Exotic and Vintage Car and Motorcycle Barbecue

Description

On September 21, 2019, Seattle Yacht Club had its first Exotic and Vintage Car and Motorcycle Barbecue. Our goal was to create another connection between our members besides boating. On a quiet Saturday, we had 39 vehicles and over 100 members mingling and chatting about their automotive passion. Young families brought children and older members who no longer owned boats brought their cars. We invited members of the Jaguar Club, the new Drivers Club, and the Corvette Club to join us. Through word of mouth, this introduced Seattleites to the Seattle Yacht Club. It was good p.r. with the neighbors as they came and walked through the collection, too. We even had one family come to look at the cars after seeing the collection from the nearby freeway bridge! Many boaters also collect timeless vehicles so this was a perfect way to form new friendships.

Implementation

We created a brand for the event using the Commodore’s classic Volkswagen Beetle. We reached out to members who we knew had classic vehicles and asked them to participate. They then reached out to their friends and automotive clubs. Since this was the first time doing this, we wanted to get as many cars as possible. The budget was $1000 to cover lunch for the drivers and prizes. We only spent $800.

A bar and barbecue were set up in our parking lot – this was a first. Cars were parked around the perimeter of the lot and the barbecue and tables were in the center. Vehicles were asked to arrive at 10:30 am and the event started at 11:00 am. The driver got a free lunch. We intentionally kept the price down to encourage families - $10++ for adults and $5++ for children for lunch. There was no charge to just walk around.

We handed out ballots to all attendees to vote for:
1) Concours d’Elegance (the best vehicle)
2) People’s Choice (your favorite)
3) Best Zombie or Jalopy Car (the least likely to get you home)
4) Smiles Per Mile (the most fun)
5) Kid’s Choice (only vote for this one if you are under 15 years old)
6) Best Restoration
The prize was a 5-in-1 barbecue tool with the SYC logo on it.

Execution was simple. The lower lot was cordoned off the night before. On arrival, each car was handed a number to place on their dash board and a map of how to park. They were also handed a sign to fill in the make, model and year. The driver was given a coupon for lunch and ballots were distributed. The movie American Graffiti and classic rock were playing in the background. The event ended at 1:30 pm and many attendees talked about how much fun it they had. Several volunteered to chair the Second Annual Exotic and Vintage Car and Motorcycle Barbecue which will include live music.