Puggsley456

Well all I can add is that in my neck of the woods, sound offs or whatever name you place to them have become extinct. I feel almost as if local companies have abandoned it becasue they couldnt justify the expenses.

Sad......truley Sad....

Sound_Deamon

In my neck of the woods (quebec) sound off competitions are quite dead ... other than the few competitions of audio drag that always had pretty much the same 10-15 competitors each time ...
The solution i started working on this year and i'm hoping will work out is that i got in contact with show n shine event promoters and setup a sound off competition within it ... sad to say i thaught of this a little late in the season but for the shows that are left i got something done ...
these show n shine events have lots of publicity and i found to be the easiest way to promote our hobbie ...
it still takes alot of organising and publicising even thaugh these events get good coverage ... you still have to publicise the sound off portion of the show ...

with all the head aches and time spent to set these shows up etc.. i think it's well worth it and a heck of alot better than having to travel 500km+ to go to a show!

just my 2 cents...

Dukk

I've promoted a few shows over the years. There are many things that contribute to a good show but here are a couple of key thoughts:

1) Promotion. IMO shops don't promote their shows enough. And it doesn't have to cost $$ to do. When I held shows I got some basic posters made up and mailed them to every car audio store within 200miles of our shop. I'd fax them as well a month ahead and a week ahead of my show to remind them. Really this amounted to maybe 12-20stores. Not a lot of time invested.

2) Prizes. I would spend the most time on prizes. First I'd hit all the car dealers asking for something - $50 towards a trophy, cash prize, some swag, something. Anything they sponsored got their name put on it and they were welcome to bring a vehicle out for display on show day with all their banners and whatnot. Go into Ford and tell them that GM is sponsoring a 6foot $100 trophy and guess what - they will too! We would go so far as to offer someone a deal in the store to sponsor a prize: "Hey give me a hun for a prize and you can buy your new TV at cost. deal?" You know they would
After the car dealers I would canvas all the stores in the mall our shop was in. Then I'd hit up anyone I knew who owned or knew someone who owned a business. I tell you this - I NEVER paid out of pocket for ANY prizes ever and we had some nice prizes.
Finally I'd lean on my suppliers. Shirts, gear, whatever. If you can't get a couple shirts out of someone then there's a problem.

3) Frequency. How many people are gonna drop $5000+ on a decent SQ system to hit ONE show a year? Not very many. And even if you have a decent system, what the hell is the point in hitting ONE show a year. Now, independent dealers complain that shows cost too much and take too much time that they can't afford to do a whack of them in a summer. For the costs - see above, I call bullshit. For the time - I've been in that retail, there's lots of time to call and fax people. Hell I didn't even have email back then. Anyway - so maybe you can only do a single show. What about that shop up the road - think they could do one? Just one. I bet they could. Get 6 shops to agree to do ONE show each and suddenly you have a series of shows for people to go to. Competitors like that sort of thing. Then if you really have your together, keep track of your winners (simple on a sheet) and have a year end "finals" at one of the locations or some alternate location. Competitors really like that.. Look at the Okanogan in BC - a small chain of shops out there has a string of shows in the summer and a 'finals' in August and it's really popular for them. It works.

I could go on and on but this is the general idea.

SUX 2BU

iTrader: (1)

I'm with Joe and his suggestions. That is what made shows work back then. The money part though I don't think is a requirement. Bragging rights and big trophies are always great.

I think a key thing here to get SQ participation and overall show success back again like it used to, is a different angle. SPL guys, I know you love what u do and you've certainly enjoyed the limelight for some time now, but honestly I don't think you do anything to get the general public interested in coming to any 'shows'. They aren't even really shows. They are just gatherings for meter readings of undesireable looking, and sounding, cars. Why would the public want to come see the same car that wakes them every night at 2am when the kid comes home from being out, or trying to maximize his bass output every night on the driveway? The cars aren't interesting to look at either. They just roll up to the meter, BURP, and roll back.

It would be a bold and brave move for a shop to do, but I think someone should promote an SQ-only schedule. Just like Joe said, CFOX used to promote "who was the best SOUNDING car", not "who has the LOUDEST car". This could attract the guys who spent some time and money on trying to get their car to sound good. Huge boom impressed the unwashed masses 10 years ago but now it's just background noise. I've yet to have someone who isn't into car audio be unimpressed when they've heard a good aftermarket SQ system. Hype a safe, clean install, a nice sounding system and car you are proud to present. Thats what brought class to the old shows and made it a actual 'show'.

I don't have a store so I know those that do who don't agree about dropping SPL altogether will tell me to shut up, but it would be quite interesting to see the outcome should a shop take this route. Look at Audiolines. One of Vancouvers premier shops. I don't think they've ever put on a show, but the clientele they have would make for a really nice one.

