Possible Z show need advice
 

I was thinking of holding a Z show at our Dealership. I have never done one before, so any help would greatly be appreciated. I have some questions to get some ideas going.

1. What would be the best day to hold an event?
2. Would you attend if it was free? (If the venue had better prizes and food would you pay?)
3. Would you attend if there was a registration charge to enter your car?
4. Would you attend if it was catered vs. non-catered.
5. Marketing Ideas(local clubs,radio advertising,database mailer?)
6. Pre-registation
9. Kids games ( not sure what?)
7. Prizes (Forgestar Wheels and accessories or something)
8. How do you do the classes, by Model: example R34??
9. Do people like this kind of stuff or am I wasting my time. Thought it would be fun.

Thanks for the hlep guy
Lou

1. What would be the best day to hold an event?
~Usually a Saturday, starting around 9 would be best for most. Gives them time to prep the car for the show.

2. Would you attend if it was free? (If the venue had better prizes and food would you pay?)
~Free is always great, many times you pay to be in the show (or track event) which help pay for trophies or such.

3. Would you attend if there was a registration charge to enter your car?
~I would.

4. Would you attend if it was catered vs. non-catered.
~Catered is nice, best is usually BBQ of some sort. Though being in Texas, any BBQ is great. :D

5. Marketing Ideas(local clubs,radio advertising,database mailer?)
~Marketing would be forums mostly probably, it just depends on what kind of crowd you want to get. Though hitting radio might be good to pull in those wanting to see the car(s) without being pressured by salesmen.

6. Pre-registation
~This is best to know how much food and what kind of turn out to expect for the show. You will get many who just show up to view the cars.

9. Kids games ( not sure what?)
~Ice cream?

7. Prizes (Forgestar Wheels and accessories or something)
~Prizes are always great, might consider doing a raffle. The Texas Z party I went to had a raffle and there were three groups. Parts for 350Z, parts for mostly classic Zs, and general Z/Nissan gear.

8. How do you do the classes, by Model: example R34??
~Classes are usually by model, Z34/Z33/etc.

9. Do people like this kind of stuff or am I wasting my time. Thought it would be fun.
~I enjoyed the one I have been to in Texas (Texas Z Party), got to meet a lot of people and see some great cars.

Thanks for the reply
We do business on Saturday, and don't want to hinder sales, would sunday still work well or not? We are closed on Sunday and that way it wouldn't hurt our sales.

Thanks agian.

1. What would be the best day to hold an event?
the end of the week on a clear day...start around lunch

2. Would you attend if it was free? (If the venue had better prizes and food would you pay?)
yea, wouldn't mind paying a bit


3. Would you attend if there was a registration charge to enter your car?
yea

4. Would you attend if it was catered vs. non-catered.
i would attend either or, also, BBQ since it's summer

5. Marketing Ideas(local clubs,radio advertising,database mailer?)
radio and forums

6. Pre-registation
helps you for the food count and stuff

9. Kids games ( not sure what?)
inflatable rides?? and yea, Ice Cream

7. Prizes (Forgestar Wheels and accessories or something)
this is where the entrance fee helps

8. How do you do the classes, by Model: example R34??
by model is good

9. Do people like this kind of stuff or am I wasting my time. Thought it would be fun.
of course ppl like this stuff

Sunday can still work, remember Sunday morning is usually church for many people and then people doing family dinners many time in the evenings. So on a Sunday it might be best to do say around 11 (have BBQ lunch) or maybe around 7-9 in the evening and still have BBQ but might not get as many to eat. Also something to think about, not sure of your area but in Texas it is hot right now. Best to make sure you have some shade for people, plenty of free bottle water for those visiting.

Consider it a marketting opportunity to generate floor traffic Lou. Our local club partners with Gabe Rowe Nissan in Rock Mount NC. We just had a show a few weekends ago and Gabe was very supportive with drinks, popcorn, prize donations, trophys etc. He even advertised it on the radio and got some people on the lot he would not normally have seen. It wasn't a big show but everyone had a good time. The club went out and solicited sponsors and had lots of giveaways for the raffle. Registration was $20 and was tied into the clubs chosen charity. If you don't have a local club, consider using this Venue to start one. I've been associated with lots of dealers in my 20 years with Honda, and building an enthusiast base around your dealership and product line is never a bad thing.

