Car Show Resources

Are you new to organizing car shows? There are several things to know when planning an event. Below you will find access to handy PDF downloads to kickstart your event planning.

*Be sure to check with your local insurance provider for event insurance or disclaimers that you may require*.

*The following information is a simply a guide to get you started*

Registration This is information that you collect from each person entering your event. The information is used for announcing awards, car details, owner, year, make, etc. This information is normally transferred to the window plaque that are posted one each vehicle that is participating in the show. This can save you some time allowing you to pre write all vehicle numbers on here first! I also will help you to avoid the possiblity of having duplicate numbers.	REGISTRATION
Window Plaque These plaques are placed in the vehicle's window, providing the vehicle information for the persons attending the show. It basically contains the vehicle's make, model, and year, the owner's name and where they are from. Each form contains the assigned registration number, which is used for the voting process in selecting the winning prizes.	WINDOW PLAQUE
Participant Ballots These ballots handed out to those who have a vehicle entered into the show. This allows them to vote for their favorite vehicle. They write their entry # that was assigned to them when they registered. This serves two purposes: 1) It makes them eligible for a door prize that are given out by the sponsors of the show (and hopefully helps prevent cheating). 2) And Determines Top choices. Most events the amount of choices is determined by how many sponsors you have. Top 3 / 5 / 10	PARTICIPANT BALLOTS
Spectator Ballots These ballots are handed out to the spectators attending the show. Normally there are many categories that are on the form. The spectator makes a selection for each defined category and vote for their favorite vehicle. There is usually a People's Choice Award or Best in Show trophy or plaque that is given out.	SPECTATOR BALLOTS

How to Organize a Successful One-Day Classic Car Show

Planning and Logistics

Date and Location: When choosing a date, it is important that it doesn't conflict with any other major local events, holidays or other classic car events that weekend. During the summer months it is not uncommon to have six, seven or more events over a specific weekend. The check for car show listings go to https://www.maritimeclassiccars.com/disp_events_list.php

Registration: Normal registrations times are 9:00 or 10:00 a.m. This will allow the show organizers and participants time to park their vehicles and setup chairs, etc for the show.

Car Show Times: Normally car shows will be between 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. That leaves time for an award ceremony and break down for the organizers and any businessed that my have set up with their wares. By having everything wrapped up by 4:00 it ensures that participants and spectators can enjoy the rest of their day.

Volunteers: These people are crucial in running an event smoothly. Get a team of dedicated volunteers to help with from directing traffic, registration and to handing out trophies and answering questions.

Registration and Participant Management

Registration: This is information that you collect from each person entering your event. The information is used for announcing awards, car details, owner, year, make, etc. This information is normally transferred to the window plaque that are posted one each vehicle that is participating in the show. This can save you some time allowing you to pre write all vehicle numbers on here first! I also will help you to avoid the possiblity of having duplicate numbers.

Window Plaques: These plaques are placed in the vehicle's window, providing the vehicle information for the persons attending the show. It basically contains the vehicle's make, model, and year, the owner's name and where they are from. Each form contains the assigned registration number, which is used for the voting process in selecting the winning prizes.

Awards and Recognition

Trophies vs. Plaques: Wall plaques are normally preferred over a traditional trophy mainly because they are easier to display and store back in the Man/Woman Cave!!

Award Categories: A variety of awards for different categories is a common pattern for most car shows. Depending on the size of the show will dictate the number of prizes. Small car shows may just have Best in Show or a Sponsor's pick. If there are many sponsors then normally each sponsor will donate a prize and their name is mentioned (an possibly handed our by a representative of the company) when the prize is being handed out. This is a great way to give sponsors visibility.

Spectator's Choice: This award and be for "Best in Show" or spectators can be asked to vote for their favorite car in multiple categories. It gets the spectator involded in the show.

Financials and Fundraising

When running an event it is always nice to have prizes to give out to the vehicle participants and/or the spectators. There are a few ways to approach obtaining these prizes to give out.

Donations: Donations can be accepted for a specific cause (normally promoted when advertising the event) by the show partcipants or the spectators that attend the show. Over the 20 years that we have been covering car shows it is the concensous that charging a registration fee for show cars is low on the registrants. Classic car owners are often more willing to donate generously to a charity or cause they believe in. Sometimes charging a fee to the participants may result in them deciding to not participate.

Sponsorships: Obtaining sponsorships from local businesses is a great way to obtain items that can be used for awards or giveaways during the event. This will help reduce the costs for awards, signage, and other event needs. It is normal to advertise their name and logo on plaques, banners, and your event's promotional materials.

Door Prizes: As mentioned above sometimes it a practice to draw vehicle numbers for door prizes which helps keep your participants engaged during the day and is a great way to thank them for coming.

Other Prizes considered

There is a list of many other categories that can be setup for your show. Below are some of these popular categories.

Longest Distance,
Most Bugs,
Hard Luck Prize,
Rat Rod,
Under Construction,
Best Engine,
Best Paint,
Best Interior,
Best Truck,
Best Modern,
Best Import,
Best Muscle,
Most Unique,
Best Theme,
and Sponsor Award,

When giving out the awards it is important to announce the sponors (if there is one for that particular prize), The category you are presenting and which Car was the winner. You can use the registration forms to organize the prizes.

IMPORTANT - Give your Sponsors lots of recognition! Allow them to post posters, banners on the ground where the show is being hosted. Mention sponsor throughout the day and during the awards ceremony.

Important Last Step

Don't forget to submit your event to www.maritimeclassiccars.com to help get the word out to the classic car community! Also, post your event information on our Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/groups/127473339550

It is important to pay attention to details of your show. But if you focusing on these key areas, mentioned above, this will make your a show an enjoyable and memorable event for everyone involved.

If you have any questions or comments regarding Car Show Resourses, contact us at info@maritimeclassiccars.com.