00:00:12Reviving the British Motor Show
00:07:49Challenges and Success of Event Relaunch
00:15:41Auto Show Focuses on Customer Experience
00:27:38Expanding and Improving Event Accessibility
OM DENNE EPISODE
Meet Andy Entwistle CEO of The British Motor Show
Prepare to be taken on a journey of automotive revival, as Andy, a true veteran of the car industry, joins us to recount the adrenaline-fueled adventure of breathing life back into the iconic British Motor Show. Discover how he steered through the unpredictable roadblocks and high-speed turns of reinventing the illustrious event, which vanished in 2008. From securing the legendary name to crafting a show that drove nearly 50,000 fans wild with excitement, Andy's tale is one of passion, perseverance, and the power of four wheels.
Buckle up for an exploration into the challenges that came with the COVID-19 pandemic, throwing a wrench in the gears of event planning. Andy opens up about the momentous decision to hit the brakes and postpone the show, a strategic pit stop that led to a roaring comeback, defying the odds of the industry's pandemic paralysis. We celebrate the event's success, highlighting the last-minute ticket surge that crowned the show a phenomenal spectacle, reinforcing our belief in the magnetic allure of motor events.
As the episode shifts gears, we address the electrifying topic of EVs and their pivotal role in the future of driving. With Andy's insights, we learn how transforming car shows into an immersive playground, where petrol heads and the EV-curious can get hands-on with the latest electric models, is accelerating the shift toward greener wheels. We wrap up pondering the delicate balance between scaling up and keeping the authentic charm of the show, much like tuning a classic car for modern-day performance. It's an episode that drives home the value of innovation, experience, and the timeless love for automobiles.
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So welcome to Confounded TV, andy.
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Hi also how you doing, I'm all right.
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Yes, you certainly had an interesting few years.
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That would be fair to say, I think.
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That's a good way of summarizing the last two years.
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Yeah, interesting.
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Interesting.
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Yes, I took the podcast off here because it was just depressing, so it would be great to hear somebody's gone through it and is bouncing back out of the other side.
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I think Absolutely.
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Could you start with, just to give us a bit of background, what you've done and how you ended up picking up this mantle.
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Sure.
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So I've been an automotive industry man and boy as I deliver on the Inlet TV saying that I've worked for Friday manufacturers in automotive.
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I've worked for support companies in operational roles and then I went and joined a company called Blackball Media.
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They produce automotive trade magazines and I was there for quite a while.
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We got very involved in events, amongst many other things.
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I became great.
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I'm great at it and that's how I ended up in this part of the industry.
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I'm a huge supporter of the industry.
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I'm a big fan of it, big fan of the trade side of that as well, and I get very upset when people pull our industry down.
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I was involved in a couple of consumer shows in and around London and decided it could be done better.
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And I went to a few of the big motor shows globally as well and I just thought do you know what?
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They're not moving on?
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They're not moved with the times, and too many of these shows there's just a bunch of cars sitting in a room, even the big ones.
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You can get there and do them in a couple of hours.
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I thought this isn't what people are looking for.
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I remember reading people who go to them and say they're supposed to be.
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Oh, I walked six and a half miles according to Stravinsky.
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That's the best thing you've got to say about a show.
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Absolutely, and I went to one of the biggest European shows back in 2018.
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It was a big show but it was all static and under two hours I figured actually I think I've done it.
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And I was then wandering around trying to find stuff to do and I thought I'm not going on a press pass.
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I thought other people are looking at the price of these tickets, thinking this is a lot of cash for a couple of hours, and I just thought there's an opportunity here and, despite some of the naysayers, there's an opportunity to do something really different that supports the industry but also delivers something really really different to the consumers.
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And you look at some of the shows that are really successful now.
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They're all about entertainment and dynamic stuff.
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So that's how I set about doing this, and in 2019, I got the rights to the British Motor Show and we launched in November 19.
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We were going to be relaunching.
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We hadn't had a national show since 2008.
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I was just going to ask that question what was the reason for the sort of why didn't we have a national show in 2000?
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Because it was a big thing, the British Motor Show at one point.
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It was a huge thing.
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There's a lot of reasons.
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It depends who you talk to.
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Combination of things, I mean 2008,.
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The world was having financial challenges.
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A lot of the global manufacturers were probably marketing budgets.
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That was one of the issues.
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There were too many big shows at that point in time.
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Every country had a big show.
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With those big shows came huge budgets and if you talk to some of the manufacturers I Water and they were spending.
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The other issue was these were 10 day shows, so they're over two weekends.
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So it's not just a matter of oh, it's going to cost me X to go, I've got to put people at 10 days.
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The costs were spiraling.
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You were looking at seven digits for a lot of people.
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So people decided, in a market that was struggling, they weren't selling cars, I'm not going to throw millions at these shows and Geneva did a great job in kind of holding on to their show and that became the one show that most people did not For a while.
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They were saying well, we'll do one in the Middle East or in the East of Japan actually just one and then you've got one in America and then you've got one in Europe.
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So the others fell by the wayside rather than adapting.
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Just about what I said about not being very dynamic.
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It was just a bunch of cars in a room, so lots of reasons behind it.
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They just felt that they couldn't actually keep it going.
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The other thing as well is it was bi-annual.
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At the end, if you remember, it went from being Birmingham in London, birmingham, london.
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Then it was every other year and then it was just London every other year, and I think people kind of got confused when is it and when is it happening?
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And you know it is and you see it's not just the old most shows.
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So a lot of there's a few try shows that go on this way.
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They've gone every other year and I get it because they're trying to help budgets for people.
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They're actually from a visitor point of view.
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I think it's the death of most shows You've got to go every other year.
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Then you're losing a lot of your customers.
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You're a student.
00:05:04.848 --> 00:05:06.170
You're a student Two south from the lands.
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You're literally students for gas.
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We've all got a calendar of things that happen every year.
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Yeah, so there's good word, there's Le Mans or whatever.
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Absolutely, we haven't been born for five years.
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I thought we were going next year, this year, but I haven't been for five years.
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But I know it's roughly the end of May or June every year, so I could just choose a year and go.
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It was every other year, but is it all in this year?
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I can't remember.
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Is it this year, or is it the classic, or what is it?
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You know it's bridge, go on pray.
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It happens every year.
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We all know when that is roughly.
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You know the classic car show in the NEC.
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There are these things that people look forward to every year.
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I think, if you go every other year, that just so that show it was.
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You've bounced around.
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It had lots of different venues.
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It wasn't very exciting.
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It wasn't exciting at the end.
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And actually now the other thing it also London is not the right place for a motor show.
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So, no matter what people say, you don't it.
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London is not a great place.
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London is a great place but not a great place for those kind of shows.
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So all of those things together really hurt it.
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And obviously you know 2008, the way the economy was, that was the death knell.
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So it went away.
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But I decided look, we are one of the biggest automotive markets in Europe.
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We still are, even though you know people think that we don't have an automotive industry.
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We do.
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We should have a national show.
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So you know, I was the idiot at the end of 19 to kind of gave everything up, threw what I had into the business announced in November 19.
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This is it, we're going.
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And then a couple of months later, this annoying bug came along.
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I mean just briefly.
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The question I was going to ask you is I mean, I think it's what you did was an amazing leap of faith, because you're between, you, had some experience.
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Obviously you love the industry and you're going I'm going to do this and everyone.
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I think usually when people say they're going to do something, like the thing to not listen to normal is your friends, because they go yes, great idea, I'll see.
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Stephanie goes.
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What did your friends say when you said I'm going to do this?
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Well, a lot of people said to me it won't work.
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Oh, the industry doesn't need that.
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They don't want that.
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So what?
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Yeah.
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What was interesting, though, is it you talked to them, and I was led by talking to consumers, talking to car fans.
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They were saying but actually we did, consumers want to show, and actually what we did in the last year's show is they do, we want to go and do this, we love this, but the trading on people don't want it.
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She's going to do what they do, the important on the ultimate industry.
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They say no, don't do it, you're crazy, we don't want.
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No one wants that show, because I am my target audience, I don't show and therefore there's a lot of people like me.
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So that drove me from.
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The feedback from friends drove me to come up something completely unique.
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And did you have?
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Am I not a commit mistaken?
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Did you not have the first one all planned before COVID arrived in March 2020?
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Literally.
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So when was it going to be?
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It was going to be August 20.
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That was the original relaunch and we were all systems go.
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We launched it, we were selling tickets, we had exhibitors, we have cinch on board as the headline sponsor.
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It was all looking great and we were well into planning and then we hit the first lockdown and I'm looking and thinking, oh, we might have a problem here.
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And my initial concern was keeping the lights on for the business.
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How do I do that?
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And thankfully, the government, although they didn't specifically help the events industry.
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In fact they didn't help the events industry at all.
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But with the furlough scheme, I was able to keep the team on board and I got a bit of financial assistance, so we were able to hold on to that.
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But of course, do you remember, back in March 2020, we thought this thing was going to blow over until three months and really up until I reckon.
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But certainly in May of that year we were still looking and thinking, oh, by all of us, we should be OK, and we made the difficult decision in June, I would just say this isn't going to happen.
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And then, of course, everything started unraveling anyway.
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So we made the decision in June we're going to push back a year, we're going to go 12 months.
