The Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival & Concours d'Elegance
News & Media
December 8, 2009
Hilton Head Island Concours d’Elegance & Motoring Festival Exceeds Expectations In Spite of Difficult Economy
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (December 8, 2009) – The Hilton Head Island Concours d’Elegance & Motoring Festival, one of the nation’s signature automobile events, was 14% ahead of 2008 and virtually equaled our best year, 2007, with 11,400 attendees.
In addition, several records were set at the 2009 Motoring Festival: off-island attendance rose to a high of 76% with individuals traveling from 45 states and five foreign countries, the most geographically diverse attendance to date; not including sponsor exhibits, over 450 vehicles on display; attendees were offered a great number of ride & drive opportunities with such sponsors as BMW, Infiniti, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz AMG, MINI and Porsche, and more attendees participated in the ride & drives than ever before. “We are ecstatic over the results from this year’s Festival,” said Carolyn Vanagel, Executive Director of the Hilton Head Island Concours d’Elegance & Motoring Festival. “We are extremely proud of what we have accomplished in only eight years and feel confident that we are continuing to build a strong brand offering a unique array of exhibits and experiences to our attendees year to year.”
A portion of the proceeds of the event benefit the Driving Young America Charitable Fund, established in 2007 by the Hilton Head Island Concours d'Elegance & Motoring Festival. At this year’s Festival, Driving Young America awarded a $3,500 grant to Palmetto Advancement in Learning Motorsports (PALM), a program that offers motorsports training and education to unskilled, unemployed, disadvantaged teenagers. In addition, the second annual Dr. Paul Doerring Award, a $2,500 grant, was given to Ashleigh Justice, a freshman currently enrolled in the Calhoun Honors College of Clemson University, who is pursuing a career in mechanical engineering.
“This is the second year we have awarded scholarships to both an educational institution and an individual student pursuing a career in the automotive field,” said Philip Capossela, Chairman of the Board for the Motoring Festival. “We are excited that we are in a position to continue to grant scholarship awards and look forward to presenting out selected community supporters with awards this coming spring.”
Planning has already begun for the 2010 event set for November 5-7. For more information, please call (843) 785-SHOW (7469) or visit the official Hilton Head Island Concours d’Elegance & Motoring Festival website at www.hhiconcours.com.
ABOUT THE HILTON HEAD ISLAND CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE & MOTORING FESTIVAL:
Positioned as one of the last Concours in the national annual show circuit, the Hilton Head Island Concours d’Elegance & Motoring Festival has quickly climbed the ranks among national Concours events. In just eight short years, Hilton Head Island is already considered by many as being among those elite USA events with the likes of Pebble Beach, Meadow Brook and Amelia Island. Key sponsors of the 2009 event included BMW Group/Hilton Head BMW/Critz BMW, Porsche of North America/Porsche of Hilton Head, Jaguar Motor Cars, NA/Jaguar Hilton Head, Mercedes-Benz USA, Beaufort Memorial Hospital, Hargray, the Hilton Head Island/Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, the Savannah Convention & Visitors Bureau, The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa, Adventure Radio, Savannah Morning News, Celebration Events, Classic Party Rentals and Historic Sportscar Racing, Ltd. For more information, please call (843) 785-SHOW (7469) or visit www.hhiconcours.com online.