Growing the hobby

[DrumPhil]

After seeing the recent discussion thread about one or more companies not doing so well, I gave some thought to compare this hobby to others I have been in. The goal here is to brainstorm ways to increase exposure for the hobby - especially new ways, rather than beating horses that are already down and gasping. LET'S NOT RE-OPEN THE DISCUSSION FROM THE OTHER THREAD. This is intended to be a positive discussion to help the future of slot racing.

I'm back in the hobby after a couple years away, and catching up on past reading I ran across a story about the UK Slot Festival. I remember also that there are major slot racing events in Spain and possibly other countries. And of course we all drooled over pictures of the new Carrera World in Germany. These are examples that are very accessible to the general public, and are big enough to be newsworthy in regional news outlets. They get slot racing into the public consciousness.

I am also avid in the board gaming hobby, which has undergone a huge resurgence over the last 10 years. The hobby board game market has experienced double-digit sales growth annually for at least the past five years, according to industry watchdog ICv2. What has changed? Well, the product (hobby board games) has made huge leaps forward in quality, broader thematic appeal, artistic presentation and accessibility (ease of learning the games). Also, the sales models are changing. Hobby shops still sell games, but the "smelly dungeon shop for junior high kids" is starting to be replaced by upscale board game cafes that attract college kids and adults of all stripes - especially intellectuals ("geeks") who have the desire and cash to drop on games that cost $40, $50 or more. Also, regional board gaming conventions are popping up all over the place, started by regular gamers who love to share their game passions with new players. It is really a grass-roots growth model.
Gamers shared some hard criticisms over the "unfriendly" and "smelly dungeon" reputation of game and comic shops that adults didn't want to visit. Retailers had to clean up their acts and/or change their business model. It is working.

How does that apply to slots? As much as "car guys" love a greasy garage, most families don't. A place like Carrera World is very family friendly and anyone with a slight interest would be attracted to it. Old commercial track facilities from the 1970s might not look very attractive to today's public, but clean, friendly, well-lit places (like Cloverleaf) could prove to be quite attractive to families. If a large portion of current sales are in 1/43 set sales to families (as Dave K explained), focus on making that demographic feel welcome.

Maybe also build "model racing" demo events, like the model train associations do. Big volunteer events attract (free) news coverage, and today's detailed cars and model raceways with scenery always amaze people who see them.

I need to get to a meeting, and have to stop typing. But what other ideas come to mind for ways to expose this fun and multifaceted hobby to the public?

[HomeRacingWorld]

Well, if you read that thread then you know Carrera of America does a lot of this public showing.

And better dealers promote racing as much as they can, Slot Car Corner, Cloverleaf Racing just beemed a 24 hour race for all to share and see.

The question is what can YOU do?

We have almost 1500 members. How many take the time to snap a photo and share the fun they are having for all who visit to see?

Sadly not many. It's incredibly easy to take a photo and share it here. But, some never do.

Our Facebook page has 4000+ members. Want to guess how many people actually post the fun they are having? Maybe 10 or 12.

And how many of those photos are SHARED? Almost zero. Oh yes, they hit the like button. But how about sharing it? Posting it again and again and again?

Doesn't happen nearly as much as it needs.

We have folks here that do local slot events all the time. NorCalMike has a traveling D oval, Frank goes to Church events, etc, etc.

It's all grass roots. Model Railroading and RC don't buy TV time either.

AC Kalmback and Mr. Walthers help build model railroading the old reliable way. They simply shared it with others in print and with photographs.

Today with the power of that box in front of you, you can do the same. Share the fun. Send people to this forum and all the others. Visit your local hobby shop and see what can be done to carry and promote the hobby. That just happened in that thread and it WORKS.

We have the power to promote this hobby without ever having to invest a dime. Just a few clicks is all it takes. Many people that are here in this hobby are here because of this screen on front of you. Social networking is a juggernaut that some want to pretend isn't that powerful. But it is a fact. "Growing" this hobby starts here with YOU :)

And for the record, if you were around in 2000, you would realize just how much this little hobby has exploded since then.