Good luck!

http://images49.fotki.com/v1521/phot...MG_1782-vi.jpg

http://images46.fotki.com/v1518/phot...MG_1785-vi.jpg

I see everyone mentioning raffle, could you please explain in detail. Are you talking raffle the prizes. Or should the prizes be like best in class?

raffle is raffling the prizes and trophies for best in class

Everyone who enters gets a ticket. Tickets are drawn to pick the lucky winners of the various giveaway items. Our club also held a 50/50 where you could buy blocks of tickets with 50% going to the drawing winner and the other 50% going to the charity. Makes everyone feel good when done that way..

1. What would be the best day to hold an event?
Fridays or Saturdays work best for me generally

2. Would you attend if it was free? (If the venue had better prizes and food would you pay?)
Free is always good, but if there were some nice prizes I wouldn't mind pitching in some cash.

3. Would you attend if there was a registration charge to enter your car?
Only if I could potentially get something in return.

4. Would you attend if it was catered vs. non-catered.
Yes

5. Marketing Ideas(local clubs,radio advertising,database mailer?)
Scour for your most popular local car guy forums. Make a nice post about it - not a short, "Hey, we're doing this on this day, come on and see us!" - try to make a flashy flier to put up.

6. Pre-registation
Again, if I could potentially win something, I'd pay. Otherwise, most of our car shows like this were a "just show up and park" kind of thing.

9. Kids games ( not sure what?)
Tons of ideas for that...but being a car show, I wouldnt even worry about this too much. Most any big car show Ive seen, people wont take their eyes off their kids, and they wont want to be tied down by watching their kid play games. One idea that might work however - set up some XBox's or PS3's playing some driving games?

7. Prizes (Forgestar Wheels and accessories or something)
Forgestar wheels, some of the accessories like the illuminated kick plates...jackets, hats, shirts - I LOVE collecting car show shirts, or enthusiast apparel.

8. How do you do the classes, by Model: example R34??
Probably easiest to group by model, but if you spread it out too much, you'll have default winners. Sometimes its simply best to make generic ones like "Best of Show" or whatever. Im a fan of "Best Stock", "Best Modified" separation too, since some people go to painstaking lengths to have their car clean as hell, but stock.

9. Do people like this kind of stuff or am I wasting my time. Thought it would be fun.
Back in Omaha, we'd get together for a weekly car show every Wednesday, and on the nice days it was EXTREMELY popular. 200-300 cars was commonplace on those days. But its only as fun as you make it - if its just an informal get together with no aim at all, people will show up, hang out for 10 minutes, walk around and snap a few shots, and leave. Give them something to do, or some reason to make it a group outing with their friends. A raffle is a GREAT way of getting people to stay if the prizes are good! Things I like: enthusiast clothing, racing gear (helmets in particular are awesome, and driving shoes), gift certificates for accessories or to local parts stores - stuff like that goes over well.

D ick Scott Nissan up here pulled me in because of their Z show. I would have bought from them had they been able to find me a car.

^^ here, Dick Scott Nissan

Lou I think this is a great idea. I would love to meet other Z owners in the area -- we should start a club or something.

I think it would be fine to do it on a Sunday.

If you need any help with anything let me know!

Oh yeah one more thing -- our Audi came from Parktown and that is where the St. Louis Porsche club holds it's meetings -- once when I was there the meeting was going on in the evening while the dealership was open -- they even moved out the cars in the showroom to move some of the rarer porsche models in.

But whatever day you pick as long as I'm not at work I'll come! Look forward to meeting you!

I would show up for sure, i live 5 minutes from your location. No mods to the Z thou. Would that matter? Same here let me know what i can do.....

Thanks for the support guys. I will see about later in the year when it cools down. 115 degree weather doesn't sound to fun on black top.

A car show at a dealership is a great opportunity. If I was running a car lot I'd do it on a day that the dealership was open. I would also have it set up so you can view the vehicles then have the food seperate to keep the food and vehicles from getting together ;/ I think I would tend to stay away from a bouncy castle, etc. Its about the cars, etc and every car show I've been to the kids love looking at the cars (for a certain period of time) and I think extra entertainment would kind of draw away from the car show.

