Electric Vehicles Festival 2024

My name is Paul Middlicott, and this is my story;

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. Still today sadly not my day job but this is my long term dream. I have run my event from the very beginning not to take any income from the event, but to put everything back into the event to help it grow, but my long term dream is to do my own event for my living.

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.

So the event went ahead and the grounds at Stanford Hall were fine the day before when I set up for the event day.

And then what happened next I can only best describe as an extreme rain event overnight and into the morning the site was completely water logged and the event had to be cancelled at last minute at 7.00 A.M in the morning but due to the poor reception I could not get the message out until 8.08 A.M with people travelling from all over the UK.

My dreams were shattered and I felt I had let so many people down including many who have travelled from all over the UK.

Can I afford to put the event on as it was intended currently on 28th 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 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.

Everyone who seen my social posts on the day of the event announcing the cancellation of the event said I must create this Go Fund Me Page.

To be honest I feel uncomfortable asking for help and support to get my dream of the ground again and completing my dream this Autumn, I am old school and would do anything to help anyone, but am just not the type of person to ask for help.

My event has succeeded in helping to bring together an EV Community from across the UK together with those looking at going electric. This has already created a special magic and has helped dispel all of the myths associated with going electric.

I have turned my hobby into a business in name and a Limited Company quite simply because I wanted to build something professionally and because I did not want to take out any funds myself personally from the business I wanted to keep my own working day job weekly wages and income completely separate. And for the event to be managed and set up professionally and to hopefully one day let me fulfil my dream to help others go electric as my day job through my own business. I also wanted to do this in a way I always have honest and pay any taxes etc from any turnover from trade and tickets. And so a Limited Company was the right route to go.

I don't want this Go Fund me to clear my debts. I want the funds just to put the event onto a solid ground and complete this years event that I had originally planned. To get the event back to where it was, to make this happen will take around £14.000 I hope to do this still through Trade and Sponsorship. But I know I still have a long way to go to achieve my dream.

What I will put on is a special area or something to thank all of the people who have made donations to date. I wish I could do more, but I know by creating my dream and bringing it back from the brink will help support so many people. We still have a long way to go in the UK's drive towards zero tailpipe emissions vehicles of all varieties and I know and strongly believe what I have created can be a huge help and support to so many people.

The EV Festival Moto has always been one person on the internet can get lost, but everyone coming together and standing together can make a huge difference.

I hope you can join me, any support helps. I am considering renaming the event the Peoples EV Festival. After all it's all of the special people who have visited my event from the very beginning that have made it what it has become. Something pretty special!

Thank you

Paul.