[TsgtRet]

I second the thought of expanding the hobby and the examples set forth are excellent. Harry has covered the bases pretty well (he is the "slot guru") but here's my :twocents-mytwocents:
I think if we (the slot car community) are to expand into the public eye we are going to need "bases" from which to operate like Cloverleaf. Unfortunately, these are few and far between unlike the RC and Model RR worlds. I think one of the problems we are up against is that we are too "diluted"....what I mean is the RC folks fall into 2 basic categories: carpet and dirt; Model Railroaders fall into their scale niches (Z, N, HO, O and G) but in both cases there is a lot of "cross pollination" and sharing. We have that in slots to a certain extent but not nearly as much as the other hobbies and as we are already a "hobby minority" we need to concentrate on spreading the word as "Slot Racers" instead of "1/32 Hard Body Slot Racers" (substitute your choice of specialty). Home slot racing never established itself here like it did on the other side of the pond, why, I don't know, but as a result we have a bigger barrier to deal with. One idea is to (politely) work on convincing local hobby shops to allow us to post notices of get togethers and maybe get them to become an "order point" for cars and tracks even if they won't shelf stock them. Secondarily, if you have a local RC Raceway approach them about installing something like a simple Carrera 4 lane in an out of the way corner (this is what they have in Ft Wayne). We had quite a few RC guys get into slots from watching us race. Finally, if you have a local youth/rec/community center, see about having some events there. I know there are more ideas out there and this site is probably the best starting point for a "campaign" like this with the group we hare on HRW. I'm in!

[DrumPhil]

I'm glad to hear that the hobby has exploded since 2000. Maybe my short vision made me susceptible to comments about the hobby not doing well. As usual, Harry, you prove to be wise and knowledgeable. Per your encouragement, I am going to be intentional about sharing stuff that looks cool and fun, instead of simply clicking "'like". You're right - it makes a difference.

A few years back, 2FER and I and our families hosted a public race day at our town's big July 4th celebration. We had kids racing non-stop, so much that we could hardly breathe. I've also done a race day for the local Boy Scout troop, and they loved it just as much. (We had great support from Dave K. and Carrera for these events, by the way.) The problem in both cases is that we didn't have a way to follow up and convert the "aha" experience into an ongoing hobby for the attendees. I did hear of a couple of attendees that went and bought home sets, but I wasn't able to stay in touch with them. To use TSgt's wording, we didn't have a "base" in the area where we could gather.

My goal with the 4th of July race day was to attract some adult racers with whom we could start a local club. We tried, but couldn't get any momentum going in our little town. I love the ideas for other types of bases - somewhere that people can be exposed and the curious can explore things further. Keep the ideas coming; keep the juices flowing!

[waaytoomuchintothis]

A great discussion so far, and I resonate with what Harry and the Sarge have said.

I do think that maybe there may be others like me though, who at some point decided they were being too self-promoting by posting so many photos of building, racing and collecting, especially collecting. I have what I call an insane number of cars, and I'm always building something. I used to put groups of cars of the same genre together for a photo whenever the inevitable rearranging happened. I really started to feel like I was showing off, even though I only have so many because I am older than dirt and have been keeping cars forever after I buy them. I still haven't sold anything I built, but I have given several away.

So, I'm going to go back to posting photos all the time. I had to pause my Beachracer build to fix my 1:1 cars, (both at once, can you believe it?), but I will catch up.

[strangebrew]

:twocents-mytwocents:
Maybe its too diversified for the novice.
Some folks are road coursers, some are hotrodders, some are drag racers, hill climb, PanAm & so on forever.
I grew up on dirt & that's where I stay....I scratchbuild because there's next to nothing on the market that fits my preference.
Harry's done a great job here with different sections for different interests. Naturally I spend my time on the Oval section.
But there you have NASCAR, vintage, jalopy, ASA & many more.
I think people will run the cars they see on TV or better yet have in their own neighborhoods.
I've been trying to come up with some resin dirt late model "kits" I'm far from satisfied, but I couldn't believe the interest
the guys at the Headquarters Spring Fling had in this type of racing. So I'll do my part to get some product out there for the guys
that asked me to do that. I guess there's some interest in club racing this stuff. I don't plan to sell anything, just send 'em
around the country to see if there's interest. I think Shotgun is going in a similar direction for his wildly popular jalopies.
If we could get some easy to build stuff out there, maybe that would help get some interest in the nitch part of the hobby
that manufacturers like Carrera can't provide. :twocents-mytwocents: :twocents-mytwocents:

[slothead]

This may be a silly question, but I'm going to throw it out there anyway.

