What is it with people wanting to make a quick buck in SA? Last year I went through to the Renault F1 Roadshow, and it was awesome. This year I missed the show thanks to a previous commitment, but from what I’ve heard and from the pics I’ve seen, it was another great success. Great news for F1 and motorsport fans, not so good news for the guys, like us, who took a stand at the motor show at the Sandton Convention Centre. It seems the organisers tried to ride on the coat tails of the Roadshow and thus pull people through the door that way. Big mistake.

The Rodashow was billed for the Sunday, yet the show was open from the Friday at lunch time. They seemed to think people, on their time away from work at the end of the week, would make the effort to go through to Sandton more than once. I dunno about you, but with the current petrol situation, I limit my mileage where possible. So that means the people who did plan on going, would only go once, that being the same day as the Roadshow, Sunday. The other two days were simply a waste of time at the motor show. On the Friday, I only saw exhibitors there while on Saturday it was pretty much the same with only a few “civillians” looking around. Sunday was much better, but still not worth all the effort we, and others, put into the show. There was nothing at the Roadshow (located a few blocks away) to direct people to the show. Why should there be though, the organisers had their money for the stands already... I’ll probably get some flack for this, but it grates me that people jump on board at the last minute to try and make a quick buck. All of my friends are into cars and motorsport, they’re actually pretty fanatical about it, and not one of them knew about the motor show. With no proper advertising, how was it meant to be a success? Other than that, the show was pretty cool.

There were some hot cars on display and some very tasty promo girls walking around too. Some of our advertisers were there, like Racing Hart Concepts, Raceline and Vibe Audio. They all shared my sentiments on the show and vowed to skip next year’s if there is one, which I doubt. If you are planning an event, get a date a few months in advance if possible, or at least two. That way you can place an advert in a few publications, splash it all over motoring forums and even put up sign boards. This will get the word out and it will help attract spectators and other people to attend your event. I’m no marketing boff, I actually know nothing about the subject, but common sense is common sense. Let’s hope this doesn’t happen again any time soon, car shows and others need to be a success, and with the harsh financial climate these days, people need some sort of value for their money. Make a plan people!
whatever floats your boat…
KRUTCH