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Other people were saying, oh, it'll be fine by February, but we said, no, this isn't indoor, outdoor show, we're not going to be in the February, people are going to freeze.
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So we pushed it back 12 months and, hindsight, that was actually the right thing to do and it was actually a blessed idea, because we were the very first big national show that happened after lockdown.
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At least People were just let me get out of here.
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I want to go and do something exciting.
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It was a bit of a bug.
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So you know we, I think so you fast forward.
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The challenges we had bringing people in, of course, is you're talking big companies on our exhibit I love the big brands and just pulled all of their events budgets because they said we don't know what it's going to look like, we're going to do nothing this year.
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So we had to challenge that.
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We came up with different ways of getting people in.
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So you had that challenge.
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But then you, equally, as you said, you got all these consumers desperately get out and they've been locked up.
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But equally, what we found was that we had this group that would desperately get out, but they just had this group who were very fearful Because we were in.
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We were six weeks after that officially released lockdown and we only really start.
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It was the 19th of June.
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I remember that it was the 19th of June that was supposed to announce that lockdown was lifted.
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That gets two months and they said we're just going to hold off some of the restrictions for another four weeks.
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And we were all sat down thinking, well, do we go or don't we go?
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We're going to go, we're going to have to take this risk, we're going to go and the biggest challenge for any event, particularly something like ours.
00:10:21.009 --> 00:10:26.821
Of course, a lot of your revenue comes from tickets and people don't tend to buy tickets until about three months out.
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It's the way the world works for events Unless it's a Rihanna concert, that's very limited and known as a big event like this people will buy the tickets much closer to the time, but of course, people work buying tickets in April, may, june, because they didn't know whether they were going to be locked down a lot.
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I know we're going to lose our money.
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So we had this real issue and even with four weeks to go, we were at less than 20% of where we hoped to be and it was as Alec Trudin since he says it's squeaky belt time and thankfully, you know it was amazing.
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And then, before we went, we said we're going and everything opened up and we sat down and I have to friend Finch particularly because they put their hands in their pockets and said, right, okay, that's really good for this and they used a lot of their budget as well to really support the show.
00:11:14.698 --> 00:11:20.663
So, with the support from Finch, we obviously we trawled our money into those few weeks.
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We had a couple of other partners, suek Carly, some being one of them who gave us a lot of assets, and we just absolutely went for it, and each of the tickets were sold in a two-week show.
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That's amazing.
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But it's scary as hell.
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But it went down really well and I think you're right that there were two types of people people who really were desperate to get out and they loved it, and then the other people who were a little concerned, but they came along.
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They were buying tickets on the day, yeah, so 80% of the tickets came from the last couple of weeks in the run of the show.
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Two weeks before the show started.
00:11:56.782 --> 00:12:04.455
So you must have been sitting there going every time the little thing ticked and went bing and you sold a ticket.
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You must have been going, come on, come on.
00:12:06.331 --> 00:12:11.009
Absolutely that was the point of the harvest big for us, Because at this point in time we'd got a great show.
00:12:11.852 --> 00:12:12.836
We knew we had a great show.
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Everything set up, all of our partners are on board, we've got all the vehicles, all the live content, everything's done, everything's paid for.
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I know at this point in time, I've got a show that's going to be amazing and I do.
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I know this.
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My biggest fear is that no one's going to get to see the show, and we had a huge site.
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You know the size of the site in Flamber is not just the indoor, We've got acres of outdoor space with Liberinas.
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So even you know four or five thousand people on that site, so a lot of people would make it look very quiet.
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So that was our biggest fear.
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As it turned out, ticket sales flew.
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We got just under 50,000.
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And it was a huge success.
00:12:52.619 --> 00:12:55.518
But it was right to the Y4.
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We were the first really big event, so a lot of people have been watching us and people have pushed back after us.
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So everyone was watching us very carefully.
00:13:04.878 --> 00:13:14.961
But it worked really well, thankfully, and we delivered, and one I'm proudest of is my original vision back in 2019.
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It was as close to that vision as I really could have wanted.
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It's cool.
00:13:20.226 --> 00:13:22.291
It sounds just so painful.
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I'm just getting there.
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Would it be wrong to guess that if those people hadn't flooded in the last two weeks, it would probably never have come back?
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Would that be fair, or would you have managed to find a way to do it this year?
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We had the support.
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Our partners particularly, were behind us.
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We committed to Fulmra for five years.
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We've got Cinch's headline for five years.
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I had a number of other partners.
00:13:46.566 --> 00:13:51.731
So from a point of view being able to put the show on in years two, three, four, five, we were fine with that.
00:13:51.731 --> 00:13:54.183
We didn't expect to make money in the first year.
00:13:54.183 --> 00:13:55.528
You don't end up in that same time.
00:13:55.528 --> 00:13:56.711
It's all about reinvesting.
00:13:56.711 --> 00:14:00.975
It's a five-year plan so financially it wouldn't have been a putt.
00:14:00.975 --> 00:14:07.235
But if we hadn't delivered enough people to the doors then you'd have found it much harder to go to exhibits and say do you want to come back?
00:14:07.235 --> 00:14:16.274
But of course and that's absolutely key With a big event like this you've got two types of customers that both could be happy.
00:14:16.756 --> 00:14:18.908
You consumers have got to come back because they've had a great time.
00:14:18.908 --> 00:14:21.033
That's really key to growing the business.
00:14:21.033 --> 00:14:24.375
But most importantly, all your exhibits you've got to deliver something amazing.
00:14:24.375 --> 00:14:34.076
So they're knocking on your door for the next year and thankfully we've managed to tick both boxes and we had a couple of the big manufacturers within weeks that picked up phone.
00:14:34.076 --> 00:14:39.398
One of them particularly did more test drives at the show and they've done any other event in the UK ever.
00:14:39.398 --> 00:14:41.586
So that was a really nice bit of feedback.
00:14:41.586 --> 00:14:42.832
And they follow me up and said can we come back?
00:14:42.832 --> 00:14:44.299
Of course you can, yeah.
00:14:45.024 --> 00:14:46.126
And I'd like to know more about the event.
00:14:46.126 --> 00:14:56.994
I just got one question about the change of the growth of EV, because it strikes me that actually for manufacturers, it's actually quite a good time to be able to get in front of 50 or 100,000 people every year.
00:14:56.994 --> 00:15:05.086
This year, because the need built in these cars, because once somebody's been in them this is my personal experience then they're like I'll buy one of that.
00:15:05.086 --> 00:15:07.190
People who've borrowed mine go off and buy one.
00:15:07.190 --> 00:15:09.996
So this growth is going to be.
00:15:09.996 --> 00:15:11.326
It's logarithmic.
00:15:11.326 --> 00:15:19.480
Now, yeah, for you, that's what they want to do is get there to see the, to get these people into the test drive these cars yeah, and that's the whole point.
00:15:19.679 --> 00:15:25.807
So the two key parts of the show is educating, and so the entertainment groups, people in, and while they're there, we educate them.
00:15:25.807 --> 00:15:28.554
And it's particularly you're right at the moment the key part of it, which is EV.
00:15:28.554 --> 00:15:41.150
So we're a, we've got tech theater, so all the way through that, the four days, we've got people on stage answering all of these different questions about range anxiety and wavering work, why range anxiety isn't the thing anymore.
00:15:41.150 --> 00:15:47.640
The infrastructure and, like you said, how to drive a car, and I was talking to someone the other day and they said well, look, it was, it was.
00:15:47.640 --> 00:15:50.875
We want to get people into EVs and they've talked about getting them into cars.
00:15:50.875 --> 00:15:54.409
I said the car and what you want to do is get them into.
00:15:54.409 --> 00:15:58.307
And we've got the electric mini that we're using to promote the electric side of the show.
00:15:58.307 --> 00:16:16.590
And I said use the mini because when someone sits in a mini, it looks exactly like a normal mini, which you've got an automatic gearbox, whereas if you're going to an off Honda, it's a great car, it's a fantastic car, but you've got to be an EV convert to actually get back to drive that car, because it's a bit funky.
00:16:16.590 --> 00:16:18.875
So, for someone who just wants to drive a normal car.
00:16:18.875 --> 00:16:23.119
It is quite a piece of putting them in the cars is really important.
00:16:23.440 --> 00:16:29.384
So what we, you know we had so you can test drive, you can sit and press buttons, and then we also have them to live arena.
00:16:29.384 --> 00:16:33.101
And the whole point about the live arena is they, we bring them in, they do a few laps.
00:16:33.101 --> 00:16:37.452
We've got Mr Brewer, who's straight in the arena, he'll their chat to not forward.
00:16:37.452 --> 00:16:38.394
They brought the Mackie.
00:16:38.394 --> 00:16:41.028
So you know, talk about the Mackie and we then we encourage people.
00:16:41.028 --> 00:16:47.190
So they've seen it dynamically, we've had a bit of fun with it and then we said, well, when you go over there, you can actually go and sit in one and you can test drive them as well.
00:16:47.190 --> 00:16:59.054
So bringing that all together is really important for the manufacturers and there's not many places where they can get it dynamically, statically on a stand and then get people your arms on seats.
00:16:59.054 --> 00:17:01.144
That's where I see my trade back.
00:17:02.767 --> 00:17:05.250
Yeah, I think it's interesting because you can go and look at the moldy along with it.
