LONDON SHOW MISSING THE WOW FACTOR
Clubs and traders champion the Olympia site, but CCW readers and classic enthusiasts miss the ExCeL’s Grand Avenue
The newly rejuvenated London Classic Car Show, held at the Olympia Exhibition Centre in Kensington, has been warmly received by clubs and dealers alike. But visitors, including CCW readers, want the show to go back to the ExCeL in Docklands – famous for its moving display of classics known as the Grand Avenue – and show more ‘everyman’ historics.
After five years at the ExCeL, falling visitor figures prompted the move to the historic Olympia
Exhibition Centre, which placed clubs upstairs and dealers on the ground floor.
Alex Parkinson, manager of Essex dealer Total Headturners, said that the new venue brought London-based customers to its stand who may not have otherwise gone to ExCeL: ‘There are so few classic car shows in that part of London that it was worth being introduced to new customers, despite the nightmares we had getting to Olympia because of the LEZ and Congestion Charge.’
‘ We loved the balconies, which gave us multiple views of the show’
DARREN SULLIVAN VINCE
THE COVER STORY
Traders and clubs greeted the newly-relocated London Classic Car Show, held at Olympia Exhibition Centre on 20-23 February, positively, but many CCW readers felt that the loss of the Grand Avenue, the ‘moving motor show’ where classics were demonstrated to guests, was a glaring omission.
Clubs including the E-type Register of the Jaguar Drivers’ Club (JDC) and Waterloo Classics enjoyed the change of venue; clubs were placed on the mezzanine looking down on the main floor below.
E-type Register chairman, John Burton, whose section represented the JDC at Olympia told Classic Car Weekly: ‘ We may well do it again. I did the Excel three times, and I preferred Olympia – it’s light, airy and beautifully quaint.
‘Footfall on the stand was good but a lot of people lost out because they didn’t realise that there was an upstairs. The organisers need to put more signs up explaining that there’s more upstairs.
‘I can’t speak more highly of the Olympia staff, either, who helped us set up and break down. We were out in record time.’
Waterloo Classics used the London Classic Car Show to launch its new track day service; founder, Darren Sullivan Vince, had plenty of positive things to say: ‘ We loved the balconies – they gave us multiple views of the show and we had no issues with getting the cars in and out. We were curious about the new venue but we emerged impressed.’
Dealers said that the new location introduced them to London customers whom they wouldn’t have otherwise encountered at the previous ExCel venue. The Classic Hub project manager, Will Stoneham, said: ‘It felt exclusive. I liked the new venue far better than the modern exhibition space of the Excel, and although we didn’t sell anything over the weekend, we met new people and had several serious enquiries which we hope to turn into sales later in the year.’
Total Headturners manager, Alex Parkinson, also said that he had enjoyed the show despite preferring ExCel in terms of access. He said: ‘The old venue [at the ExCel] was very easy for us – getting to Olympia was a bit of a nightmare in comparison because you have the Low Emissions Zone [for transporters] and the Congestion Charge to deal with.
‘ We met different clientele and sold a car during the show, and got through a lot of enquiries.’
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