MATS - Worth Going?

OK. Looking for some thoughts on MATS. I have never even been to Vegas and looking to burn some vacation. Is MATS an event worth attending? Anything to compare it to? Just looking for thoughts from people that have been there.

Thanks!

Never been to MATS, but I love Vegas. Tons of stuff to do. Shelby facility, Mob Museum, Cirq du Soleil, Sun Buggy Dune Buggies, etc...though I suspect anything vehicle related might be tough to book during that weekend.

Also, I saw some Vegas food recommendations here for Bubba Gump, Five Guys, etc...there are way too many great restaurants in Vegas to spend your money and calories at a chain place.

I was planning to go this past Sept , Had room at the Flamingo booked , I bought a truck to use as a hauler and had a Trailer all lined up to haul the car up and all ( but had a family matter I had to deal at the last minute so ditched it )

Ive seen enough pictures of said event ,,,,. I didnt miss ANYTHING.
UNLESS your a racer, ,,,,, then it was a good time. I am not .

Definitely a good time, you should go at least once.

I went for the first 14 years, of course missed 2020 and 2021 did not happen until later in the year and from what I hear was not good. Being that is going back to the original date should help immensely, and I will be going again this year as I have a vehicle I need to take out there and pick up another one. I hope people try it again, Phil needs good luck for a change!

MATS: Mid-America Trucking Show. Louisville - end of March.

LOL !! All kidding aside, if you want "affordable" dining then stick with the chains because they retain the same prices nation-wide. Otherwise it is VERY expensive to eat in Vegas.

If you go I highly recommend the Valley of Fire state park as a day trip, beautiful place. The Hoover Dam is well worth a tour too.

http://parks.nv.gov/parks/valley-of-fire

Mount Charleston is always interesting too, one time snow came over the mountain and hit the speedway, we could see it coming! And I am so old the buffets were either comped or $5 for all you could eat, those days are long gone...

I've always loved the show and Phil is a great guy!! To be honest, I haven't attended in a few years (even prior to Covid). It's on the other side of the country and I've been getting busy with events in February, March and April that I wasn't involved with 5 years ago that have made it nearly impossible to attend. I couldn't attend in 2021 because I was already committed to a show on the same weekend.

I definitely recommend the show and like someone else said, you should definitely check it out. I loved seeing cars that I don't typically see east of the Mississippi. But the best part for me was always the people. I met people out there who have become true friends. My favorite part of the event was always The Cannery. I don't know why, but it was just FUN! After years of staying in Vegas, I finally got a room at The Cannery and 2 years later we got kicked out

I hope to get back out there

Ed

Living in the Southwest the number of good quality shows is pretty limited. I’m unsure if it’s an oversight or by design but MATS (Vegas) and Good Guys (Scottsdale) are held the same days. Being a Phoenix resident it’s pretty tough to pass up a large local show. I have to believe I’m not the only guy that would like to attend both. Weather in the Southwest would allow either venue to be moved to late Feb, then we could see a spread of shows without stepping on toes . . . Feb, March, and April (Spring Fling)

i went a couple times when it was just mopars. ok but i prefer spring fling in van nuys much more. no drag racing though.

As a show promoter, I can tell you that it's IMPOSSIBLE to avoid all scheduling conflicts. You look at all of the factors, including other shows, and you pick the best compromise. Every event has its own unique factors that most people just aren't aware of. Keep in mind, MATS is held at a major racing venue for both NHRA and NASCAR so they will get first choice on dates. I'm sure there are other clients that are ahead of Phil when it comes to picking dates, too.

For me personally, I liked it best when MATS and Spring Fling were back-to-back because then I could justify the expense to do both in one trip. That made for one awesome week and a half!! But that's just my preference. Both promoters have to look at the bigger picture.

The last thing I'd like to add, feedback like this is ALWAYS welcomed. Not just on dates, but on any aspect of a show. The reality is, we (the promoters) can't be everywhere nor can we see everything no matter how hard we try. We do these shows for YOU, the attendees, so our goal is to make an enjoyable event for you. But at the same time, we can't accommodate all suggestions so don't assume that just because you suggested it that it definitely will happen. The change has to be doable and make sense. I love ideas/suggestions/feedback!

Ed

Thanks for the feedback, and I completely understand. Excellent point about back-to-back for those making any serious mileage commitment. I can see that it will never be ideal for everyone, to include the venue grounds and their commitments. My perspective was simply addressing 3 of the larger shows in the Southwest and my preference, perhaps overlooking other instances as you have pointed out.

Swap meets are a huge factor for me. Spring and Fall fling shows are THE best on the west coast but pale in comparison to the Nationals and Carlisle. MATS hasn't been any better than the show in Cupertino and barely better than Sacramento. This is no fault of the promoters. It boggles my mind that out here where the cars last longer, the car culture isn't as strong. It used to be that California was THE place to be.

Sad, but true.

Too many Tesla and Prius fans out here.

Population density has a lot to do with it. There is such a concentration of people in the Mid-Atlantic area so we have a much larger pool of people out here within a couple hour drive of Carlisle.

