Scottish PHers - your thoughts please...
Discussion
Alright chaps,
Hope this doesn't count as advertising as what I'm really after is a bit of feedback on an idea - we aren't selling anything...
Basically, my company and another want to join forces to put on an event that promotes both of our businesses but is also fun and something we would want to do ourselves.
The best idea we have come up with so far is a Scottish road rally (not racing) which will involve a Secret Mission theme with all participants receiving a shiny iPod Touch with clues for the next checkpoint etc. revealed as video clips on the iPod as they progress. The long and short of it is that it will involve two days of driving along the best roads in Scotland with an overnight stop up North and a very nice send/off and reception party at the start and end.
We're aiming to get as many exotic cars as we can involved in this and hopefully a (vaguely motoring related) celebrity or two and want to make this a 5 star affair all the way. With that in mind we are looking to start and finish in Mar Hall and have been in talk with them about basically renting the whole hotel for the finish party. We are also hoping to get a whisky company involved (perhaps adding a whisky trail theme to the clues) with tastings at the end and we also want to go via Knockhill for some closed track action.
I'm very sensitive to the negative image and problems caused by some of these Gumball type events in Europe and will take great pains to ensure that the onus here is on great cars, great roads and good fun without it turning into a hoorah henry's jolly (though I think most Scottish PHers are enthusiasts).
What I'm looking for from you is some feedback on the idea! Do you like the sound of it? Would you sign up? How much would you pay for something like this? Anything you would like to see that I've missed out? Really, we need to guage interest before we start comitting so any ideas you may have would be much appreciated!
Thanks,
Gylen
Hope this doesn't count as advertising as what I'm really after is a bit of feedback on an idea - we aren't selling anything...
Basically, my company and another want to join forces to put on an event that promotes both of our businesses but is also fun and something we would want to do ourselves.
The best idea we have come up with so far is a Scottish road rally (not racing) which will involve a Secret Mission theme with all participants receiving a shiny iPod Touch with clues for the next checkpoint etc. revealed as video clips on the iPod as they progress. The long and short of it is that it will involve two days of driving along the best roads in Scotland with an overnight stop up North and a very nice send/off and reception party at the start and end.
We're aiming to get as many exotic cars as we can involved in this and hopefully a (vaguely motoring related) celebrity or two and want to make this a 5 star affair all the way. With that in mind we are looking to start and finish in Mar Hall and have been in talk with them about basically renting the whole hotel for the finish party. We are also hoping to get a whisky company involved (perhaps adding a whisky trail theme to the clues) with tastings at the end and we also want to go via Knockhill for some closed track action.
I'm very sensitive to the negative image and problems caused by some of these Gumball type events in Europe and will take great pains to ensure that the onus here is on great cars, great roads and good fun without it turning into a hoorah henry's jolly (though I think most Scottish PHers are enthusiasts).
What I'm looking for from you is some feedback on the idea! Do you like the sound of it? Would you sign up? How much would you pay for something like this? Anything you would like to see that I've missed out? Really, we need to guage interest before we start comitting so any ideas you may have would be much appreciated!
Thanks,
Gylen
That sounds so cool!
I want to come I want to come!
If you get a F430's and 4300gt then the event will turn into the Gumball whether you want it ot or not.
are you guests driving your rented cars or there own?
If think it would be best to use "classic" cars such as Bentlys, Damliers mayby 308 and old esprits etc so it will give more of a laid back feel to the event
or look up Northo on this site. I'm sure he will be along soon though.
I want to come I want to come!
If you get a F430's and 4300gt then the event will turn into the Gumball whether you want it ot or not.
are you guests driving your rented cars or there own?
If think it would be best to use "classic" cars such as Bentlys, Damliers mayby 308 and old esprits etc so it will give more of a laid back feel to the event
or look up Northo on this site. I'm sure he will be along soon though.
stu_the_flat said:
That sounds so cool!
I want to come I want to come!
If you get a F430's and 4300gt then the event will turn into the Gumball whether you want it ot or not.
are you guests driving your rented cars or there own?