00:17:05.250 --> 00:17:09.403
I don't think it makes a difference, You'd be able to get in it.
00:17:09.403 --> 00:17:20.664
But also you're giving them an environment I'm guessing here which is slightly different than going to the dealer for a test drive, because here you're saying you can get in it, Nobody's ever going to try and sell it to you, you don't even take your details if you don't want to hand them over.
00:17:20.664 --> 00:17:23.781
Whereas you turn up, the dealer should say can I test drive you a new, whatever it is?
00:17:23.781 --> 00:17:25.852
That is a different thing, isn't it?
00:17:25.852 --> 00:17:29.769
You're making it part of that entertainment package as opposed to part of a sales package.
00:17:32.174 --> 00:17:33.478
It's a subtle thing.
00:17:33.478 --> 00:17:35.261
We bring people in for a great family date.
00:17:35.261 --> 00:17:35.903
That's the idea.
00:17:35.903 --> 00:17:38.277
One you're there, you're having fun and then you go and sit in this car.
00:17:38.277 --> 00:17:39.641
Actually, I'd really like this.
00:17:39.641 --> 00:17:47.761
I'm either going to go and test drive it here or when I buy my next car and this is where the switched on manufacturers get it I might sit in that.
00:17:47.761 --> 00:17:49.390
And the latest, let's use the mini-gun.
00:17:49.390 --> 00:17:57.733
I might sit in the latest mainly and say this is great, I'm not going to go and buy one at the show because I'm not ready for any car Six months, 12 months later, I was going to try to make my purchase decision.
00:18:00.021 --> 00:18:00.724
You're right in that.
00:18:00.724 --> 00:18:01.868
That's what we're trying to do.
00:18:01.868 --> 00:18:06.751
We want to create that atmosphere of song and along the way you get in the cars and it does come back to what I was saying.
00:18:06.751 --> 00:18:07.676
It's my trade background.
00:18:07.676 --> 00:18:09.626
No, you put a bum on the seat.
00:18:09.626 --> 00:18:11.952
That's a really good thing to do.
00:18:12.012 --> 00:18:16.903
I get so frustrated with some of the big glitzy showers, with some of the manufacturers.
00:18:16.903 --> 00:18:25.256
Put these huge gin power systems, stupid money, and they stick their brand new car in the middle and they broke it all.
00:18:25.256 --> 00:18:27.820
How are you going to sell that car?
00:18:27.820 --> 00:18:29.263
We actively discourage this.
00:18:29.263 --> 00:18:33.679
We're saying to exhibitors it's not the money you think, it is.
00:18:33.679 --> 00:18:35.301
In fact it's very reasonably priced.
00:18:35.301 --> 00:18:54.001
But rather than come on board, take a load of space, create something gin palace-like and then put a car in the middle, put your money into putting cars in the test, put your money into having a nice number of cars on the stand where people can just inch, you might think, well, this works.
00:18:54.001 --> 00:18:57.392
But the normal, everyday brands like Tiers, the Renault, the Scrooge, it works for everyone.
00:18:57.392 --> 00:18:58.816
It works for everyone.
00:18:58.816 --> 00:19:02.313
We had McLaren with us last year and they were selling cars.
00:19:02.313 --> 00:19:07.551
They actually took the leads and sold cars from the show and that's a top-end vehicle you wouldn't expect.
00:19:07.551 --> 00:19:10.922
I met with JLR they had a retailer there, but great show.
00:19:12.170 --> 00:19:19.319
JLR know this works, sandy, because they go to Burley at all the horse stuff right and they have the Land Rover experience.
00:19:19.319 --> 00:19:26.269
You'll be right next to the eventing course and you'll wade your ticket Brand new discovery Stick it into a three-feet of water.
00:19:26.269 --> 00:19:27.334
You'll take it over the top.
00:19:27.334 --> 00:19:29.946
Then they've got the one that their own drivers do and the Q.
00:19:29.946 --> 00:19:38.548
I was always amazed going to Belton or Burley and all these things around here, because the Q's for JLR are bigger than the Q's for everything else at the event.
00:19:38.548 --> 00:19:44.953
Because people want the experience and even if they're not going to buy a Land Rover, a Land Rover is cemented in their minds that this is the off-road car.
00:19:44.953 --> 00:19:47.506
If you ever can afford it, this is the one to buy, absolutely.
00:19:47.526 --> 00:19:50.420
And whether it's new or used, because they'll be that.
00:19:50.420 --> 00:19:51.747
You need a healthy used market.
00:19:51.747 --> 00:19:53.567
So even if they don't buy a new one, they buy used one.
00:19:53.567 --> 00:19:56.715
It props up People buy the new ones because they've got good residuals.
00:19:56.715 --> 00:19:57.759
Do you know what it's like on the train?
00:19:57.759 --> 00:19:58.804
It's all about that.
00:19:58.804 --> 00:20:00.632
And that actually is exactly the show.
00:20:00.632 --> 00:20:02.059
It's all about that Duranani calendar.
00:20:02.059 --> 00:20:05.213
So what you saw there, the Land Rover experience is we've got a load of those.
00:20:05.354 --> 00:20:12.788
You're doing a bang across so many more, whether it's catering or we've got supercar rides or go-karting or electric bicycles.
00:20:12.788 --> 00:20:14.857
Why did I not come to this?
00:20:14.857 --> 00:20:17.799
I wish you didn't get into your inboxing times.
00:20:17.799 --> 00:20:37.115
So actually that was a bit of a challenge for us because in lockdown we didn't do a lot of marketing, because we went and told it, sure, we hoped it was going to happen, but it was no point because we're a new business, we didn't have tons of money to throw it in, so we had to be very careful and actually one of the biggest challenges I guess it's a good challenge.
00:20:37.115 --> 00:20:47.618
So the number of people that's seen it have said I heard about the show, I think I know about it beforehand and it's frustrating for me, but it actually means for 2022, we've got a fantastic opportunity.
00:20:47.618 --> 00:20:58.397
So we've just done a couple of media deals with Greatest Hits Radio, we're working with Auto Express, so we're going to be getting the message out much further and wider this year as well.
00:20:58.770 --> 00:21:00.501
What's the maximum capacity you can take?
00:21:02.126 --> 00:21:03.009
Oh, it's crazy.
00:21:03.009 --> 00:21:09.749
Over the four days we could get $180,000 in there without too much difficulty because we've got such a large site.
00:21:09.749 --> 00:21:16.731
We're expecting somewhere $80,000 to $90,000 this year, so any significant increase.
00:21:18.468 --> 00:21:19.911
That's a bit of a secret, feliz.
00:21:19.911 --> 00:21:22.056
Your role was doubling at the top end of that.
00:21:22.056 --> 00:21:27.230
Absolutely, that's quite a loss of administration, to deal with it is, and that's the challenge for us.
00:21:27.592 --> 00:21:31.626
The difference between $60,000 and $190,000 is quite significant.
00:21:31.626 --> 00:21:34.915
It's a little thing like catering Toilets.
00:21:34.915 --> 00:21:38.760
Actually, that was a toilet and catering was a real doubt.
00:21:38.760 --> 00:21:46.449
That was the biggest challenge we had, actually in 2021, because we were the first big show out the blocks Lots of these little catering units.
00:21:46.449 --> 00:21:48.053
They'd mocked all of them for nearly two years.
00:21:48.053 --> 00:21:52.031
We were the first time that they'd come out, so they were very rusty.
00:21:52.031 --> 00:21:56.067
We were obliged to use the onsite caterers for Pharma.
00:21:56.067 --> 00:22:04.342
They discovered that they outsource it, but the agency that they use discovered that a lot of the people that they had on their books were no longer training.
00:22:04.423 --> 00:22:05.890
Catering was a real challenge for us.
00:22:05.890 --> 00:22:09.808
Now we're addressing that this year, which is better, but it is things like that.
00:22:09.808 --> 00:22:15.955
What we didn't want and you see this at shows is you turn up there and it's just burgers, because it's a family show.
00:22:15.955 --> 00:22:16.900
We want good food.
00:22:16.900 --> 00:22:19.147
Then you queue for an hour for a pizza.
00:22:19.147 --> 00:22:20.873
It's not the experience we wanted.
00:22:20.873 --> 00:22:23.186
That's the challenge for us.
00:22:23.186 --> 00:22:30.394
We're going to go to $100,000 with people, a lot more catering, a lot more car parking, a lot more toilets.
00:22:30.394 --> 00:22:31.556
We've got another whole issue.
00:22:31.556 --> 00:22:35.692
So we are building a third hall.
00:22:35.692 --> 00:22:36.776
We'll have more space for people.
00:22:37.325 --> 00:22:41.821
Yes, I remember that's why it was sort of being up front here.
00:22:41.821 --> 00:22:47.557
Obviously, I've exhibited it a couple of years ago and that's why I brought the barista and the coffee machine.
00:22:47.557 --> 00:22:52.327
Because the coffee in the location in the first and the couple of the early shows wasn't very good, I brought my own.
00:22:52.327 --> 00:22:53.511
Then I did it with email.
00:22:53.511 --> 00:22:55.909
All the potential customers say do you want a really good coffee?
00:22:55.909 --> 00:22:56.671
Come to my house.
