A radical change of venue is always a risk for an established event but sometimes it just can’t be avoided.
After many years of being exposed to the vagaries of Johannesburg’s winter weather – thankfully without ever being completely washed- or frozen out (often quite the opposite) – the organisers of the 1000 Bike Show made the bold decision to move the event to the confines of Greenstone Mall parking. No, it doesn’t sound very glamorous does it but, despite the naysayers before the event, it was an awful lot more successful than anyone had dared to hope.
Winter in Johannesburg is a lovely season but it can get hot and sweaty if you’re forced to stand out in it all day and the dust can be hectic. Hosting the show completely undercover – for attendees as well as the bikes – made it such a pleasure to really take your time and walk around the exhibits, which were, as usual, of a very high standard.
Sure, there wasn’t an awful lot that was new on the classic scene to look at but that hardly mattered; it’s always healthy to get a close look at classic and vintage bikes of all descriptions and it’s never a hardship looking at the mouth-watering selection of bikes on show, no matter how often you might have seen them.
Another enjoyable element of the show is meeting up with old friends and acquaintances, in surroundings that make everyone so happy. I heard no complaints about the venue that were worth bothering about and, to be honest, I wouldn’t have listened too carefully if anyone had tried to do so. They weren’t the ones who had worked so hard to organise the event and, therefore, had no right to complain unless they were willing to step up to the plate for next year or had constructive criticism and perhaps some solutions to offer.
Personally, I think a period of stability for the show in terms of venue will do it nothing but good and, as far as I can see, there is nothing stopping the Greenstone Mall venue from getting better and better every year, as lessons are learned with feedback from the punters taken into account. What is certain is that the show could expand in floor space easily, should it be necessary and that is possibly the biggest benefit in hosting the show there.
No show can survive without the active enthusiasm and participation of the exhibitors and, to them must go a huge note of appreciation and thanks; not everyone has the time to devote a full weekend to something but the fact that so many do, makes the show all the more memorable and successful.
And an equally big thank you to the organisers, who have survived the brickbats and, hopefully, a much larger number of praises and helpful suggestions for next year. I know from personal experience that putting on an event such as this can be a thankless task but, whatever your opinion of the show, it doesn’t change the fact that there are those who worked very hard to make it happen that we might have something to do on a weekend.
If you are new to the classic motorcycle world and enjoyed what you saw at the 1000 Bike Show, don’t forget that the Classic Motorcycle Club has its monthly meeting on the first Sunday of the month at the Kensington Club, 8, Ivanhoe Street, with bikes arriving from around 8 in the morning.
