[woodcote]

I'm absolutely sure the barriers are not about slot racing per se. Put an attractive, functioning slot car set-up in front of anyone and encourage them to have fun and they'll get stuck in.

Barriers are things we create.

In my experience, keeping things simple, cheap and loads of fun is the best way to entice new people in. A big, friendly welcome helps too. Once new people are hooked, the complexity, costs and learning new skills (including maintenance etc) are negotiable - but it should always stay fun.

Building a great track for family and friends takes a lot of planning, hard work, learning new skills, problem-solving, plus the constant re-evaluation of aims and concentrating on the small steps to get you there. It's the same for starting and running a slot car club. To be honest, it's the same for anything in life!

Specifically on public events, I prefer a small layout with a fun competition - including the all-important leader board and prizes! I have a box with a Micro Scalextric layout and some carefully prepared cars and spare chassis, controllers and power supplies. I have another box with a small ARC Air layout and five Super-resistant Mini Coopers with magnets...

         

It's always the same small and simple layout for each. Always the same fun and competitive format for each. And always an attempt to make things look nice - a bit of a wow factor. Plus plenty of preparation beforehand to make sure everything works and that I know exactly how everything works and how to fix anything that might go wrong. If stuff gets trashed or worn out, I repair where I can and look out for replacements at swapmeets.

The final thing is that I only do a small number of non-club events a year. And I pick those events carefully - only if the club will benefit (funds and/or new members) and I'll enjoy myself. A hobby has got to be fun, otherwise what's the point?