Theres no Jacksonville Fl, Goodguys event this coming 2008 season???? Due to low turnout and smaller crowds this event is over. Sad, I could have told Goodguys that Jax was a piss poor place to have a big run. Riff Raff
jax is a sad town. I lived there 6 months this year and missed the show because i went home that weekend.
With gas prices going nowhere but North both Goodguys and NSRA are going to have to rethink their marketing stratiges. Rodders are simply going to think twice about traveling long distances to attend big events. There will be exceptions. But I suspect the future is more smaller scale events at more locations. Jacksonville may have been a bust by traditional measures. But the "Big Two" will have to cope, I think, with lower attendance at events across the board.
Jax just cant support any kind of big event like these. Ive been here almost 20 years and still cannot figure out why things are a bust here. Most top musical acts will not come here either, cause the attendance always sucks too.Plus the infastrucure is not really set up for big events, there is nothing to do around here.
Jax sounds alot like Syracuse, NY. No big things, no big concerts (there used to be) and nothing to do. Although we do have the Syracuse Nationals that is getting better every year. A few years ago they almost put the kabosh on it. And although I don't have a rod or kustom, I feel your pain. Brian
GoodGuys is a business If the event does not produce ... then it is time to try something else. The car world is changing ... big time. Years ago, you really looked for a event to go to and just " could not wait " for it to happen. Now ... with cruise nights being so numerous, local car events popping up everywhere and a " burnt out effect " for some of the folks who has been doing this a long time ... the big events are not as desirable as they once were. Most of the STREET RODDERS and other folks who are into the pre WWII cars are graybeards. They have been there and done that. Then you add in the later models with the early cars ... and a lot of the greybeards just stay home. I myself have owned a good many Tri-5 and late 60's Chevelles and Camaros ... but I do not really want to go to a event and look at them NSRA also closed down one of their events ( that was open to the later models ) ... SAME deal IMHO ... High fuel prices, the Motels jacking their rates up double or triple for a event ... high registration show fees for the event partcipants all factor in. LOCATION also is a large factor. I myself have grown weary of going to the Shades of the Past event in Pigeon Forge TN. ... but go every year because my wife wants to go. She loves the shopping, the resturants and scenic trips up there. REST assured ... GoodGuys will try another location
the goodguys trying other venues sorta brings in a breath of fresh air , so to speak....a buddy and i were talking a few years back , that it would be cool if they could do a goodguys show at the ky speedway.....but bowling green will do..... brandon
Florida just can not support a GG event. they have tried and tried at various locations. I had hoped the latest place would work (much better then the previous) and attract more folks from up north. It really needed to be earlier in the year as its just to hot. Hope that ATL can survive..
The GoodGuys show in Jax this past year pretty much blew IMHO, yes there were a few good cars there, but maybe because I have been to quite a few of the GG shows on the west coast (Del Mar, both the Pleasanton, Orange County (so so)) over the last 4 years, that I was getting used to the cars and numbers and quality of vendors at the CA shows, as I have been sent to Santa Maria toooo much which afforded me to go all over CA for shows. But the NSRA show in Tampa seems to do good, why is that, if you think FL can't support a quality show, maybe it it the time of year? or location. Who knows,as I have done the GG show when it was held in Orlando, and that was good, and it was easy to get in and out, and get to a highway, unlike Jax at the Alltel stadium. I think it all comes down to the dollar, and how far do you want to drive to a show, and what there is to do around the car show area, and the alltel satdium doesn't afford a lot to do close by. Mike
The company I work for is a big vendor at about 20 GG events every season, and we have noticed a tremendous drop off in spectators (and participants) buying parts at shows. Some shows we go to and GG is allowing people to use a larger space because other vendors have not shown. Like Deuce Roadster said, GG is a business and if Vendors hear of a show being a bad turnout for buyers they will more than likely not vend at that venue the next year. If GG loses vendors they lose money to help pay the venue, and will have to move on to, hopefully, a better place.
What was said of the Tampa NSRA show is correct....Record crowd this year, high gas prices and all. It was one of the shows that allowed post-'48 vehicles, and at first, I wasn't too keen on the idea, but it turned out nice. I used to go to the GG show when it was in Orlando, and I thought it was pretty nice...haven't been since it moved though, I wasn't that attached to it.
Yeah thank goodness the town and Chamber of Commerce realizes all the $$$ the show brings in to help local businesses each year and finally recognized that it was ostly local kids doing all the problem driving on the streets- not the guys with the classics or customs-not worth having something go wrong when you are 300 mi from home -ya know? Last year was legitimatly the biggest crowd we have had at the show-almost 7000 cars. You couldnt tell there was a gas crunch going on last year but I bet everyone will feel the sting this year.
The primary issue with Jacksonville that is different than other Goodguys events is that Jacksonville doesn't offer anything to do. Once you leave the stadium the town goes to crap. Theres no strip clubs, no good lounges and even the restaurants are hard to find. Also, Jax is a poor location geographically with the Atlantic ocean on one side (few fish attend) and the south Georgia void. Other than locals the next big towns are 150 miles away or more, like Tampa or Orlando or Atlanta. Goodguys best pick in Florida would be the St.Pete/Clearwater/Tampa trifecta. Thats why NSRA hit record crowds again. Riff Raff
Riff Raff, I think you hit it right on the head. Promoters need to really analyze the surrounding area. There is nothing around Jacksonville to draw from. Swamp-north, ocean-east, take the loss and move on.
I attended the show in Orlando in 2000, seemed like a sizable show. I was suprised it moved to Tallahassee, but made both shows there. The Tallahassee street Rodders club had been told they had a firm 5 yr deal. They got a copy of the Jan. GG Gazette & found out from it that the show was moved to Jax. Piss poor way to operate, don't even bother to have the courtesy to tell them.
You are right on the $$ there my friend. I know with the Right Coast (of which I am a Director) we had the same problem with a show in CT. Not a heck of a lot to do outside the show and when 6pm came around- it became a ghost town. Some guys at All Star Hot Rods and stuff were cool enough to host an open house, but the location itself is sleepy....I think people forget that some of the attendees WANT to leave cars behind at night (although Im not one of them) and spend time with the wives and kiddies doing other stuff. Hopefully, people will realize that the CT show (if held in 2008) is a fun smaller reginal event and to just take it for face value and NOT try to compare it to other national shows...
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