Coming this Autumn

After cancelling our 28th April date due to extreme weather we are currently looking to reschedule for 2024.

Everyone is welcome to come and enjoy an electric day out. You don't have to be an electric vehicle enthusiast or owner to experience our special day. 

IMPORTANT ANNONCEMENT REGARDING THE FUTURE OF THE EV FESTIVAL

I have created special donation tickets to support my events future. 

Back in 2019 after having a working life dream of 35 years to create a new vehicle technology event of some kind that could be a help and support to so many people. I kicked myself into action knowing it was finally time to stop dreaming and turn those dreams into a reality and so the Electric Vehicles Festival was born. 

Nearly 40 years into this dream the event has continued, even through Covid-19. Throughout this time the event has had no sponsors and has mostly been financed by myself and each year a small number of trade supporters and of course those of you who have attended. 

Holding my event at the British Motor Museum for four years i departed company with the venue at the end of 2022, they sadly did not see a future for my event. I considered giving up, but straight away I felt a loss of all the fantastic EV community I have met over the last four years that I would most likely not see again. Also, I still had so much left-over business with the event, still so many dreams I wanted to still fulfil. I felt I had created something special, sadly potentially still ahead of its time. 

I could not let go of this dream, I still felt something special was there and if I cancelled, I would always have the what if?

So, I searched long and hard for a new venue, I had visited the outside gates at Stanford Hall at the end of 2019 day dreaming that the venue would be perfect for an event that was championing zero tailpipe emissions vehicles and helping others discover their own electric future. 

Early in 2023 I signed a two-year deal with Stanford Hall, and equally a huge moment for myself and my event because for the first time it would stand as its own event in its own right. Not with the British Motor Museum to visit as well. 

I have always realised the event needed more going on to make it a more rounded event. And so I looked at what I could do to keep an audience entertained throughout the day. 

So I decided on a “Live” Stage and then continued with my determination to bring some of what I felt was one of the best trio for electric vehicles to my live events. After discussions behind the scenes Richard Morgan, Jonny Smith both signed up for my live events schedule and became an integral part of my EV Festival 2024. They were also joined by Steve Fowler previous Editor in Chief of Auto Express and also a back catalogue in Automotive writing in many previous well-known publications, Steve was also one of the world car awards judges. 

Tesla also signed up in early January to join my event. 

The stage was set quite literally! I got very emotional when I read the line-up for my event, and felt my dreams were nearly complete. Then it was announced near to the event day that Jonny was bringing the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N a UK debut for a brand-new electric. 

All of my dreams were pretty much complete, and after putting in countless hours, weeks, months and years into the event I felt if it was left here and if it was to be it I would have been satisfied, no longer a what if? 

I normally organise event Public Liability Insurance two weeks before my event, when I have a good idea of numbers on the day to make sure I am adequately insured. Previously I only risked my own money for the event which I knew I could afford to do from my normal everyday job earnings like many people who have a hobby. 

2024 had to be different with no sponsors I had to personally finance the above in the hope it would eventually bring in more trade and sponsors. I knew at some point on my journey I had to invest bigger than I have done before to really give it a good go and succeed in my dreams to one day I hope to do my own event for a living. 

With the terribly bad weather we have had for months I looked into event cancelation insurance. But as soon as the question came up with do you need separate weather cover which really, I did need the insurance asked the question are you near a river? Yes. And the rest is history, simply put I would not have been able to put the event on if I had taken this option. I was already several thousands in debt putting on the event, which was manageable as someone buying a very good new car, but I could not afford the bigger car. I would have simply left myself in a position which would have gone from manageable to uncomfortable. And so I had no other choice other than to carry the debt I had already taken out, but at least not put myself in further debt. 

Having watched the weather forecast for weeks, before making my decision to carry on before needing to do my insurance the forecast was to improve for the last two weeks of April. 

And then we all know what happened next……………………..

Can I afford to put the event on as it was intended currently on 28^th April, unless more support through trade and sponsors comes through sadly what was originally planned on the day has once again turned into a dream. 

Do I want to leave the event there and count my loss and not complete my dream, if anyone has got to know me well enough, I can’t still leave this dream in shattered pieces. 

So, I am announcing tonight the show will go on this Autumn somewhere hopefully still at Stanford Hall I still have unfinished business.

But I cannot do this without support! I will start on the bottom steps again and I hope and dream to climb each step at a time. I have already lost thousands of pounds through equipment needed on the day and to be fair to all of those suppliers they have a living to make too and cannot afford every event that is cancelled on the day itself to just issue a refund, and I would not expect it. 

So, the bottom step it is and with my determination I will once again climb those steps. 

I hope everyone reading this may consider once again to join my journey and what a journey it has been so far. 

Anyone who wants to help support the rising once again of my event, I have created a special donation ticket. All proceeds will go into my event and to help clear my current event debt, not pay of any personal loans etc. Purely the money will go into the event to get the event back from a potential ending I don’t want to think about, but shattered dreams would sum it up very lightly. 

These Donations are purely donations and not event tickets. But if you still want to purchase a future event ticket when the new date is announced then please do so this still supports the event. 

Anyone still wishing to have their tickets refunded will still have this option. Anyone when the event date is announced that can no longer make it, they will be given up to one month before the new event date to get their refunds. After this it will qualify as a new event date ticket, with the same terms and conditions applying. 

Please ignore the current event day on Eventbrite the day has only been selected to enable me to process those requiring refunds from the 28^th April date. 

This is me; this is my dream I am determined to fulfil one day soon I hope you can join me. 

Thank you everyone for your continued support in what has been a very difficult time for me I wear my heart on my shoulders. Your messages on social media have touched my heart and something I will hold with me forever. 

Thank you

Paul.

EV Festival owner & organiser.