Jeepin Bubba here. I’ve been in the thick of it – working at car shows, Jeep shows, and off-road events consistently for 14 years now. And I hate to say this… but… they seem to be declining. For me – the peak years for shows was about 2015-2018. We used to see growth in attendance every year across the board. We’d take time to network during the shows, and hangout afterwards. The sales numbers were incredible, and the awareness it would bring to your brand was fantastic. Then COVID hit… 

And now I keep hearing things like, “It’s not what it used to be.” 

For a long time, I didn’t pay that any mind. But then I really began to notice it last year: A measurable decline in attendance at every show except for the Great Smoky Mountain Jeep Invasion (which just seems to get bigger every year). And this year so far seems to be more of same. What’s going on? 

Another thing I’ve noticed is the age demographic… 

Now keep in mind, I’m primarily at Jeep or overland events these days, so that may have something to do with it. But the interesting thing about Jeeps – is that they bring a wide cross-section of people & appeal to all walks of life. Anyone from 4 to 104 can be found at a Jeep event. But these days, I’ve noticed a general shift to mostly 40+, with most people being retired or close to it. I guess that’s who has time & money for a vacation revolving around Jeeps lol. But I’m wondering on the automotive/street side of things, has the attendance shifted to older, younger, or still pretty well mixed? Have inflation & increased costs have become a barrier to the younger side of the culture. Or on the other hand – are the older guys (OGs) phasing out & doing other things with their weekends?

I’ve noticed a lot of people attending are mostly new to the hobby… 

Wide-eyed, first-timer types… coming to see what all the fuss is about. And that’s great! But these events also used to pull more of the seasoned rock crawler types. What a lot of you import guys might call OGs lol. but these days that seems more rare (I understand why, but that’s a different story). Maybe there are just too many events these days… causing over-saturation and/or burn-out. Social media can definitely play into it – from the way hype & ads are targeted & received, to the way events are covered. Maybe social media over-saturation creates FOMO… or maybe it creates apathy. Or maybe – it’s just gas prices, the cost of travel, the economy, even the culture of the events. But it all has me thinking… 

Is it worth it for me to continue attending?

It used to be that if you didn’t attend shows, you became irrelevant. However, companies like Cavfab & JCR Offroad/Victory 4×4 seem to be doing great without them. Personally, I attend shows for many reasons:

• To meet fellow enthusiasts
• Build brand awareness
• Sell products
• Networking
• Get social media content
• Showcase our builds & highlight our sponsors’ products
• The overall experience

Does going to shows really help my customers?

I’m at a crossroads. Because when I’m at shows, I do see new products & make connections with vendors that ultimately help my customers. However, when I’m gone, my shop is either closed, or running on a skeleton crew… and that’s not helpful to my customers. I do make content, which shows-off our builds & gives our customers ideas/inspiration for their own builds… as well as showing them an event that they may be interested in attending next time. But on the flip side – I’ve already filmed at the same shows at least 10 times… so it just seems redundant. Of course I’d like to build a national brand, and we do sell parts on our website across the United States. However, we tend to only go to shows in the Southeast, because that’s our core business. I’ll definitely finish-out this year’s show schedule, we have an epic build and great sponsors. In 2027 though, I’m gonna have to make some tough decisions. So what do y’all think – are shows still worth it?

Article by Jeepin Bubba