CORVETTES AT CARLISLE - August 25-28, 2016 - OFFICIAL THREAD
08-31-2016, 04:39 PM
#261
Safety Car
Making it four days was not a good idea. Wednesday wasn't a set up day. Thursday was. This year, Thursday was no different than any other year when it was a set up day. Glassworks was building their display till past noon on Thursday. We saw a lot of vendors still stocking on Thursday.
And get some BIG NAME celebrities in. You've had them for other shows. Get them for Corvettes! Bring in guys like Jay Leno, or a Chevy Nascar driver (even a retired one), Don Garlits or John Force. Someone who people actually have heard of instead of the same people year after year. While I appreciate the ones who are there yearly, if you're like me and have been coming for years, it gets old. And while I understand that paving is expensive, those roads (with a few exceptions) are a MESS! It's hard to walk without looking down, there's a HUGE dip between the grandstand and the guest services building. My wife nearly fell there, as did a lot of other people. The field is used hard and needs to be kept up.
I have to agree in part with some of what PewterFRC said. It seems like we keep paying more, but it goes unappreciated. Fewer vendors .......hence reserved parking for sale . 150 spaces at $150 a pop comes to over $22,000. Makes up what was lost by vendors backing out. Although that I have to admit was an EXCELLENT idea. I will gladly pay for reserved parking next year just for the convenience.
But hey, every show has problems. Times change, people change, prices for everything goes up (nothing ever goes down). I get it. But like you said, you want to hear the good and the bad.
The good thing is...........that it exists and we can all experience it. It's still the best Corvette show around here without having to drive 7-10 hours. We'll be there again next year, and for as many years as we can. Good or bad, I still love the show.
And get some BIG NAME celebrities in. You've had them for other shows. Get them for Corvettes! Bring in guys like Jay Leno, or a Chevy Nascar driver (even a retired one), Don Garlits or John Force. Someone who people actually have heard of instead of the same people year after year. While I appreciate the ones who are there yearly, if you're like me and have been coming for years, it gets old. And while I understand that paving is expensive, those roads (with a few exceptions) are a MESS! It's hard to walk without looking down, there's a HUGE dip between the grandstand and the guest services building. My wife nearly fell there, as did a lot of other people. The field is used hard and needs to be kept up.
I have to agree in part with some of what PewterFRC said. It seems like we keep paying more, but it goes unappreciated. Fewer vendors .......hence reserved parking for sale . 150 spaces at $150 a pop comes to over $22,000. Makes up what was lost by vendors backing out. Although that I have to admit was an EXCELLENT idea. I will gladly pay for reserved parking next year just for the convenience.
But hey, every show has problems. Times change, people change, prices for everything goes up (nothing ever goes down). I get it. But like you said, you want to hear the good and the bad.
The good thing is...........that it exists and we can all experience it. It's still the best Corvette show around here without having to drive 7-10 hours. We'll be there again next year, and for as many years as we can. Good or bad, I still love the show.
08-31-2016, 10:52 PM
#262
Instructor
Originally Posted by laurent_zo6
Saturday in front of the grandstand a picture of Corvette Forum members was taken. Do you know where I can see that photo. Thanks.
08-31-2016, 10:54 PM
#263
Instructor
My girlfriend and I had a great time at our first show! Thanks, Lance!
08-31-2016, 11:57 PM
#264
We Had fun
Hi
it was our first time at Carlisle. We had fun and enjoyed it. We met a lot of nice people and great stories. The only thing the car ran into problems but all is up and running and we made it back to Canada today.
Its was nice meeting everybody and seeing everybody's corvette
thanks again
Heather and Ron
it was our first time at Carlisle. We had fun and enjoyed it. We met a lot of nice people and great stories. The only thing the car ran into problems but all is up and running and we made it back to Canada today.
Its was nice meeting everybody and seeing everybody's corvette
thanks again
Heather and Ron
09-01-2016, 09:22 AM
#265
Melting Slicks
Thread Starter
lance, ive been vending there for over 25 years at 5 diff shows and things have gone down hill bad. starting when chip passed away. remember when people were paying $5000. for a single space? that place was sold out for years. now you can show up on a thursday and buy spaces for the show. whats that tell you? Tim D is NOT the answer you are looking for and he pissed off alot of people wanting their money 8 months in advance. where was all the traffic up 81 and the turnpike this year for the vette show? or any show this year? we drove right in all week. i could go on and on, but thats the highlites. without vendors, your shows will be nothing. like its becoming now. space prices keep goin up, gate keeps going up. nothing in return for the people that actually make your shows... LOTS OF GREED IN THE CARLISLE CAMP THESE DAYS.... and i hear this from everyone
Thanks for taking the time to provide your feedback, it's appreciated. Yes, it was devastating when my father passed away in '04. A lot of things happened since, especially on the technology front (ebay, craigslist & etc.). All of these factors make a major impact on live events throughout the world especially the vendor side. I can assure you Carlisle Events does everything in its power to ensure a great event for the vendors, spectators, sponsors and show-goers. If you have any constructive criticism that you feel could help our events & vendor base I'd highly encourage you to send me an email or call me: 717-243-7855 x115 / lancem@carlisleevents.com. We are open to any and all suggestions, hence the survey request above.
