Anybody have advice on running a Show & Shine?

[Plymouth71]

I've been given the go-ahead to organize a show and shine for my Church in September. I've already started working on a poster, and Letters for sponsors requesting donations. I will have a small registration fee and charge $1.00 per vote for peoples choice. We will donate all the proceeds to a local charity. I've never done this before, so I would like to pick your brains. What do you like about small show & Shines, what don't you like. etc. any suggestions ? ? My budget is zero. LoL Thanks!

 

[Moparsmitty]

I'll take a stab at it. Although I've never organized a show from scratch, I've helped out at many shows so I've seen how they go.
The first thing you have to realize is that you can't make everybody happy all the time. That's just the way it is so you have to have a thick skin. Lots of issues can crop up but the main ones to me are parking and awards. Do you have any idea how many cars might show up? It can be hard to estimate how many entrants might show up because it depends on how well the show is advertised and other factors that are out of your control, like the weather. You want to try to have as much parking available as you need for entrants but also spectators. It can be hard to estimate that first time.
Try to get the word out about your show in as many types of media as you can. Flyers, local papers, Craigslist, etc. There have been shows around here that people didn't go to simply because they didn't hear about them. It's like the show was a secret.
I assume you will have awards at the end of the show. Try to organize the awards so that they go smoothly. People will want to leave by the end of the show and they won't want to stick around while the show organizers try to straighten out the awards. A pet peeve of mine.
I'm sure other guys will chime in with some good advice. Good luck to you, I hope your show is successful.

 

[khryslerkid]

Definitely talk to those who have done this.

As a spectator, I'm not paying a dollar to vote on a car. If you have a fifty fifty raffle, I'll probably spend twenty. See how that works. Don't force people to spend money. Almost all fifty fifty winners that I've witnessed at these local shows , will donate it back!

Having to pay an admission fee to see the show, (at a local show), I'll probably leave.

Paying to enter a car, no problem. Keep the fee competitive with other shows in the area.
Make sure everyone gets a plaque.

As trophies go, I've heard all kinds of stories. I don't know how you can make everyone happy. That's why it's a good thing that you're doing your homework.

It's a great thing that you're doing, good luck with your show!

 

[Ron Ward]

I once helped organize a car show/swap meet. Check into what insurance may be required for the event.

 

[Budnicks]

a few Ideas that have wroked in the past

If you don't have any budget get people to donate as much as possible possibly hold a raffle too, always helps...

Some Local Radio, Newspapers, Websites or TV stations especially will do free advert. for charities...

Someone directing traffic/parking...
some well placed traffic cones & yellow caution tape if needed

Someone taking donations/entries & have a secured area with a lockbox/cashbox etc.

Plenty of water & ice at-least or something cold to drink
{especially in the summer}

trophies &/or plaques for winners of classes, maybe get a few local shops to donate some stuff, cleaning products & freebies/grab-bags for show entries or even larger donations, also helps to get donations from local businesses..

food/souvenirs
{T-shirts or Hats, try to find someone to help or donate, Car Dealerships are a good place to try to get donations}
or some form of concessions, will always make money, especially if it's for charity
{donate the proceeds/profits to the charity}

sound system & some mellow music is always good
{not something obnoxious, no Rap or Head Banger stuff, a good variety, top 40 stuff/golden oldies, works well},

Use or day-event permits if necessary, tax forms for charity funds {some towns require it},
your church may have the rights/forms necessary already

insurance/liability, if it's needed or the church doesn't have coverage already, a must
{some unscrupulous people are suet happy}

& porta-potties & garbage cans are a must have too,

try to get some church volunteers to help with traffic, parking, music, concessions, sales, give-aways, clean up & judging etc.

It's been a long time since I did one & it takes some "good & dependable help" to pull it off...

Good Luck

 

[Propwash]

IMO, Pro's of a small show:

Usually easy in and out, not a whole lot of waiting/idling
Small or no entrance fee
Comfort of a smaller show, not overwhelming, easy to navigate, time to talk to a lot of the car owners
Usually the more laid back casual car hobbyists are the majority


Con's of a small show:

Sometimes disorganized, confusion (especially a new show)
Lower numbers of cars, less to spectate
Less activities like door prizes, contests and activities for the little ones
Food/Drink selection can be sparse

Just my 2 cents. Myself I don't take my cars to a whole lotta shows, but either way I'd rather go to a small show than a big one. Best of luck to you. Hope it goes off well for you and your church.

