Low attendance expected at Vintage Cup?

[Kevin McCormack]

FWIW - I have been approached several times over the last 2 years by the 'prime movers' of a number of these events, I suppose because I'm old now and have a good looking grandfather beard, but mostly because I've been to most of these things since the original VC at Addieville RI back in God knows what year. The primal question was always; "Where do you see this (these things) going?" Meaning of course the SxS's attraction of showing, selling, competition, and all things connected with it.

My answer is always the same: IMHO these type events enjoy a very predictable and finite life expectancy, mostly subject to the vagaries of event location, changing management, degree of difficulty and layout of the target courses and regimen, quality of ancillary services (quality of food service, number and placement of Port-A-Johns, availability of golf carts), costs for booth or tables, proximity to decent and affordable lodging, and is there anything for the wife or girlfriend to do while the beaux are oogling guns or actually shooting events?

Most of the commenters to this thread so far have touched on many of these factors. I think one of the major elements of declining attendance by both dealers and the public is that the event has been "interrupted" too many times since its departure from Sandanona; essentially never having been held in the same place more than 3 years in a row since then. It needs a real "home", in other words. I think may dealers interpret this as an event with a "rootless" existence, and shy away from participating due to the unpredictability of any kind of continuum over the near-term. Our collector organizations need to help keep it and similar events alive through displays, education, participation in competitions like the FPC, LCSPC and others. Being there is now much more than half the fun!