There's certainly a change going on throughout the hobby as a whole, we're doing our best to roll with the punches. Personally I feel we're doing a great job but the only way we can stay ahead of the game is to listen to our customers.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Lance
09-01-2016, 12:45 PM
#266
Safety Car
Here's the Corvette Forum Grandstand photo. It almost didn't happen, because only by sheer chance did the photographer awake from his noontime nap in the shade under a pop-up at 1:27 pm, who then hustled over to the grandstand on time like nothing happened. Ask me how I know 
Anyways, we lined up, and said photographer then realized that absent a tripod, he couldn't be in the photo, as well. So a teenager standing nearby was pressed into service, given extensive training ("stand here. Look through viewfinder, make sure everyone's in the picture. Press here when you're ready"), and a photograph happened.
Here's the result:
Anyways, we lined up, and said photographer then realized that absent a tripod, he couldn't be in the photo, as well. So a teenager standing nearby was pressed into service, given extensive training ("stand here. Look through viewfinder, make sure everyone's in the picture. Press here when you're ready"), and a photograph happened.
Here's the result:
Last edited by Czarvette; 09-01-2016 at 12:49 PM.
09-01-2016, 01:23 PM
#267
Melting Slicks
Thread Starter
Making it four days was not a good idea. Wednesday wasn't a set up day. Thursday was. This year, Thursday was no different than any other year when it was a set up day. Glassworks was building their display till past noon on Thursday. We saw a lot of vendors still stocking on Thursday.
And get some BIG NAME celebrities in. You've had them for other shows. Get them for Corvettes! Bring in guys like Jay Leno, or a Chevy Nascar driver (even a retired one), Don Garlits or John Force. Someone who people actually have heard of instead of the same people year after year. While I appreciate the ones who are there yearly, if you're like me and have been coming for years, it gets old. And while I understand that paving is expensive, those roads (with a few exceptions) are a MESS! It's hard to walk without looking down, there's a HUGE dip between the grandstand and the guest services building. My wife nearly fell there, as did a lot of other people. The field is used hard and needs to be kept up.
I have to agree in part with some of what PewterFRC said. It seems like we keep paying more, but it goes unappreciated. Fewer vendors .......hence reserved parking for sale . 150 spaces at $150 a pop comes to over $22,000. Makes up what was lost by vendors backing out. Although that I have to admit was an EXCELLENT idea. I will gladly pay for reserved parking next year just for the convenience.
But hey, every show has problems. Times change, people change, prices for everything goes up (nothing ever goes down). I get it. But like you said, you want to hear the good and the bad.
The good thing is...........that it exists and we can all experience it. It's still the best Corvette show around here without having to drive 7-10 hours. We'll be there again next year, and for as many years as we can. Good or bad, I still love the show.
And get some BIG NAME celebrities in. You've had them for other shows. Get them for Corvettes! Bring in guys like Jay Leno, or a Chevy Nascar driver (even a retired one), Don Garlits or John Force. Someone who people actually have heard of instead of the same people year after year. While I appreciate the ones who are there yearly, if you're like me and have been coming for years, it gets old. And while I understand that paving is expensive, those roads (with a few exceptions) are a MESS! It's hard to walk without looking down, there's a HUGE dip between the grandstand and the guest services building. My wife nearly fell there, as did a lot of other people. The field is used hard and needs to be kept up.
I have to agree in part with some of what PewterFRC said. It seems like we keep paying more, but it goes unappreciated. Fewer vendors .......hence reserved parking for sale . 150 spaces at $150 a pop comes to over $22,000. Makes up what was lost by vendors backing out. Although that I have to admit was an EXCELLENT idea. I will gladly pay for reserved parking next year just for the convenience.
But hey, every show has problems. Times change, people change, prices for everything goes up (nothing ever goes down). I get it. But like you said, you want to hear the good and the bad.
The good thing is...........that it exists and we can all experience it. It's still the best Corvette show around here without having to drive 7-10 hours. We'll be there again next year, and for as many years as we can. Good or bad, I still love the show.
I appreciate your feedback, we went with Thursday due to the overwhelming response on our surveys that were "for it". So we did, the people that attended were raving about it which was extremely nice. Anytime you make an adjustment like this it takes time, the first year really went well I felt. We had a lot of vendors requesting to make Thursday the start day as well, overall I didn't hear any complaints until this point. I do understand your feedback about vendors being open & etc., but once again I'd have to say considering it was a soft opening at 10am and a first time run I was really pleased. As time goes on I believe this will only become a larger day, only time will tell.