If think it would be best to use "classic" cars such as Bentlys, Damliers mayby 308 and old esprits etc so it will give more of a laid back feel to the event
or look up Northo on this site. I'm sure he will be along soon though.
I know what you mean about it turning into the Gumball but we're intending to make an effort to keep entrant numbers down and keep the showboating idiots to a minimum!I want to come I want to come!
If you get a F430's and 4300gt then the event will turn into the Gumball whether you want it ot or not.
are you guests driving your rented cars or there own?
If think it would be best to use "classic" cars such as Bentlys, Damliers mayby 308 and old esprits etc so it will give more of a laid back feel to the event
or look up Northo on this site. I'm sure he will be along soon though.
I haven't thought about whether there should be a rule regarding rented or not - the only place that would cause an issue I think is the track element as you wouldn't be able to take a rental round KH but other than that, I don't see why not?
Classics would be great (in fact, I would like to source one for the event for me!) but I wouldn't want to rule out newer cars as there are plenty of enthusiastic new supercar owners out there.
Northo, funnily enough, is just the man I was hoping to talk to in relation to this - I thought I'd get a bit of feedback here before contacting him but if you read this, I'd be very keen to have a chat with you if that would be ok?
Gylen
I know you want to keep the numbers down I wasn't trying to invite myself! just thought it was a fantastic idea.
It will only take one to get a bit twitchy and set every body off. It could just start with a cheeky over take. Again Northo must have this problem allot so he must know how to deal with it. (Just PM him he is very frendly)
What you could do is use orentering markers (with the company logo!) set back from the road (they could be a bonus something like a free drink at the hotel or a prize like a box of chocolates) . So that they have to spot them and if there flying past at a 100 MPH they will miss it. Oh and make it clear that every one can win Not the frist person there!
I'm usually quite a sedate and lazy driver. However I found my self getting over excited on one of the PH runs.
It will only take one to get a bit twitchy and set every body off. It could just start with a cheeky over take. Again Northo must have this problem allot so he must know how to deal with it. (Just PM him he is very frendly)
What you could do is use orentering markers (with the company logo!) set back from the road (they could be a bonus something like a free drink at the hotel or a prize like a box of chocolates) . So that they have to spot them and if there flying past at a 100 MPH they will miss it. Oh and make it clear that every one can win Not the frist person there!
I'm usually quite a sedate and lazy driver. However I found my self getting over excited on one of the PH runs.
Edited by stu_the_flat on Tuesday 27th May 10:22
Fantastic Idea. You will have done your homework regarding some of the organised events already. But I did fancy entering the Britball run last year. Not a bad price either.
I't about time we had something organised up in the Scottish aera. (apart from the SSC run's of course as they are paramount)
I't about time we had something organised up in the Scottish aera. (apart from the SSC run's of course as they are paramount)
stu_the_flat said:
I know you want to keep the numbers down I wasn't trying to invite myself! just thought it was a fantastic idea.
It will only take one to get a bit twitchy and set every body off. It could just start with a cheeky over take. Again Northo must have this problem allot so he must know how to deal with it. (Just PM him he is very frendly)
What you could do is use orentering markers (with the company logo!) set back from the road (they could be a bonus something like a free drink at the hotel or a prize like a box of chocolates) . So that they have to spot them and if there flying past at a 100 MPH they will miss it. Oh and make it clear that every one can win Not the frist person there!
I'm usually quite a sedate and lazy driver. However I found my self getting over excited on one of the PH runs.
Not at all mate - you'd be more than welcome! We just want to make sure we get the right type of driver involved. Happy for celebs/sports people/entrepreneurs to all get involved as long as they're petrolheads.It will only take one to get a bit twitchy and set every body off. It could just start with a cheeky over take. Again Northo must have this problem allot so he must know how to deal with it. (Just PM him he is very frendly)
What you could do is use orentering markers (with the company logo!) set back from the road (they could be a bonus something like a free drink at the hotel or a prize like a box of chocolates) . So that they have to spot them and if there flying past at a 100 MPH they will miss it. Oh and make it clear that every one can win Not the frist person there!
I'm usually quite a sedate and lazy driver. However I found my self getting over excited on one of the PH runs.