 

[Deleted member 214]

Went to a small show yesterday. The DJ played all 50s music, which is common for car shows, but bores the hell out of me. I DJ's our clubs swap meet and played music from the 60s and 70s plus some 50s and 80s, not hard rock or heavy metal - Chicago, BS&T, Grand Funk Railroad, Little Feat, etc. and I got LOTS of compliments. Gotta play Love Shack...

 

[Meep-Meep]

I have done a few shows, or rather get-togethers, at my shop. Nothing formal; no trophies or plaques but I do provide some quality meats for the BBQ and a live band. The rest is a pot luck. The most frustrating part is trying to figure out how many people will show up vs. how many say they will show up. I also try to avoid having my gig on the same day as a larger show in the area.

 

[GrabberOrange69]

Went to a small show yesterday. The DJ played all 50s music, which is common for car shows, but bores the hell out of me. I DJ's our clubs swap meet and played music from the 60s and 70s plus some 50s and 80s, not hard rock or heavy metal - Chicago, BS&T, Grand Funk Railroad, Little Feat, etc. and I got LOTS of compliments. Gotta play Love Shack...

Exactly!!! I'm tired of organizers playing the 50s stuff at a show that is filled with 60s/70s cars. It's our turn now!

 

[Bruzilla]

Agree with the no charging for votes thing. 50/50 raffles work the best, and go to local parts stores or auto dealerships to request donations in exchange for mentioning them at the show and raffle those off as door prizes is the next best way to generate money. Many retailers have budgets set up to do just that. Also, get some folks to bring grills and coolers, and sell refreshments.

As for entrance fees, you want to stay between $10 and $20 bucks. Make up goodie bags for every entrant with coupons from retailers, brochures, and dash plaques if you have them made up. Since this is for a church you'll likely find a few parishioners in the printing business who can hook you up with plaques or flyers.

As for advertising the event, put up flyers at auto parts stores and places where car groups get together. We have a large club that has a meet every Saturday at different locations around the area, so going to cruise-ins and handing out flyers there would be beneficial. Also put notices up at locations that sponsor car clubs and cruise-ins as owners often go to them even when a show isn't going on... and there's a good chance the owners of the location can help you get the word out through their contacts. Lastly, look around the net for the contacts for the car clubs in your area and email them the information as well.

As for judging, that can be a problem especially when you've got larger car clubs coming. These guys are notorious for voting for one another and that can cause problems. Some of the better solutions to this is make the judging based on era (1950s+, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, Modern) and/or type (Hot Rod, Sports Car, Muscle Car, Truck, etc.) I like People's Choice awards, but I also like more creative categories like Least Original, Funnest Look, Loudest, Most Likely to Get a Ticket, etc. These sorts of awards encourage a more diverse crowd of owners to show up instead of just the trophy collectors.

 

[satman72]

IMO; It's your first show. Keep it simple, get the word out through flyers etc, whatever is cheap or free. After you do one you'll see what sort of crowd you get. After that, it's easier to tailor the show to the crowd that shows up.

If this is something that will occur on a regular basis, I would suggest giving out simple survey cards to entrants & guests so you get an idea of likes & dislikes.

Also, depending on how many shows/cruises are in your area... hit them up, see what they are like and then do something different, to attract patrons.

There are a lot of questions that need to be answered. Do you need permits to sell food? Do you need health certificates for the food? How much parking is at the church? Will you need overflow parking? Will that affect neighbouring businesses if they are still open......

 

[Dennis H]

Agreed. Throw in some ACDC. Announce the time of the 50-50 and stick to it. Make it early. Thick skin is good advice. I write "do not judge on my placard cause I don't care. Not the norm.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Whatever you do, don't use Brighto to shine the cars.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIdQQcJI0JA

 

[RS23VOA]

Use the soundtrack to Boogie Nights for the music!

 

[Plymouth71]

Thanks guys, I appreciate all the input. I have contacted Jegs and Summit and they will be sending some goodie bags. I am approaching a number of retailers in the area to see if we can round up some sponsorship. The event isn't until September, so I have a lot of time to tweak it. I'm pretty stoked that Leadership is interested and there are a lot of car enthusiasts in this bedroom community so I'm hoping to make some new friends too.