Show fees getting too high!

Uncle Josh
Uncle Josh Senior Contributor
edited November -1 in HUDSON
We took the 49 to Manchester today. 175 mi rt. That's 30 bucks for gas, and their reg fee is 25. That's too much. I'm not going back. There's a lot of shows around here with more people, (they charge them 10 bucks to look) and many of them have no registration fee. I aked them where the money was going and they said it was going to fund the show next year. What? The guy is donating the land they're on. No wonder you never see the nice Stearns/Knight at the other end of the lake. He's fed up with the fees too.



Seemed t'me, the attendance was down this year. Also, It's a 2-day event, and the hotels are $120/night with a 2-night minimum. Have they priced themselves out of the market?



Whoops, maybe this should have been in the discussion section.

Comments

  • hudsontech
    hudsontech Senior Contributor
    It's sort of like the National meets. I always thought the room rates, for a convention that would guarantee x number of warm bodies, were pretty high. But one of the directors, and I saw this when we were planning the Marlborough National, explained to me that there are many factors involved such as $x per square foot for meeting rooms, banquet, club store, etc. There are other costs as well.



    But it comes down to the point that when rates go over $100 a night, I won't be there. Way I see it 4 days is really the minimum I'd want to stay - if I'm going to be there I want to stay 5 or 6 days. That adds up to a chunk, for me. Like $400 to $600 for lodging @ $100 a night. Unless I can find a room-mate to split costs I ain't gonna be there. $85-$100 I can probably handle - depending on how much it's gonna cost me to get there.



    Unless something comes up I will, for example, be at next years National in Oklahoma City. It's about 475 (7-8 hours depending on the smoky's) for me so no motels coming or going. Gettysburg - well, that's a maybe. That's gonna involve at least one overnight going up - coming back I'll come thru WV and stay with my sister. It will, in the end, depend on gas prices. But, that said, we did make it to Marlborough, MA in 2008 and gas prices were near $4. Of course they did drop thru the floor - about 2 days after we got home. So goes life.



    Hudsonly,

    Alex Burr

    Memphis, TN

    http://hetclub.org/burr
  • Jon B
    Jon B Administrator
    We're planning the annual fall show of the local AACA here in town, and the cost per car is now $15 pre-registered, and $20 day of show. That's a bit much...yet we managed to lose $500 last year! So, I don't know where the answer lies!



    On the other hand, we ran our annual Orphan Car Tour last weekend, and the charge per car was only $8! Not that you get a lot for this: just covers the expense of printing up and laying out the route, also paying for one of the tours (through a couple historic buildings along the way) plus a photo of your car in a cardboard keepsake folder. I like to think, though, that our participants get a whale of an afternoon for not much money...
  • Browniepetersen
    Browniepetersen Senior Contributor
    You have hit one of my pet complaints. There are a lot of small curize's in my local area. The local British Car Club has started a "coffee tour" where they meet at a coffee house, get a few beans and then take a drive (about 100 miles.) I have stopped going to the meets that cost money (other than out of state Hudson meets). I work with a group in my home town and we put on a Car Show (Peach Days, Brigham City, Utah) each September. We are currently the largest free car show west of the Mississippi. We had just over 1200 cars last year. I find it real hard to pay money when in fact we old car guys are the star of the show......
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Car shows cost money to produce. Some of you guys expect local shows should be free, just because they're local? Float this idea past the HET Regional and the National directors - why pay an entry fee to a regional or national event, if the fees are such a problem? Why are or should local shows be any different???:confused:



    I go to maybe four or five events a year. A $20 show entry fee is normal in this part of the country. Big deal. The days of a $5 or even a $10 or $15 entry fee are long past, for the most part. Yes, there are some free entry shows out there, so everyone has something to choose from. Don't want to cough up twenty bucks? Don't go.
  • Aaron D. IL
    Aaron D. IL Senior Contributor
    Well if you've got a time and place and enough people who live close enough together and have no need of trophies, t-shirts, or any extras you can have free shows. When you get into overnight though you get into insurance and club liabilities and other lawyer stuff that ruined everyone's fun since years ago.

    Still when you book out a hotel solid I don't see why organizers can't drive a shrewd and hard bargin with the hotel to get better rates more in the $60-$75 a night range. A person easily can end up going over $1000 just for staying at a meet for a week (without sharing). On the other hand... this is no cheap hobby anyways. Not anymore and most of the members are no longer willing to rough it apparently by pitching a tent or staying in dorm rooms at a college off-season like the Franklin Club used to do. We certainly pay for what we percieve we can't do without.
  • Huddy42
    Huddy42 Senior Contributor
    We Aussies paid a lot more to attend the National in Detroit, and don't object for one minute of what it cost us with air fares, accomodation, meals etc etc.



    Our club is holding the American Independents display day here in Sydney on 11th July, ( that's the closest date we could get for the venue), our admission charge is $2.00 which goes to help the restoration of the heritage house where we hold the event, car owners often give more. We do give out a goodies bag to all owners filled with the latest car mags, womens mags and so on, these goodies are supplied by some very good companies, for which we thank them,so the cost to us is just our time, onlookers are free.

    No trophies are given out for the day. So we save on that.



    The usual run of charges for car shows here in Sydney run around the $5.00 to $10.00 mark, the money usually goes to a very good cause like the Childrens hospital, the last American Car show I attended held every year in January had well over 500 cars on display.
  • Browniepetersen
    Browniepetersen Senior Contributor
    In my local area the Antique Car Show has become the largest fund raising project of all time. My point is not the cost of shows. My point is that we are being taken advantage off. The car show that I often mention (Brigham City Peach Days) is a two day free show. No one pays to get in, no one pays an entrance fee. However, the city of Brigham is co-sponsor of the show because it is a key event for their annual celebration. They budget for and help with the show: Also, we as members of the local club (Bonnevills Rod and Custom Car Club) hit the streets all year long looking for sponsors to help us with the show. Local companies (there were 41 sponsors last year) provide the support for the "T" shirts, the Trophies (we gave out almost 100 last year), dash plaques and such.



    We volunteers give up more than 100 hours a year to make it work so that the car owners and public are treated to a special show. In my way of thinking that is how it would be in a perfect world. Also, over the last two years we have rebuilt Brigham Cities oldest Fire Engine at no cost to the city. This is what I call a hobby..... Pardon me if my passion is showing...



    Having worked on and for Regional and National shows I under the cost involved and the necessity of the fees. I have no objection to those. Keep in mind that with a Regional or National show the participants are the ones who get the most out of the show. Local shows there is usually someone else that is getting the majority of the bennefit?



    1917 American LaFrance Pumper--it will be the feature car of our show this year.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    With National shows that have entry fees of $50, $75, $100, and even more, Brownie, you can't tell me that a National event is primarily "for the participants"...with that much money involved, you'd better believe someone is making money, or it wouldn't be worth the effort to promote and put on. Anyone who thinks this is purely a local-show phenomenon is dead wrong. BOTH are in it to, at the very least, break even; and that's WITH things like sponsors, door prizes, awards and trophies, etc. If a show is a money-loser, or if folks don't like it for other reasons, you can bet it won't be back for another year. I've seen plenty of "Inaugural" and the incorrectly-used "First Annual" shows (both local and national) not return for an encore year.
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