Anniversary

NSCC 25th Anniversary Event

21st/22nd May 2005

The National Scalextric Collectors Club has been running small scale swapmeets ever since its formation in 1981 but in 2004 it was decided to try and run an ambitious large scale event showcasing all forms of slot cars to celebrate the 25th anniversary which was coming up the following year.

At the time Gareth Jex was in charge of promotions for the club and he was a director of a worldwide exhibitions organiser based in Surrey. He therefore had the experience, resources and contacts to bring the project to fruition. Finding suitable premises at a price the club could afford initially proved difficult but Scott Brownlee (PR executive for Toyota GB) happened to race at the same slot club as Gareth and a conversation between them led to the offer of Toyota's Headquarters in Epsom for two days totally free of charge with the full support of their in-house staff. Without their invaluable support it is unlikely that the show would have gone ahead.

This was a massive undertaking for a small enthusiasts club and it was a major challenge to transform the building into an event space. Nothing could happen till Toyota closed at 5PM on the Friday and the work had to be completed ready to open the following day. The committee and a small band of helpers under Gareth's direction were working till 2AM Saturday to get it done.

Publicising the show was not easy at that time, even with the help of Toyota's PR department, as t'internet was not as all powerful as it is today. Facebook was restricted to a few college students and the slot forums were still in their infancy. Local press and radio were the main mediums for promotion with Radio 2's Johnny Walker providing a welcome boost. Nevertheless the event was very successful with over 1600 paying visitors and it contained many aspects of the the later events at Gaydon: