F dudes!! Listen up isnt it about time we got together all Italian marques in one place at one time. The GTA has an incredibly high concentration of italian cars but never have they been all together at one time. Do i have unrealistic expectations? How did concorso Italian start ?? with a vision. Are we less organized than the yanks? less resourcefull ? less visionary? So if we stasrt talking now them maybe by the time spring is here it will be a reality. where should it be held ? i think in the rightfull home of all things Italian . WOODBRIDGE!!!! I will donate my time but i need help from those who have done this already.... Just thinkin.......................... Gary Espada 8394
Gary, last summer I noticed that many Ferrari / Lambo /Massserati and even the Nuovo Fiat500 were in Montreal for the F1 race (June12) then came to Ottawa for the Italian week ( June 18) , the logical thing to do to maximise particiaption would be to hold the Canadian Concorso the following week-end then. High end cars would draw more interest. my 2cents Denis
I'm in to help however is required. I'd be able to get a photography team together to cover the event, along with it broadcasted on TV.
Gary, I do think you are on to something. Why hasn't someone thought of the sooner?!?! Much like what is done in Vancouver: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=200304&highlight=italia Vancouver Italian and French Car Show - Father's Day June 15th appears to be an annual event. "If you build it, they will come." Chris
Ok so its been a few days and a whole lotta great responses on this so lets make it happen ! First thing location location location . i think we need to celebrate woodbridge and all things italian (by the way im not even italian) but every thursday night during the summer you get a real sense of culture and not to mention the smell of gas ! at la paloma on thursday nights. It might be impossible to convince the plaza to give up the parking lot for the day as saturdays or sundays are busy . I know of Boyd conservation on islington just north of 7 . Maybe we charge admission and all goes to charity. Attrect sponsors boths etc .How do the guys who have British Car day at bronte do it? That show is so sucsessful they get guys from the states bringing their rides up. Why not the annual "Italian Car Day"!! first year 100 cars then on year five 1000 cars etc etc . Instead of just the ferrarri club or the maser club or the fiat club or the lambo club? (where are those guys by the way??) we all love all the marques admit it you get just as moist looking at zagato bodied 850 abarth as you do looking at an Espada! oh maybe thats just me ..... I think year one will be the hardest so whos with me on this ? My cell is 416-723-8707 call if you are willing to help Im excited Gary espada 8394
beer is for the German cars or Octoberfest, you goota talk vino for Italians I will work on the DeT guys Denis
This is a great idea.....I can't believe FNA or Foo have never organized a large event like this before in the GTA. We all know the GTA has the highest concentration of Ferrari's in the country, therefore it deserves a gathering like this. Good for you guys to stick a brick in FoO's rear end I can definitely spread the word amongst my Woodbridge friends, and can easily gather dozens of local F cars. IMHO....As a venue, Woodbridge would seem like an obvious choice, but there wouldn't be too many suitable locations aside from the usual movie theatre or Big box parking lots. I would suggest a nice flat farmland, or park setting like those featured in the American shows. It should also be near major highways so all participants, vendors and guests can quickly and easily access the event. Somewhere like Oakville, Caledon, Halton Hills etc..has many private parks and farmland with flat acreage, and is close to all major highways. The date should also be in July/September when there is very little rain...because we all know how F owners love driving in the wet! Just my .02!
British Car day has been running forever and has been growing every year. It's an amazing show and a great model to build your idea on, Gary. The event is hosted and run by the Toronto Triumph club but they get everyone involved: Austin-Healey club of Southern Ontario, Toronto MG club, Boot 'n' Bonnet club, British Saloon club, Jaguar owners club, well you get the idea. I think the best way to get this off the ground is to get one of the bigger Italian car clubs involved into running the event. From there they can contact the other car clubs and you're up and running. It is also likely that it will take several years of annual meets before it really gathers steam. I would charge admission but make it a no-profit event. Use the money to bring in special guests/cars that would attract spectators. Finally, British Car day is strictly show and shine. This can attract some trailer queens and gives lots of time for socializing. It's a great idea and I'm in!
I'm in. As an idea, couldn't we use a conservation area and book off an entire lot? They charge like $15 to block off a lot and then just charge a few bucks for every car that comes in. But it would ensure a nice scenic spot. I've attended car events like that at both Christies and Kelso
Grass areas after rain fall will not be a good. How about get together with the chap the organizes the Fiat & Alfa Italian car show Thursday night's at Paloma in Woodbridge and expand it at the same location since there are many Ferrari's,Lambo's and Maserati's that attend that night anyways...... Location is perfect with Italian ice cream,pizza and espresso....... Maybe bring in a sponsor for the event and hold a 50/50 draw and donate that. With the 400,407 and 401 nearby makes that location ideal.
I was thinking the same thing. The first Thursday of each month is a feature event there. Perhaps you and the organizer could set things up in such a way that attendance would be limited to Italian cars only on those days (and try to attract more and more cars each month)?
ok soall you local Fdudes that responded here that you would like to help. Call me at the number shown and we will meet to talk about the next steps. Gary 416-723-8707cell
Gentlemen...you are missing a critical factor with this location: Parking Yes, the La Paloma parking lot can accomodate the hundreds of Ferrari's and Lambos etc... which will show up. But there will be absolutely no room for parking for the visitors! You will need another few hundred spots to park peoples cars. If this will be a large event, count on having a few hundred, if not few thousand vistors showing up. Where will they park ? How will they access the grounds? If there is a $5 admission, how will security be enforced? Where will the hospitality, and vendor booths be ? Before anything is arranged, there will need to be a professional layout of the event done, in order to properly plan and organize the event area. Also, La Paloma parking lot is home to many other stores, it will be impossible to close the entire shopping area for a Saturday or Sunday. The landlords will certainly not allow this. My suggestion would be Boyd Park in Woodbridge. Its on Islington/Langstaff. Although this is a 'grass' location, its very large and sparse, and can accomodate visitors and vendors. Although weather can ruin this venue if it rains.
Rain would ruin most locations, so it'd be best to have a rain date as well as the scheduled date and make it know from day 1 IMO.
If everyone is worried about rain...then go ahead and book the International center, or Direct Energy center, or another indoor venue. This can cost upwards of $100,000.......and you will need to charge $20 admission. This idea is possible, but will be difficult without the proper promoting/advertising. (You can add another $25,000 for that too.) The question is, will this show be a 'super-show', or a hobby-ist gathering ? We are talking about 2 different types of shows now. Many of the "Super Shows" are held at the Direct energy center, and The International center, but these are all heavily promoted and professionaly staged. Or else the answer is simple, you will need to do it outdoors in a budget location. As Gary mentioned before, Bronte Park in Burlington, or Boyd Park in Woodbridge. They are both good locations with lots of parking, and camping areas, and is fairly cheap to hold a car club meeting, and can be done without professional management.
La Paloma is pretty much completely surrounded by other parking lots. If necessary, visitors could simply park in any one of them and walk across the street to the car meet. As for security, volunteers could be stationed at each of the entrances to make sure nobody tries to get in for free. Another idea would be to designate entrances specifically for participants and visitors, in order to make getting in and out more efficient for everyone.