weekend without camping, Family £504 £126
1 day VIP (Sat or Sun) Adult £131 £32.75
1 day VIP (Sat or Sun) Child £21 £5.25
1 day VIP (Friday) Adult £110 £27.50
1 day VIP (Friday) Child £21 £5.25
Tony, you do know that Mr Evans is behind the whole thing don't you ? as for whether it all ends up in the "charities" coffers, will we ever know ?
I think Mr ex F1 driver who owns the place may have some say ?
As for 60 quid a person, totally OTT in my opinion, no cars attend then no show, the people coming to see the exhibits pay an entrance fee, surely thats where the money should be coming from.
I think Mr ex F1 driver who owns the place may have some say ?
As for 60 quid a person, totally OTT in my opinion, no cars attend then no show, the people coming to see the exhibits pay an entrance fee, surely thats where the money should be coming from.
Edited by EXKAY120 on Monday 13th April 17:07
EXKAY120 said:
Tony, you do know that Mr Evans is behind the whole thing don't you ? as for whether it all ends up in the "charities" coffers, will we ever know ?
I think Mr ex F1 driver who owns the place may have some say ?
As for 60 quid a person, totally OTT in my opinion, no cars attend then no show, the people coming to see the exhibits pay an entrance fee, surely thats where the money should be coming from.
I'm going to the CarFest North this year, first time I've been so I'm naturally a little 'defensive' over the few hundred quid I've spent on weekend camping tickets... However it is clear how much they are giving to charity as they have published the figures on the website rather than making any unsupported claims that 'it is all for charity' like other charity events. It's also clear that the rest goes towards putting the event on with all commercial contributors no doubt making a profit from their individual involvement. I'm not even sure if Chris Evans takes a payment as a fee, or gives his time free taking the publicity to enhance his 'brand', or whether he sees it as being 100% 'charity' work. The 'charity' side of it wasn't my main reason to book.I think Mr ex F1 driver who owns the place may have some say ?
As for 60 quid a person, totally OTT in my opinion, no cars attend then no show, the people coming to see the exhibits pay an entrance fee, surely thats where the money should be coming from.
Edited by EXKAY120 on Monday 13th April 17:07
I see it as a family 'event' and not a car show, a weekend away with the family to watch some live music together and generally relax. The 'car' side of things is nice, but it's the live music I'm particularly looking forward too. For the £60 day entry fee, in addition to the 'car' side of the event, this is the list of confirmed bands which they will be able to see on the Saturday night :-
- Paloma Faith
- Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott
- Seasick Steve
- Sophie Ellis-Bextor
- Texas
- The Feeling
- Ward Thomas
EXKAY120, as a comparison to the Silverstone Classic (which is admittedly more 'car' than 'family' focused) which is £62 for a day entry, the £60 entry to Carfest is hardly OTT is it?
We have been to both the Carfest south and North events, they are not just car shows. There's a huge amount going on for all the family, and because of his profile Chris Evans manages to attract a lot of other high profile entertainers, drivers, celebs etc. Many of whom turn up for free.
The events are very well organised and tickets are like the proverbible rocking horse s
t. When the first load of tickets go on sale they are sold out within 5 mins generally.
The events are very well organised and tickets are like the proverbible rocking horse s
t. When the first load of tickets go on sale they are sold out within 5 mins generally.I'd love to be able to display my car at Carfest North, but I've never been able to. I'm not in a car club that's big enough to be able to cover the cost of a typical seven-car club stand (which I think was £550 + VAT last year) and out of all the emails I've sent over the years I've only ever had one reply, which instead of an individual display position at North offered me a club pitch at South.
As for entry requirements, it varies. Some classic car shows (and some motorsport-related events) are still free for exhibitors, some give discounts on tickets, and so on. I resent paying to display at shows that are entirely made up of static classic car displays, as without the cars they don't have a show. For events such as CPOP where I do pay to display the car, I feel that the club displays are such a small part of what's going on that the same argument does not apply, though I do know people who avoid it because there is a cost. I do find, however, that there are so few that are free to exhibitors that I either do a couple a year, or grudgingly pay - it's usually not that much.