Is there anything we, as slot car customers, can do to push for a digital standard? I got back into the hobby because digital racing sounded like a great way to have multiple cars racing on a 2 lane track. No need to 4 or 6 lanes to have that experience, plus to move ahead in a race would require passing and patience - just like the real deal. I bought a lot of stuff, never used it, and ended up giving it to Nor Cal Mike. But I still think digital is important to slot car racing's future and a standard format certainly would be nice. Even though I'm basically a solo racer today it would be fun to have ghost cars on the track or to work on ways to actually have them be competitive enough to take real skill to race against. Now if only any digital car could work on any track, like with trains or analogue slot cars.

I understand, as Dave K said, the companies aren't going to do it for their own reasons. But there must be a way to move in that direction. How did it come about for model railroading?

Slothead

[CrockettNZ]

I agree with with shotgun and post what you are building as it is a great way to see how things can be done
I am still tying to start my first brass chassis car but keep seeing different ways I could do it
and to me that is good as that is how I learn
I do have all the bits sitting there but time has been a bit short for lately but the colder weather and longer nights are starting to set in so hopefully
I can get onto it soon

where I am from has a even bigger problem when it comes to growing the hobby as there is not a large population base
the thing we get is someone new comes along and enjoys it to the point when we say it is time that they need to start getting there own cars and controllers and then you don't see them again
we would like to grow the club but to do that we would need to look at having a space that is big enough for that
but that would require hire a space so would need enough members to make that viable and we just can't keep those kind of numbers up

[TsgtRet]

Slothead,
Doc and I were talking about this the other day. My personal opinion is that we need a an electronics "whizkid" to come up with a "cottage industry" kit/adapter that allows one to run any car on any digital system. Unfortunately it will be a long time (if ever) until a digital system is standardized. Keep in mind that standardization in model railroading did not happen overnight, it took time; slot racing is just starting later. Since I'm an analog guy these observations are coming from the "outside" as it were. :twocents-mytwocents:

[goosenapper]

:text-worthless:

I'm sorry guys, but posting photos just isn't going to cut it. You have to get people's fingers on the triggers in order to experience the fun first-hand. Once they have, then maybe, and let me stress that: maybe those people will google "slot cars" and then maybe they will find this site and then maybe they will look at the thread in which you posted your photo and maybe they will like it and maybe then they will get inspired and buy a home track from a local store or online vendor.

Can you see the likelihood of that?

Really, there are not too many people out there who can spend $150+ on a slot car set just because they saw some photos that looked neat on the web.

If you do not advertise to folks you know that you enjoy slot cars, that they are not just for kids, and that they are still made, then the hobby will end up in the septic tank.

I don't care how many 1/43 Ninja Turtle sets are sold. Those are just dust collectors in attics. The real base of the hobby is found in car enthusiasts, and you must reach them in order for it to flourish. And that means engaging people one-on-one in the real world, not through photos posted next to an online alias. Sure, those shots help us who are already interested or active in the hobby, but it won't do squat to open the eyes of the kids or grown-ups who thought that slot cars died out in the '80s. (and I've met plenty of them)

I used to be embarrassed that I enjoyed running slot cars. I finally said to hell with it, and began telling anyone who I spoke with about the hobby. When someone asks you what sport or team you like, answer them but throw in "...but what I really enjoy is racing slot cars."

