Aside from getting the word around and finding a location, what other things are needed?
Approval from the City?
Establishment with Businesses?
Wet T-Shirt Contest? (Just Kidding 
)
Who's actually been a part of setting one up? There is no car scene here in my area. I'd like to maybe get one going for the summer.
The first two is where I'd start. No need to bother businesses if the "man" won't allow it.
I know the guy that set up the near me that I have going to since it started. I can ask him. He set up a deal with a coffee shop near by. The first few meetings the coffee shop provided free coffee. The gathering is now in front of the shop, and it gets a good amount of business each meeting.
One thing I know, believe it or not, he has to have insurance. You do have to get some agreement with the land / office owners though. One reason it works is because the cars are gone before any significant number of store customers show up.
There two around me I regularly attend. One was started by the business owner that has a collections of old Fiats. He provides the coffee and breakfast treats and the parking lot at his business. Donation of whatever you want to throw in for the coffee and treats. Donations go to scholarship fund for low income students at his business, Daycare/school for autistic children.
The other is run by the racing club in a parking lot for Books-a-Million. They got approval for parking lot use and we give business to the coffee shop in the book store. For the first few months the club paid an off-duty cop to attend with his patrol car to keep the rowdiness down but when found not needed we stopped doing that.
There is a guy around here that operates a EuroSunday event. EuroSunday is spreading and has website for origin and info, EuroSunday link. I haven't attended because interferes with church SWMBO drags me to.
Our local one is (i believe) run by the owners of this place chan autoplex there are usually 2 cops directing traffic around the show end time and 2 or 3 waiting for people to leave wrecklessly. Coffee and donughts are provided by a local dealership.
not sure, i don't think i could get up early enough to try.
Fargo just had the first one a couple weeks ago, and the turnout was impressive. The organizer simply created a Facebook event and spread the word. The first event was held in a KMart Parking lot, of which the manager of the store suggested a corner of the lot and a time frame for the event. The event next month will be at a larger lot at the college.
the only way to get someone like me to go to one would be to make it a lunchtime event... i'm not getting up at 6 am just to go look at some cars..
novaderrik wrote: the only way to get someone like me to go to one would be to make it a lunchtime event... i'm not getting up at 6 am just to go look at some cars..
Same here, not everyone wants to go to early morning events.
There's one coming the GR and the coordinator is pissing people off by saying all entries are to be Pebble Beach Concours quality.
Grtechguy wrote: There's one coming the GR and the coordinator is pissing people off by saying all entries are to be Pebble Beach Concours quality.
That's a joke. Our local Ann Arbor one gets lots of newer Vettes and Porsches, but the crowd gathered around a stock Fiat 124 driver, a well used long hood 911, and a Caterham last time I went. Previous ones had a Morris Minor driver quality that attracted a crowd. It seems money cars are to be ignored and driver quality stuff draws the attention.
I went to one in Great Falls Va a couple of Saturday's ago. One of the best I've been to. Cars start arriving around 6 I think. Over by around 9. Lots of folks getting up early for this one.
NOT A TA wrote:novaderrik wrote: the only way to get someone like me to go to one would be to make it a lunchtime event... i'm not getting up at 6 am just to go look at some cars..Same here, not everyone wants to go to early morning events.
Bob Costas
In reply to JimS:
The one's at Katie's are good. I'd come up with a clever name and logo that can be slapped onto coffee mugs and shirts for sale.
Katie's is the one. Been there twice when visiting my son. Lots of nice cars. Big effort to get up early though.
I am holding my 2nd one in May, it is a promotional tool for a business I have in the area.
The first thing is to have a location in mind, then get the city behind the event as stated, I also have the local Police on side.
What size is the city you are looking at?
Grtechguy wrote: There's one coming the GR and the coordinator is pissing people off by saying all entries are to be Pebble Beach Concours quality.
There are a couple close to me that are run and frequented by a bunch of pretentious pricks. They won't be having "those" type of people at their events. Only the perfect and expensive need apply.
The hot rod shows at the local O'Riley's and the BBQ joint, are much better events, staffed and frequented by better people with better turnouts.
aussiesmg wrote: What size is the city you are looking at?
Probably around 120k+. I see cars all the time and I know there are a couple shows, but they are usually coupled with a festival. So I figure it would be nice to have something for us all to do instead of just cruise.
I don't expect it to be insanely popular, I don't want to charge for people to come, no trophies, no limiting to concours style cars, just car guys shooting the E36 M3 for a couple hours. Bring what you got or your building.
