Declining Attendance ?

[50/50]

Looking at the photos of the PA Swap Meet, Phoenix Club and Luft 7, all looked uniformly quiet....

Time of year? C19? Ageing Population? Aficionados switching to Taycan's

Any Theories?

[myflat6]

i have attended all of these events in the past but not this year. for Luft it was due to the location - SoCal is such an enormous draw just based on population and Porsche aficionados. For the Phoenix Club - it is historically at the tail end of the very popular open house week in SoCal - which draws people from all over the world. Given that Phoenix was more of a stand-alone event this year, this could have influenced attendance. Just my hypothesis...

[Chuck Miller]

Over here now.....

I agree with Bill's assessment...

cm

[LongRanger]

. . . IMO . . .


First-off --- I didn't even know/hear about this event until DOUGS73E posted a notice --- what? . . . 2 weeks, ago? . . .
https://www.early911sregistry.org/fo...am-3-00-pm-PDT

Dunno about You Guys but my precious/few available week-ends are usually planned a liiiitle further out than that. In other words, short notice = small attendance

Second --- The Phoenix Show was usually the closing event of The Lit Show Week-end . . . which is usually already is on a lotta people's calendars, anyway. Has been --- for years. And don't forget the growing number of shop tours, coffee-clatches, 'life-style' events, etc that go along with that. So without that audience to bank-shot off of, is it any surprise that attendance here was down?

But my suspicion is, there's a third reason . . . and more telling, I think. The Audience demographic for this event --- if not for these kinds of events in general . . . is heading for the exits. I overheard at least 4 conversations that included the word 'cancer' in them, and if I had to estimate the average age of the assembled attendees (especially the 356ers) it would be over 50. And not a little. Economically stable, maybe --- financially sound (even flush) . . . but definitely timing out. I saw almost no young people, and those few there weren't buying anything . . . even if they had the money

I'm not a big fan of shows like Luftgekühlt, but it appears that it's that kind of display that generates the attention --- and, along with it, the audience . . . that 'll sustain + grow our hobby


Whatever


All I can say is --- for me/this show? . . . most of the interesting cars? . . .


. . . were in the parking lot



Hah-rumf





.......

[Scott A]

i didnt know about the swap till two weeks before. So i didnt have time to swing it.
also, i didnt even think to look for the event being in the fall, for pre-plannng, i always made plans in january.
mostly it is the swap meet section that draws me to it. but $100 for gas, $40 for park and entrance, already out of pocket reduces my buying power.

[Unobtanium-inc]

I think Covid is still a concern for a lot of people so attendance at a lot of events has been affected. Also, the European's and Canadian's still can't travel so that hurts too. Went to the Ski Roundtop swap in PA a few weeks ago, it was very sparse. Hoping 2022 people feel better about the world.

---Adam

[Cruisingnkali]

i have attended all of these events in the past but not this year. for Luft it was due to the location - SoCal is such an enormous draw just based on population and Porsche aficionados. For the Phoenix Club - it is historically at the tail end of the very popular open house week in SoCal - which draws people from all over the world. Given that Phoenix was more of a stand-alone event this year, this could have influenced attendance. Just my hypothesis...

+1 agree. Weaker turn-out for sure.

[il pirata]

I can only really comment on Luft7 as I was there. While it was busy, the lots were full and the line for merch was crazy if you did not go first thing, it was still not a Luft LA show. Attendance at the Porsche Festival at the Indy track was light.

As others have commented, Covid certainly played a part as well as the market is smaller compared to SoCal and the that travel to the US was very limited.

[jaudette3]

An aging ownership and the continuing and building dominance of the damn internet (I have been involved with the internet for 27 years and I have a love/hate relationship with it given that it's a perfect example of destructive innovation. Bugs the hell out of me that Bezos and his pal Zuck get all the money while hard working Mom and Pops are going bust all over the country. But that's another post.)

It's been fun to be part of the S curve with the early cars. The peak is past of course and we have settled into a fairly quiet community. Older owners don't have the energy for events that they used to have. Younger owners do have the energy but they are accustomed to the damn internet and more of them own G-Series cars.

The ebb and flow of the circle of life. I'm fighting the ebb but it's a strong current.

Cheers,
John

P.S. Remember minus 30-35 years is usually where the action is. You lusted after it when you were 18. Now at age 50 you can afford the damn thing. I imagine 964's and 993's will go to the moon before their price increases peter out. Last of the air cooled.

[steve shea]

I think there is declining attendance here as well.