POCI Louisville 2025
 

I'll post photos tomorrow.
I think this meet may said record breaking low attendance numbers
Such a nice venue with everything pretty much indoors.
I don't understand why people fail to show

I didn't even know about it. I think many of the guys who run car events, be they drag strips or car shows are well meaning but don't know a ton about marketing to modern audiences.

Now that I'm aware it exists, I might try to swing over. Im about an hour and half from Louisville. Is it just a show, or are there vendors/swap meet stuff?

Maybe I didn't know about it because you have to be a POCI member to attend?

I had a conflict but would otherwise be there.
No need to be a POCI member just to hang out, see the show or visit the swap.
See you at the Hundreth!

Hey the big show is tomorrow 8-3 come on down I have my 66 GTO in it.

This show is a big disappointment. I think 8 vendors and 74 Concours cars. Popular vote cars maybe 125- 150? This was supposed to be an inside show for everything, but they wrote that it would only be inside for 2 days! The show cars are a block away from the host hotel. If POCI holds another Nationals here, count me out.

Totally lame turnout/:venue. little payout for the effort output I feel
Seriously considering cancelling GTOAA Kingsport next week as I fear the same will happen
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Replying to previous

two different organizations, hopefully, a much different experience in Kingsport!

Sounds like a not fun time. I was planning on possibly taking my 70 to one of these events when it's completed, but it seems like every year the opinions of the show are worse than the previous year.

I think concourse cars, show cars whatever you want to call them, have a place. But I don't think you can build an event around it anymore.

Conversely, look at Roadkill Nights, PRI, or even the Pontiac Nationals at Norwalk. Great turnouts, great reviews generally. People have fun. They are events, there is racing, burnout boxes etc, there are things to do. This is a positive change IMO, but events that don't flex a little in their way of thinking will be left behind.

To anyone who thinks that a concours quality show is not possible anymore, attend an AACA show sometime.

I did the Special Eastern Fall Nationals last year in Hampton, VA. It was an indoor show (my first), and there were a lot of truly excellent cars.

On the first of this month, I did the 59th annual AACA show at Old Westbury Gardens on Long Island. It was a truly enjoyable event, with lots of quality cars, run very well, with fair judging (and I'm not just saying that because my '63 Bonneville took 1st in her class).

As for the POCI convention, after driving to Springdale, Arkansas last year (about 1,500 miles for me), I decided to sit this one out, even though I was enthused about an indoor event with AC. I am currently planning to attend next year's event in Pontiac, Michigan, but we'll see how that goes.

It's certainly disheartening that the event may not have been all of what it was advertised to be. I don't have enough feedback yet to provide more commentary. Last year, there was a scheduling mess between POCI and the Ames Pontiac Performance Nationals which surely didn't help. I don't think we had any overlapping this year, but I may be missing something.

I’m 80 miles from Louisville, I didn’t know about it .

Norwalk is the place to be, if you want to go to a Pontiac show.

I decided to cancel out Kingsport as I fear low/ no turnout and too much effort getting there

I went the last time it was in Louisville, left really disappointed. After going to the one at the TX Speedway in Dallas both my dad and I decided we were done making a special trip for POCI. Just can’t justify it when events like Norwalk and the TA Nats exist.

If POCI and GTOAA could get over their ego’s we could have one amazing show but that doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen. I think it was done twice and both were spectacular turn outs. Super rare cars, great swap meet, really attracted a lot of people. It’s a shame it doesn’t happen.

Highlight for me was the gorgeous Baja Gold ‘70 Judge with Ram Air V. It left Wednesday morning and I suspect a lot of people didn’t even know it was there.

Couldn't Agree More!

1000%. The people in this gig are getting older. Attendance is going to go down regardless what either group does. Combining would stave off the sudden decline for both.

Dayton was incredible.


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It has nothing to do with egos. It has to do with very different philosophies.
Well, it did when I was on the POCI board,

Poci and GTO Nationals have been on decline since Norwalk has become so popular. Used to go to poci and gto nationals every year. Now I only go to Norwalk

Last couple times to Norwalk I found nothing. Wasted trips. And they changed the dates, new date of show isn’t good too.
I hear poci is in Pontiac mi next year. Looking forward for that one.

I have been a continuous member of POCI almost 40 years. Member # 4199. The one constant thing that has me pay my dues every year is the high quality monthly magazine in PRINT. It is now only 9 times a year. (same low price, HA!) When they finally go all digital, which they will I imagine, I will finally be done. I stopped going to the conventions when they abandoned virtually all activities that involved "using the cars" at the convention. No drag racing, few if any driving events, no autocross and so forth. So essentially the conventions consists of hauling cars in trailers to a city, unloading them, and sitting around talking about them. Just not very interesting to me. But some people seem to enjoy that aspect of the hobby and their is a car show with judged cars and trophies and such. An event like Norwalk offers much more of a (something for everybody) approach and it is huge. Much more to my taste and many others obviously. In a way, I guess it makes sense for POCI to continue down the path of a traditional antique car club. Because as time moves forward, Pontiac's become more and more of a museum oddity than a viable, working piece of transportation. I will continue to drive all my Pontiacs.

A museum oddity...
Had to think about that as it resonates quite loudly.
Dude at the show had a 57 B-ville vert that if I owned would be on the street getting around occasionally. I inquired as to whether it gets street driven ever, to which someone replied "on and off the trailer only". Who the F is going to know what that car even is?
I'm 54 and would take care of that old ride but it'd be out and about too. Probably giving rides to old and young alike.

45 years POCI member. I enjoy Smoke Signals magazine. I'm not interested in digital, as are a few of local POCI friends are not either. I guess it's just our age. I enjoy driving my Pontiacs.

Me and a bud flew to St Louis when it was there, I had a great time. Found stuff a the swap too.

I’ve been a POCI member since I was 15 years old so I guess 35 years? I’m a member purely to support the hobby. Magazine has gotten better but I don’t usually read it. I haven’t spent any time on the website- probably should give it a chance.

Went to a SoCal GTOAA regional meet in the mid-eighties, and a POCI regional meet in Lake Havasu AZ about the same time but nothing since, until Norwalk last year. A first time trip for my wife and i.
To my Filipina wife, Norwalk was amazing. She was totally hooked on the racing, having never seen drag racing before, and would sit in the stands for hours. I enjoyed the swap meet and the car show. We camped in the open field with great neighbors.

The best part however was driving our Camper van across country from San Diego. Staying off the Interstates as much as possible, all the way to Nashville and then north. Spent the nights at KOAs every 300-400 miles. Great way to see America, stopping at all the oddities and attractions you'll never see from the Interstate. Eating at mom and pop diners (great catfish place in eastern Oklahoma BTW and fantastic Pistachio Ice cream in Alamagordo) and getting lost in the back roads of Arkansas. Norwalk to us was just the Cherry on the top.