00:22:56.671 --> 00:22:57.574
Absolutely.
00:22:57.574 --> 00:23:04.855
Then we had a queue out the door, not because they wanted to see our product or meet us, just because they wanted a really good, proper cappuccino or a flat white or whatever.
00:23:04.855 --> 00:23:05.508
It was amazing.
00:23:05.508 --> 00:23:09.327
Then the next year everybody brought coffee machines, but then you fixed it, so it didn't matter.
00:23:11.346 --> 00:23:13.234
This is what we say to everybody when they come along.
00:23:13.234 --> 00:23:22.490
There's a way to do a show as an exhibitor, which is you turn up there and you have a little pod let's say it's 3x2, and you're trying to hand out flowys.
00:23:22.490 --> 00:23:28.711
We've given away 50-pound notes and that's not going to work, because people will walk past you.
00:23:28.711 --> 00:23:35.036
What you need is something different, be it a coffee machine, or be it a Batac wall or just something to draw people in.
00:23:35.036 --> 00:23:42.840
We're trying to work really close with them and give them that feedback, because that's also important for us, because that's part of our whole show.
00:23:42.840 --> 00:23:44.586
The coffee machine is always a great idea.
00:23:44.586 --> 00:23:46.112
Racing simulators is another one.
00:23:46.112 --> 00:23:47.153
Yeah, I think we have six.
00:23:48.788 --> 00:23:50.035
In the space, I think, especially.
00:23:50.035 --> 00:23:57.425
I wouldn't say which brand it was because it wouldn't be fair, but I had an order on the electric car which was pre-order for one of the first ones.
00:23:57.425 --> 00:24:03.246
Then, at Atee's other show they had invited you all, the pre-order, to come and see it.
00:24:03.246 --> 00:24:06.196
Then they had it literally glassed off in a big glass box.
00:24:06.196 --> 00:24:10.730
Before I write the check for 40 grand, can I sit in it?
00:24:10.730 --> 00:24:11.373
No, no, no, no.
00:24:11.373 --> 00:24:13.647
Yes, that's weird.
00:24:13.647 --> 00:24:16.840
It was that plus other reasons that I canceled.
00:24:16.840 --> 00:24:27.853
But it was just interesting how I think, if you look down a generation, everything's experienced and all you're going to do is realize that the reason that is is because that's what they want.
00:24:27.853 --> 00:24:30.892
Actually, if you offer it up the generations, it's exactly the same.
00:24:30.892 --> 00:24:32.256
It's just not been done before.
00:24:33.146 --> 00:24:33.669
Absolutely.
00:24:33.669 --> 00:24:38.261
That's a good example of where we went wrong for a while.
00:24:38.261 --> 00:24:40.247
You can't go near this.
00:24:40.247 --> 00:24:44.016
For a while, I think some manufacturers thought there are some of them.
00:24:44.016 --> 00:24:47.275
We don't need a network of retailers actually, because people will buy.
00:24:47.275 --> 00:24:50.450
Some people might buy, but a lot of people will.
00:24:50.450 --> 00:24:54.326
Even if it's at a show like ours, they're going to want to sit and look at what they've got.
00:24:54.326 --> 00:25:03.215
Ideally, I'm quite drive, but you've got to have a lot of blind faith to go out and spend 40, 50, 60 grand on a vehicle that you've never even been near.
00:25:03.215 --> 00:25:06.211
It might be an amazing vehicle, but we're all different.
00:25:06.211 --> 00:25:07.474
You get that kind of thing.
00:25:07.474 --> 00:25:12.477
The color of that is really annoying, or the brightness of that screen.
00:25:12.477 --> 00:25:13.326
There might be something.
00:25:13.326 --> 00:25:16.099
You've got to live with that for two or three years, I do think.
00:25:16.099 --> 00:25:24.053
Matt, I'm starting to realize now that once they can do the maturity of selling online, they do need to get that product in front of people and physically.
00:25:26.169 --> 00:25:26.830
When's the next one?
00:25:27.825 --> 00:25:30.711
Next one is 18th to 21st of August.
00:25:30.711 --> 00:25:32.296
It's back at Sombra.
00:25:32.765 --> 00:25:33.627
Nice and hot as well.
00:25:33.709 --> 00:25:38.957
Great Nice and hot Good weekend.
00:25:38.957 --> 00:25:40.080
It brings us across.
00:25:40.080 --> 00:25:40.942
We're there for five years.
00:25:40.942 --> 00:25:41.726
It's the same place.
00:25:41.726 --> 00:25:44.377
We are not resting on our laurels, though.
00:25:44.377 --> 00:25:45.260
We've got more space.
00:25:45.260 --> 00:25:46.586
We've taken this additional hall.
00:25:46.586 --> 00:25:49.782
We've got an additional live action arena, because that went really well.
00:25:49.782 --> 00:25:51.367
We've taken additional space.
00:25:51.367 --> 00:25:55.727
If you came along in 21, you'll see a lot of different stuff in 22.
00:25:55.727 --> 00:25:56.588
That's really important.
00:25:56.588 --> 00:25:58.394
What we don't want to do is just deliver the same stuff.
00:25:58.394 --> 00:26:00.468
We're not downwell.
00:26:00.468 --> 00:26:06.138
We don't want to deliver the same stuff All fresh, but we know what we're going to do.
00:26:08.516 --> 00:26:08.938
Fantastic.
00:26:08.938 --> 00:26:09.821
How do I buy a ticket?
00:26:10.806 --> 00:26:11.909
So you go to the website.
00:26:11.909 --> 00:26:15.217
It's that wwwthebritishmotorshowlive.
00:26:15.217 --> 00:26:19.269
It's £37 for a family of four, so it's normally an expensive day out.
00:26:19.269 --> 00:26:20.614
Wow, that's brilliant.
00:26:20.614 --> 00:26:22.701
I thought you were going to say something.
00:26:22.701 --> 00:26:24.310
Well, this is the thing.
00:26:24.310 --> 00:26:27.473
It's back to our philosophy of making this a reasonable day out for a family.
00:26:27.473 --> 00:26:35.109
It's too easy to pay £100 a ticket for some of these bets and it's a really expensive day for a family.
00:26:35.109 --> 00:26:37.550
It's not easy for everybody.
00:26:37.550 --> 00:26:46.130
We intentionally priced this Murray Keenley at £37 on the basis free parking, of what you cannot get in many places.
00:26:46.130 --> 00:26:51.346
So the idea is that people can turn up and for under £100 they've had a great day, including children.
00:26:51.346 --> 00:26:51.729
She drinks.
00:26:52.704 --> 00:26:53.951
That is absolutely fantastic.
00:26:53.951 --> 00:27:02.548
I mean, I can't think I'm trying to rapidly think of anything which offers me that for that kind of money as a family event, it just doesn't exist.
00:27:03.484 --> 00:27:06.193
Well, I went to the cinema with the Australian Whiskey Cinema Refuse.
00:27:06.193 --> 00:27:07.127
It costs us more than that.
00:27:08.866 --> 00:27:10.916
I think the fish and chips you get off a stand.
00:27:10.916 --> 00:27:14.371
At any other event, I've been to for a family for which it costs you £37.
00:27:14.391 --> 00:27:16.346
Absolutely so.
00:27:16.346 --> 00:27:18.472
The whole concept for us again is it's making it reasonable.
00:27:18.472 --> 00:27:20.549
It's not just for exhibitors, it's for the public as well.
00:27:20.549 --> 00:27:26.672
We want people that have a great day and need not to break the bank for that much, and that also encourages more people.
00:27:26.672 --> 00:27:31.821
So it's intentionally and we kept the prices the same with 21,.
00:27:31.821 --> 00:27:34.529
Even though we had great year and some people would go in a great year.
00:27:34.529 --> 00:27:35.332
Let's put the prices at.
00:27:35.332 --> 00:27:36.394
That's not our philosophy.
00:27:36.394 --> 00:27:38.650
We can get more people in that area.
00:27:38.704 --> 00:27:41.595
It's a fantastic event, but you've got the option of getting bigger right.
00:27:41.595 --> 00:27:43.810
You could fit a lot of people into farming, absolutely.
00:27:43.810 --> 00:27:47.800
So just look at the air show right so you can actually keep doing great performances.
00:27:47.800 --> 00:27:49.284
Make it bigger and more exciting.
00:27:49.284 --> 00:27:51.732
Charge reasonable amount and you make a good business out of it.
00:27:51.732 --> 00:27:53.734
And people have a really good weekend, don't they?
00:27:53.734 --> 00:27:54.234
Absolutely.
00:27:54.255 --> 00:27:55.596
That's it and that's half-loss.
00:27:55.596 --> 00:27:56.738
That's exactly how it's done.
00:27:56.738 --> 00:27:57.638
You've hit the nail ahead.
00:27:57.638 --> 00:28:03.532
Let's keep it reasonable, let's keep it fun, let's make it open and accessible to everybody, exhibitors and public.
00:28:04.567 --> 00:28:05.551
Well, thank you for coming on.
00:28:05.551 --> 00:28:10.131
I really, really wanted to record this one, I think, of all the people, I mean a lot of people.
00:28:10.131 --> 00:28:23.050
As I said at the beginning, I paused this because of COVID and I watched your LinkedIn and the persistence and it's always great to hear an entrepreneur, where there's a really difficult story that you persist to and end up with something good at the end.
