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Wow! What a journey! The build-up to a show, a brand new show, is terrifying. The biggest question on everyone’s lips is, of course, will anyone turn up? I had extra reasons to ask this question, and as time went on the reasons just kept stacking up.
First there was the timing. A lot of VW campers get tucked away the other side of Vanfest and should the show have been in October rather than November (it is next year - 23rd & 24th October), perhaps I’d have felt a little less concerned.
Then there was the Recession. DubFreeze had already proven the VW scene was capable of holding its own in February, but the economic climate had eased further downwards since then. To combat some of this ‘negativity’ we spent huge sums on advertising in papers, club magazines, national VW magazines and on the web, plus 7000 (yes, we counted them all) flyers that were handed out / taken at BVF, VW Northwest (aka Tatton) and Vanfest and delivered via some of our sponsors (VW Books, Mega Bug, Alan Schofield and Status VW Parts) within their orders. Despite this, many internet forums lacked the buzz usually associated with a new event in the press and were somewhat surprised when we posted the event details. Make of that what you will!
Royal Mail decided to strike just a couple of weeks prior to the event. This caused us so much trouble you would not believe! How did that affect the show? Trade and Autojumble forms never arrived, show passes simply went AWOL. Chaos ensued. But the calm shone through as telephone, web and email services filled the void. Even then spam filters threw some of the emails away. Finally, there was the storm. With parts of the M6 blocked both ways due to flying debris and aqua-planing vehicles (some on their sides and roofs!) we estimate half of those who did not camp on the Saturday made it through on Sunday, the remainder simply turning back or staying at home knowing full well the weather forecast predicted the very worst.
Yes, we lost a few traders who turned back and the show and shine hall was empty until last minute entries on the Sunday filled some of the spots. The remaining space was filled with entries from the outside For Sale area. Space well used and certainly appreciated by those who thought they would never have a cat’s chance of selling in those horrid conditions outside. I was so pleased we’d decided to move the Show and Shine indoors. Well, if you’ve paid for the building you might as well use it! Imagine BusFreeze (or DubFreeze for that matter) on beautiful green soggy pastures, without heating, lighting, electrics or protection from the cold, wind and rain! Immensely cheaper to do, for sure, but it could never happen.
There was a time when those that couldn’t afford a beautiful paint job or refused to have one, for one reason or another, were frowned upon. As an owner of countless VW buses and other air-cooled & water-cooled models, I have only ever owned one with a really good paint job, and that after the Mrs twisted my arm several times into getting one. So the number of ratty vans in the show hall was such a personal buzz. A few didn’t make it, because of the weather, but a real rat knows few obstacles and being what it is – generally a well packaged bus with trick engine, suspension and a few dings and scars – the weather just seemed to make things better. Then I witnessed something so peculiar it almost had me in stitches; the careful drying of rusty bodywork. See? Many a rat van owner is just as fanatical about their patina as the more polished examples. I kid you not!
The lack of early pedestrian congestion in the main hall was somewhat offset by the static vehicle displays ranging from high-quality Splitscreen buses through to quite unbelievable T5 water-pumpers. Interior packages, such an important facet to any camper event, were on display all over. There were panels, wheels and whole engines (new and third hand), posh and not-so-posh engine parts, artwork, upholstery and carpets. Clowns entertained the kids, as did a host of unique and intriguing reptiles. Note to Parents - BusFreeze is also educational! And if that wasn’t enough, a huge Scalextric track with a couple of Ferraris was available for the youngsters (and not so youngsters) to try a few race laps on. This complete set, valued at over £200, was raffled throughout the day at just 50p a ticket and the money raised added to the charity auction total. The auction itself, it’s fair to say, wasn’t the success we had hoped for. With reduced numbers of goods offered and people in attendance than would have been seen at DubFreeze (and tighter purse-strings in a time of recession, I suspect) Paul Mcgunnigal struggled at times to sell some of the items. Next year Paul, I have a cunning plan…
Outside the main buildings were members of the SSVC, T2OC, T25/3 and T4/5 national clubs, each with a designated space to line up their vehicles. First to arrive were the SSVC. Dave, you and your mates did a grand job! The line up was superb and caused a bit of a sensation. In fact, everyone who made the effort to display on the main run in from the entry gates to the doors really deserves a lot of credit. We were so grateful that you took the time to attend and camp-over. Good on you! If you want to be part of the line up next year – and didn’t those T4s look the business? – then we’ll do it all over again at BusFreeze #2 and hopefully the sun will shine brighter for you in October.
