Resources
Everything you need to run a great show
Guides, templates, and tips from people who've been behind the gate. New content added regularly.
Guides
Step-by-step walkthroughs for setting up and running your show.
Templates
Ready-to-use checklists and documents for show day.
Videos
Short tutorials for getting the most out of Car Show Expert.
FAQ
Answers to common questions from organisers.
Using Car Show Expert
Step-by-step guides for getting the most out of the platform.
Quick start: get your first car show live in 20 minutes
For first-time organisers on the free plan. Follow ten steps and you'll have a public registration link ready before your next committee meeting.
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GuideOffline check-in and duplicate dashcard detection
How Car Show Expert keeps your gate moving in dead-signal venues — and flags duplicate dashcard fraud in real time.
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GuideThe participant portal: My Shows, My Garage, and results
How entrants use their account to track registrations, manage their vehicle library, and view awards — and why it saves you support emails.
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GuideCustom dash card templates: full HTML control over your printed cards
Upload your own HTML file and use merge tags to produce fully branded dash cards — sponsor logos, QR codes, and your club's identity, exactly where you want them.
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Organiser's Handbook
Real-world advice from 35 years behind the gate — works with any setup.
How to run a car show: the complete guide for first-time organisers
The full arc of a car show — venue, registration, check-in, judging, and the trophy ceremony — with real numbers and timelines from 35 years of experience.
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GuideCar show registration: how to set it up so show day isn't a disaster
What your registration system actually needs to do, how to handle online payment, and why the confirmation email is not optional.
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GuideCar show judging: how to set up a fair system that owners will actually respect
The 100-point scoring breakdown, how to recruit and train judges, and the chief judge role that holds everything together.
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GuideHow to write car show classes and categories that actually work
Build classes for your actual entrant base, write descriptions that prevent misregistration, and handle reclassing before judging starts.
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GuideCar show check-in: how to run a fast gate on show day
Two minutes per car is achievable — if you've set up the right lanes, the right list, and printed your dash cards before the first car arrives.
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GuidePeople's Choice awards at car shows: how to run a vote that feels fair
Poker chip votes, digital QR voting, hard close times, and why People's Choice is the most important award at a community show.
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GuideHow to get car show sponsors (and what to actually offer them)
Sponsors are making a business decision — here's how to build tiered packages, write proposals, and keep the same sponsors coming back every year.
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GuideHow to create a car show dash card (window placard) that actually works
What goes on the card, what size to print, when to print, how to handle sponsor logos, and why QR codes are more useful than you think.
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GuideCar show day-of logistics: what goes wrong and how to prevent it
Weather, parking chaos, missing volunteers, PA failure, and trophy errors — every one of these is predictable. Here's the plan for each.
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GuideHow to run a car show volunteer team (without burning out your best people)
Recruit 30% more than you think you need, write specific role descriptions, run the 7am briefing, and call your best people before show day.
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Show Listings
Browse upcoming car shows by state, sourced from CarShowRadar.com.
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The user guide covers every feature in Car Show Expert with step-by-step instructions.