Edited by stu_the_flat on Tuesday 27th May 10:22
My only concern is that in order to do this properly, we'll need to charge a fair bit as hiring 5 star hotels etc. for private functions can get quite pricey - do we think people would be prepared to pay for an event like this? And any chance you'll get the Mustang involved Avril
?As a side note, to publicise this and drive entries, I had the idea of getting a couple of hotties dressed up like the girls in Cannonball Run giving out flyers at events - does anyone know of where I might be able to get a friendly Countach owner who wouldn't mind hot girls being photographed with their car?
Gylen said:
stu_the_flat said:
I know you want to keep the numbers down I wasn't trying to invite myself! just thought it was a fantastic idea.
It will only take one to get a bit twitchy and set every body off. It could just start with a cheeky over take. Again Northo must have this problem allot so he must know how to deal with it. (Just PM him he is very frendly)
What you could do is use orentering markers (with the company logo!) set back from the road (they could be a bonus something like a free drink at the hotel or a prize like a box of chocolates) . So that they have to spot them and if there flying past at a 100 MPH they will miss it. Oh and make it clear that every one can win Not the frist person there!
I'm usually quite a sedate and lazy driver. However I found my self getting over excited on one of the PH runs.
Not at all mate - you'd be more than welcome! We just want to make sure we get the right type of driver involved. Happy for celebs/sports people/entrepreneurs to all get involved as long as they're petrolheads.It will only take one to get a bit twitchy and set every body off. It could just start with a cheeky over take. Again Northo must have this problem allot so he must know how to deal with it. (Just PM him he is very frendly)
What you could do is use orentering markers (with the company logo!) set back from the road (they could be a bonus something like a free drink at the hotel or a prize like a box of chocolates) . So that they have to spot them and if there flying past at a 100 MPH they will miss it. Oh and make it clear that every one can win Not the frist person there!
I'm usually quite a sedate and lazy driver. However I found my self getting over excited on one of the PH runs.
Edited by stu_the_flat on Tuesday 27th May 10:22
My only concern is that in order to do this properly, we'll need to charge a fair bit as hiring 5 star hotels etc. for private functions can get quite pricey - do we think people would be prepared to pay for an event like this? And any chance you'll get the Mustang involved Avril
?As a side note, to publicise this and drive entries, I had the idea of getting a couple of hotties dressed up like the girls in Cannonball Run giving out flyers at events - does anyone know of where I might be able to get a friendly Countach owner who wouldn't mind hot girls being photographed with their car?
As for the Countach. There are a few owners on here. Or there is Wazza with the Diablo.
OOoohhh and If you are getting scantily clad chicks then it's only fair you get a muscular male hottie to even up the odds.
;)
Gylen said:
We just want to make sure we get the right type of driver involved.
Gylen said:
As a side note, to publicise this and drive entries, I had the idea of getting a couple of hotties dressed up like the girls in Cannonball Run giving out flyers at events - does anyone know of where I might be able to get a friendly Countach owner who wouldn't mind hot girls being photographed with their car?
Are you sure that the Lambo idea is going to attract the right sort of driver? When I think of girls and cars I think Max Power and spotty Corsa drivers Personally I would run a mile form skimpy dressed women handing out flyers. It embarrass me and there are hundreds of them on the streets of Glasgow selling you everything. I've never seen a Countch in Scotland ether.
I think we need more info on what your company does? If I where you I would have a look at your good customers and ask what would attract them?
If you want more sedate run I would try to base the Idea on the chap who raced his Bentley against the train in France.
I'll put my name in the hat as 'interested' if the price is right. If quality accom used then price shouldn't be an issue. NE TVR club is organising 60+ TVR's to go to Hilton Dunkeld Hotel next year for the annual Celtic Gathering. Are you planning to get the cars sponsored? Will there be a nominated charity?
Neil
Neil
Some good points guys which I shall try and answer as best I can at this stage:
1) I see what you mean about cars/girls/right sort of driver. It had occurred to me but I think the problem is I just really want a photo with a Countach and some hot girls (as I absolutely love the film...) Perhaps this would be more useful for a photo call or something.
