Re:
In terms of having a presence at Mountain Mayhem in the main arena. There was a Retrobike marquee in the main arena at Eastnor in 2009 I think.
I'm not sure whether it was paid for, but it was very popular with the regular punters, so much so I heard a rumour that some of the trade stall holders were complaining that they were losing customers.
The main issue was that somebody always had to man the marquee for security reasons. Not much of a problem unless you consider that most people who go to Mayhem do so to ride and/or socialise. The novelty of sitting in a tent looking after a bunch of old bikes wears thin at 3am. Especially when all your mates are having fun heckling riders 10 minutes away on the main campsite.
I know that the event organiser Pat Adams is/was still keen to incorporate Retrobike into the event, but at the same time, I don't think that any contributions would be forthcoming. If we wanted a trade pitch/marquee, then we'd have to pay for it.
I've also spoken a few times to Rory Hitchens at the Lezyne stand. They are a regular sponsor of the event and Rory is a regular rider with strong ties to the MTB scene over the years. He has always expressed an interest in our retro machines and has at times suggested a possible sponsorship offer.
The problem with all that though is you then have to work to somebody else's expectations.
So... Personally I prefer the approach we've taken over the past few years at Mayhem. Organise a trackside social area with a generator for music and a Jean Michelle Jarresque light show and smoke machine, a BBQ, concourse, giant jenga etc...
All done on a fairly relaxed basis on our own terms.
Certainly room to expand and incorporate new ideas though.
The last couple of years at the new venue Gatcombe Park, have necessarily been a bit low key so as not to annoy HRH.
In that respect Eastnor was a better venue for a Retrobike festival, until the 'Sock Police' came to shut us down that is...
I digress.
As Captain Steve says, tagging onto an existing event is probably the best option in my opinion, and Mountain Mayhem is definitely the best attended event on the current Retrobike calendar.