Thanks also to the clubs who reserved their pitches and braved the weather to display their club vehicles. Nice one guys, and thanks for the emails. Yes, we’ll definitely do it all again next year. Adjacent to these was the long run of vans for sale. I don’t know how many there were, but I suppose I should as I was outside speaking to some of you guys whilst horizontal rained separated us. I would guess about forty to fifty campers took advantage of our free sales area. As previously mentioned, a drop in entrants to the show hall meant space was available inside. It seemed such a shame to leave it empty, hence my trip outside to conjure up some interest. It wasn’t long before about half a dozen made it into the dry and separate For Sale section. Yes, it was a little peculiar, but given the circumstances I think we can be forgiven.
The specialist demo programme was always going to be a hit and miss affair. On paper, specialists speaking about what they know best to an audience of enthusiasts is a cracking menu, but it relied heavily on said enthusiasts visiting the website and, to some extent, downloading the two part programme. It was something different and entirely fresh and we weren’t the only ones a little concerned about how it would be received. Selected specialists were each allocated a half-hour slot in which to discuss a particular aspect of their business. From fitting a rock and roll bed with Volkswares, to Bay Window restoration and a complete interior fitment with The Camper Shack and Creative Trimmings. Stateside Tuning demonstrated what’s involved with balancing twin Webers, Dells and Solexes on an air-cooled engine and Red 9 Design explained the engineering behind their optimised race tuned suspension. R J Engineered Solutions gave a professional Power Point presentation on preparing stock and hi-performance Subaru engines for use in a VW Bus, whilst Dbeilt Trailers demonstrated their trailers and Volksgoods held a mechanical workshop presentation about starter motor testing. Caravan Supplies discussed leisure battery fitment and charging, whilst Lightning Leisure proved how quickly you could erect a Khyam Quick Erect awning – lightning speed, as it turned out, and a couple of sales ensued! We managed to catch up with a few specialists both during and after the event and also some of the listeners present. It went down well and an ‘8 out of 10’ is probably the best way to describe it. A thoroughly worthwhile exercise and one that is sure to be repeated in 2010 with a few improvements. James Calvert of Stateside Tuning was astonished at the number present when he gave his talk and commented how good it was to talk to so many people that were really interested in proper carburettor tuning.
We hope you enjoyed BusFreeze. As a first for us we certainly enjoyed bringing it to you. We can say that now we’ve left behind all the hassles of a storm, a postal strike, a mammoth motorway blockage and hopefully, in time, a recession! By the way, before I forget, contact Mark at Wolfspeed Designs for BusFreeze dash plaques and clothing. Thanks Mark! They're great! May I also say a big thank-you to the sponsors and the trade - thanks for ploughing through that awful weather and adding to the vibe in the halls. Some traders cancelled last minute, leaving voids in the main hall that really could only partially be filled, but we fully understand why; just one look at that forecast sent shivers through our spines. Status VW faced their own problems of a huge break-in a day or two before the show and were simply left without any stock to sell. Barclay and Julie, we wish you a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing you at next years event (and DubFreeze too!).
You wanted cheap camping and we gave it to you. You wanted free vehicle sales and we’ve given you that too. National and international club displays in key areas were always a priority, as was the effort put in to produce something new and exciting for the VW camper van owner with specialist demonstrations throughout the day and vehicle displays in the main hall. We tried to make it as different as we possibly could to DubFreeze, and from the many comments we’ve received since – all positive bar one – this show clearly has the potential to become something very special for VW camper and bus lovers of all ages. On behalf of the Team that brought you BusFreeze, thank you for making it all worthwhile and giving us the encouragement to put on another show. It was great to be part of something very special indeed.
BusFreeze #2 - The Sequel (Bigger, Better and Bolder) will be on the 23/24 October 2010. Pray for sun!
PS - Show and Shine Results
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