We did include activities for Thursday to ensure there were things going on for our customers/visitors. This was our first year with Thursday and we plan on continuing it. Our attendance was much stronger on Thursday versus Sunday, as you and everyone else out there sees Sunday's have been dropping off at every event. We ask in our surveys if people want Sunday versus Thursday & so on. People are 60/40 for keeping Sunday's.
We do our best to get strong name celebrities - in the past we had Mario Andretti, last year was Chip Foose - adding names like this to a venue can be an absorbent amount in fees. We do our best to lock in the very best that we can with what we have on hand. If you have suggestions, please feel free sending them my way: lancem@carlisleevents.com. Jay Leno would be an amazing person to have at our event(s), but the 6 figure price tag for a couple of hours visit just doesn't make financial sense for us. Again, I'm open to ideas...
Thanks for taking the time to provide your input, it's appreciated!
Lance
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USA1 427 (09-01-2016)
09-01-2016, 01:24 PM
#268
Melting Slicks
Thread Starter
Here's the Corvette Forum Grandstand photo. It almost didn't happen, because only by sheer chance did the photographer awake from his noontime nap in the shade under a pop-up at 1:27 pm, who then hustled over to the grandstand on time like nothing happened. Ask me how I know
Anyways, we lined up, and said photographer then realized that absent a tripod, he couldn't be in the photo, as well. So a teenager standing nearby was pressed into service, given extensive training ("stand here. Look through viewfinder, make sure everyone's in the picture. Press here when you're ready"), and a photograph happened.
Here's the result:
Anyways, we lined up, and said photographer then realized that absent a tripod, he couldn't be in the photo, as well. So a teenager standing nearby was pressed into service, given extensive training ("stand here. Look through viewfinder, make sure everyone's in the picture. Press here when you're ready"), and a photograph happened.
Here's the result:
09-01-2016, 02:26 PM
#269
Melting Slicks
Sunday attendance took a real dive when the corvette giveaway disappeared, or more correctly, with the requirement to be on site Sunday afternoon to claim the car.
My opinon of course.
I've been going for over 30 years, and will likely continue in ay event.
My opinon of course.
I've been going for over 30 years, and will likely continue in ay event.
Last edited by ladder13; 09-01-2016 at 02:31 PM.
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racelance (09-01-2016)
09-01-2016, 04:29 PM
#270
Le Mans Master
Member Since: Aug 2000
Location: POTSDAM NY/Punta Gorda FL
Posts: 7,289
Received 380 Likes
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266 Posts
Here is my idea, move it ahead two weeks, every college around here moves in Carlisle weekend every year, I believe school starts in Pennsylvania that weekend, move it ahead a couple weeks, too make it easier on parents to go.
09-01-2016, 04:57 PM
#271
Safety Car
Just out of curiosity. Were Andretti and Foose brought in by Carlisle Events or by MagnaFlow? Or is it a split cost? How does that work?
09-01-2016, 07:34 PM
#272
Team Owner
Member Since: Feb 2003
Location: Sitting in his Nowhere land Hanover Pa
Posts: 48,987
Received 6,929 Likes
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4,774 Posts
2015 C2 of Year Finalist
Here's the Corvette Forum Grandstand photo. It almost didn't happen, because only by sheer chance did the photographer awake from his noontime nap in the shade under a pop-up at 1:27 pm, who then hustled over to the grandstand on time like nothing happened. Ask me how I know
Anyways, we lined up, and said photographer then realized that absent a tripod, he couldn't be in the photo, as well. So a teenager standing nearby was pressed into service, given extensive training ("stand here. Look through viewfinder, make sure everyone's in the picture. Press here when you're ready"), and a photograph happened.
Here's the result:
Anyways, we lined up, and said photographer then realized that absent a tripod, he couldn't be in the photo, as well. So a teenager standing nearby was pressed into service, given extensive training ("stand here. Look through viewfinder, make sure everyone's in the picture. Press here when you're ready"), and a photograph happened.
Here's the result:
09-01-2016, 10:21 PM
#274
Safety Car
09-01-2016, 11:25 PM
#275
Instructor
Originally Posted by USA1 427
Just out of curiosity. Were Andretti and Foose brought in by Carlisle Events or by MagnaFlow? Or is it a split cost? How does that work?
09-02-2016, 09:31 AM
#276
Melting Slicks
Thread Starter
Cheers,
Lance
09-02-2016, 09:32 AM
#277
Melting Slicks
Thread Starter
Lance
09-02-2016, 03:25 PM
#278
Burning Brakes
Unfortunately this is South Central PA. This year, two weeks before the show was significantly hotter. There were heat advisories all week with the heat index was over 105 every day with at least one day over 120. Plus a thunderstorm almost each day. If you move it until September you're into the rainy part of our year. Anyone putting on an outdoor event in our area knows they just pick a weekend and pray for decent weather.