00:28:23.050 --> 00:28:24.492
There's always a great story.
00:28:24.492 --> 00:28:25.518
So, thank you for coming on.
00:28:25.518 --> 00:28:26.724
No, thank you very much.
00:28:26.865 --> 00:28:39.723
Have a great week and good talk.
00:00:12.794 --> 00:00:14.756
So welcome to Confounded TV, andy.
00:00:14.756 --> 00:00:17.562
Hi also how you doing, I'm all right.
00:00:17.562 --> 00:00:20.407
Yes, you certainly had an interesting few years.
00:00:20.407 --> 00:00:21.844
That would be fair to say, I think.
00:00:22.963 --> 00:00:24.890
That's a good way of summarizing the last two years.
00:00:24.890 --> 00:00:25.934
Yeah, interesting.
00:00:26.096 --> 00:00:26.538
Interesting.
00:00:26.538 --> 00:00:35.429
Yes, I took the podcast off here because it was just depressing, so it would be great to hear somebody's gone through it and is bouncing back out of the other side.
00:00:35.429 --> 00:00:36.932
I think Absolutely.
00:00:36.932 --> 00:00:44.045
Could you start with, just to give us a bit of background, what you've done and how you ended up picking up this mantle.
00:00:45.128 --> 00:00:45.329
Sure.
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So I've been an automotive industry man and boy as I deliver on the Inlet TV saying that I've worked for Friday manufacturers in automotive.
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I've worked for support companies in operational roles and then I went and joined a company called Blackball Media.
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They produce automotive trade magazines and I was there for quite a while.
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We got very involved in events, amongst many other things.
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I became great.
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I'm great at it and that's how I ended up in this part of the industry.
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I'm a huge supporter of the industry.
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I'm a big fan of it, big fan of the trade side of that as well, and I get very upset when people pull our industry down.
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I was involved in a couple of consumer shows in and around London and decided it could be done better.
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And I went to a few of the big motor shows globally as well and I just thought do you know what?
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They're not moving on?
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They're not moved with the times, and too many of these shows there's just a bunch of cars sitting in a room, even the big ones.
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You can get there and do them in a couple of hours.
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I thought this isn't what people are looking for.
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I remember reading people who go to them and say they're supposed to be.
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Oh, I walked six and a half miles according to Stravinsky.
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That's the best thing you've got to say about a show.
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Absolutely, and I went to one of the biggest European shows back in 2018.
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It was a big show but it was all static and under two hours I figured actually I think I've done it.
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And I was then wandering around trying to find stuff to do and I thought I'm not going on a press pass.
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I thought other people are looking at the price of these tickets, thinking this is a lot of cash for a couple of hours, and I just thought there's an opportunity here and, despite some of the naysayers, there's an opportunity to do something really different that supports the industry but also delivers something really really different to the consumers.
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And you look at some of the shows that are really successful now.
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They're all about entertainment and dynamic stuff.
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So that's how I set about doing this, and in 2019, I got the rights to the British Motor Show and we launched in November 19.
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We were going to be relaunching.
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We hadn't had a national show since 2008.
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I was just going to ask that question what was the reason for the sort of why didn't we have a national show in 2000?
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Because it was a big thing, the British Motor Show at one point.
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It was a huge thing.
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There's a lot of reasons.
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It depends who you talk to.
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Combination of things, I mean 2008,.
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The world was having financial challenges.
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A lot of the global manufacturers were probably marketing budgets.
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That was one of the issues.
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There were too many big shows at that point in time.
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Every country had a big show.
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With those big shows came huge budgets and if you talk to some of the manufacturers I Water and they were spending.
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The other issue was these were 10 day shows, so they're over two weekends.
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So it's not just a matter of oh, it's going to cost me X to go, I've got to put people at 10 days.
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The costs were spiraling.
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You were looking at seven digits for a lot of people.
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So people decided, in a market that was struggling, they weren't selling cars, I'm not going to throw millions at these shows and Geneva did a great job in kind of holding on to their show and that became the one show that most people did not For a while.
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They were saying well, we'll do one in the Middle East or in the East of Japan actually just one and then you've got one in America and then you've got one in Europe.
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So the others fell by the wayside rather than adapting.
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Just about what I said about not being very dynamic.
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It was just a bunch of cars in a room, so lots of reasons behind it.
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They just felt that they couldn't actually keep it going.
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The other thing as well is it was bi-annual.
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At the end, if you remember, it went from being Birmingham in London, birmingham, london.
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Then it was every other year and then it was just London every other year, and I think people kind of got confused when is it and when is it happening?
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And you know it is and you see it's not just the old most shows.
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So a lot of there's a few try shows that go on this way.
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They've gone every other year and I get it because they're trying to help budgets for people.
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They're actually from a visitor point of view.
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I think it's the death of most shows You've got to go every other year.
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Then you're losing a lot of your customers.
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You're a student.
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You're a student Two south from the lands.
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You're literally students for gas.
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We've all got a calendar of things that happen every year.
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Yeah, so there's good word, there's Le Mans or whatever.
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Absolutely, we haven't been born for five years.
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I thought we were going next year, this year, but I haven't been for five years.
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But I know it's roughly the end of May or June every year, so I could just choose a year and go.
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It was every other year, but is it all in this year?
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I can't remember.
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Is it this year, or is it the classic, or what is it?
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You know it's bridge, go on pray.
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It happens every year.
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We all know when that is roughly.
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You know the classic car show in the NEC.
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There are these things that people look forward to every year.
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I think, if you go every other year, that just so that show it was.
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You've bounced around.
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It had lots of different venues.
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It wasn't very exciting.
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It wasn't exciting at the end.
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And actually now the other thing it also London is not the right place for a motor show.
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So, no matter what people say, you don't it.
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London is not a great place.
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London is a great place but not a great place for those kind of shows.
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So all of those things together really hurt it.
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And obviously you know 2008, the way the economy was, that was the death knell.
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So it went away.
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But I decided look, we are one of the biggest automotive markets in Europe.
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We still are, even though you know people think that we don't have an automotive industry.
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We do.
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We should have a national show.
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So you know, I was the idiot at the end of 19 to kind of gave everything up, threw what I had into the business announced in November 19.
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This is it, we're going.
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And then a couple of months later, this annoying bug came along.
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I mean just briefly.
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The question I was going to ask you is I mean, I think it's what you did was an amazing leap of faith, because you're between, you, had some experience.
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Obviously you love the industry and you're going I'm going to do this and everyone.
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I think usually when people say they're going to do something, like the thing to not listen to normal is your friends, because they go yes, great idea, I'll see.
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Stephanie goes.
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What did your friends say when you said I'm going to do this?
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Well, a lot of people said to me it won't work.
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Oh, the industry doesn't need that.
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They don't want that.
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So what?
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Yeah.
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What was interesting, though, is it you talked to them, and I was led by talking to consumers, talking to car fans.
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They were saying but actually we did, consumers want to show, and actually what we did in the last year's show is they do, we want to go and do this, we love this, but the trading on people don't want it.
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She's going to do what they do, the important on the ultimate industry.
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They say no, don't do it, you're crazy, we don't want.
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No one wants that show, because I am my target audience, I don't show and therefore there's a lot of people like me.
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So that drove me from.
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The feedback from friends drove me to come up something completely unique.
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And did you have?
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Am I not a commit mistaken?
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Did you not have the first one all planned before COVID arrived in March 2020?
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Literally.
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So when was it going to be?
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It was going to be August 20.
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That was the original relaunch and we were all systems go.
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We launched it, we were selling tickets, we had exhibitors, we have cinch on board as the headline sponsor.
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It was all looking great and we were well into planning and then we hit the first lockdown and I'm looking and thinking, oh, we might have a problem here.
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And my initial concern was keeping the lights on for the business.
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How do I do that?
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And thankfully, the government, although they didn't specifically help the events industry.
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In fact they didn't help the events industry at all.
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But with the furlough scheme, I was able to keep the team on board and I got a bit of financial assistance, so we were able to hold on to that.
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But of course, do you remember, back in March 2020, we thought this thing was going to blow over until three months and really up until I reckon.
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But certainly in May of that year we were still looking and thinking, oh, by all of us, we should be OK, and we made the difficult decision in June, I would just say this isn't going to happen.
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And then, of course, everything started unraveling anyway.
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So we made the decision in June we're going to push back a year, we're going to go 12 months.
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Other people were saying, oh, it'll be fine by February, but we said, no, this isn't indoor, outdoor show, we're not going to be in the February, people are going to freeze.
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So we pushed it back 12 months and, hindsight, that was actually the right thing to do and it was actually a blessed idea, because we were the very first big national show that happened after lockdown.
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At least People were just let me get out of here.
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I want to go and do something exciting.
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It was a bit of a bug.
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So you know we, I think so you fast forward.
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The challenges we had bringing people in, of course, is you're talking big companies on our exhibit I love the big brands and just pulled all of their events budgets because they said we don't know what it's going to look like, we're going to do nothing this year.
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So we had to challenge that.
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We came up with different ways of getting people in.
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So you had that challenge.
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But then you, equally, as you said, you got all these consumers desperately get out and they've been locked up.