I have nothing but good things to say about Phil and the Painter family. I will always support him and promote his show... even if I can't attend every year. Phil and the staff are doing everything they can for that show. Now it's up to the enthusiasts to support and attend the show

Ed

I have been to almost every MATS and 90% of them I brought parts out from Chicago and the early days were awesome! About 7 years ago it started going downhill for one reason or another. I loved buying rust free parts out there and bringing them back to rust, and I brought out lots of interior parts and sold most of them because out there that is the first thing to get roached. I will bring out parts one last time this year, and hope others do too...

I've gone every year including last year which was "different". Really sad to see this show decline like it has. The drag racers are a hard core group and had a good turnout last year. Kudos to them. I'll probably go this year. Only a 7 hour drive and have friends out there. I too liked it when the MATS and the Fling were back to back.

I’ll be attending…. Of course only being 2hrs away helps. I race so I’ve never been to “the Fling” to watch grass grow

I agree with Jay lol, for the 1st time in yrs my junk is currently running, but that is long haul for me to test to get it dialed in and hope it stays running. I'm not into that town at all but staying at the track would fix that for me too. Hmmmmm

Water being in the situation it is out west you won’t have to worry much about grass growing, the bigger issue will be keeping it from becoming a dust bowl. Sure hope things change

The grass grows well out here, make no mistake.

[i][/i]
I was just looking at pics and videos from Fall Fling this year and the grass was patchy, plenty of dirt spots, or so it appeared.

Fall can be that way since there’s a summer of activity and no rain.

But our Spring show is right after winter/spring rains and less use of park. Grass is almost always better.

It was really dry this summer for Fall Fling, but it wasn’t that bad. The pine tree needles don’t let much grass grow. And there’s lots of trees out there. Show side is better then swap.

Anyone that bitchez about cars shows after being through what we have the last 2 years....needs a kick to the crotch.
Shows are happening again. Who complains about site conditions?
I wish that this Vegas show was a bigger deal. I was at the 2004 and 2005 shows but haven't been back since. Drag racing is okay but not enough to pull me in. I heard that later they had autocross events, Dodge Hellcats doing laps, etc.....THAT sounds like a lot more fun to me.
A lot of the appeal still comes from the swap meet though. How is it that the shows back east have so many more parts and vendors? The cars out west didn't decay like the rust belt cars. I wish I knew why west coast shows can't draw in as many people.

- Location can play a factor. Travel, available accommodations, safety, and venue grounds may all be considered.
- As mentioned, MATS and GG Scottsdale are the same days, considering the draw coming to Phoenix from SoCal for the GG show It appears if these shows were staggered the turnout may be better
-Also mentioned has been population density and vendor location. Consider that vendors are more apt to commit travel to a well populated show and it becomes an easier business decision, where their likelihood of profit after cost must be considered.
- And finally, many, even on this thread, talk of the glory days and how MATS has degraded, Many haven’t been in years, some state this may be their last trip. Those endorsements don’t exactly exhibit the same enthusiasm as the comments seen on a Carlisle or Nats thread, and result in less hype that would draw folks into making the commitment to attend, particularly with distances between folks in the SW

I also love the swap meet portion of any show. It's my favorite part. My favorite part of the hobby in general has always been the thrill of the chase for the car and for parts.

I do the shows for the sway meets. I did Carlisle for 10 years, the Monster show in St. Louis for 12 years and the NATS for 8 years. You can't really compare Carlisle to any other show. Carlisle Events does this for a living and they are in a class all by themselves. The last few years that I was at the Nats that show was on the decline. Swap was getting smaller each year. Monster was a fun show but it finally busted. Topeka KS had a good show but it too busted.
It is also hard to compare the Western shows with the Eastern shows. The shows back east do better cause that is where all the people are. Other than CA there isn't crap for people out here compared to back east. Hell most cities back east have more people than most of the STATES out west, except for CA of course.
I think one of the downfalls of the MATS is the cost. Out of the 10-15 shows a year that I did the MATS was/is the most expensive gate fee wise. 110.00 for a swap spot compared to other shows 35-45.00 fee. Entry is 85.00 for the weekend per person compared to other shows at 25-35.00. Then there is that Vegas is in the middle of nowhere. The early years the Vegas scene brought in a lot people from Europe and Canada but that wore off after a few years. The early years were a blast. Big O' party in the desert. The Autocross is pretty cool. It used to be setup next to the swap so I got to watch it all day. Now it is setup clear at the north end out by itself.
As I said it is really sad to see this show decline like it has.
My 3800sqft. spot at Carlisle.

I'm all set using my non-used tickets from 2020. I called in and actually spoke with Mr. Painter. I was blown away. He told to spread the word for others to attend as if the attendance this year is not large enough, it will be the last one. We need to support this guy.

Nope, Vegas is fun, red rock canyon is great, Hoover dam is cool! There are much better events however!

So it looks like there will be 5 or 6 of us. Outa be a hoot.