2) Muscular male hotties? Well, I can't promise to be about the entire time but may get my shirt off briefly
3) What do we do? We specialise in Podacsting/Online multimedia/viral video production etc. Hence the idea to use iPods with 'video clues' to where the event is to head next. I quite like the idea of inventing some sort of 'mission' and having a Moneypenny type deliver the clues. That said, this is a minor detail and I'm open to suggestions.
4) Sposorship = Hopefully! To be honest with you, it would be unlikely to happen without some but I want to get as much lined up provisionally as I can before I start hassling potential sponsors. I'll need to have a genuine value proposition in place first so that's why I'm trying to get a bit of a feel for what might work. As a side note, Mar Hall has an enormous marquee that could easily take a few supercars on display so that may be an appropriate angle to explore. I've not decided yet about sponsoring cars versus letting entrants get sponsors if required. I'm not sure I'd love the idea of a banner being stuck to my car but on the other hand, it may be the best way to make this viable...
5) Nominated Charity - not thought about this yet! I think it would be a great idea but at the moment I have no idea whether we will make money on this/break even/lose money (disaster!) but I agree it would be a nice touch. On the other hand, perhaps it would be better to not make a song and dance about the fact that it's charity and simply donate quietly once it's all over...
Thanks muchly for the feedback - these are exactly the kind of things I need to think about that so do keep them coming. My main goal here is to put on something that people actually want to do so the more I hear from people, the better. I think there's a lot of good in events like Gumball (but a lot of bad too) and I think there is room for Scotland to have something with it's own identity that takes the good bits and finds the right balance to make it all work...I really hope we can pull it off but that's part of the fun, I guess!
1) I see what you mean about cars/girls/right sort of driver. It had occurred to me but I think the problem is I just really want a photo with a Countach and some hot girls (as I absolutely love the film...) Perhaps this would be more useful for a photo call or something.
2) Muscular male hotties? Well, I can't promise to be about the entire time but may get my shirt off briefly
3) What do we do? We specialise in Podacsting/Online multimedia/viral video production etc. Hence the idea to use iPods with 'video clues' to where the event is to head next. I quite like the idea of inventing some sort of 'mission' and having a Moneypenny type deliver the clues. That said, this is a minor detail and I'm open to suggestions.
4) Sposorship = Hopefully! To be honest with you, it would be unlikely to happen without some but I want to get as much lined up provisionally as I can before I start hassling potential sponsors. I'll need to have a genuine value proposition in place first so that's why I'm trying to get a bit of a feel for what might work. As a side note, Mar Hall has an enormous marquee that could easily take a few supercars on display so that may be an appropriate angle to explore. I've not decided yet about sponsoring cars versus letting entrants get sponsors if required. I'm not sure I'd love the idea of a banner being stuck to my car but on the other hand, it may be the best way to make this viable...
5) Nominated Charity - not thought about this yet! I think it would be a great idea but at the moment I have no idea whether we will make money on this/break even/lose money (disaster!) but I agree it would be a nice touch. On the other hand, perhaps it would be better to not make a song and dance about the fact that it's charity and simply donate quietly once it's all over...
Thanks muchly for the feedback - these are exactly the kind of things I need to think about that so do keep them coming. My main goal here is to put on something that people actually want to do so the more I hear from people, the better. I think there's a lot of good in events like Gumball (but a lot of bad too) and I think there is room for Scotland to have something with it's own identity that takes the good bits and finds the right balance to make it all work...I really hope we can pull it off but that's part of the fun, I guess!
http://www.mackays-self-catering.co.uk/s/process.p...
So I was having a nose about on here (actually I was checking my next bookings lol) and found the above.
Not perhaps ideal but just giving you an ideas. Does not have to be just a hotel. But I suppose Hotels would be an easier option.
P.S you are about to get a PM bud x
So I was having a nose about on here (actually I was checking my next bookings lol) and found the above.
Not perhaps ideal but just giving you an ideas. Does not have to be just a hotel. But I suppose Hotels would be an easier option.