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But equally, what we found was that we had this group that would desperately get out, but they just had this group who were very fearful Because we were in.
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We were six weeks after that officially released lockdown and we only really start.
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It was the 19th of June.
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I remember that it was the 19th of June that was supposed to announce that lockdown was lifted.
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That gets two months and they said we're just going to hold off some of the restrictions for another four weeks.
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And we were all sat down thinking, well, do we go or don't we go?
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We're going to go, we're going to have to take this risk, we're going to go and the biggest challenge for any event, particularly something like ours.
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Of course, a lot of your revenue comes from tickets and people don't tend to buy tickets until about three months out.
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It's the way the world works for events Unless it's a Rihanna concert, that's very limited and known as a big event like this people will buy the tickets much closer to the time, but of course, people work buying tickets in April, may, june, because they didn't know whether they were going to be locked down a lot.
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I know we're going to lose our money.
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So we had this real issue and even with four weeks to go, we were at less than 20% of where we hoped to be and it was as Alec Trudin since he says it's squeaky belt time and thankfully, you know it was amazing.
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And then, before we went, we said we're going and everything opened up and we sat down and I have to friend Finch particularly because they put their hands in their pockets and said, right, okay, that's really good for this and they used a lot of their budget as well to really support the show.
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So, with the support from Finch, we obviously we trawled our money into those few weeks.
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We had a couple of other partners, suek Carly, some being one of them who gave us a lot of assets, and we just absolutely went for it, and each of the tickets were sold in a two-week show.
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That's amazing.
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But it's scary as hell.
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But it went down really well and I think you're right that there were two types of people people who really were desperate to get out and they loved it, and then the other people who were a little concerned, but they came along.
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They were buying tickets on the day, yeah, so 80% of the tickets came from the last couple of weeks in the run of the show.
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Two weeks before the show started.
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So you must have been sitting there going every time the little thing ticked and went bing and you sold a ticket.
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You must have been going, come on, come on.
00:12:06.331 --> 00:12:11.009
Absolutely that was the point of the harvest big for us, Because at this point in time we'd got a great show.
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We knew we had a great show.
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Everything set up, all of our partners are on board, we've got all the vehicles, all the live content, everything's done, everything's paid for.
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I know at this point in time, I've got a show that's going to be amazing and I do.
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I know this.
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My biggest fear is that no one's going to get to see the show, and we had a huge site.
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You know the size of the site in Flamber is not just the indoor, We've got acres of outdoor space with Liberinas.
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So even you know four or five thousand people on that site, so a lot of people would make it look very quiet.
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So that was our biggest fear.
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As it turned out, ticket sales flew.
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We got just under 50,000.
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And it was a huge success.
00:12:52.619 --> 00:12:55.518
But it was right to the Y4.
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We were the first really big event, so a lot of people have been watching us and people have pushed back after us.
00:13:01.600 --> 00:13:04.878
So everyone was watching us very carefully.
00:13:04.878 --> 00:13:14.961
But it worked really well, thankfully, and we delivered, and one I'm proudest of is my original vision back in 2019.
00:13:14.961 --> 00:13:18.360
It was as close to that vision as I really could have wanted.
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It's cool.
00:13:20.226 --> 00:13:22.291
It sounds just so painful.
00:13:22.291 --> 00:13:23.833
I'm just getting there.
00:13:23.833 --> 00:13:31.086
Would it be wrong to guess that if those people hadn't flooded in the last two weeks, it would probably never have come back?
00:13:31.086 --> 00:13:34.517
Would that be fair, or would you have managed to find a way to do it this year?
00:13:36.745 --> 00:13:38.149
We had the support.
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Our partners particularly, were behind us.
00:13:40.639 --> 00:13:42.806
We committed to Fulmra for five years.
00:13:42.806 --> 00:13:45.232
We've got Cinch's headline for five years.
00:13:45.232 --> 00:13:46.336
I had a number of other partners.
00:13:46.566 --> 00:13:51.731
So from a point of view being able to put the show on in years two, three, four, five, we were fine with that.
00:13:51.731 --> 00:13:54.183
We didn't expect to make money in the first year.
00:13:54.183 --> 00:13:55.528
You don't end up in that same time.
00:13:55.528 --> 00:13:56.711
It's all about reinvesting.
00:13:56.711 --> 00:14:00.975
It's a five-year plan so financially it wouldn't have been a putt.
00:14:00.975 --> 00:14:07.235
But if we hadn't delivered enough people to the doors then you'd have found it much harder to go to exhibits and say do you want to come back?
00:14:07.235 --> 00:14:16.274
But of course and that's absolutely key With a big event like this you've got two types of customers that both could be happy.
00:14:16.756 --> 00:14:18.908
You consumers have got to come back because they've had a great time.
00:14:18.908 --> 00:14:21.033
That's really key to growing the business.
00:14:21.033 --> 00:14:24.375
But most importantly, all your exhibits you've got to deliver something amazing.
00:14:24.375 --> 00:14:34.076
So they're knocking on your door for the next year and thankfully we've managed to tick both boxes and we had a couple of the big manufacturers within weeks that picked up phone.
00:14:34.076 --> 00:14:39.398
One of them particularly did more test drives at the show and they've done any other event in the UK ever.
00:14:39.398 --> 00:14:41.586
So that was a really nice bit of feedback.
00:14:41.586 --> 00:14:42.832
And they follow me up and said can we come back?
00:14:42.832 --> 00:14:44.299
Of course you can, yeah.
00:14:45.024 --> 00:14:46.126
And I'd like to know more about the event.
00:14:46.126 --> 00:14:56.994
I just got one question about the change of the growth of EV, because it strikes me that actually for manufacturers, it's actually quite a good time to be able to get in front of 50 or 100,000 people every year.
00:14:56.994 --> 00:15:05.086
This year, because the need built in these cars, because once somebody's been in them this is my personal experience then they're like I'll buy one of that.
00:15:05.086 --> 00:15:07.190
People who've borrowed mine go off and buy one.
00:15:07.190 --> 00:15:09.996
So this growth is going to be.
00:15:09.996 --> 00:15:11.326
It's logarithmic.
00:15:11.326 --> 00:15:19.480
Now, yeah, for you, that's what they want to do is get there to see the, to get these people into the test drive these cars yeah, and that's the whole point.
00:15:19.679 --> 00:15:25.807
So the two key parts of the show is educating, and so the entertainment groups, people in, and while they're there, we educate them.
00:15:25.807 --> 00:15:28.554
And it's particularly you're right at the moment the key part of it, which is EV.
00:15:28.554 --> 00:15:41.150
So we're a, we've got tech theater, so all the way through that, the four days, we've got people on stage answering all of these different questions about range anxiety and wavering work, why range anxiety isn't the thing anymore.
00:15:41.150 --> 00:15:47.640
The infrastructure and, like you said, how to drive a car, and I was talking to someone the other day and they said well, look, it was, it was.
00:15:47.640 --> 00:15:50.875
We want to get people into EVs and they've talked about getting them into cars.
00:15:50.875 --> 00:15:54.409
I said the car and what you want to do is get them into.
00:15:54.409 --> 00:15:58.307
And we've got the electric mini that we're using to promote the electric side of the show.
00:15:58.307 --> 00:16:16.590
And I said use the mini because when someone sits in a mini, it looks exactly like a normal mini, which you've got an automatic gearbox, whereas if you're going to an off Honda, it's a great car, it's a fantastic car, but you've got to be an EV convert to actually get back to drive that car, because it's a bit funky.
00:16:16.590 --> 00:16:18.875
So, for someone who just wants to drive a normal car.
00:16:18.875 --> 00:16:23.119
It is quite a piece of putting them in the cars is really important.
00:16:23.440 --> 00:16:29.384
So what we, you know we had so you can test drive, you can sit and press buttons, and then we also have them to live arena.
00:16:29.384 --> 00:16:33.101
And the whole point about the live arena is they, we bring them in, they do a few laps.
00:16:33.101 --> 00:16:37.452
We've got Mr Brewer, who's straight in the arena, he'll their chat to not forward.
00:16:37.452 --> 00:16:38.394
They brought the Mackie.
00:16:38.394 --> 00:16:41.028
So you know, talk about the Mackie and we then we encourage people.
00:16:41.028 --> 00:16:47.190
So they've seen it dynamically, we've had a bit of fun with it and then we said, well, when you go over there, you can actually go and sit in one and you can test drive them as well.
00:16:47.190 --> 00:16:59.054
So bringing that all together is really important for the manufacturers and there's not many places where they can get it dynamically, statically on a stand and then get people your arms on seats.
00:16:59.054 --> 00:17:01.144
That's where I see my trade back.
00:17:02.767 --> 00:17:05.250
Yeah, I think it's interesting because you can go and look at the moldy along with it.
00:17:05.250 --> 00:17:09.403
I don't think it makes a difference, You'd be able to get in it.
00:17:09.403 --> 00:17:20.664
But also you're giving them an environment I'm guessing here which is slightly different than going to the dealer for a test drive, because here you're saying you can get in it, Nobody's ever going to try and sell it to you, you don't even take your details if you don't want to hand them over.
00:17:20.664 --> 00:17:23.781
Whereas you turn up, the dealer should say can I test drive you a new, whatever it is?
00:17:23.781 --> 00:17:25.852
That is a different thing, isn't it?
