So, if Stoneleigh needs to start charging kit cars drivers entry to keep the smaller traders being able to afford to attend by lowering trade stand
fees, would you be happy to pay?
I personally would. It would be very sad to lose this show and Each year the traders get fewer and fewer.
I attended Sunday and thought most of the halls looked half empty versus half full with many of the club spots outside completely devoid of cars - the
venue itself is a mixed bag with some bits in a real state so think it may be in need of a new venue to renew interest and start from there.
It's a shame the weather didn't help either so maybe later in the year would be a better call too.
Personally I only went as it was free to get in with the Kitcar otherwise I'd probably have not gone at all seeing what I saw. That said, a
different venue with better facilities would see me dip my hand in my pocket. Sad really but the event is a shadow of what it used to be.
Don't kit car owners still pay for camping? There does seem to be a high portion of kit car owners who stay both days and make a weekend of it.
I was offered several seats in kits to get discounted entry as mine wasn't ready, I paid £15 through the public turnstiles and arriving at 11am
on the Sunday, there were already people leaving.
I have been 3 years now, once in the kit. Since my first visit I have said they should charge kit owners over the general public. People who
don't have kits use it as a chance to view some options in the flesh, meet builders and owners and maybe one day become an owner themselves. They
are only pricing potential owners out the dwindling industry!
The weather also plays a big part, a poor forecast or uncertain one reduces kit car attendance. The trade halls were borderline abysmal this year, I
don't know if that's increasing pitch costs or just not enough sales to make it worthwhile, either way, that needs addressing right? I think
they public car park was smaller than the number of kits there, I feel it should be the other way around, surely there is a reason this happened,
cost?
My advice to the organisers would be: Push it to mid-summer for more chance of decent weather, charge £5 per car occupant, £10 for public, (discounts
for families etc). Increase things to do there or some form of interactive thing to boost interest (Westfield drift already there etc, things for
people to get involved with) Rhocar did an engine swap over a weekend somewhere once, why not have something similar? Just trying to think of things
to boost things other than a collection of owners clubs with static displays. I feel it needs some excitement for non-kit car people otherwise clubs
will just continue using it as a cheap get together for its members as the drivers have no costs
I was involved in the kit industry in the late 80's early 90's, and Stoneleigh at that time was chock a block from the bottom old shed to
the new exhibition hall.
Back then, people actually wanted to build kits, and some even from scratch.
Nowdays, people want complete cars, and they want it now. This is a reflection of the times and people's lifestyles.
It would be interesting to find out if any of the long term manufacturers have seen the same trend. Less kit sales, more requests for built cars.
Even this forum has seen a drift from people mostly asking questions about building a car from scratch in its origins, to asking which kit to buy, to
people selling built cars much more than previously.
SVA and IVA got blamed for the change, but it was on the way before they were even thought about.
The costs for the component suppliers and kit manufacturers back then were high, and we had to budget near to £2k for the weekend, by the time you put
in hotels, fuel, and the biggest cost was the space at the show. The floorspace for two cars cost well over £1k alone. Those little one man bands
selling bits and pieces would have been strapped in those days, what the costs are today I don't know. What I do know is that the gate takings
were the cream on top for the organisers, with the venue costs and some profit coming from floorspace rentals.
We exhibited at many shows, nearly all of which are now gone? Sandown Racetrack Exhibition halls in Esher, there was one north of London, Stafford,
Bristol, Exeter, and the most friendly of the lot was Newark which was family run and nice people to boot. I know there were a couple more, but where
slips my mind.
All very sad really but one of the main wide boys who ran the some of the shows seems to have disappeared, with his magazine.
Cheers,
Nev.
I'll willingly pay to help keep the show afloat. It's our last chance.
Not so many years ago I went to...
Harrogate
Newark
Stafford
Stoneleigh
Donington
I'll also echo what has been said...
It might be better supported if it was during the summer.
I would pay £10, is that £10 a car or £10 a person though? I have found that with a family things start getting very expensive.
Anyway, I think its odd that its at a show ground. It should be a at a race track. Things like Japfest at Castle Combe are mental busy (when I last
went a few years ago)
Move The National Kit car show to any race track and have track time going on as well and I think loads more people would go? Surely Blyton park is
the answer? I know its a trek for some but its close to a lot of the Kit Car companies and wherever you host it people will have to travel.
quote:
Originally posted by Doctor Derek Doctors
Move The National Kit car show to any race track and have track time going on as well and I think loads more people would go?
quote:
Originally posted by Neville Jones
All very sad really but one of the main wide boys who ran the some of the shows seems to have disappeared, with his magazine.
Cheers,
Nev.
I think moving the date would help a lot
More things going on to atttact families
The town and country show years ago was a great example of how to do it and they stopped that
Who wants to walk round for hours in the freezing cold
Ive not attended for the last 3 years because of poor weather forecasts - a sevens a miserable place to be in the rain
July or august would stand a better chance
And yes ide pay entry fee , but only if the show warrantied it
I also think it would be better a couple of months later in the year. I was quiet happy paying £30 for me the mrs and 10 year old. ( towed the car on trailer)
quote:
Originally posted by Neville Jones
I was involved in the kit industry in the late 80's early 90's, and Stoneleigh at that time was chock a block from the bottom old shed to the new exhibition hall.
Back then, people actually wanted to build kits, and some even from scratch.
Nowdays, people want complete cars, and they want it now. This is a reflection of the times and people's lifestyles.
