The end of free Thursday FOS tickets

[handyman 1417]

I’m confused as to how any day at the FOS can be too busy or crowded. Surely each day has a maximum capacity ticket allocation and once that limit has been reached, by complimentary tickets to members and then sold tickets to non members, that’s it! Friday, Saturday and Sunday are always sold out, therefore capacity has been reached, but never described as too crowded by the estate. I stand to be corrected, but I’m sure I read recently that a third party events company now runs the show. This would explain the logic behind the withdrawal of members complimentary ( although living 260 miles away, the Thursday ticket was the only benefit and hardly free) Thursday pass.

[kevinon]

cati said:

why do most people on that facebook group talk like they are battle of britain fighter pilots - bally decision, his grace, jolly hockey sticks..bandits at one clock - or is it just me

I am an outsider - I've been to FOS, but didn't know the whole membership palaver.
The motor membership page the 'lifestyle' offer turns me away. Is that a bowler hat? Is there a chimney sweep I've missed?
'Access to the world's most exclusive motorsport event' All they need to do is sprinkle some more meaningless words around -'whisked' 'pampered' and 'recognition' and 'limited edition' would be my guesses.

They're definitely on to a winner with the bizarrely named 'Fellow' level for £79 - lots of people suck up this stuff. But I feel the pain of people who enjoy cars and motorsport being done over by them.

[No ideas for a name]

kevinon said:

The motor membership page the 'lifestyle' offer turns me away. Is that a bowler hat? Is there a chimney sweep I've missed?
...
They're definitely on to a winner with the bizarrely named 'Fellow' level for £79 - lots of people suck up this stuff. But I feel the pain of people who enjoy cars and motorsport being done over by them.

I think the Bowler hat illustration is supposed to represent the 'door supervisors'... it is sort of their uniform.

Yes, 'Fellows' bizarre - they know they stuffed up but won't correct it.

[ch37]

handyman 1417 said:

I’m confused as to how any day at the FOS can be too busy or crowded. Surely each day has a maximum capacity ticket allocation and once that limit has been reached, by complimentary tickets to members and then sold tickets to non members, that’s it! Friday, Saturday and Sunday are always sold out, therefore capacity has been reached, but never described as too crowded by the estate. I stand to be corrected, but I’m sure I read recently that a third party events company now runs the show. This would explain the logic behind the withdrawal of members complimentary ( although living 260 miles away, the Thursday ticket was the only benefit and hardly free) Thursday pass.

Well, exactly. The event is too crowded, and that applies to Thursday's now too. They've admitted this, and then seemingly admitted the way they will deal with it is to make sure every single one of those sardines is paying for the privilege. In some ways I can understand a profit driven business doing this, but the way they've gone about it, and the way the email was written, just beggars belief. Let's assume Thursday will sell out or be very close to it anyway (because it will), what have they achieved in terms of 'improving the experience'? Absolutely nothing, they've just ensured they make more money doing so.

One answer is to further increase the 'segregated' areas for Members, but then ultimately that just continues the trend of squeezing the rest (and let's assume Members actually like to wander a bit) into smaller and smaller spaces, especially hill-side.

They're banking on popularity right now, I hope for their sake the short term gain doesn't hit them hard long term when times may not be so popular (F1 seems to be a significant driver of this).

[Stephanie Plum]

Goodwood are in danger of breaching the trust thermocline imho.

[No ideas for a name]

Stephanie Plum said:

Goodwood are in danger of breaching the trust thermocline imho.

Not a physicist so had to look that up - but yep, that about describes it!

[ecsrobin]

m4tti said:

I dumped my membership after about 10 years last year. Became a pointless exercise with zero benefits, limited smaller events for members.

I decided to join the drivers union, and just buy the tickets and hospitality to the events I want. It’s more car aligned and a lot more active. Can still go to the festival and I’m quids in..

It’s the way to do it. Someone mentioned on the group how you get the opportunity to attend factory tours (a benefit goodwood lists) yet in 9 years I’ve done one despite applying for around 90% of them.

Pistonheads on the other hand I go to about 6 events a year which has included places like prodrive and Morgan places I believe goodwood have never been to.

[Martin315]

m4tti said:

I dumped my membership after about 10 years last year. Became a pointless exercise with zero benefits, limited smaller events for members.

I decided to join the drivers union, and just buy the tickets and hospitality to the events I want. It’s more car aligned and a lot more active. Can still go to the festival and I’m quids in..

A cynic may think you are in some way connected to the Drivers Union (which to be honest looks a bit wky to me) and not just as a member, particularly as you have posted the same message twice in this thread.

FWIW I think the Drivers Union is the last thing that disgruntled GRRC members would wish to join so you’ve read the room about as well as Lord March.