It comes down to this: If you are happy with the cars that you've amassed over the years, then just post photos and enjoy running your cars. The future of the hobby doesn't really matter to you since you're all set. But if you would like to see growth and want to see what can happen to the hobby if it is more widely recognized and received, then get out in to the world and start talking to people about it. You don't need to set up track demos at shows (but by all means, go for it) in order to make a difference, but you do need to look someone in the eyes and speak honestly and passionately about this hobby that you love in order to see it thrive.

[HomeRacingWorld]

First, I'm no "guru". Just a guy with a camera and a big mouth.

I agree with that Goose...To a point.

When you word it as you have, it seems like none of what we share matters. I do not believe that. I don't because too many people who are into slots today are in it because they DID search and DID find this site and others. And with Facebook and other social networks that are now literally household names...it DOES work.

Last year I had over 30 emails asking about sets to start with. I referred them to our latest article.
23 returned emails showing they bought that set or one like it at the local shop or online.
Will all those stay in the hobby? No, course not. But they DID get a set and enjoyed it.

Setting up tracks in public does work of course. Have done it many times. Showing it like that is a top notch way IF you have the time and resources to do so.

Many do not. Sharing a photo/race report/contact club info is also very important.

Boring story alert:

Myself and a young whippersnapper from Kentucky walked into a local hobby shop. This young man KNEW people were buying the slot cars because he was watching the very small inventory they had and seeing some missing from time to time.

We asked the store manager if we could hang up a simple note with his club/contact information. He allowed it.

Fast forward to today. it's one of the largest home clubs in the Midwest.

The local hobby shop that once had NO slot cars and was snubbed by the Railroad guys now has 1/3rd of the shop all slot cars with a great track inside to boot. A track where people walk by and see all the time and get to have that controller IN THE HAND as you mentioned.

One of the members also ended up buying and running the local commercial track and saved it. Today it's one of the most successful tracks in the Country.

All of this from ONE little hand scribbled note.

So it might seem like a waste of time. It might seem like sharing photos and race reports isn't that important. But it is. I fully agree that sharing what your hobby is to the people you know is VERY important.

It's ALL a collaborative effort. SHARE it how you can, the best you can. From talking to your local stockist and friends, to posting and sharing photos of your own slot car empire.

[Billy boy]

I watch f1,nascar,rally cross etc,and have never once seen an ad from scalextric or carrera showcasing any of there great sets. I've always wondered why? With millions of people tuning in I would think that would make sense,but, I'm not a marketing guy. I'm sure it's been looked at and deemed not cost affective or something.

[Josh's Dad]

The hobby's two major hurdles to becoming more popular are money and space.

For stores that sell slot cars, they need to maximize thier retail area and a large slot car track greatly reduces thier retail area. Retail space cost a significant amount of money with the most expensive retail spaces per square foot being found where there is the highest amounts of foot traffic. Likewise the less expensive retail spaces are found where there is significantly low levels of foot traffic. Because most owners of slot car shops are not independently wealthy, and the significant initial investment needed to open a slot car shop, most shop owners choose to open thier shops where there is little foot traffic, such as commercial/industrial parks and store fronts that are generally off of the beaten path. Because of this, the slot car shops are virtually invisible to the public and are only known by hobbyists. Put a slot car shop in a popular mall or strip center with significant foot traffic and you have the first part of the equation that will expand the hobby. Now you need to offer car and track time rental that is affordable to the average Joe. The next step,is to offer a discount to those who,have rented a car and track time to entice them to buy a car so that they will return, rent more time and buy more cars.

At home a big problem is space. When a first time home track buyer buys a track they generally purchase a home set that measures less than 8' X 8'. To fit as much track in that space the manufactures generally put together home sets that have radius 1 turns with very few sets having a radius 2 turn. The first time guy puts the track on the floor of his family room where it gets carpet fibers, pet hair and gets constantly stepped on as you marshal your cars. Add to that, you are sitting on the floor and have to stand up, walk to where your car fell of put it back on the track, and then go back to where your controller is. The first time buyer wants to go fast. REAL FAST. They expect that they will be able to nail the throttle and go all the way around the track without falling off, If the car falls off, it didn't work the way it supposed to. Have a small track with R1 turns and straights that are 1-2 track lengths long, you can't go fast and lose interest quite quickly. So how much room does one need to dedicate to build a decent size track that a first time track owner will enjoy and not get frustrated with, and when will the manufacturers make this track in a home set box? Now who has the space at home that they can dedicate to slot cars.