It would be interesting to find out if any of the long term manufacturers have seen the same trend. Less kit sales, more requests for built cars.
Even this forum has seen a drift from people mostly asking questions about building a car from scratch in its origins, to asking which kit to buy, to people selling built cars much more than previously.
SVA and IVA got blamed for the change, but it was on the way before they were even thought about.
The costs for the component suppliers and kit manufacturers back then were high, and we had to budget near to £2k for the weekend, by the time you put in hotels, fuel, and the biggest cost was the space at the show. The floorspace for two cars cost well over £1k alone. Those little one man bands selling bits and pieces would have been strapped in those days, what the costs are today I don't know. What I do know is that the gate takings were the cream on top for the organisers, with the venue costs and some profit coming from floorspace rentals.
We exhibited at many shows, nearly all of which are now gone? Sandown Racetrack Exhibition halls in Esher, there was one north of London, Stafford, Bristol, Exeter, and the most friendly of the lot was Newark which was family run and nice people to boot. I know there were a couple more, but where slips my mind.
All very sad really but one of the main wide boys who ran the some of the shows seems to have disappeared, with his magazine.
Cheers,
Nev.
I would happily pay a tenner if it meant we would have a show like Stoneleigh was even ten years ago . Like others I have been to loads of now defunct shows both Peterborough and Donnington shows were revived for just one year but both could have been far better
I have been Going for 12years now ,
I only used to come for the day and pay in , I always looked at the weather but coming on the Monday it wAsvery quiet.
This year I had my car in hall 1 on total kit car magazine stand and wAsvery proud . ( Mk indy rr in white )
I would Be very sad to see the show go as there are non left , no Harrogate , no Newark and no donnington quite sad really.
This year the Sunday was really busy , Monday was not good everyone was leaving by 10 /11am as the rain was coming.
I agree , move it more I to the summer months , you can't guarantee no rain but it was 2 deg on the sat night . !!
I like the location, they have done some work on the site especially the toilets. And yeah am sure the kit car drivers would happily pay even £5 or
£10 each tp keep it alive
I would not be willing to pay to enter even if that ment losing the show, simply because the show would be no better with us paying.
It has nothing to offer for the builder that you can not buy online.
The Donington show had the better idea in that I would be willing to pay for that because of the 750 motor club racing that was included free if you
attended in a kit.
So for me I would not miss stoneleigh because I can and do use the kit to travel and pay to go and watch motor sport.
The biggest issue I find with kit car owners is that not many want to go any further than there local village and are not prepared to have a monthly
meet up and organise trips out.
People spend all that time building it or buying it and just look at it in the garage.
quote:
Originally posted by Doctor Derek Doctors
IMove The National Kit car show to any race track and have track time going on as well and I think loads more people would go? .
attended on Monday and found it a sad experience, I've been going to shows regularly since 1998 and have to say this
was one of the poorest I've ever attended. Club stands virtually empty ( apart from the Cobra club) probably about 25 % of the
attendance on the Westfiled & Caterham stands that you would have seen 10 years ago. very poor trader attendance - only thing I
bought was a copy of "Totalkitcar" & a new garden hose sprayer - what the hell were Car Builder Solutions thinking of ? No stock for
sale at
the only dedicated UK KIt car show ?
where were the missing Manufacturers ? MK not listed as an exhibitor but had a stand with one car, no literature and no staff on site , similarly Mac1
motorsport ? not seen them at a show for years - their website says lookout for our open day in summer 2010 !! are they still in business ?
Prices are now out of control, £26K for a Westfield S2000, £40-50K to build a decent Cobra plus the hassle , pointless expense ( and stress) of IVA -
people who have the time, skill, disposable income, and most imprtantly the desire to spend & build are becoming an extinct breed. A decent used
Boxster, M3, or even MX5 will provide most people with all the fun / thrils they need now.
Can only see this going the way of Harrogate, Donington, Newark, Stafford etc - if a large percentage the industry cant be bothered to attend and make
a good show - why should the public ?
[Edited on 3/5/16 by Paul M]
I would happily pay to keep the show alive. I do believe that it was poor this year and surprised and the poor level of finish on cars that some manufactures had brought along. Love the idea of it being at a track or even at Santa Pod where you could get more of a spectical for people
I guess I echo most of the above. I remember attending my first Stoneleigh event some 15 years ago and being blown away by the shear scale and variety both inside and outside. I would certainly pay an entry fee as a kit car driver to keep it going but I suspect that deeper underlying forces are at work. The real DIY car building business seems to be in decline and that is a fact of life. Interest in classics ( and rebuilding thereof ) and body kits seem to be the future. Those of us old enough to remember the 750 MC in the 60s and 70s ( London special builders group anyone? ) were at the epicentre of the build it and race it action. So much more lifestyle choice now and disposable income to go with it. Times change - not always for the better!
quote:
Originally posted by iank
Den Tanner of Kit Car Magazine? Last I heard he was in prison having been caught for his side business (an impressively large cannabis farm)
I would pay but are you lot aware that the new HS2 fast railway is going straight through it??
quote:
Originally posted by coozer
I would pay but are you lot aware that the new HS2 fast railway is going straight through it??
quote:
Originally posted by 907
quote:
Originally posted by coozer
I would pay but are you lot aware that the new HS2 fast railway is going straight through it??
Will it have a station/stop off point ?
Will the train driver get in free?
