Acceptable Use of Guest Tickets

[Sticker Rub]

I'd like to know peoples' views on acceptable uses of guest tickets & in particular, whether it's ok to donate them to charity.

I'm helping a colleague raise money for a trek along the Great Wall of China next year in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care. I often have guest tickets that don't get used & it would be good if these could be donated to the cause. I don't want to do anything out of line & jeopardise the priviledge granted to us by clubs.

Thoughts?

[ChrisPage]

Although your intended use is of course honourable, I think always first point of call would be your marshalling clus and/or the circuit themselves.

There could be repercussions for the circuit if guest passes intended for invited marshalls get sold on and used to raise funds - especially should any publicity come about as a result.

Even if there are no such implications they may well not wish these tickets to be used in this way. Imagine if word gets out Rockinghatchston Park Raceway gives charities free tickets - they could be swaped with requests! Good publicity I'd say and more folk to buy burgers and chips, but then I don't build business plans for race circuits!

But there's no harm in asking I suppose - regardless of whether its ok or not the circuit should surely hear about it first hand?

[Sticker Rub]

Originally Posted by ChrisPage

Although your intended use is of course honourable, I think always first point of call would be your marshalling clus and/or the circuit themselves.

There could be repercussions for the circuit if guest passes intended for invited marshalls get sold on and used to raise funds - especially should any publicity come about as a result.

Even if there are no such implications they may well not wish these tickets to be used in this way. Imagine if word gets out Rockinghatchston Park Raceway gives charities free tickets - they could be swaped with requests! Good publicity I'd say and more folk to buy burgers and chips, but then I don't build business plans for race circuits!

But there's no harm in asking I suppose - regardless of whether its ok or not the circuit should surely hear about it first hand?

Some good points there, thanks. Approaching circuits / clubs directly had already crossed my mind.

[Greem]

Speaking from personal experience , circuits or clubs are more than willing to help out worthy causes. you only have to ask...

[NewYankee01]

the way i see it is race circuits are too smart now to get uppetty about anything like this, why would a promoters/circuits want to begrudge charities when as a result you could complain publicly about the incident, the winners of the tickets would naturally spread good publicity and theyd be spending money on race day anyway... whats not to like?

[pauln]

What's not to like is that you'd be taking advantage of the circuit without checking with them first.

Much better to ask them in advance - as Greem says they're usually very willing to help out. They'd also probably want to make something out of it themselves, so the charity gets the benefit of wider publicity through the circuit, the circuit gets a good story for themselves and credit gets given to marshals as a decent bunch of people for doing something positive. Win all round.

[Woolley]

Agreed. A guest ticket is to allow you to bring a guest. If you wish to use it for other purposes it should be with the agreement of the issuer.

The charity one is interesting, but as long as it isn't used as a promotion without the agreement of the club/circuit and it is clear the recipient will be your guest on the day then I don't see a problem. In other words promoting a raffle with 'win motorsport tickets' probably not, but at an event 'guest day at motorsport event donated by marshal' listed as one of the prizes should be fine.