Puggsley456

Are the vast majority of show now adays non sanctioned events?

What does it cost to get an event sanctioned? Please if anyone knows and doesnt want to post, shoot me a PM as I have always wonderd.

JohnVroom

as has been said here, and it is important to repeat, that shops not having sound competition is a little self defeating.

Is it a surprise when you dont offer SQ that there aren't SQ competitors??? Is it a surprise that if there is not a SPL competition that nobody in the area wants to get real loud (you know... competition loud).

This is called a 'self fulfilling prophecy' from my 200 level Philosophy courses. If you dont do promotion a show will fail, if you dont give decent awards there wont be turnout at the second event, if the competitors are treated poorly they wont be back, if there is a taint of 'preferential' treatment you are screwed.

Shops are scared to compete against each other since someone then has to be second best, so why not do regional cooperation to host events. Share the cost and have events at different shops. If there is only one sanctioned event in Quebec dont expect a lot of membership from Quebec...

JohnVroom

And as Dukk was saying, shows do not have to cost a lot. I put on shows in the US (Mid-Atlantic region) and darn if I cant do them for a marginal cost. Less than a radio spot... and sound competition targets the actual car stereo buying demographic radio does not much of the time!!!

"gee I lost ... gosh mr. retailer what do I have to do to get louder?" and if the retailer doesn't step up then the kid will go to eBay

Oh yeah, one more thing the market must support the event. Metropolitan areas should do better than a small town in the middle of nowhere, but not always. NY, Phillie, Boston, LA, SD dont do much sanctioned competition.

zzzzzzz

iTrader: (5)

- Castlegar
- Vernon
- Penticton
- Kamlops
- Kelowna
and then we live in vacouver (there are 3 things that stop me form going up to there shows ) but i hear the shows arre A1
in vacouver i think we have what 3 small shows this yr

Dukk

Damn John - I know you're a really smart guy but that was bang on! I especially like this part

This points out the obvious: HOW IN THE HELL ARE THERE GOING TO BE COMPETITORS IF THERE AREN'T ANY SHOWS? THE SHOWS MUST COME FIRST

I dunno about your area but the retailers here in the Vancouver area for the most part are a real piece of work. They bitch that there is no show scene and therefore they're not having any shows. W T F ? stunning. There's even a retailer out here that promotes their business with their distant past IASCA success yet doesn't host any shows! Yeah guess what - the first couple shows may be slow but by the second season it will be a whole new game. A few years back there was a small string of shows here and a bunch of us dinosaurs were excited to be building for the next season (coulda been interesting) but.... no shows the next year, excitement waned, nobody finished their cars. done. Now herewe are again that if someone had a show next month, all those guys that were jazzed to do a car are sitting there with nothing to show with so, guess what, they aren't gonna go.

bah.. I shouldn't have gotten started...

FWIW - good on the couple of shops that DO try and have some shows in the LM. Some better promotion and that bit I said about getting other shops to buy into a string of shows would really turn it around. Only YOU guys can make the difference. The best time to promote your next show is at the show you are holding now.

Something to think about (I think I'm on a roll now)..
Whenever there is a post about Future Shop or Best Buy or Visions, etc all the Independent dealers chime in, join together, sing Kum-by-Ya, and present a single front against The Machine and it's evil ways. FS had a string of shows on their own for a couple years and it brought them a lot of sales. Why can't these Indys chime in, join together, sing Kum-by-Ya, and organize a string of events? Maybe because it takes a fraction of the effort to just sit there and bitch about the market than actually do something to better it? Competitors do not shop at The Machine. They may get a deck there that nobody makes margin on anyway but if someone wants "real gear" or a "real install" they will still largley walk into a boutique. It's the truth.

goalie 35

Some excellent points gentlemen..... we are ALL in this small and shrinking industry together. its not ralphs vs beamriders vs audio video unlimited ect. ect ect.... beamriders wont work with anyone eles because management feels that they will loose clients to the other shops.... ya maybe but maybe you will win some new clients as well.... we have to look at the big picture not this shortsightedness that has enveloped the lower mainland, vancover, area of me me me me me against the rest of the retailers... no one wins with that attitude no one. why can the interior have so many shows but the 3rd biggest market in canada, cant have 3? if ralphs holds a show and asks avu to put up some posters why is it "sorry that dosent promote my store so no dice". and this includes the #one store in north america AUDIO LINES, they have to step up as well.. this company does very well brian and vic arnt starvin by anymeans and they are doing nothing to promote the industry... but back in mid to late 90 they had cars at every iasca show and even build some world finals cars at iasca....where are they now!!!!!!! pipe up guys hold a show at that georgeous new store of yours.... i promise to show up..... every tell your favorite store that you would like to see them promote a sound off,,, crank it up..... or whatever you want to call it.... public demand causes action but doing nothing causes nothing.......