Part 2 has been too long in coming. Summertime makes it very difficult to want to be working on the computer when I could be outside.

Who would build a tower without first calculating the cost? Like any project, a car show costs money. Unless you’re simply getting some folks to meet at a parking lot for an impromptu evening of car talk, the money has lots of places to go. From fliers to signs to food to raffle prizes to trophies to permits to porta-potties to rent of a location, there are plenty of things you can spend the money on. The question is, where will the money come from?

There are a number of likely sources:

Out of pocket. This may be the most difficult option especially if you or your group doesn’t have any money. Besides that, why would you want to crow-bar your wallet open for all the work? There are a number of reasons. You may be blessed with a large amount of disposable income and want to host a show for the sheer fun of holding the event. I’ve noticed that there are a lot of gear-heads in my neighborhood and I’ve toyed with the idea of hosting a small neighborhood show/get-together to get to know them better. You may have a business that would benefit from the advertising and additional traffic/sales during the event. Aside from the fun of all the cars and meeting potentially new customers, it could be part of your company marketing/advertising budget and may be deductible at the end of the year. You may have a church that holds a show to reach out and get to know your local community. Whatever the reason for the show, the biggest advantage of the out of pocket funding route is that you hold ultimate control of what is involved and how the show is run. As you know, free money isn’t free and with it usually comes strings in terms of some kind of reciprocity.

Self-sustaining. Since the show will likely have a fair amount of people involved either attending or participating, share the pain a little by having some of them kick in some money. This is very common and can be done in a number of ways. Charge an entrance fee or possibly an admission fee. The challenge with charging fees like this is that you have to make the show worth the price of admission, but that’s what this is all about. You could allocate an area that is dedicated to vendors or a swap meet area. Once again, you need a show that will draw the crowds and make the people and merchants want to come. When starting out, this can be difficult. It’s somewhat like growing a credit score. It takes a while for folks to recognize you have a show worth attending.

Sponsored. A potentially large source of funds can come from sponsors. Sponsors may provide everything from money, to banners, to food, to raffle prizes, to plastic bags. The provisions are as many and varied are there are companies. The challenge with sponsors is all the footwork needed to contact the right people and make the sale. Yes, it’s a sales job. You need to convince the prospective sponsor that your show will be beneficial enough for their company or organization to make a donation. Not only that but you have to keep in contact with the prospects and really drive toward an answer. There are a lot of places for  companies to put their money and if you’re not the squeaky wheel (don’t be a nuisance) they’re not likely to track you down to give you anything. The potential downside is that many times free money comes with strings attached. Who knows what requirements organizations might place on your event. With sponsorship you may lose some element of control. Another point of sensitivity dealing with sponsors can be who your other sponsors are. It can be problematic if some sponsors are listed side by side on a flier or the like who are direct competitors. This is a scenario that may get you to lose both for the next event. The main question that a sponsor will want to know is what’s in it for them. Be sure to have that answer clear.

Hybrid. In reality, most shows are probably some combinations of all the above. Whatever your funding source(s), make sure you’ve planned well enough so you don’t run out of money. You don’t want to be forced into the ‘out of pocket’ situation if you’ve over spent.

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So, you want to have a car show. It’s a big undertaking and can be a lot of fun to those who host and attend. If you want to host an event that’s worth the price of admission (if there is one), you’ll want to have a plan. The plan will help you work through all the details and find problems before the day of the event so you don’t get caught off guard. The big benefit of the plan is so everyone involved can know what they’re supposed to do, where they’re supposed to be, and not have to rely on ‘the guy’ or ‘the gal’ to be the keeper/bottleneck of the information.

I was intending this post to give you an overall view of an example plan to help you cover all the bases for your show. I quickly realized that there’s a lot more to cover than a single post should contain (at least before your eyes glaze over and you lose interest). I’ll break it down into more bite sized chunks.

You might be tempted to start thinking about all the little details, what supplies you need to prepare for the show, and all the fun it’s going to be. Don’t do it, keep your eye on the ball and you’ll have a great event. First, take a step back and ask yourself “Why?” Fully explore your show plan. What is it that you want to accomplish, why do you want to have a show, who do you want to come, and what’s different or better about your show than the possibly hundreds of others that are also taking place during any given summer?

Start with an overall plan. Aside from the questions above, I’ve listed a bunch of others below. Some of these will be very easy to answer, others will spawn even more questions and conversations. Knowing the answers to these questions will help you tailor and tune your show to be the its best and you and your guests will have a great time. This isn’t an exhaustive list of questions but it should give you a good start.

Who:

• Who is the show for?
• Who will want to attend?
• Who do you want to attend or participate? Note that this may be different than who will want to attend. Do you need to adjust the show so these are the same folks?
• Who should be involved? The location property owner? The town mayor? Local celebrities?
• Who will staff the event? Make sure that these folks know who they are and what they’ll be doing and that they’ve agreed to the task.
• Who will be invited?
• Who will be judging the cars? This is a specific job and it is difficult to do effectively if these folks have other tasks running the show.
• Who can people contact for more information? How should they be contacted? This can be a big job so be aware. Whatever method you use, be sure that it works. In other words, if you offer an email address or phone number, be responsive when you get a request. One of my biggest pet peeves is when an organization offers contact info and won’t respond. I as a customer now have a very negative view of that organization when a simple ‘I’ll get back to you’ would suffice. Whatever you do, keep your end of the deal.

What:

• What are you hoping to accomplish? What is your purpose? Raising funds for a cause, have a good time, advertise a business etc.
• What features will you have (shaded/indoor parking, will there be a cruise etc)?
• What’s the time frame? Is this a one-time or annual event?
• What type of cars will be participating? Make, type, age, open etc?
• What will be the focus of the show? Is it a fundraiser? Is it a celebration of a particular style? Is it simply a get-together?
• What other entertainment will be involved? Recorded music, live music, live demonstration?
• What will be the theme? This could be green cars (color or efficiency), 1-owner vehicles, or un-restored originals.
• What if any food will be available? Is it free? Who is the supplier and who will prepare the food?
• What if any services will be available (on site pinstriping, mobile dyno etc.)?

Where:

• Where will the show be held? Is there any rent involved? Are there any safety concerns that need to be addressed? Do you need permission? If it is an annual event, will you be able to have a consistent location?
• Where (at the location specifically) will all the components of the show be located (registration, entertainment, food, parking, visitor parking, etc)? Think about how foot and car traffic will work with your plan.
• Where will you promote the show? Other shows, fliers etc.

When:

• When will the show be held? Is this a one-time or annual event? Is it in the morning or afternoon?
• When will pre-registration be available if at all?
• When can participants arrive?
• When can spectators arrive?
• When is judging?
• When are awards? Remember, when the awards are given, the show is effectively over and most will leave.
• When will food be served?

Why:

• Why are you having the show?
• Why are you holding the show in the way you are?
• Why would someone want to come to your show as opposed to any other?

How:

• How big are you intending the show to be? If it becomes bigger than you intended, the show becomes less fun and more work for the host.
• How much will you charge if there is a charge at all?
• How much will it cost you? This is a big one and you’ll want to have this worked out really well before you begin. You don’t want to be left holding the bag if you’ve mis-judged the costs.
• How will you be advertising?
• How will you be judging the cars (if you’re judging)?
• How will you be counting votes?

Remember that a large project like a car show has many steps and if you focus on all the details in advance, you’ll have a more rewarding event. For tips and techniques for getting your car ready for show, get a copy of my book Prepare to be Judged at Amazon.