The 12-week car show checklist
Every task from twelve weeks out to the day after the show, organized week by week so nothing sneaks up on you. Copy it and start checking boxes.
Updated July 23, 2026
This is the working checklist version of our complete planning guide. Copy it into your notes app, a spreadsheet, or the club group chat, and check things off week by week. Times assume a Saturday show; slide everything to fit your date.
12 weeks out: decide and book
- Write the show’s goal in one sentence (fundraiser total, club turnout, community event)
- Pick the date, check regional car calendars for conflicts, choose the rain policy
- Call venues, confirm capacity, bathrooms, power, and entry flow
- Book the venue and get the agreement in writing
- Get a quote for one-day event liability insurance
- Ask the municipality what permits a one-day outdoor event needs
10 weeks out: structure the show
- Set classes (eight to twelve fits most first shows, see the judging categories guide)
- Pick two or three special awards and decide people’s choice vs judged vs hybrid
- Set the entry fee and a slightly higher day-of price
- Open online registration with the waiver built into the form
- Publish the show page: date, address, classes, fee, rain policy, schedule
8 weeks out: money and partners
- Build three sponsor tiers and a one-page tier sheet (the sponsorship guide has a template)
- Make the first ten sponsor asks, starting with businesses closest to your crowd
- Invite food trucks or vendors and set space fees
- Confirm the charity partner and how donations flow, if it is a benefit show
6 weeks out: promote
- Post to regional Facebook groups and club pages, through members, not brand accounts
- Submit to local event calendars and car show listing sites
- Put flyers in parts stores and at nearby cruise nights
- Order trophies and awards once class counts look stable
4 weeks out: staff it
- Recruit volunteers: gate crew, parking crew, floater, awards emcee
- Recruit judges if using judged awards, and draft the scoring sheet
- Check registration counts, merge any class with fewer than five entries
- Post the “one month out” reminder everywhere the show was announced
2 weeks out: lock logistics
- Finalize the field layout: class rows, spectator paths, food truck spots, awards area
- Print signage: entry, parking, voting instructions, sponsor banners placement
- Confirm insurance certificate delivered to the venue
- Brief volunteers in one short call or message thread
Week of the show
- Print windshield cards with each car’s number and voting QR code (day-of tools handle this on Car Show HQ)
- Charge tablets or set up the walk-up kiosk for gate registration
- Post the final reminder with the schedule
- Stage the awards table, PA, and volunteer assignments list
Show day
- Volunteers on site 30 minutes before gates, field marked
- Check-in open: verify entries, hand out windshield cards, park by class
- Open voting at the announced time, announce the close time twice mid-day
- Close voting, pull results, run awards on schedule, thank sponsors by name
- Sweep the field, settle vendor fees, thank the venue
Day after
- Post results and photos, tag winners and sponsors
- Send the thank-you email to entrants with a save-the-date if you have one
- Publish the honest total for benefit shows: entries, raised, where it went
- Write down what to change next year while it is fresh
Checklist questions, answered
Can a car show be planned in less than 12 weeks?
Yes, especially a repeat show at a known venue. Compress the first two phases: venue, insurance, classes, and registration inside the first week, then run the rest of the checklist on schedule. First-time shows benefit from the full runway, mostly for sponsors and promotion.
What should be done first when planning a car show?
Book the venue. Everything else, date announcements, registration, sponsor asks, and promotion, depends on a confirmed location, and good venues are gone months ahead.
When should car show registration open?
Ten weeks before show day, as soon as classes and the entry fee are set. Early registration funds trophies and printing before you need them, and class counts tell you weeks in advance whether to merge or split classes.
Half this checklist runs itself
Registration, waivers, windshield cards, QR voting, and results are the software half. Car Show HQ does that part.
