Clubs cancel Triumph and MG Weekend 2022 at Staffordshire County Showground.

[Peter Truman]

We find the same here people don’t like to prebook for all your reasons Iain, Weather is a major influence can be the difference between profit and loss!

At 80 quid per couple it’s a bit of a gamble!

[Gully]

As someone involved in running a small club, I completely understand the decision. We had to take a similar one a few weeks ago as we were struggling to get sufficient support for what had previously been a very popular event. Our costs exposure was, I'm sure, much less than that faced by the various Clubs involved in this particular weekend, but could have proved equally ruinous if we'd proceeded with low participation and the situation had to be acted upon to protect the club's finances. 70% down on ticket sales is a huge red flag and suggests to me that people are using their freedoms this summer for other priorities.

Gully

[Pete Lewis]

Duxford is always a gamble and weather makes or breaks it, the 2020 was worse than siberian and we still got 60 cars 

so September the 4th book the sunshine but pay on the day with cash at the gates   last entry 12oclock

Pete

[Chris A]

2 hours ago, Badwolf said:

Am I seeing double with this post about Stafford, or is my computer playing up?

The latest tech advance, stereoscopic threads - one for each eye .

[Badwolf]

That will just make you blind..or mad.😁

[Chris A]

2 minutes ago, Badwolf said:

That will just make you blind..or mad.😁

In that case for me it will be blind . . .🤪

[Chris A]

3 hours ago, Pete Lewis said:

keep this under your hat  but John is contemplating bringing his crank damper demo rig to DUXFORD 

You can rely on me, I don't even know what you are talking about. . .

[PeteH]

Sadly. The downside of ageing and associated ill health, is an acceptance that decisions to attend virtually ANY social event has to be made "on the day". I lost a whole shed load of money, just before Covid, when Mrs Pete took a fall and we spent the whole of the Summer of 2019 travelling between hospitals, physiotherapy etc; and home. A Music Festival we had booked and paid for up front we could not attend, No refunds either, and no Festival 2020 because of Covid, Damn Bloody China!.

I now will not even book camp sites except at last minute, Fortunately with the Motorhome, we can if required, hunker down behind some Pub or other for a night at least, having all our own facilities.

Currently we are getting telephone "requests" to attend clinics at as little as 24hrs notice, dependant upon the results of blood tests mainly, whilst necessary, it is not exactly condusive to a regular life-style, or on some days even meal times!. No complaints here, just a statement of fact, and an apreciation of an NHS going the full 9 yards.

Pete

[Triumph948]

11 hours ago, Qu1ckn1ck said:

I guess the CoM is deliberating on whether to ban Duxford again, this time because of the risk of contracting Monkeypox in that well known plague pit on the windy Cambridgeshire plain.  😅

😉

[Sue Franklin]

Colin - I understand Stafford was actually cheaper than Malvern but I stand to be corrected.  I am looking forward to questionnaire arriving.

• Real incentive needed for pre-booking by a cut off date - many have said they did not realise there was a discount on prebooking
• Paying at gate gives little or nothing to the organising Clubs from past experience - but now people increasingly do not plan ahead.
• TR Reg were the majority of those pre-booked.  Little interest from TSSC (who were supposed to WANT to return to Stafford, or from MGOC

In response to Stephen Cooper - what universe do you inhabit where a LOSS is a better choice than being financially circumspect for the future of the Clubs involved.

[MK2 Ed]

Malvern last year was superb, we thought the site organisation was exceptional. If you're right Sue, to then decamp to Stafford on the cheap this year has surely contributed to this result.

[Colin Lindsay]

2 hours ago, Sue Franklin said:

Colin - I understand Stafford was actually cheaper than Malvern but I stand to be corrected.  I am looking forward to questionnaire arriving.

• Real incentive needed for pre-booking by a cut off date - many have said they did not realise there was a discount on prebooking
• Paying at gate gives little or nothing to the organising Clubs from past experience - but now people increasingly do not plan ahead.
• TR Reg were the majority of those pre-booked.  Little interest from TSSC (who were supposed to WANT to return to Stafford, or from MGOC

In response to Stephen Cooper - what universe do you inhabit where a LOSS is a better choice than being financially circumspect for the future of the Clubs involved.

Me too; I hate to see the TSSC derided as the weakest link by the axe grinders on FB but that view needs to be publicly countered - I quoted it to show what the rumours are out there. If there is also an issue of TSSC members not supporting their club on the main weekend of the year, we need to know why.

I too didn't know there was any discount on pre-booking but the ticket price was quite expensive in any case - what exactly does the money go on? Do we need to look at cutting out some of the 'unnecessaries'? Maybe even cutting down to one day?

Don't lose sight of the core issues - some of us get to this show as the sole large show of the year and have to plan financially to attend - do I go to Stoneleigh, or Stafford, or the NEC?; others, who attend similar on a regular basis and have a variety of events in their area might be bored and looking for new things when they attend but it should not be at the cost of the basics of a show with cars to see and parts to buy.

