Autosport 2014

[chunder]

I would say the same

But it wouldnt cost me 30 quid in gas, cost me atenner to park and I could still get in for less than the entry fee.

Just shows you how overpriced it is considering it is simply a show, not sport no result, no actualy sport going on.

Missed opportunity isnt it.

[Hamness]

Used to really enjoy it years ago, but have not been for the last 3 years. You could get away with not having to pay for parking then, but, the last time I went, I was sat by some funfair eating an overpriced pasty and an outrageously priced bottle of beer at 3pm and basically that was it. Previous years you struggled to get round the whole show in a day. No more for me. It does not hold anywhere near the attraction it did for me just a few years ago.

[Al Weyman]

I was going to go with some mates who are going till I checked out the price and I have so many other things to do I am going to give it a miss.

[chunder]

Haha, being a short oval fan the last time I went was when they had a sort of proper race meeting as the last event, so youo didnt get Goodman talking about nothing and all the other daft stuff, you had all the stuff I wanted to see

the year before we all got out at about 8.30 and were escorted to the exit where there were no buses and none on the gates! Yay, I had risked not buying a ticket on advance notice of this and won out.

Next year every booth was attended, so paid up there and then.

Shame it comes to this, as surely the place makes millions! But hey ho, they lose out from countless fans by being greedy and not forward thinking.

A friend of mine contacted me yesterday and was talking about it, said he would have gone if it had been twenty quid or so.

Says it all

[JimW]

Shh, don't tell anyone but parking at the train station is only £8 (£5 after 1000) and the route to the NEC is all under cover and you don't wait for buses in the cold/rain/snow (delete as appropriate).

Regards

Jim

[Al Weyman]

OK I am going now, I was told it was £38 to get in, wrong. Its £28 on the gate and you can upgrade for a tenner to the live show which I am not doing, its then £26 if you buy on line and you can do that instantly plus a further discount for MSA licence holders of £5, MSA will give the code but its pretty generic. Then you also get a VAT invoice so all in its just £17.50 plus vat which lets face it isn't out the way.

[Gingers4Justice]

I'm going with my younger sister. Never been before, but my sister was hoping to get some ideas about her future career and advice on where to apply for uni. I guess it looks like we're not alone with that kind of idea and might be getting in the way a bit.

Feeling a bit nervous about what to expect. Sounds like we're being over-charged as punters at an event where punters get in the way of what's really going on.

Still, I'll go with an open mind.

[Dom]

I've opted for the DONTGO code again. Simply the entry for the 4 of us plus petrol and food is equivilent to the best part of a race entry fee. Plus the kids will only whinge again - its hard enough dragging them to race meetings lol

[Tim Falce]

Dom, code donttakethewifeandkids is the best answer, a lot cheaper and a lot less stressful, I find race meetings on my own are far better than dragging the family along as well.
As for the rest of you whinge bags, Race Retro is just as expensive to get into and you'll be parked up in a mud bath and walking round a freezing cold venue so you pays your money and takes your choice. I paid £60 plus £10 parking and then petrol to get there to go and see a rock band a few months ago and that was only 3 hours worth so for a price that doesn't seem to have risen much in the past ten years I don't think It's too bad.

[JimW]

Originally Posted by Gingers4Justice

I'm going with my younger sister. Never been before, but my sister was hoping to get some ideas about her future career and advice on where to apply for uni. I guess it looks like we're not alone with that kind of idea and might be getting in the way a bit.

Feeling a bit nervous about what to expect. Sounds like we're being over-charged as punters at an event where punters get in the way of what's really going on.

Still, I'll go with an open mind.

There's lots to see, particularly on your first visit. Your sister should be able to see lots of interesting and informative stands, mostly in my experience staffed by enthusiasts.

Jim

[midgetman]

I spent most of my time setting up in the oval section today. I had a quick rush round the main show seeing a couple of contacts, and they were pleasingly busy. Bodes well.

Ascona, I'm not there with racewear and helmets this year, I'm promoting my Attaq Motorsport kart team/events. Hedtec have got some new designs I think, and you could try V2. We are going to stock Koden later on in the month when the new styles arrive, including a full carbon at around £300 plus VAT. Koden are in the karting section, I don't think they're retailing today but you can try them on and select a size for later delivery by anyone who can give you a good deal (ahem!). Come and see me anyway :-)

Al don't forget to come and say Hi. There's some V8s around us so you'll be in heaven :-)

[saaben]

Autosport Show? First and last time was 2004. Really enjoyed the day and the Live Oval Experience on the Sat evening was the cherry on top.Absolutely fantastic. Ok,it might have been a little staged but it has to be better than Sat evening tv.

Race Retro? Never been.
Would it not be better to have Race Retro on a weekend at a circuit where the
CTCRC, CSCC or HSCC club are holding a race meeting?
Surely a warm day? in June or July will bring more spectators in than a cold day? in February.
Just a thought.

[chunder]

Things is in the summer people are out and about doing racing themselves.

This way, Haymarket have a captive audience and can charge this daft pricea and coz there is nothing else to do everyone is there and they can pull in the punters daft enough to pay up.