P.S you are about to get a PM bud x
gged off 'Hot Marques' at Knockhill this sounds much more my thing, if you want a geriatric driving a geriatric Vette to provide some classic influence?wow - there is a lot to think about for an event like this!
What are you trying to achieve from it? Is it just to get you and the other company publicity or is it to try and sell your services on the days? What does the other company do? Why choose a car rally as a way to promote the business...is it because you think it's the best way or because you think it will be good fun?
Hope I don't come across as negative! If it looks like the best idea for your business then I’d be happy to pitch in any ideas that might help
What are you trying to achieve from it? Is it just to get you and the other company publicity or is it to try and sell your services on the days? What does the other company do? Why choose a car rally as a way to promote the business...is it because you think it's the best way or because you think it will be good fun?
Hope I don't come across as negative! If it looks like the best idea for your business then I’d be happy to pitch in any ideas that might help
Andrew[MG] said:
wow - there is a lot to think about for an event like this!
What are you trying to achieve from it? Is it just to get you and the other company publicity or is it to try and sell your services on the days? What does the other company do? Why choose a car rally as a way to promote the business...is it because you think it's the best way or because you think it will be good fun?
Hope I don't come across as negative! If it looks like the best idea for your business then I’d be happy to pitch in any ideas that might help
I suppose it's dual purpose really - we're not trying to sell to entrants really (though if it puts us on their radars, all the better), we're more trying to raise our profile in the media and we intend to cover the event with a website/live Podcasts etc. As we are an online multimedia company and the motoring community is so strong online, it seems like a logical thing to do; build the event and then support it with a strong online presence so that people who are unable to take part can still 'feel' part of it.What are you trying to achieve from it? Is it just to get you and the other company publicity or is it to try and sell your services on the days? What does the other company do? Why choose a car rally as a way to promote the business...is it because you think it's the best way or because you think it will be good fun?
Hope I don't come across as negative! If it looks like the best idea for your business then I’d be happy to pitch in any ideas that might help
We also (and this is the main reason, really) just really really want to do something like this. My hope is that it becomes a great success and we're able to run it in future years - it would be fantastic to add to the already strong list of reasons why Scotland is worth visiting but we have a lot to cover in terms of sponsors/costs/entrants/PR/web/etc. etc the list is endless but we want to do this the right way and create something that really inspires Scottish (and further afield) petrolheads so any and all ideas are welcome.
And VetteG, of course you would be welcome - I think the plan is to get the website up sooner rather than later so people can begin registering interest and whatnot but I will keep you updated as to our progress. In fact, I may even do a Podcast of the whole process - would that even be interesting to anyone?
[quote=Gylen and we intend to cover the event with a website/live Podcasts etc. As we are an online multimedia company and the motoring community is so strong online, it seems like a logical thing to do; build the event and then support it with a strong online presence so that people who are unable to take part can still 'feel' part of it.
[/quote]
here's where I think you may run into problems. I quite liked the sound of it initially but frankly, I don't want to be seeing my ugly mug (and nor would anyone else) and my car used as advertising....still, sounds interesting and I suspect there is a market for something like this. Good luck and I look forward to following how it develops.
[/quote]
here's where I think you may run into problems. I quite liked the sound of it initially but frankly, I don't want to be seeing my ugly mug (and nor would anyone else) and my car used as advertising....still, sounds interesting and I suspect there is a market for something like this. Good luck and I look forward to following how it develops.
Hi there Gylan
I think what you are trying to do is very commendable but also very ambitious. The logistics of balancing numbers,dates and venues, especialy if you want exclusivity,are quite tricky and would probably have to be done at least 12 months in advance. The cost to yourself/company would also be quite substantial as you would have to underwrite all the upfront costs (hotel deposits,advertising,printing etc) until your entry fees and sponsorship became available. To get people to enter and sponsor a brand new event like this you would need quite a substantial infrastructure in place for people to feel confident and that generaly means a fairly substantial initial investment from the organisers (you).
