2023 marked the first year for the Pontiacs in Pigeon Forge PIPF to hold their event at the LeConte Center & Convention Center. The new venue had a lot of advantages with some learning opportunities for next years show. As a car owner and vendor, we can provide some feedback. The LeConte Center offers both a quality inside showcase along with an outdoor exhibit area. Fortunately, the inside area for PIPF wasn't so tight that cars were practically touching. Room to walk between cars and accomodate people wanting to see the cars is a huge advantage. Not to mention the AC... it was a nice break from the outside in the heat of the afternoon.
The weather was really great for the outside exhibits. It was cool in the mornings warming up before noon with a gentle breeze. A little too warm in the afternoon, but this could be due to the show being on a paved asphalt parking lot. No rain, which was a great advantage for both the cars being shown and the vendors.
The show featured many of the celebrity Pontiacs like; Talking car - KITT (TV Show), the Monkeys (Band) custom, and of course a full show from the Smokey and the Bandit movies. Even Sheriff Buford T Justice was there in pursuit of the Bandit.
The inside vendors were generally happy with the traffic, but some mentioned that Pontiac specific items are hard to come by. They haven't been to a Nash or Corvair show. Outside vendors could have benefited from having the pre-registered vendor spaces at the entrance to have lookers walk past their displays before seeing the cars. Then after the pre-registered cars lot, there could have been the swap meet and last minute vendor registrants.
Of course, we are best fitted for outside with our expected delivery of the top synthetic lubricant line available today. If fact, this show was the first one in a long time to see us completely sell out of our Z-Rod oils in all weights. But with the high quality cars on display we expected the people would use the best.
Of course Direct Performance deals helped set us apart from many with the $1 wiper refills and $10 serpentine belts. What was also a surprise was the special originals from the Nascar Cafe 'Bristol Motor Speedway Museum'. This collection of one-of-a-kind memorabilia was well looked over and many took some of that original history home with them. Many folks had some great personal stories about their experiences at Bristol. Specifically, the sequence of pictures from Fireball Roberts crash at Bristol in 1963. Which now finds it's home in Elizabethton TN.
So, a big Thank You for those who came out to say hello. Next Stop is Hot Rod Power Tour 2023.