Brands-Champcar Media pass Foulup!

[Snapper Baz]

Anybody who has a Octagon media pass and thought that they were going to get in this weekend as the BTCC was there-think again! Thought I'd pick my passes up today to save the hassle Sunday and was told that unless anybody has applied in advance for accreditaion the will not be allowed trackside at all at ANY TIME! Fortunately I got mine sorted but it took some time-there will BIG trouble as of tommorow at the media sign-on for those just armed with their normal Octagon passes!!

[redshoes]

Is that Octagon passes or TOCA passes ?

[Snapper Baz]

If there is a TOCA pass then I would imagine that would allow you trackside for those races only-Not Champcars. It is all Very, very strictly policed.

[El_Gibleto]

How can anyone be surprised, based on the promptness of issuing season passes and Octagon making redundent all the experience media office staff before chritmas.

It's remarkable that a self proclaimed major "media & marketing" group have so little understanding of how to assist the people who help to publisise their events. The contrast to the media support given by Motion works to the F3-GT package is obvious, perhaps Roger Ectall and his team should be awarded the contract for PR for the entire Octagon/BHC group.

[bella]

well, i suppose they did the sums and it didn't work out. shame they had to leave it all so late.

to award the entire media contract to an outside group would be far too expensive, el gibleto. think about it before stirring up trouble. they can't do that. especially with the numbers of people that hold octagon media passes. can you imagine if they all turned up on sunday expecting trackside credentials? they have to take action somehow and mailing people would have made no difference. they'd have just got the same number of letters back saying 'yes'.

although it does shut out a lot of people, i think it's probably one of the only ways of culling media and those who won't have any work to do but want to go and take some pictures around the now very limited areas available.

[Snapper Baz]

Bella, It is very bad that season pass holders have had not one memo, nothing on why passes have been late, who to apply to for this meeting or any other meeting-zilch in fact. I asked to be put on the mailing list at the begining of the year and still nothing. Is it a case of forgeting or not bothering I wonder?

[bella]

i'll put this down while i remember.

if you're coming in the next few days with a octagon media pass you will only get entry. it appears octagon have said one thing and done another. what they've done is very fair, it's just a shame they haven't told anyone.

[rlinter]

All media for the Support series have been moved to suites in the Hospitality block on the outside of the run to paddock the rest of the media are in the media centre above the pits.

To get the right paperwork all you had to do was contact the brands press office and complete the paperwork.

I am sitting in the media centre above the pits as I type this.

BTW there is no media parking as such everyone seems to be in the main gate carpak.

[Craig]

The thing is though, Noel, people with ToCA media season passes *did* enquire and were told catgegorically that they dimply had to turn up and attend the media centre to sign on as usual. However, between receiving this advice and today, things had changed somewhat...

Let's hope that things are sorted out at Octagon soon else a meeting which could and should have been a very good thing for British motorsport produces nothing but bad press from those who they've inconvenienced and messed around this weekend.

[bella]

and the parking situation is changing tomorrow, that big field we're all parked in by the gate will just be a media car park tomorrow i'm told.

what you had to do to get the right accreditation varied on who you spoke to and at what time of the day.

[Craig]

what you had to do to get the right accreditation varied on who you spoke to and at what time of the day.

Precisely. And, as has been said before, how much of this has to do with the redundancies around Christmas? I know everyone that remains is doing their very best, and this is not meant as a gripe with them, but the whole thing smacks of a complete Rockinghamesque lack of organisation.

I think the thing that really annoyed all of the photographers who I spoke to today who were not granted access was that they were not told of this in advance and that they are being denied access trackside for all of the championships - not just Cart. They can all understand that Cart has its own way of doing things but why can't they get trackside to photograph the other series? If I'm not mistaken this is how it used to work at the GP...?

[Andrew Kitson]

Originally posted by Craig Antill
And, as has been said before, how much of this has to do with the redundancies around Christmas?

A lot, I think Craig. I have had a recent run in with them but have had great assistance from Brands Hatch Leisure / Octagon in the past. However, the loss of the key people followed by a couple more in February has apparantly left the media office in chaos. The new staff have also been dumped with the job of controlling and updating the entire Brands Hatch Circuits website in the past couple of weeks so the lack of organisation at this big meeting is hardly suprising.

[Liz]

djb and I didn't have any trouble getting media creds, once we finally found out what form to submit; it was all done in about 3 days by fax. We got full access -- in fact, I got rather more access than strictly expected as they gave me an AAA bracelet. So I have been going where I liked and despite nearly getting run down once (my own stupid fault) I am having a great time seeing everything.

At present I'm at Le Mans (just finished a great time with the Corvette people) and as I have Hot Pit Access I plan to spend the afternoon session in as many garages as I can get to. I love Le Mans!

Basically though, all you had to do was fax them the form that they sent by e-mail and a letter as usual. They told us hard card IMSA holders that you can never assume anything. Always call ahead.

[El_Gibleto]

A different part of the octagon group have the media contract for theZurich premiership in rugby union, where an excellent service is provided. accredited rugby media receiving regular press releases, notification of press events and details of accreditation procedurres for idividual games as well as a very extensive media website containing relevant statistics and contact information as well as a full archive of press releases.

It shows that Octagon can provide a good service, if they want to. Obviously making redundent the experienced media office staff has contributed to this situation, which would have been avoided if octagon had communicated with their passholders. Is it too much to ask for a media group to communicate?

[bella]

it took them a long while to realise that it wouldn't be clever to let all the octagon media season pass holders to come and play without knowing who was coming.

so far today it seems to be going ok. the press room's lovely and quiet.

[Snapper Baz]

If you are a season pass holder for a particular circuit-history shows that that circuits press officer should contact those on that list of any upcoming events (whether that person intends on going or not)that need special appications (ie Brit'GP, Superbikes...etc)all of whome should (in theory)be on a computer database. Rockingham does a superb job and tries its hardest to help the media/pass holders but Octagon...NOTHING at all since November when we sent in our applications. It became apparent to many of us that the CART meeting would need seperate application, 3 or 4 phone calls with promisses on a return call came to zilch (the same with EVERY photographer I spoke to over the weekend). I was then told on the Friday that things were not looking good (for me)and that a pass was being looked into...It ends up that a pass had been left for me but had been forgotten! There is no excuse for nobody being informed at all-somebody needs to kick arse somewhere. Talking of which-rumour at the moment is that in 2 weeks time a major announcement will be made about Brands etc...possibly a young lady by the name of Foulstone could be back in the hot seat there!

[Andrew Kitson]

Hi Baz

I told you the problems I had with Octagon too!
Would that rumour be the same one I heard over the w/end with Mr. E being in overall control but Miss.F running the show?

[Craig]

Does it also include someone in the know starting a rumour of a housing estate to soften the blow of Mr. E's arrival and make us believe he's some sort of knight in shining armour coming riding along to defend the circuit from those nasty developers??

[Snapper Baz]

Time will tell...who knows? But you can be sure of one thing-the press office will be run a little better!