One of the difficulties with making an event like this cost effective is the number of entrants you attract. Accomodation will be the limiting factor, especialy since you want to use one of the exclusive Highland hotels as a stop over. Neither Inverlochy Castle, Culloden House or any of the other similar country house hotels have any more than 20 letting rooms, which could potentialy restrict you to only 20 cars assuming 2 per car. Marr Hall is a great start/finnish venue but is £23000 per night for exclusive use plus £12000 for somewhere like Inverlochy. As you can see the cost of the venues alone is £35000, then factor in food,drink,entertainment, probably another £8-£10000. Divide this by possibly 20 cars and you are already at over £2000 per car before you factor in any of your other costs. This is the price of exclusivity but the market is limited and your target clientele (sponsors and entrants) will demand a very slick and well presented event.
You would be well served by engaging an event management company and a PR team to raise your profile as this is the only way a top flight sponsor would come on board.
None of the above is in any way meant to be negative it is just some advice you might want to take on board.If you decide to proceed I will gladly sign up. I can help you with accomodation and arrangements at Marr and depending on your choice of venue, in the highlands as well.
Good Luck, Doug.
http://www.marhall.com/
http://www.inverlochycastlehotel.com/home.html
I think what you are trying to do is very commendable but also very ambitious. The logistics of balancing numbers,dates and venues, especialy if you want exclusivity,are quite tricky and would probably have to be done at least 12 months in advance. The cost to yourself/company would also be quite substantial as you would have to underwrite all the upfront costs (hotel deposits,advertising,printing etc) until your entry fees and sponsorship became available. To get people to enter and sponsor a brand new event like this you would need quite a substantial infrastructure in place for people to feel confident and that generaly means a fairly substantial initial investment from the organisers (you).
One of the difficulties with making an event like this cost effective is the number of entrants you attract. Accomodation will be the limiting factor, especialy since you want to use one of the exclusive Highland hotels as a stop over. Neither Inverlochy Castle, Culloden House or any of the other similar country house hotels have any more than 20 letting rooms, which could potentialy restrict you to only 20 cars assuming 2 per car. Marr Hall is a great start/finnish venue but is £23000 per night for exclusive use plus £12000 for somewhere like Inverlochy. As you can see the cost of the venues alone is £35000, then factor in food,drink,entertainment, probably another £8-£10000. Divide this by possibly 20 cars and you are already at over £2000 per car before you factor in any of your other costs. This is the price of exclusivity but the market is limited and your target clientele (sponsors and entrants) will demand a very slick and well presented event.
You would be well served by engaging an event management company and a PR team to raise your profile as this is the only way a top flight sponsor would come on board.
None of the above is in any way meant to be negative it is just some advice you might want to take on board.If you decide to proceed I will gladly sign up. I can help you with accomodation and arrangements at Marr and depending on your choice of venue, in the highlands as well.
Good Luck, Doug.
http://www.marhall.com/
http://www.inverlochycastlehotel.com/home.html
bigblock said:
Hi there Gylan
I think what you are trying to do is very commendable but also very ambitious. The logistics of balancing numbers,dates and venues, especialy if you want exclusivity,are quite tricky and would probably have to be done at least 12 months in advance. The cost to yourself/company would also be quite substantial as you would have to underwrite all the upfront costs (hotel deposits,advertising,printing etc) until your entry fees and sponsorship became available. To get people to enter and sponsor a brand new event like this you would need quite a substantial infrastructure in place for people to feel confident and that generaly means a fairly substantial initial investment from the organisers (you).
One of the difficulties with making an event like this cost effective is the number of entrants you attract. Accomodation will be the limiting factor, especialy since you want to use one of the exclusive Highland hotels as a stop over. Neither Inverlochy Castle, Culloden House or any of the other similar country house hotels have any more than 20 letting rooms, which could potentialy restrict you to only 20 cars assuming 2 per car. Marr Hall is a great start/finnish venue but is £23000 per night for exclusive use plus £12000 for somewhere like Inverlochy. As you can see the cost of the venues alone is £35000, then factor in food,drink,entertainment, probably another £8-£10000. Divide this by possibly 20 cars and you are already at over £2000 per car before you factor in any of your other costs. This is the price of exclusivity but the market is limited and your target clientele (sponsors and entrants) will demand a very slick and well presented event.