00:17:25.852 --> 00:17:29.769
You're making it part of that entertainment package as opposed to part of a sales package.
00:17:32.174 --> 00:17:33.478
It's a subtle thing.
00:17:33.478 --> 00:17:35.261
We bring people in for a great family date.
00:17:35.261 --> 00:17:35.903
That's the idea.
00:17:35.903 --> 00:17:38.277
One you're there, you're having fun and then you go and sit in this car.
00:17:38.277 --> 00:17:39.641
Actually, I'd really like this.
00:17:39.641 --> 00:17:47.761
I'm either going to go and test drive it here or when I buy my next car and this is where the switched on manufacturers get it I might sit in that.
00:17:47.761 --> 00:17:49.390
And the latest, let's use the mini-gun.
00:17:49.390 --> 00:17:57.733
I might sit in the latest mainly and say this is great, I'm not going to go and buy one at the show because I'm not ready for any car Six months, 12 months later, I was going to try to make my purchase decision.
00:18:00.021 --> 00:18:00.724
You're right in that.
00:18:00.724 --> 00:18:01.868
That's what we're trying to do.
00:18:01.868 --> 00:18:06.751
We want to create that atmosphere of song and along the way you get in the cars and it does come back to what I was saying.
00:18:06.751 --> 00:18:07.676
It's my trade background.
00:18:07.676 --> 00:18:09.626
No, you put a bum on the seat.
00:18:09.626 --> 00:18:11.952
That's a really good thing to do.
00:18:12.012 --> 00:18:16.903
I get so frustrated with some of the big glitzy showers, with some of the manufacturers.
00:18:16.903 --> 00:18:25.256
Put these huge gin power systems, stupid money, and they stick their brand new car in the middle and they broke it all.
00:18:25.256 --> 00:18:27.820
How are you going to sell that car?
00:18:27.820 --> 00:18:29.263
We actively discourage this.
00:18:29.263 --> 00:18:33.679
We're saying to exhibitors it's not the money you think, it is.
00:18:33.679 --> 00:18:35.301
In fact it's very reasonably priced.
00:18:35.301 --> 00:18:54.001
But rather than come on board, take a load of space, create something gin palace-like and then put a car in the middle, put your money into putting cars in the test, put your money into having a nice number of cars on the stand where people can just inch, you might think, well, this works.
00:18:54.001 --> 00:18:57.392
But the normal, everyday brands like Tiers, the Renault, the Scrooge, it works for everyone.
00:18:57.392 --> 00:18:58.816
It works for everyone.
00:18:58.816 --> 00:19:02.313
We had McLaren with us last year and they were selling cars.
00:19:02.313 --> 00:19:07.551
They actually took the leads and sold cars from the show and that's a top-end vehicle you wouldn't expect.
00:19:07.551 --> 00:19:10.922
I met with JLR they had a retailer there, but great show.
00:19:12.170 --> 00:19:19.319
JLR know this works, sandy, because they go to Burley at all the horse stuff right and they have the Land Rover experience.
00:19:19.319 --> 00:19:26.269
You'll be right next to the eventing course and you'll wade your ticket Brand new discovery Stick it into a three-feet of water.
00:19:26.269 --> 00:19:27.334
You'll take it over the top.
00:19:27.334 --> 00:19:29.946
Then they've got the one that their own drivers do and the Q.
00:19:29.946 --> 00:19:38.548
I was always amazed going to Belton or Burley and all these things around here, because the Q's for JLR are bigger than the Q's for everything else at the event.
00:19:38.548 --> 00:19:44.953
Because people want the experience and even if they're not going to buy a Land Rover, a Land Rover is cemented in their minds that this is the off-road car.
00:19:44.953 --> 00:19:47.506
If you ever can afford it, this is the one to buy, absolutely.
00:19:47.526 --> 00:19:50.420
And whether it's new or used, because they'll be that.
00:19:50.420 --> 00:19:51.747
You need a healthy used market.
00:19:51.747 --> 00:19:53.567
So even if they don't buy a new one, they buy used one.
00:19:53.567 --> 00:19:56.715
It props up People buy the new ones because they've got good residuals.
00:19:56.715 --> 00:19:57.759
Do you know what it's like on the train?
00:19:57.759 --> 00:19:58.804
It's all about that.
00:19:58.804 --> 00:20:00.632
And that actually is exactly the show.
00:20:00.632 --> 00:20:02.059
It's all about that Duranani calendar.
00:20:02.059 --> 00:20:05.213
So what you saw there, the Land Rover experience is we've got a load of those.
00:20:05.354 --> 00:20:12.788
You're doing a bang across so many more, whether it's catering or we've got supercar rides or go-karting or electric bicycles.
00:20:12.788 --> 00:20:14.857
Why did I not come to this?
00:20:14.857 --> 00:20:17.799
I wish you didn't get into your inboxing times.
00:20:17.799 --> 00:20:37.115
So actually that was a bit of a challenge for us because in lockdown we didn't do a lot of marketing, because we went and told it, sure, we hoped it was going to happen, but it was no point because we're a new business, we didn't have tons of money to throw it in, so we had to be very careful and actually one of the biggest challenges I guess it's a good challenge.
00:20:37.115 --> 00:20:47.618
So the number of people that's seen it have said I heard about the show, I think I know about it beforehand and it's frustrating for me, but it actually means for 2022, we've got a fantastic opportunity.
00:20:47.618 --> 00:20:58.397
So we've just done a couple of media deals with Greatest Hits Radio, we're working with Auto Express, so we're going to be getting the message out much further and wider this year as well.
00:20:58.770 --> 00:21:00.501
What's the maximum capacity you can take?
00:21:02.126 --> 00:21:03.009
Oh, it's crazy.
00:21:03.009 --> 00:21:09.749
Over the four days we could get $180,000 in there without too much difficulty because we've got such a large site.
00:21:09.749 --> 00:21:16.731
We're expecting somewhere $80,000 to $90,000 this year, so any significant increase.
00:21:18.468 --> 00:21:19.911
That's a bit of a secret, feliz.
00:21:19.911 --> 00:21:22.056
Your role was doubling at the top end of that.
00:21:22.056 --> 00:21:27.230
Absolutely, that's quite a loss of administration, to deal with it is, and that's the challenge for us.
00:21:27.592 --> 00:21:31.626
The difference between $60,000 and $190,000 is quite significant.
00:21:31.626 --> 00:21:34.915
It's a little thing like catering Toilets.
00:21:34.915 --> 00:21:38.760
Actually, that was a toilet and catering was a real doubt.
00:21:38.760 --> 00:21:46.449
That was the biggest challenge we had, actually in 2021, because we were the first big show out the blocks Lots of these little catering units.
00:21:46.449 --> 00:21:48.053
They'd mocked all of them for nearly two years.
00:21:48.053 --> 00:21:52.031
We were the first time that they'd come out, so they were very rusty.
00:21:52.031 --> 00:21:56.067
We were obliged to use the onsite caterers for Pharma.
00:21:56.067 --> 00:22:04.342
They discovered that they outsource it, but the agency that they use discovered that a lot of the people that they had on their books were no longer training.
00:22:04.423 --> 00:22:05.890
Catering was a real challenge for us.
00:22:05.890 --> 00:22:09.808
Now we're addressing that this year, which is better, but it is things like that.
00:22:09.808 --> 00:22:15.955
What we didn't want and you see this at shows is you turn up there and it's just burgers, because it's a family show.
00:22:15.955 --> 00:22:16.900
We want good food.
00:22:16.900 --> 00:22:19.147
Then you queue for an hour for a pizza.
00:22:19.147 --> 00:22:20.873
It's not the experience we wanted.
00:22:20.873 --> 00:22:23.186
That's the challenge for us.
00:22:23.186 --> 00:22:30.394
We're going to go to $100,000 with people, a lot more catering, a lot more car parking, a lot more toilets.
00:22:30.394 --> 00:22:31.556
We've got another whole issue.
00:22:31.556 --> 00:22:35.692
So we are building a third hall.
00:22:35.692 --> 00:22:36.776
We'll have more space for people.
00:22:37.325 --> 00:22:41.821
Yes, I remember that's why it was sort of being up front here.
00:22:41.821 --> 00:22:47.557
Obviously, I've exhibited it a couple of years ago and that's why I brought the barista and the coffee machine.
00:22:47.557 --> 00:22:52.327
Because the coffee in the location in the first and the couple of the early shows wasn't very good, I brought my own.
00:22:52.327 --> 00:22:53.511
Then I did it with email.
00:22:53.511 --> 00:22:55.909
All the potential customers say do you want a really good coffee?
00:22:55.909 --> 00:22:56.671
Come to my house.
00:22:56.671 --> 00:22:57.574
Absolutely.
00:22:57.574 --> 00:23:04.855
Then we had a queue out the door, not because they wanted to see our product or meet us, just because they wanted a really good, proper cappuccino or a flat white or whatever.
00:23:04.855 --> 00:23:05.508
It was amazing.
00:23:05.508 --> 00:23:09.327
Then the next year everybody brought coffee machines, but then you fixed it, so it didn't matter.
00:23:11.346 --> 00:23:13.234
This is what we say to everybody when they come along.
