Carlisle GM Nationals is now Chevrolet Nationals

[Rich]

Wow. I think Carlisle is screwing up big time by doing this.  By renaming the GM Nats the new Chevrolet Nats it's going to tick GM owners off big time. Big mistake.  Pontiac, Cadillac, every GM produced car that used to attend will most likely skip it now. 

You guys who attend GM, your thoughts?

 

http://www.carlisleevents.com/carlisle-events/carlisle-gm-nationals/carlisle-gm-nationals-detail.aspx?detailid=1509

[LT1xL82]

Not obvious to me why they would do this. What is the gain? Someone determined they would capture more business with the Chevy focus than they will lose dropping the more inclusive GM moniker I guess. 

[Cork]

Sponsorship from Chevrolet is the reason for the name change. Many Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac guys not pleased with the name change. The show was struggling as is. I hope for the best but this may be the nail in the coffin.

[Thorsager]

We go to the Ford, Chrysler, and Corvette shows at Carlisle. All are well run and organized. I'm not sure what is going on with this one. I do not think a name change will fix it.

[Rich]

Not obvious to me why they would do this. What is the gain? Someone determined they would capture more business with the Chevy focus than they will lose dropping the more inclusive GM moniker I guess. 

Here's their response to all of the complaints:

 

To our loyal GM/Chevrolet Nationals followers, this is Mike Garland and I handle our public relations. We have talked in house about your responses to our event date change and name change and while I hope you know that no one wins in a social media fight, there are some facts we wanted to offer you. This isn’t a PR spin, this is fact. First, the same cars are welcome to be part of this newly branded Chevrolet Nationals as were eligible for the “old” GM Nationals. That means the fellow with the Oakland is welcome, the Fiero lovers, Pontiac owners, Buick lovers, Cadillac drivers, etc. You are all STILL welcome. We do hear and see what you’re saying about the show, its size, vendor base, etc. Yes, it’s not a big show. Yes, its vendor base is not massive. But…in the history of this show, it has never been big or at least big as it relates to our other events. At the same time, you can’t compare show to show. Every enthusiast base is unique to their show. 2010 was the largest turnout ever, with nearly 1,400 registered cars. 2014 was the 4th biggest event in history and 2001 and 2009 are 2nd and 3rd respectively. In between, registration has fluctuated to as low as around 650 in 2006 to just under 1,000 this past year. Why is that the case? Sometimes it is the weather, but otherwise, we don’t know. Even in 2016, when we changed the date with less than one year’s notice, you still gave us the 6th largest show in event history. I’ll tell you that our approach has been similar since day one, meaning that while we change where necessary based on trends and demand, we are generally following the same formula used to make our Ford and Chrysler shows the biggest of their type at over 3,000+ cars per event. Again, this event isn’t about one model of vehicle or brand, rather it’s all inclusive. We also know we can’t make everyone happy. There will always be a date conflict with someone or some event no matter what date we go with. That’s just a fact of life. What we do know…and you know it too, is that we don’t have the corporate backing of the OEM (Chevrolet) for this show like we do for Corvette weekend or like Ford and Chrysler do for those events. It’s not for lack of trying. But…one thing they encouraged us to do was be more in line with their branding. Think about your local Chevy dealer. It’s not called such and such GM. It has Chevrolet in the name. In order to better court the OEM and see support from them, we needed to make this change. We have seen what OEM support means to our other events and you are just as important to us as those other audiences. The reality is…without change, this show will die. Without show cars or car clubs, this show will die. Without vendors, this show will die and without you, this show will die. We are trying whatever we can within reason to not have that happen and we hope for your support to assure that it does not happen. Tell your friends, spread the word and please register your car and/or car club, secure a vending space or simply by a ticket to be with us. We want this show to succeed, grow and thrive just as you do. If you have any positive or realistic suggestions, please share them. In closing, we thank you for your support and hope to have it for many years to come.

 

 

[Chris@Adams]

I think that they are messing up, they are going to make a small show even smaller.

[Rich]

As a Pontiac owner Chris, I don't think I'd be too happy to show off, and have to explain, an award for my GTO that read Chevrolet Nationals.  Really a bonehead move on their part.

[LT1xL82]

If the name change was driven by the show accepting Chevrolet sponsorship, this may not only prove to be a less than a brilliant move by the show, but also GM! One brand acting to the determent of other brands under the same corporate umbrella never struck me as brilliant. It's not unheard of in the least...but brilliant? I think not. Ah, the wonders of corporate politics!

 

Hopefully when all the smoke clears this will make more sense than it does at first glance. But I wouldn't bet my money on it!

[Rich]

Guess we'll see if Carlisle is more invested in their bottom line, or in the loyal customer base.  I understand that they are a business, but we car guys like to feel our business is appreciated.  And the name change really sticks it to a lot of guys. Or at least makes them feel that way.  I think they'll mostly all go elsewhere.