At home money is a big consideration. How many hundreds or thousands of dollars will it cost to build your track? Who has that kind of money to spend on a track, let alone to buy more cars.

[DrumPhil]

Josh's Dad, (I have a son Josh, too!)
I won't argue with your points. It is true that getting into home set racing is not cheap, and it takes a decent commitment of space to keep it going. However, those are things we can't really change. I'd like to see more ideas for things we CAN change or can do to help spread the joys of model racing. Identifying challenges is helpful if it leads to strategic thinking for how to move forward. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[chappy]

As avid hobbyists in the slot racing world we know the fun that can be had and that it can become a lifelong hobby or obsession. Any answer we co e up, with will have a more limited result than in Europe where population and space come into play. High density small areas are required for any niche hobby, and we are a niche hobby. So it is crucial we are much more visible. How, by taking advamtahe of setting up portable tracks at hobby shows , train shows or even model, shows. Those are who we are competing with for our share of the hobby sector.
Local malls li, e anythi g that increases foor traffic , so a well advertized weekend display and play set up will get attention and in a mall will see adults and parents , not just the kids. Many parents will say wow I didnt thinkmthey werearound anymore, and sudden.y a spark appears , I think my kids would like this ( although it is likely the 2nd childhood of the adult) but if it gets it to a younger generation that is all we can do.
Promote the hobby a yway withinn your means. I have seen a lot of Local cable stations do specials featuring hobbies in the viewing area. Let the media getninvolved by having local papers or Stations compete , and lastly go where you are going to get an audience. Church gatherings, picnics, Local clubs such as Lions or Kinsmen, Childrens hospitals which will bring some joy tomthe children and garner attention.
Be prepared with leaflets full of Info on local clubs and web sites and contacts.
Quite often at a hobby show , a retailer dosent have time or manpower to do shelf sales and a display but often they will provide a set up for a local club to, run for them.
our part then continues on our websites by welcoming newbies and providing resources for them to learn more and experience the fun of the hobby I cluding the comraderie.
I. North America we are fortunate in many ways to have soace for a home track, whereas in Europe clubs literally rent space to either set up a perma ent club or a hall rentall a couple of times a month.
It is work and dedication that gets the required visibility out there and then conti ued efforts to nurture those whom have shown some interest. Many have neither space for a home track, nor finances to support a home track, but if they connect with a existing club, then ecentually the teue enthusiasts will at least want their own cars.
I do agree that so e television exposure is needed to promote the hobby, but it is a double edged sword for the manufacturers, as one will spend time , effort and money while others will benefit from it.
The other factor that comes into p, ay is the reall 1:1 racing being televised as that is the audience we need to introduce to the hobby who already have an I terest in motor sport racing. Now with the demise of such popular stations like Speed Vision which carried a broad range of racing types what have we got reaxily available to us. For the last 4 yrs we havent been able to get the 24 hrs of Lemans on TV, but can stream it on our computer. We do, that because we know about it, but others who dont, wont see it.
It is an external influence which ca p, ay into, the miniature scale racing hobby.
Nascar is a good form of racing, but there is so much more out there that is good racing but receives little or no coverage at all.
It is all about exposure and getting it I front of the right audience. That is pretty mjch all we can do.
We just need to find the places where we can get the exposure and then put some work into getting it out there. Talk of slot cars still existing and being technologically advanced will stir some memories and tht may lead into re entry to, the hobby, but as end users we can only make folk aware of the hobby and provide I formation soipurces such as HRW and other on line forums, and retail siteswill spur the Interest. That is all wecan do as end users ourselves . The rest I suggest is up to manufacturers or large retailers with trade shows and special events.
Anyway that is one main segment we can exploit .
Bob