And for times, again it varies. Tatton are quite specific that no-one will leave before 4pm, CPOP say get there for 8am or you might not get in (though I am told it is a bit more forgiving in practice, but I ain't risking it), Donington Historic are totally the other way and say you can come and go as you please, pop out for lunch, whatever. If it's one I've paid for, I'll get there pretty early to avoid queues and to make the most of the cost of the ticket - I couldn't believe people were turning up at Carfest North a couple of years ago at lunchtime, having paid £60-odd for a ticket. You can understand the static shows wanting to try to keep cars there quite late - if they've got people paying to get in, they don't want to find half the cars have left.
As for entry requirements, it varies. Some classic car shows (and some motorsport-related events) are still free for exhibitors, some give discounts on tickets, and so on. I resent paying to display at shows that are entirely made up of static classic car displays, as without the cars they don't have a show. For events such as CPOP where I do pay to display the car, I feel that the club displays are such a small part of what's going on that the same argument does not apply, though I do know people who avoid it because there is a cost. I do find, however, that there are so few that are free to exhibitors that I either do a couple a year, or grudgingly pay - it's usually not that much.
And for times, again it varies. Tatton are quite specific that no-one will leave before 4pm, CPOP say get there for 8am or you might not get in (though I am told it is a bit more forgiving in practice, but I ain't risking it), Donington Historic are totally the other way and say you can come and go as you please, pop out for lunch, whatever. If it's one I've paid for, I'll get there pretty early to avoid queues and to make the most of the cost of the ticket - I couldn't believe people were turning up at Carfest North a couple of years ago at lunchtime, having paid £60-odd for a ticket. You can understand the static shows wanting to try to keep cars there quite late - if they've got people paying to get in, they don't want to find half the cars have left.
Edited by droopsnoot on Monday 13th April 19:26
oldnbold said:
We have been to both the Carfest south and North events, they are not just car shows. There's a huge amount going on for all the family, and because of his profile Chris Evans manages to attract a lot of other high profile entertainers, drivers, celebs etc. Many of whom turn up for free.
That's certainly true, in fact I found the first Carfest North event to be a bit less of a car show than a food show, especially compared to CPOP at the same venue. Far less action on the (shorter) track, no entry to paddock during the day, I guess because of the more family-oriented attendance, more kids maybe put a stop to paddock access. I am surprised that after moving it to Oulton Park to get a full circuit, they don't use it all, just use a section as a sprint track.oldnbold said:
The events are very well organised and tickets are like the proverbible rocking horse st. When the first load of tickets go on sale they are sold out within 5 mins generally.
That's true, but (again for the first Carfest North at Cholmondeley) I just turned up on the day and paid to get in. So the whole fuss about phoning up within seconds of the announcement seemed a bit strange.t. When the first load of tickets go on sale they are sold out within 5 mins generally.Plenty going on at Carfest, though, and certainly a very good selection of food options, not the usual burger or hot dog stands. I bet the guys who organise CPOP would love to have a way to get to the same audience, I know plenty of people around here (South Cheshire, 10 miles from Cholmondeley) who aren't even aware of the event after it's run for five years.
droopsnoot said:
That's true, but (again for the first Carfest North at Cholmondeley) I just turned up on the day and paid to get in. So the whole fuss about phoning up within seconds of the announcement seemed a bit strange.
If I remember correctly the first CF North was a kind of last minute thing because of the huge demand for the South tickets so was less well publisised.We went to North last year, not as good as south IMHO, but tickets sold out on the first release and I didn't get any, but managed to get some on the second release.
We were able to walk around the paddock at North last year.
This is becoming more & more of an issue with car shows, not just the car fests. More & more shows charging for entrance for the cars which are the exhibits. Also early start times, later finishes & no car movements in between. Members are pushing back against these as not everyone wants to be at a show from before 8 to after 4:30. Especially if the weather breaks, as it did a Bromley a few years ago. Everyone just left at around 2!
Had one last year which was policed by loads of kids in Hi Vis. I for one got very pissed off by the whole thing.
Had one last year which was policed by loads of kids in Hi Vis. I for one got very pissed off by the whole thing.
Well, 25% then reaches the charity and is to be applauded, but forgive me as one who likes digging, but where does the other 75% go? I assume the site is freely offered, that the majority of helpers are volunteers (or so it says on the site), and then there are usually concessions - who pay dearly to attend which reflects in the price of food etc. - and so on. I'm not criticising the raising of money, on the contrary I applaud it, but perhaps it is just me, I want to know where my hard-earned money goes to. If 10,000 people spend £65 each just for entry over the three days, ignoring the car clubs and all else, we are already looking at £650,000 per event so all in all with the clubs and concessions we are looking at figures running into millions, so if hypothetically the final sum is £2 million then £1,500,000 goes in expenses. I tried looking for the accounts on line but couldn't find them. I am sure they are available somehow though. I'd just like to prove myself wrong. Suspicious nature me.