[RichB]

Martin315 said:

m4tti said:

I dumped my membership after about 10 years last year. Became a pointless exercise with zero benefits, limited smaller events for members.

I decided to join the drivers union, and just buy the tickets and hospitality to the events I want. It’s more car aligned and a lot more active. Can still go to the festival and I’m quids in..

A cynic may think you are in some way connected to the Drivers Union (which to be honest looks a bit wky to me) and not just as a member, particularly as you have posted the same message twice in this thread. FWIW I think the Drivers Union is the last thing that disgruntled GRRC members would wish to join so you’ve read the room about as well as Lord March.

I must confess I Googled it and as soon as I saw "An Exclusive Supercar Club" I thought that's not for me, and I was a member of the Supercar Club when I was a kid too...

[Unreal]

Drivers Union looks quite ghastly. As said above, the last sort of set up most Members would be interested in.

[Ian Wegg]

handyman 1417 said:

I’m confused as to how any day at the FOS can be too busy or crowded. Surely each day has a maximum capacity ticket allocation and once that limit has been reached, by complimentary tickets to members and then sold tickets to non members, that’s it! Friday, Saturday and Sunday are always sold out, therefore capacity has been reached, but never described as too crowded by the estate.

Yes, exactly my first thought. It's always been said that the capacity of FoS is 50k per day, 20K over the event. I thought this was a limit placed by the local authority. The latest available figures are for 2022 (page 2 here):

"Admissions sold out in advance faster than in previous years, attendance over the 4 days was 208,000 (2021: 150,000 & 2019: 200,000)."

So the numbers are going up, it would be very interesting to know what this year's are.

I very nearly cancelled my membership this year over the debacle of the Thursday GRRC enclosure at the 2022 FoS. Sadly for the second year running, I'm questioning the value of membership.

[willy wombat]

Some posters here would clearly be surprised at how many members of the Drivers Union are also members of the GRRC. The two are not mutually exclusive.

[No ideas for a name]

Ian Wegg said:

I very nearly cancelled my membership this year over the debacle of the Thursday GRRC enclosure at the 2022 FoS. Sadly for the second year running, I'm questioning the value of membership.

Hi Ian, a significant post, I seem to remember you are usually pro Goodwood, so it just shows the strength of feeling over this

[Ian Wegg]

I'm neither pro nor anti-Goodwood, just an ordinary GRRC member. I was ambivalent about the loss of free Kinrara access as I'd never been in it but I thought that the new Pitstop was a worthy additional benefit, a view which one person took to mean I must work for Goodwood!

[m4tti]

Martin315 said:

A cynic may think you are in some way connected to the Drivers Union (which to be honest looks a bit wky to me) and not just as a member, particularly as you have posted the same message twice in this thread.

FWIW I think the Drivers Union is the last thing that disgruntled GRRC members would wish to join so you’ve read the room about as well as Lord March.

Uhh the twice wasn’t deliberate, phone issue and I deleted the dupe.

[m4tti]

Unreal said:

Drivers Union looks quite ghastly. As said above, the last sort of set up most Members would be interested in.

Obviously lots of other options, that’s just one example, and the one I have taken.

It’s good enough, has drives out, events etc. not sure what anyone else would want from such a club.

[No ideas for a name]

m4tti said:

Unreal said:

Drivers Union looks quite ghastly. As said above, the last sort of set up most Members would be interested in.

Obviously lots of other options, that’s just one example, and the one I have taken.

It’s good enough, has drives out, events etc. not sure what anyone else would want from such a club.

The first hurdle would be I, and probably many of us, don't have anything that would qualify us for entry to that club!

If you are in to that sort of thing, then I guess it would be great.

Though there will be some overlap, I suspect that there are quite a lot of GRRC that mainly like the circuit events OR the FoS.
Not suggesting for a moment that GW should split it in to two and have Hill GRRC and Circuit GRRC - but maybe they could then charge some people twice.

[Martin315]

No ideas for a name said:

Not suggesting for a moment that GW should split it in to two and have Hill GRRC and Circuit GRRC - but maybe they could then charge some people twice.

Good God, man, don’t give them ideas!!!

[Stirlings]

GRRC members are probably forgetting that financially, Goodwood make more money if you leave.

why

remember there's a joint fee, so they have a waiting list to replace you, plus the new member pays another £200 to join,

so annoy more existing members, replace them and get another £200,

[Unreal]

Stirlings said:

GRRC members are probably forgetting that financially, Goodwood make more money if you leave.

why

remember there's a joint fee, so they have a waiting list to replace you, plus the new member pays another £200 to join,

so annoy more existing members, replace them and get another £200,

I don't think it enters members' heads. They are simply annoyed at the latest example of shabby treatment.

Whether Goodwood make more money or not as a result of a member leaving is irrelevant. One thing we do all appreciate is that they don't need the money.