You would be well served by engaging an event management company and a PR team to raise your profile as this is the only way a top flight sponsor would come on board.
None of the above is in any way meant to be negative it is just some advice you might want to take on board.If you decide to proceed I will gladly sign up. I can help you with accomodation and arrangements at Marr and depending on your choice of venue, in the highlands as well.
Good Luck, Doug.
http://www.marhall.com/
http://www.inverlochycastlehotel.com/home.html
Good points there Doug! Are you in the tourism game yourself?I think what you are trying to do is very commendable but also very ambitious. The logistics of balancing numbers,dates and venues, especialy if you want exclusivity,are quite tricky and would probably have to be done at least 12 months in advance. The cost to yourself/company would also be quite substantial as you would have to underwrite all the upfront costs (hotel deposits,advertising,printing etc) until your entry fees and sponsorship became available. To get people to enter and sponsor a brand new event like this you would need quite a substantial infrastructure in place for people to feel confident and that generaly means a fairly substantial initial investment from the organisers (you).
One of the difficulties with making an event like this cost effective is the number of entrants you attract. Accomodation will be the limiting factor, especialy since you want to use one of the exclusive Highland hotels as a stop over. Neither Inverlochy Castle, Culloden House or any of the other similar country house hotels have any more than 20 letting rooms, which could potentialy restrict you to only 20 cars assuming 2 per car. Marr Hall is a great start/finnish venue but is £23000 per night for exclusive use plus £12000 for somewhere like Inverlochy. As you can see the cost of the venues alone is £35000, then factor in food,drink,entertainment, probably another £8-£10000. Divide this by possibly 20 cars and you are already at over £2000 per car before you factor in any of your other costs. This is the price of exclusivity but the market is limited and your target clientele (sponsors and entrants) will demand a very slick and well presented event.
You would be well served by engaging an event management company and a PR team to raise your profile as this is the only way a top flight sponsor would come on board.
None of the above is in any way meant to be negative it is just some advice you might want to take on board.If you decide to proceed I will gladly sign up. I can help you with accomodation and arrangements at Marr and depending on your choice of venue, in the highlands as well.
Good Luck, Doug.
http://www.marhall.com/
http://www.inverlochycastlehotel.com/home.html
There are hi-end events like this already happening so what about talking to some of the people who run them and trying to add another element to what they are doing? How fast can you record a video and have it ready as a podcast?
bigblock said:
Hi there Gylan
I think what you are trying to do is very commendable but also very ambitious. The logistics of balancing numbers,dates and venues, especialy if you want exclusivity,are quite tricky and would probably have to be done at least 12 months in advance. The cost to yourself/company would also be quite substantial as you would have to underwrite all the upfront costs (hotel deposits,advertising,printing etc) until your entry fees and sponsorship became available. To get people to enter and sponsor a brand new event like this you would need quite a substantial infrastructure in place for people to feel confident and that generaly means a fairly substantial initial investment from the organisers (you).
One of the difficulties with making an event like this cost effective is the number of entrants you attract. Accomodation will be the limiting factor, especialy since you want to use one of the exclusive Highland hotels as a stop over. Neither Inverlochy Castle, Culloden House or any of the other similar country house hotels have any more than 20 letting rooms, which could potentialy restrict you to only 20 cars assuming 2 per car. Marr Hall is a great start/finnish venue but is £23000 per night for exclusive use plus £12000 for somewhere like Inverlochy. As you can see the cost of the venues alone is £35000, then factor in food,drink,entertainment, probably another £8-£10000. Divide this by possibly 20 cars and you are already at over £2000 per car before you factor in any of your other costs. This is the price of exclusivity but the market is limited and your target clientele (sponsors and entrants) will demand a very slick and well presented event.
You would be well served by engaging an event management company and a PR team to raise your profile as this is the only way a top flight sponsor would come on board.
None of the above is in any way meant to be negative it is just some advice you might want to take on board.If you decide to proceed I will gladly sign up. I can help you with accomodation and arrangements at Marr and depending on your choice of venue, in the highlands as well.
