While I tend to agree with what Doug and Mordecai have to say, let me
play devil's advocate here for a moment.
Let's say by your phenominal negotiation skills you have secured
exclusive rights to arrange all of Madonna's personal appearances.
Anytime the Material Girl appears in public to speak, sing, or cavort in
the nude, you get paid the money. Event promoters will be lining up at
your door to arrange these things (especially cavorting in the nude).
Owning a particularly expensive or desirable vintage car is similar.
You will have people offering you money for the car to appear in books,
calendars, movies, ads, etc. You would get used to this. Race event
organizers will follow suit to some extent. I don't particularly like
it either, but I can understand how it happens. After all, the cars ARE
the stars at these events, right? Superstars can demand the bucks. If
you owned a $2 million car, which event would you go to: 1) "You pay
your money, you can show up." or 2) "We'd really like to have your car
in the show. We'll have lots of your buddies with similar cars coming,
we'll waive the entry fee and guarantee you all a nice paddock area."
The small clubs running mostly private events simply can't do this.
It's only the spectator events where somebody is trying to make a buck
that this will happen. You put on a good show year after year and the
spectators will come. If there is a corporate sponsor involved, there
is bound to be some favoritism going on. Who is the biggest sponsor at
the Monterey Historics? Chrysler. Who got to drive Carroll Shelby
around the track in a Cunningham? The executive VP of Chrysler. RHIP
As an example of the "communist" approach, the CSRG Reno Hilton event
was such a good deal for the entrants, that the hotel pulled the plug
after only 2 events because they weren't getting the spectators. The
entry fee was only $250, and that INCLUDED the room at the Hilton a
welcome party, AND a dinner show. It really was too good to be true.
Incidentally, the other sponsor of the Reno event was Buick. If it had
been Chrysler, I bet we would still have an event.
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