There is a particular kind of booking that our owners really remember. And it's not always the weekend drive or the casual cruise, but the commercial shoot where the director called it the best thing on set, the corporate event where it became the talking point of the conference, or the wedding when the car is looked at almost as much as the bride.
Event hire is one of the most rewarding ways to share a classic car, and one of the most in-demand categories across both DRIVESHARE and BookAclassic by DRIVESHARE. But it does ask something slightly different of your car and of you as a DRIVESHARE owner. Read on to find out more...
It starts with presentation
For a weekend drive, a little patina is part of the charm. However, for an event, the car needs to look its absolute best. That doesn't mean a showroom restoration, but it does mean a thorough clean inside and out, attention to chrome, and making sure any wear that might photograph badly is addressed.
Soft tops should be clean and close properly, interiors should be fresh. These small details matter more than you might think when a photographer is circling the car.
Think about the context
Event bookers are often working to a brief, and a wedding planner wants to know the car will complement the aesthetic... and a photographer needs to know how the car sits, what the light does to the paintwork, whether it can be dressed or decorated.
The more you can tell potential bookers about your car in that context, the better. What colors does it suit? What has it been used for before? Does it have any particular features that make it stand out on camera? A well-written listing that speaks to event use will attract the right inquiries.
Be clear about what you offer
Event hire often means the car stays in one place, or makes a single journey, rather than being driven for hours.
So be clear in your listing about whether you attend with the car, whether you offer a chauffeured service, and what you are and aren't comfortable with in terms of decoration, signage or styling.
Reliability is everything
A weekend renter can be flexible if something minor goes wrong. But weddings, shoots and corporate occasions run to tight schedules, and a car that lets someone down on their wedding day is a very different situation to one that needs a rest on a Sunday afternoon.
Before accepting an event booking, make sure your car has been recently serviced and that you are confident in it for the occasion. If there is anything you have been meaning to get looked at, do that first.
Let the car tell you what it's good for
Not every classic is right for every event. A stripped-back sports car is perfect for an editorial shoot but might not be the right fit for a formal corporate occasion. A grand old saloon or a vintage convertible might be exactly what a wedding planner has been searching for.
The best event listings are clear about what the car is and what it does well. Owners who understand their car's character and tell its story tend to attract bookings that are a good fit, so why not take the time to update your listing now?
Member discussion