Good Luck, Doug.
http://www.marhall.com/
http://www.inverlochycastlehotel.com/home.html
Hi Doug, and thanks for the thoughts - in terms of dates we would be looking to wait another year so aiming for summer 2009. Also, this is the 'Scottish Homecoming' type affair that Visit Scotland are promoting so would hope to tie in with this...I think what you are trying to do is very commendable but also very ambitious. The logistics of balancing numbers,dates and venues, especialy if you want exclusivity,are quite tricky and would probably have to be done at least 12 months in advance. The cost to yourself/company would also be quite substantial as you would have to underwrite all the upfront costs (hotel deposits,advertising,printing etc) until your entry fees and sponsorship became available. To get people to enter and sponsor a brand new event like this you would need quite a substantial infrastructure in place for people to feel confident and that generaly means a fairly substantial initial investment from the organisers (you).
One of the difficulties with making an event like this cost effective is the number of entrants you attract. Accomodation will be the limiting factor, especialy since you want to use one of the exclusive Highland hotels as a stop over. Neither Inverlochy Castle, Culloden House or any of the other similar country house hotels have any more than 20 letting rooms, which could potentialy restrict you to only 20 cars assuming 2 per car. Marr Hall is a great start/finnish venue but is £23000 per night for exclusive use plus £12000 for somewhere like Inverlochy. As you can see the cost of the venues alone is £35000, then factor in food,drink,entertainment, probably another £8-£10000. Divide this by possibly 20 cars and you are already at over £2000 per car before you factor in any of your other costs. This is the price of exclusivity but the market is limited and your target clientele (sponsors and entrants) will demand a very slick and well presented event.
You would be well served by engaging an event management company and a PR team to raise your profile as this is the only way a top flight sponsor would come on board.
None of the above is in any way meant to be negative it is just some advice you might want to take on board.If you decide to proceed I will gladly sign up. I can help you with accomodation and arrangements at Marr and depending on your choice of venue, in the highlands as well.
Good Luck, Doug.
http://www.marhall.com/
http://www.inverlochycastlehotel.com/home.html
In terms of cost, I've already been out to Mar Hall and we've been offered a pretty competitive price for exclusivity on a provisional basis...Also, we would be aiming for approx. 40 cars, I think. I've not investigated further North yet but I would be keen to keep the price down to under £2000 per car if at all possible. I would feel that this would really be the upper limit in terms of what would be reasonable so that's the yardstick.
I absolutely, wholeheartedly agree that this is an ambitious project and I fully understand the issues with underwriting the initial costs. That's why I want to provisionally arrange as much as possible before I take on that risk...The PR agency route is one that we've talked about but it so happens that the partner company's director used to be rather high up in one of the larger PR/Marketing agencies and we do a fair bit of work with a few of them so hoping to be able to use that angle as a first port of call.
I've probably not explained the Podcasting angle well enough though. I was thinking more that we would prep and update the website with media/Podcasts as we went and we need only capture people who wanted to be captured if you know what I mean? I've not got plans to make and sell a DVD or anything...I do think it's important that people who can't take part be able to have some sort of 'Live' feed they can follow though...
I think the key is the team that we put together to run this. We've discussed the idea of putting together a sort of a board of directors who each specialise in a different area to spread the work around so if you think that getting involved might appeal to you, please feel free to drop me a line!
Also, if anyone has any ideas (or criticism) that they want to keep off the thread, do feel free to PM me
Again, thanks everyone for your input - we've got a year to get this up and running and although the cost may prove prohibitive initially, I'm hoping we can make something work as I believe strongly in the idea.
.
Thanks,
Gylen
Gylen,
Great idea, and I admire your ambition!
I'd put myself down as "interested" also. The last PH Glasgow meet was my first, and I was really impressed with the standard of driving. Everyone managed to have fun without anything silly going on, and I'm sure a more formal event would be similar. Obviously it depends on who comes along and how it's run, etc, but like someone else mentioned, Northo must know a bit about that kind of thing.
Also, I hope you realise that no matter what you call it or how you promote it, it will become known as the "Cannon-baw Run"
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