Keep the ideas coming guys. Thanks for everyones input!

Z car show
 

Try a mix of free and registation events. The free events are to bring in anyone that wants to show their Z (space may be limited - so plan accordingly). The registation event are for the GRAND PRIZE & vendors items(suggestions: discount on new 370Z and/or NISMO 370Z/GTR parts, hats, shirts, etc, and other sponsor's items via raffles (donations). The donations go to sponsored charity and GRAND PRIZE). Our Z club holds the event in conjunction with a poker run ending up at the sponsoring Nissan dealership.

Weekends (Sunday) works best since the service area is typically closed. Time wise, it is an all day affair. Planning takes several months so as to not conflict with other car club events, holidays, etc.

The local Nissan dealership that sponsor's our Z Club helps pay for the food for registation persons (again for charity -ie right-off). The free participates have to pay to particapte in the raffles and food without participating in the poker run. The winner of the best time in the poker run wins various prices, discount coupons on local restaurants, NISMO parts, etc.

In this venue, the Z club has paying participated around 100 - 200

Having the event sponsored by local radio & TV is always a plus. TV stations like charity events to garner viewers.

Thursdays are motorcycle days at Hooters, I'll talk to the girls at the St.Peters location to see about a Z day.

Sounds like a great idea. If I lived anywhere near St. Louis I would go.

You may want to consider opening it up to all Nissan/Datsun cars. You will get some tuned out Sentra SE-Rs, GT-Rs, Maximas, and maybe even some tricked out Armadas. You might as well get as much attendance and promotion as possible.

I'm going to give it to you straight since I have been participating in shows for 12 years now.

1. What would be the best day to hold an event?

Saturday

2. Would you attend if it was free? (If the venue had better prizes and food would you pay?)

Yes to both

3. Would you attend if there was a registration charge to enter your car?

Yes if not to steep (meaning $10 max)

4. Would you attend if it was catered vs. non-catered.

This doesn't matter. Just have some kind of food available to provide or buy.

5. Marketing Ideas(local clubs,radio advertising,database mailer?)

All of the above plus flyers to hand out at other car shows preceding the date of your show.

6. Pre-registation
Yes

9. Kids games ( not sure what?)

Forget the kids games..this is an adult event...this is not a day care event. The cars are the center of attention not the kids of the owners and spectators. The last thing a car owner wants is some snot-nosed kid putting his greasy fingers on the cars or scratching the body of the car. And for God's sake, keep the kids with bikes off the lot. And turn away the adults who have to have their pet dog or cat with them 24x7. I once had some dumbass moron's German Shepard jump up the side of my Mustang Cobra and put a half-dozen claw marks down the driver's side door.

7. Prizes (Forgestar Wheels and accessories or something)

I'd rather see free dealer maintenance give-aways. How about the dealer giving something out of their pocket instead of relying on vendors for donations. Besides you dealers are getting a free ride on the coat tails of the car owners who are bringing in their cars to attract potential customers who are viewing the cars. That has got to be worth something...

8. How do you do the classes, by Model: example R34??

Works for other shows...but if you are going to do this then you better have true judging and judges who are qualified to judge and not someone who was just "deputized" a couple hours earlier with a quick hour boot-camp on judging basics.

9. Do people like this kind of stuff or am I wasting my time. Thought it would be fun.

Its fun if you are organized and know what you are doing. You want to avoid wasting the time of the folks bringing their cars especially if there is a registration fee invloved. And for God's sake make sure the judging is fair and NOT some "good-ole-boys" BS. Judge a car for its true heritage and natural look...not because some idiot has every conceivable piece of bling made for it on the car. This isn't some car costume jewelry show...its a car show.

And forget the band idea. Most car owners showing the cars don't want to have music jacked up in their ears. Either you are going to have a car show or you are going to have a rock concert. Pick one or the other. And if you have a DJ instead, you don't need sound towers to blast the music so loud that no one can hear themselves talk. We car owners don't appreciate having to loose our hearing any sooner than we have to.