Most of the big Mini shows are run on a business basis financially as no one is going to bother running an event with all the time, effort, health & safety rules and regs, public liability insurance, etc required these days and then risk making a financial loss. In some ways the classic Mini scene is lucky that the big shows can now be subsidised by also attracting the growing number of MINI enthusiasts, either showing their cars or buying entry tickets on the gate.
As a long time member of the MCR I know it would be almost impossible for the club to risk the financial cost of running the annual Beaulieu Mini Show today without the extra ticket sales generated by MINI owners attending. If you don't like MINI's it is not difficult to walk on by and at Beaulieu the main Mini and MINI parking areas are in separate areas anyway.
This was one of the first Mini shows (in link below) back in 1982 at Twycross Zoo, which eventually grew to become the National MOC Show at Stanford Hall, now run by BMC.
My photos show pretty much all the Minis that attended that day parked in a field and a couple of trade stands.......perhaps the Mini scene will go full circle back to small shows like they were then back in the 1980's, but how many of todays enthusiasts used to todays big shows would even bother going? I drove from south London just to be at the Twycross show and many others came far longer distances!
First Moc Meeting 1982 - Twycross Zoo:-
http://www.theminifo...2-twycross-zoo/
Edited by mab01uk, 03 February 2019 - 08:13 PM.