The classic car display at some events seems to be regarded as an 'add on' rather than an integral part of the attraction. Though I rarely put my car in a static club display, we are increasingly dropping out of events where an sizeable entry fee is charged in favour of smaller, local events where our cars are made more welcome and are more appreciated. These are often for local charities; a hospice for example, so we don't mind a £4 entry fee.
I agree Riley…..if there were no cars to display, there'd be no show, after all thats what most of us go there for, the bands act are an add on, but as you say the smaller events are becoming much more interesting, and you are made very welcome.
A good example is the Bromley pagent, i went for 27 years, up until a couple of years ago, its just become a big funfair now, with too many burger stalls and cuddly toy stalls.
Tony, the site (Laverstoke farm) is owned by Mr Evans friend, Jody Sheckter, ex F1 driver, so i wouldn't have thought he'd have given his land up for free ?
A good example is the Bromley pagent, i went for 27 years, up until a couple of years ago, its just become a big funfair now, with too many burger stalls and cuddly toy stalls.
Tony, the site (Laverstoke farm) is owned by Mr Evans friend, Jody Sheckter, ex F1 driver, so i wouldn't have thought he'd have given his land up for free ?
EXKAY120 said:
Tony, the site (Laverstoke farm) is owned by Mr Evans friend, Jody Sheckter, ex F1 driver, so i wouldn't have thought he'd have given his land up for free ?
And Oulton Park is owned by the same company who owns Bedford Aerodrome, where the BBC film Top Gear. I'm not sure what point i'm making either!That's just what I meant above though - if the classic car section is an add-on to an already busy show, I'm reasonably content with a decent discount and if it's still unreasonably expensive, then I just don't do it.
I could see that the bands might offer to play there and waive their normal charge, but I'd imagine (though of course I don't know) that the road crew still need paying, the trucking companies to shift the gear, and so on. There will be a lot of volunteers doing marshalling, car parking and so on, but again I'd expect the more senior event organising people will be getting paid, maybe at a discounted rate. I'd think that a professionally-organised event featuring cars, food events, bands and so on couldn't be done if it relied entirely on volunteers.
I imagine the H&S culture (or perhaps what people blame on H&S, or the litigation culture, the modern excuse for not doing stuff) is largely to blame for show organisers insisting on display vehicles getting there early and not moving until the end of the day. One or two recent legal cases have led to show organisers being dumped with massive claims for accidents during small shows - our local club used to organise a show but stopped after some of these hit the papers. So anyone still organising will be making sure they cover every base, comply with every insurance clause etc, and apparently insurance for a show that includes moving vehicles is very different to insurance for static only.
As much as it annoys me to have to hang around until the very last moment at some of these, I'm still happy that they get organised so at least there's something to go to.
Fair point about the first Carfest North, I haven't tried to pay on the door for any more recent ones and I think it was a bit of a hurried affair.
I could see that the bands might offer to play there and waive their normal charge, but I'd imagine (though of course I don't know) that the road crew still need paying, the trucking companies to shift the gear, and so on. There will be a lot of volunteers doing marshalling, car parking and so on, but again I'd expect the more senior event organising people will be getting paid, maybe at a discounted rate. I'd think that a professionally-organised event featuring cars, food events, bands and so on couldn't be done if it relied entirely on volunteers.
I imagine the H&S culture (or perhaps what people blame on H&S, or the litigation culture, the modern excuse for not doing stuff) is largely to blame for show organisers insisting on display vehicles getting there early and not moving until the end of the day. One or two recent legal cases have led to show organisers being dumped with massive claims for accidents during small shows - our local club used to organise a show but stopped after some of these hit the papers. So anyone still organising will be making sure they cover every base, comply with every insurance clause etc, and apparently insurance for a show that includes moving vehicles is very different to insurance for static only.
As much as it annoys me to have to hang around until the very last moment at some of these, I'm still happy that they get organised so at least there's something to go to.
Fair point about the first Carfest North, I haven't tried to pay on the door for any more recent ones and I think it was a bit of a hurried affair.
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