I figure it would be more inviting if I did it at 9am, so it's not so early, but not so late that it's intruding onto peoples days off of work.
I do have a location. I just need to figure out if there is an interest.
Man I went to my first cars and coffee today and we over filled the lot. It's a joint lot with a dunkin donuts, gas station, and culvers. The culvers even opened an hour early for us. The owner posted on the Facebook group for the event with outlines of where he'd like us to park. It's was very fun and I got to enjoy a bunch of vehicle. Everything from beater Hondas to a 2015 M5 and factory five kit cars with big ford v8s. Needless to say I hope to attend more of these types of things.
I held a weekly meet for years. It was a pain in the ass once it got big. The people that took over shut it down after about 2 more years. Pass.
mndsm wrote: I held a weekly meet for years. It was a pain in the ass once it got big. The people that took over shut it down after about 2 more years. Pass.
Well wasn't yours brand specific as well? Or at least started out that way?
I wouldn't want to do it every week. Maybe once a month or possibly every couple weeks.
Primarily I would think you need a place with owners permission and lots of parking that is somewhat out of the way of the business. You also need a road at the exit with either tall curbs down the sides, gentle slopes for people to stand on, or lots of Street parking for spectators. That way the Mustangs will have somewhere to park also.
SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote:mndsm wrote: I held a weekly meet for years. It was a pain in the ass once it got big. The people that took over shut it down after about 2 more years. Pass.Well wasn't yours brand specific as well? Or at least started out that way? I wouldn't want to do it every week. Maybe once a month or possibly every couple weeks.
It started that way. And as it grew, more people with different marques came. And it kept growing. Our last season in our original location we were packed every week. On a wednesday. The regulars were bitching constantly that our location was blown out. Then, it closed. We split into two meets. One north, one south. The north one was specifically for the regulars that were bitching about it being blown out. It drew 3-4 people, max. I shut it down after one season, because i was driving an hour each direction, every week, and berkeley that. Merged the north meeting with the south meeting. Back to a packed house, but the writing was on the wall. I stayed out of the organization side of it, but i alreasy knew what was coming. 2 seasons in, i quit going because there was too much bullE36 M3. Angry property owners because stupid kids, a couple arrests, drinking, littering, accusations of street racing. That meet got shut down after one more season. Cars and coffee in mn is the same thing. Too many idiots. It was fun, but you eventually grow into the thing you hate. I sold mnmazda in 2014, wholesale. I would never. Ever. Ever. Do that again. Too many bitches, headaches, flatbillers, old guys, etc. I love cars have since i could understand them. And you couldnt pay me to do another meet.
In reply to mndsm:
Well it sound like you got burnt the hell out more than anything. I don't blame you though.
Honestly, I just want something car related to do through the year. There are no cruise nights around here and usually they are either too lax so the troublemakers are about, or they're so strict that it takes the fun out of it. I don't care for car shows anymore because I feel like you're trapped there for half the day.
To me Cars and Coffee seem to be the better bet. It's in the morning on the weekend and I have a feeling (with the automotive demographic in the area) it would be mostly older folks.
I think also by only doing it once, maybe twice a month, I think it won't be as crazy. In the area I'm in, I'm not expecting a huge turnout.
In reply to SyntheticBlinkerFluid:
Burnt out was part of it too. I was at it for..7 years roughly 6 months a year pluswinter monthlies. But the biggest part was the people. Keeping the riff raff in check was as simple as a call to the cops. Other than the one time i got jumped for calling someone a transvestite with dorty shoes on the internet, i was able to keep my people in line. But when you get a bunch of whiny douchetards at all the things all the time, eventually you be like "berkeley this, ima go xbox".
Cars and coffee in mn is 15 rows of E36 M3ty volkswagens and stanced audis, a handful of E36 M3 that old people bring out, and about 100 mustangs. And even then they bitch. I quit going after someone i knoe went on this titanic rant about how he couldnt park in when he had the baddest cobalt out there. Ok you have what appears to be a bone stock cobalt base model. Yes, its turbod. But....no one knows and sure as hell no one knows its built block too. Doesnt make nearly the power you claim (400 whp by last math) but is fast. Get over yourself. The entire thing got clogged with berkeleytards like that.
Now im not saying dont try it. Who knows. Theres a reason these things happen every weekend all over the country. E36 M3 the one in celebration florida...i counted 3m+ in hardware. And then i saw a third car. Its neat as E36 M3. But i cannot overstate the headaches that come with success.
You'll need to log in to post.
