• COMMENT SHOWS
Page 5
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• On the face of it there is no sense whatsoever in two, apparently similar, national coach rallies being held within 14 days of each other at opposite ends of the country, yet that is precisely what happens with the Blackpool and Brighton events. Next week the Brighton rally, or British Coach Rally to give it its correct title, will attract about three times as many participants as did last weekend's Blackpool, or National Coach Rally.
At a time when exhibitors at all kinds of shows in this industry are seeking maximum value for money, it is hardly surprising that people are asking why on earth these two events cannot be combined into one, which would more accurately reflect the importance of coaching in this country. It would probably be commercially successful, too.
Coaching enthusiasts from both the North and the South react with horror to this suggestion, pointing to the distinct characters of the two shows which could be lost in a merger.
This is a valid observation. The Blackpool rally has as northern a flavour as Blackpool rock, while the average age of the coaches at Brighton — most will be D-registered — combined with the wholly different style of the operators who present them, seems to reflect the greater affluence of this part of the country.
Fascinating as this contrast is, the question remains, can the industry afford such a luxury? The answer must be, only if both events are given the support to justify it, and that means a lot more support than was evident by the number of entries at Blackpool last week.