Who wants to race at SuperCon in Vegas?
Just this week House of Cars, the group that's running the Diecast SuperCon in Vegas next February, contacted me to see if I would be interested in coming out there with a track and putting on some racing.
I was flattered and appreciated them reaching out...however...I don't have track! Or more so, I don't have a track that can travel all the way out West from Ohio. But House of Cars is still looking for some folks to come out and do some racing on-site at the Vegas convention.
Do you have a track and do you want to race at the Diecast SuperCon in Vegas?
If you have a track that's travel-worthy and race-ready, and want some good exposure in front of thousands of diecast fans, this could be a great opportunity.
The director of operations for House of Cars is Steve Johnston, and he gave me permission to post his contact info so anyone that is curious about the opportunity they should contact him and see what's available. You can tell him you're from the Redline Derby Racing community and that might grease the wheels a bit...or at least won't hurt.
Send an email to Steve Johnston at House of Cars: steve@hocentertainment.com
It doesn't sound like Steve or HOC has any specific plans for the racing, just that they would like racing on-site as something of an attraction and engagement point for visitors. In other words, it sounds like what you could do and run would really be up to you.
From my chat with him..."something that they could create a monetization off of or could do it as a fun activity, fundraiser, or exposure for an organization...we are looking for someone with a strong downhill that can be an activity during our show. We run one set of downhill races, which is generally on the Friday night of the show. Outside of that, it would be completely on whoever’s operating the downhill to choose."
I sense they're used to having drag racing at the conventions but I doubt they'd be opposed to other styles of track racing, so long as it can be setup nicely and offer something to the crowd. Gotta say it'd be pretty neat to see an open road track at a convention showing off that style of racing. It'd be different and probably get some attention.
Contact House of Cars for more details
Steve also suggested he might have some convention tickets for RLD to give out, so stay tuned to see if that happens. Otherwise, if you're interested in racing at the SuperCon and getting your channel in front of a ton of people, reach out to Steve via steve@hocentertainment.com- Just don't forget to comment back here with what you learn and if you're going.
For more information on the convention itself, diecastsupercon.com
Discussion
interesting
I have wondered if people would pay you to setup track and run races
a kids event can cost a parent $200+ at most venues
Show up, box of new cars
set up track,
do some drags, then a joust
dr
- I’ve hosted a couple youth parties with my portable tracks and frankly, they scared me. One thing I’ve learned is that if there is entertainment for children most parents will forget that they still need to supervise their kids. After having dealt with young’ns that have literally tried to climb up the slope on my big track, grabbed cars as they were racing, grabbed the finish timers to see the times and other things that undisciplined kids do, I’ve given up on hosting youth centered events. Trust me, it’s not the kids, it’s the parents that are the problem. — ChiefWopahoo
- good advice, I will take that to heart — dr_dodge
Lot of memories flying into and out of 'Vegas during the '90s and early 2000's delivering new hardware for demos for Intel. Big Tech Shows and conferences lots of press - stress - geek socials - parties. Some of you may recall the Intel Bunny Suit dancers you saw in commercials in the '90s. They were all young professional dancers and one night after the tech show had closed down Intel threw a huge bash at a fancy resort and those guys could party and party some more. The next morning my team met at Bellagio's valet area at 7AM all wearing shades. I drove a quiet bunch to the airport just like we we're all going to fly out ... as we pulled up to the departure point someone said "Hey man, didn't you rent this car?" Sigh... I was going to have to drive to the rental return and then shuttle back.
I managed to get the car returned and caught a competitors shuttle back and got into a short line. Handed over my ticket and ID ..... "Sir, are you aware your drivers license has expired..."
Not really in hurry to get back to 'Vegas I much prefer to visit Reno / Tahoe which my wife and I did on the Harley a couple times. Vroom vroom
- we did that as well... great rides! — Stoopid_Fish_Racing
- When I first moved to Vegas, on the first night, I made a new friend at the store (because of the band T-shirt I was wearing). Before I knew it three days had passed and I needed to sleep. I gave up partying years ago, though. But, the locals here party harder than guests. — LobotomyScam
Probably also worth mentioning that I never even got to the point of asking them what they would cover, if anything, to be at the convention. They may be willing to cover some expenses...who knows...
I was just very honest with him up front saying I don't have a track that travels and I don't have anything to sell that would give me any returns on the time. I know a lot of guys with channels also make their own products and this could be a great way to promote the racing hobby AND sell their stuff on-site.
The last convention I went to was in 2011 and even then I had to piggyback on someone else's track for the RLD event. It was fun and I'm glad I got the chance to do it, but that experience also told me that I'm not enough of a collector to justify travel to conventions that aren't within driving distance. And that was like 13 years ago before I had a kid! LOL, things have changed since then.
Now...when we finally get to a point where there's a big event focused mostly on racing, I'll be there with bells on to do what I can. Maybe we'll get there someday...
- Where will it take place? Where they have SEMA in Paradise? — LobotomyScam
- I'm not sure, check out the con website for more details - diecastsupercon.com — redlinederby
Wasn't there a guy on Redline Derby that had built a portable track to take in and out of an enclosed trailer? Maybe he is portable enough and interested? Chief Wopahoo ....or something similar.
- yup — dr_dodge
- Yessir, that’s me. Convention events are exactly what the Buckeye Mountain Raceway was built for. Now taking it across the country would be a pretty serious endeavor. — ChiefWopahoo
- Yeah.....Ohio to Vegas is a pretty long haul. — Dutch_Clutch_Racing
- hows the gig goin' chief? — dr_dodge
I used to love going to Vegas... everything was super cheap and there were loads of great things to do at reasonable prices and I don't even gamble... but these days the costs are outrageous and the place is just not the same...