It's just common sense if you are tryng to make money, but if you are trying to showcase motorsport to people who dont know much about it....

You must be kidding surely!

[Al Weyman]

Well I am certainly glad I paid in advance and got the MSA discount because on the gate it was £38 with no option to opt out of the live show, the people I went with paid the full whack and didnt get to watch the show either!

[Sodemo]

Originally Posted by Al Weyman

Well I am certainly glad I paid in advance and got the MSA discount because on the gate it was £38 with no option to opt out of the live show, the people I went with paid the full whack and didnt get to watch the show either!

Ridiculous pricing.

[leonidas]

It seems to get more expensive and more mediocre every year.

The halls were noticeably quieter than previous years and quite a few of the smaller commercial operations were heard to say that they hadn't done much business.

There were also a few noticeable absences in my own main area of interest (rallying) - there was no British rally championship, no European rally championship (despite its expensive relaunch) and the WRC only had a token presence in the form of an uninspiring display from WalesrallyGB. The RAC rally championship was there but bizarrely miles away from other rally content.

I don't think MSport has a presence and most of the main rally prep businesses were also absent. There were a few rally cars on other stands and a few empty shells with stickers but not a lot to really excite.

[Al Weyman]

BARC wasnt there either and I thought there were a distinct lack of punters on the Saturday.

[Tim Falce]

Saturday and Sunday are normally very busy especially with the Piston Heads part of the show there.

[kipper]

Originally Posted by Al Weyman

BARC wasnt there either and I thought there were a distinct lack of punters on the Saturday.

I think the BARC had a fleeting presence of the Renault Sport stand (as opposed to one in their own right). It was also notable that MSVR didn't have a presence (although a couple of their championships had their own stands), whilst Britcar's presence was much reduced on previous years.

Originally Posted by leonidas

The RAC rally championship was there but bizarrely miles away from other rally content.

I think the RAC Rally Championship's location was due to it being placed in the historic motorsport area.

[chunder]

To be brutal, why would Palmer go anywhere near something that isnt rteally going to help him

He has more than enough presence in the areas he needs to have it, he makes buckets from tracks days through some clever initiatives like the 20 quid taster sessions, so why waste money.

Seems common, good business sense to me

Hayshark have been ripping people off for years at the show, a friend of mine who promotes meetings for stock cars mentioned on a thread the other day he would rather spend a few grand on local promotion than wasting it lining someones pocket who does absolutely nothing for you other than provide floor space, you pay extra for electric even! How insane is that??

For engineering I think its a good idea, but for some areas of the sport it is a total waste of time.

Sad part is, it could be so very very good this show, if the people running it stop caring so much about profit and started actually looking beyind their pockets.

Sometimes you have to speculate to accumulate, dont you think they might make more if they tried a bit harder?

[kipper]

Originally Posted by chunder

He has more than enough presence in the areas he needs to have it, he makes buckets from tracks days through some clever initiatives like the 20 quid taster sessions, so why waste money.

You might well be right. The point I was making was an observation that MSV have, other the last couple of years, had a sizeable presence at ASI which didn't happen this year.

[Surf 1275]

Same old same old, anyone that went in 2013 as I did just got exactly the same event and exactly the same talkers with a couple of different cars, especially the live bit, for the same extortionate price. Won't be going next year.

[JimW]

Originally Posted by leonidas

. . . and the WRC only had a token presence in the form of an uninspiring display from WalesrallyGB. The RAC rally championship was there but bizarrely miles away from other rally content. . .

And the odd thing about the WRC stand was that it was huge and in a good position. Assuming that they paid for it; they made a really rubbish use of the money. There again, perhaps they did not pay but were dragged in to ensure a presence?

Regards

Jim

[Gingers4Justice]

I enjoyed my day but I won't be in a hurry to go back.

Only the 18:15 live show was available, so that made our decision for us. I wasn't bothered about it anyway, so it makes the £38 each seem a bit steep. Still, it was the parents paying...

My sister gained lots of good advice on where to go next, and I got to see one or two childhood heroes talk in the flesh, which was great. The range of cars on show was quite impressive as well and it was great to see cars like the Lola Aston and the Surtees F1 cars.

Picked up a few posters for my uni room on the way out and went home happy. But I won't be there in 2015, not at that price.

[midgetman]

As a racer, I think the days of a big show like this are gone. Everything that was there is available on the Internet so I can find them for a lot less money. As an exhibitor, I think the days of a big show like this are gone. I no longer need to remind people I'm still alive, I do that on the Internet for a lot less money.

I exhibited this year as a sort of market research activity. I learned a lot about a couple of markets I'm operating in, both positive and scarily negative. I sort of broke even - sort of in as much as I worked £&@-ing hard for three days for nowt in my pocket, but I didn't have to dip into reserves to be there.

Little stands - about the size of the average pop up gazebo - cost the thick end of four grand after electricity costs and VAT, so it's difficult for traders to make any money even if amortised over 12 months. There will be even fewer industry stands next year, leaving the way clear for more chamois leather salesmen.

But there again we've been saying that for years and every year we all turn up! Ah well, the perversity of the human spirit....