15-12-2019, 07:37 PM
Sadly, I think the golden age of autojumbles has passed and cannot be re-captured.
I remember the original and first in the UK - just a few stalls in the old rally field at Beaulieu in the 1960's, closely followed by Old Motor magazine's flea markets in London and Crich, proving so popular that before long they began to spring up all over the country until saturation point was reached, probably in the 1980's/90's.
Love it or hate it, the atmosphere at Beaulieu, with its setting in the New Forest is unique and I doubt it could be replicated elsewhere. The NEC is charmless and even popular venues such as Bicester, Brooklands, Goodwood et al would struggle to establish a rival event of the same magnitude.
However the Management at Beaulieu needs to recognise that the peak has passed, and to maintain the success of the September autojumble some radical action is needed.
Firstly the Spring event should be dropped altogether - it has never really taken off and may be diluting the demand for September. Secondly they should not be greedy, and drastically cut the cost for stallholders and public alike. Without a full and interesting field of professional and amateur stands (many of which barely cover their cost or even make a loss at the moment) the general public will not be attracted, and without a good public attendance the stalls will dwindle further. Beaulieu might say that slashing prices is not financially viable, if that's the case they should quit while they are ahead and let another venue have a go.
Just my two penn'orth - I might be completely wrong!
I remember the original and first in the UK - just a few stalls in the old rally field at Beaulieu in the 1960's, closely followed by Old Motor magazine's flea markets in London and Crich, proving so popular that before long they began to spring up all over the country until saturation point was reached, probably in the 1980's/90's.
Love it or hate it, the atmosphere at Beaulieu, with its setting in the New Forest is unique and I doubt it could be replicated elsewhere. The NEC is charmless and even popular venues such as Bicester, Brooklands, Goodwood et al would struggle to establish a rival event of the same magnitude.
However the Management at Beaulieu needs to recognise that the peak has passed, and to maintain the success of the September autojumble some radical action is needed.
Firstly the Spring event should be dropped altogether - it has never really taken off and may be diluting the demand for September. Secondly they should not be greedy, and drastically cut the cost for stallholders and public alike. Without a full and interesting field of professional and amateur stands (many of which barely cover their cost or even make a loss at the moment) the general public will not be attracted, and without a good public attendance the stalls will dwindle further. Beaulieu might say that slashing prices is not financially viable, if that's the case they should quit while they are ahead and let another venue have a go.
Just my two penn'orth - I might be completely wrong!