I think what Stephen is getting at with the FB post I screenshotted is that there may have been a financial loss but the loss of trust has been much greater. This has been echoed on other threads in this forum and I think it will only add to the difficulties of organising next year's event. I want it to succeed; I'm very disappointed at the show being cancelled, but will I plan for next year?

[Pete Lewis]

the club made a trading loss for some years the plug had to be fitted and keeping a close eye on the club funds has to be taken seriously 

the past couple of years transformed the ongoing losses   so cancelling  its a disapointing but obvious course to take  

if you have to work like all of us within a budjet ,its not a bottomless pit   there has to be sense of the whole package costs 

a serious deficit might close the club down for good    who whats that dilema

if the club plumeted thousands ££s  of loss you would all be moaning about that  as irresponsible  

there is a balance to all this .............keep your faith 

Pete

[Badwolf]

I feel that the problem with shows of this kind, is relaunching them after a pandemic which hasn't actually ended and appears to be on the increase again.

People are still wary, scared even of mixing in crowds even in the open with facemasks. The chances of contracting covid and not being able to attend after prebooking tickets is still very real so people don't pre-book, and if the weather looks bad, don't go. I understand the club being wary of a large financial commitment especially during these ongoing uncertain times but where do you go from here, I don't know.

 

[Gary Flinn]

I, like a lot of people it seems was going to attend but hadn't pre-booked my tickets, again I didn't realise there was any discount for booking early?

I've had some great times at Stafford over the years, selling stuff, admiring cars and chatting with like minded enthusiasts

There were a couple of reasons I didn't pre-book, one of them the thought of catching Covid the week prior (Which seems to be spreading worse now than ever!) and also the possibility of some family event taking precedence

One thing to bear in mind, which is certainly affecting my visits to car shows and no doubt others too is the cost of Fuel to get there and back, and also the increasing costs of everything at the moment

Lets hope the event happens somewhere in 2023, I will be there. 

Gary 

  

[dave.vitesse]

The Newbury Area folk had all booked. We had all the normal suspects and managed to also increase the numbers above that. It's disappointing the overall support wasn't there for this major event. The club were quite right in not taking the hit in losses. The way I look at it "it's use or lose". Don't blame the club if members end up in a field full of cowpats next year!

Dave  

[Colin Lindsay]

36 minutes ago, dave.vitesse said:

The way I look at it "it's use or lose". Don't blame the club if members end up in a field full of cowpats next year!

Dave  

Very very true!! Does that mean going back to 'grass roots'....

[Paul Amey]

I saw the advert for Stafford in this months Courier and it reminded me to buy tickets. I was just about to order them when I bumped into Colin from Derwent Valley at a pub classics evening this evening and he told me the bad news.

[jagnut66]

Gutted about this. I was going to attend on one of the days but as I didn't know which I didn't pre-book.

Sorry if this upsets people but I have no intention of letting COVID stop me living my life the same as I did before it was around.

Be careful, if you feel the need to, by all means but don't let it stop you doing things / attending events / living your life, otherwise what's the point of being here?

It isn't going to go away completely, so we have to learn to live with it. 

Back onto the subject of the cancelled Triumph / MG weekend, is that it now, or will the clubs try and come together for a big weekend next year?

I thought Malvern was great, it would be a shame if it never happened again. If not every year then what about every two years or something?

Best wishes,

Mike.

[Gary Flinn]

13 hours ago, Paul Amey said:

I saw the advert for Stafford in this months Courier and it reminded me to buy tickets. I was just about to order them when I bumped into Colin from Derwent Valley at a pub classics evening this evening and he told me the bad news.

Hi Paul

I was the guy sitting with Colin last night, nice to meet you

I know what you mean about Stafford, I was leaving it till nearer the date to get my tickets for fear of some family event or Covid meaning I couldn't get.

I've had some great times there during the 90's and noughties when it was the favoured site for the TSSC International, maybe next year it will happen again I hope so?

Gary   

 

[Pete Lewis]

i would also expect it gives Angie and Trudi in HQ a right headache creating all the pre booked refunds  

not a job to be welcomed 

Pete

[Badwolf]

I had to deal with a stack of refunds when the original lockdown was announced. Not an easy job, messy and time consuming. Good luck to them both.

[Pete Lewis]

Angie retires around this month  a great and recognised supporter for members with years of How Too  experience we will be loosing

so we need a better send off than blasted refunds as a leaving memory 

Pete

[AndyTV8]

i guess, with the low number of pre-bookings perhaps this isn't as large a task as it could have been (always like to try and find a positive  )

....... Andy

[Gully]

On 04/08/2022 at 11:13, Pete Lewis said:

Angie retires around this month  a great and recognised supporter for members with years of How Too  experience we will be loosing

so we need a better send off than blasted refunds as a leaving memory 

Pete

Invite her to Duxford - we can have a cake!

Gully