00:23:13.234 --> 00:23:22.490
There's a way to do a show as an exhibitor, which is you turn up there and you have a little pod let's say it's 3x2, and you're trying to hand out flowys.
00:23:22.490 --> 00:23:28.711
We've given away 50-pound notes and that's not going to work, because people will walk past you.
00:23:28.711 --> 00:23:35.036
What you need is something different, be it a coffee machine, or be it a Batac wall or just something to draw people in.
00:23:35.036 --> 00:23:42.840
We're trying to work really close with them and give them that feedback, because that's also important for us, because that's part of our whole show.
00:23:42.840 --> 00:23:44.586
The coffee machine is always a great idea.
00:23:44.586 --> 00:23:46.112
Racing simulators is another one.
00:23:46.112 --> 00:23:47.153
Yeah, I think we have six.
00:23:48.788 --> 00:23:50.035
In the space, I think, especially.
00:23:50.035 --> 00:23:57.425
I wouldn't say which brand it was because it wouldn't be fair, but I had an order on the electric car which was pre-order for one of the first ones.
00:23:57.425 --> 00:24:03.246
Then, at Atee's other show they had invited you all, the pre-order, to come and see it.
00:24:03.246 --> 00:24:06.196
Then they had it literally glassed off in a big glass box.
00:24:06.196 --> 00:24:10.730
Before I write the check for 40 grand, can I sit in it?
00:24:10.730 --> 00:24:11.373
No, no, no, no.
00:24:11.373 --> 00:24:13.647
Yes, that's weird.
00:24:13.647 --> 00:24:16.840
It was that plus other reasons that I canceled.
00:24:16.840 --> 00:24:27.853
But it was just interesting how I think, if you look down a generation, everything's experienced and all you're going to do is realize that the reason that is is because that's what they want.
00:24:27.853 --> 00:24:30.892
Actually, if you offer it up the generations, it's exactly the same.
00:24:30.892 --> 00:24:32.256
It's just not been done before.
00:24:33.146 --> 00:24:33.669
Absolutely.
00:24:33.669 --> 00:24:38.261
That's a good example of where we went wrong for a while.
00:24:38.261 --> 00:24:40.247
You can't go near this.
00:24:40.247 --> 00:24:44.016
For a while, I think some manufacturers thought there are some of them.
00:24:44.016 --> 00:24:47.275
We don't need a network of retailers actually, because people will buy.
00:24:47.275 --> 00:24:50.450
Some people might buy, but a lot of people will.
00:24:50.450 --> 00:24:54.326
Even if it's at a show like ours, they're going to want to sit and look at what they've got.
00:24:54.326 --> 00:25:03.215
Ideally, I'm quite drive, but you've got to have a lot of blind faith to go out and spend 40, 50, 60 grand on a vehicle that you've never even been near.
00:25:03.215 --> 00:25:06.211
It might be an amazing vehicle, but we're all different.
00:25:06.211 --> 00:25:07.474
You get that kind of thing.
00:25:07.474 --> 00:25:12.477
The color of that is really annoying, or the brightness of that screen.
00:25:12.477 --> 00:25:13.326
There might be something.
00:25:13.326 --> 00:25:16.099
You've got to live with that for two or three years, I do think.
00:25:16.099 --> 00:25:24.053
Matt, I'm starting to realize now that once they can do the maturity of selling online, they do need to get that product in front of people and physically.
00:25:26.169 --> 00:25:26.830
When's the next one?
00:25:27.825 --> 00:25:30.711
Next one is 18th to 21st of August.
00:25:30.711 --> 00:25:32.296
It's back at Sombra.
00:25:32.765 --> 00:25:33.627
Nice and hot as well.
00:25:33.709 --> 00:25:38.957
Great Nice and hot Good weekend.
00:25:38.957 --> 00:25:40.080
It brings us across.
00:25:40.080 --> 00:25:40.942
We're there for five years.
00:25:40.942 --> 00:25:41.726
It's the same place.
00:25:41.726 --> 00:25:44.377
We are not resting on our laurels, though.
00:25:44.377 --> 00:25:45.260
We've got more space.
00:25:45.260 --> 00:25:46.586
We've taken this additional hall.
00:25:46.586 --> 00:25:49.782
We've got an additional live action arena, because that went really well.
00:25:49.782 --> 00:25:51.367
We've taken additional space.
00:25:51.367 --> 00:25:55.727
If you came along in 21, you'll see a lot of different stuff in 22.
00:25:55.727 --> 00:25:56.588
That's really important.
00:25:56.588 --> 00:25:58.394
What we don't want to do is just deliver the same stuff.
00:25:58.394 --> 00:26:00.468
We're not downwell.
00:26:00.468 --> 00:26:06.138
We don't want to deliver the same stuff All fresh, but we know what we're going to do.
00:26:08.516 --> 00:26:08.938
Fantastic.
00:26:08.938 --> 00:26:09.821
How do I buy a ticket?
00:26:10.806 --> 00:26:11.909
So you go to the website.
00:26:11.909 --> 00:26:15.217
It's that wwwthebritishmotorshowlive.
00:26:15.217 --> 00:26:19.269
It's £37 for a family of four, so it's normally an expensive day out.
00:26:19.269 --> 00:26:20.614
Wow, that's brilliant.
00:26:20.614 --> 00:26:22.701
I thought you were going to say something.
00:26:22.701 --> 00:26:24.310
Well, this is the thing.
00:26:24.310 --> 00:26:27.473
It's back to our philosophy of making this a reasonable day out for a family.
00:26:27.473 --> 00:26:35.109
It's too easy to pay £100 a ticket for some of these bets and it's a really expensive day for a family.
00:26:35.109 --> 00:26:37.550
It's not easy for everybody.
00:26:37.550 --> 00:26:46.130
We intentionally priced this Murray Keenley at £37 on the basis free parking, of what you cannot get in many places.
00:26:46.130 --> 00:26:51.346
So the idea is that people can turn up and for under £100 they've had a great day, including children.
00:26:51.346 --> 00:26:51.729
She drinks.
00:26:52.704 --> 00:26:53.951
That is absolutely fantastic.
00:26:53.951 --> 00:27:02.548
I mean, I can't think I'm trying to rapidly think of anything which offers me that for that kind of money as a family event, it just doesn't exist.
00:27:03.484 --> 00:27:06.193
Well, I went to the cinema with the Australian Whiskey Cinema Refuse.
00:27:06.193 --> 00:27:07.127
It costs us more than that.
00:27:08.866 --> 00:27:10.916
I think the fish and chips you get off a stand.
00:27:10.916 --> 00:27:14.371
At any other event, I've been to for a family for which it costs you £37.
00:27:14.391 --> 00:27:16.346
Absolutely so.
00:27:16.346 --> 00:27:18.472
The whole concept for us again is it's making it reasonable.
00:27:18.472 --> 00:27:20.549
It's not just for exhibitors, it's for the public as well.
00:27:20.549 --> 00:27:26.672
We want people that have a great day and need not to break the bank for that much, and that also encourages more people.
00:27:26.672 --> 00:27:31.821
So it's intentionally and we kept the prices the same with 21,.
00:27:31.821 --> 00:27:34.529
Even though we had great year and some people would go in a great year.
00:27:34.529 --> 00:27:35.332
Let's put the prices at.
00:27:35.332 --> 00:27:36.394
That's not our philosophy.
00:27:36.394 --> 00:27:38.650
We can get more people in that area.
00:27:38.704 --> 00:27:41.595
It's a fantastic event, but you've got the option of getting bigger right.
00:27:41.595 --> 00:27:43.810
You could fit a lot of people into farming, absolutely.
00:27:43.810 --> 00:27:47.800
So just look at the air show right so you can actually keep doing great performances.
00:27:47.800 --> 00:27:49.284
Make it bigger and more exciting.
00:27:49.284 --> 00:27:51.732
Charge reasonable amount and you make a good business out of it.
00:27:51.732 --> 00:27:53.734
And people have a really good weekend, don't they?
00:27:53.734 --> 00:27:54.234
Absolutely.
00:27:54.255 --> 00:27:55.596
That's it and that's half-loss.
00:27:55.596 --> 00:27:56.738
That's exactly how it's done.
00:27:56.738 --> 00:27:57.638
You've hit the nail ahead.
00:27:57.638 --> 00:28:03.532
Let's keep it reasonable, let's keep it fun, let's make it open and accessible to everybody, exhibitors and public.
00:28:04.567 --> 00:28:05.551
Well, thank you for coming on.
00:28:05.551 --> 00:28:10.131
I really, really wanted to record this one, I think, of all the people, I mean a lot of people.
00:28:10.131 --> 00:28:23.050
As I said at the beginning, I paused this because of COVID and I watched your LinkedIn and the persistence and it's always great to hear an entrepreneur, where there's a really difficult story that you persist to and end up with something good at the end.
00:28:23.050 --> 00:28:24.492
There's always a great story.
00:28:24.492 --> 00:28:25.518
So, thank you for coming on.
00:28:25.518 --> 00:28:26.724
No, thank you very much.
00:28:26.865 --> 00:28:39.723
Have a great week and good talk.
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Ansvarsfraskrivelse: Podcasten og kunstværket, der er indlejret på denne side, er fra Alastair Campbell, som tilhører dens ejer og ikke er tilknyttet eller godkendt af Listen Notes, Inc.
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