Event Tour Locations & Dates are back up! Multiple dates for Detroit, 2 days for Warsaw and 4 dates for Cleveland, OH

[Adam W]

Looks like new event details are up at https://www.slate.auto/en/events!

The Seattle event will have a truck parked at the Space Needle 8am - 8pm on July 14 and 15.

 

[Dorbiman]

Nice, looks like they added Olympia WA back on the list too. Glad to see it's on a weekend. That's probably the one I'll go to

 

[Sl8rGrl]

Looks like they added a lot more detail to the events page, Detroit 29th event at moto- https://www.slate.auto/en/events

 

[Paul Rodgers]

C’mon, Slate! Those of us in the southern half of the country need you too!

Yes for FL, drop one into Daytona for Roar at the Shore?
FL is pickup country, test drive in the parking lot.
But I'll go upto GA, or even Louisiana, just to sit in one

 

[Kit352]

Does anyone know the format to these events? Are they supposed to be low key and mostly fit the people who reserved one since presumably we are the only ones that know about them? I'm going to the Boston one but it seems to me Slate is missing an opportunity by not attending the Syracuse summer Nationals happening the exact same days and is a straight shot from Boston on the Mass Pike. With one of the biggest car shows in the country happening the same weekend it seems like a no brainier to go where the car people already are. Would certainly be easier to plan around too.

 

[Adam W]

Does anyone know the format to these events?

So far, they seem to be "park a truck in a high-traffic public space and talk to people as they come over to see what's going on." While having a presence at a car show would be where "car people" are, I'm not sure that "car people" are their target market.

 

[Kit352]

They are messing with the events schedule again. Boston has been changed from weekend of the 18th to the week after which is a bummer because I don't have the time off to see it now.
They also removed the next few events after it where they actually posted a specific location.

Get on the ball slate! It's not hard, commit to a time and place. All this back and forth on these events is looking poorly on the company as a whole.

 

[Paul Rodgers]

Yeah, and when will we see one (or two) in the SE
C'mon Slate, FL is pickup country, So is Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia
(sorry if I missed anyone)
show one at Daytona!
I will start a food-fight in the infield: PetrolHeads vs ElectroNuts!
My, I wish I had that Tee-Shirt.
Everyone knows who's side I'm on, but I can fling a burger with the best!

 

[Paul Rodgers]

So far, they seem to be "park a truck in a high-traffic public space and talk to people as they come over to see what's going on." While having a presence at a car show would be where "car people" are, I'm not sure that "car people" are their target market.

You may have nailed it here
They are not looking for "car people", they want "normal folk"

I think their marketing division is just plain wrong,

Normal folk dont buy a car because its good,
they read Consumer-Reports, and talk to their neighbors.

Thats why everyone wears the same stuff you can find in WalMart
or buy online on Amazon

Only one-in-ten buy a car "because I like it"
Power to them.

 

[Kit352]

I was in marketing for decades with some of the biggest companies in the world and with some tiny little companies. I know what Slate is trying to do, why they are doing and most likely who is doing it there and it's all wrong. They are trying to do the tech bros soft intro and try to build up hype without actually doing much. I called it lazy marketing. A lot of companies try it and it fails. Pretty much the complete opposite of the marketing dept in Mad Men. The only companies that really do well with that type of strategy are ones that don't have tangible products to sell or have billionaires constantly talking about the company.
It's a car and an EV and your trying to start a company. Displaying it for a small amount of people on the side street of some small city is not the way to sell this vehicle. Go to car shows, go to farmers markets, go to anywhere that has a large crowd of people and ideally in place where they are most likely a captive audience so they can stay and chat and look it over. Parking on city streets means lots of people walk by on lunch break but can't stop to build any sort of relationship.
A new car company wants to target everyone, especially car people. That's the only way to sell this thing. You definitely don't want to market yourself to a uniquely fickle crowd who's loyalty changes with the wind. Spread the net far!
Take the Boston event for example. One of the biggest car shows in the country is about that 4 hours away on the same dates, off the same exact highway , it's almost a straight shot. Why on earth would you take one of only a few prototypes and put it in a random parking space hoping it will be seen by a few hundred people in a city where A, the truck is nearly useless because of lack of parking and a decent subway system B, in a very expensive city where people aren't looking for an economy choice of car or even a utilitarian one, they are looking for mid to high end cars like Audi and BMW. And C, is generally not a very ev friendly city to begin with. The better answer is to put it in the car show where it will be seen but over a quarter million people that have time to stop and inspect and talk about the truck and that's not counting the thousands of YouTube videos it would show up on inadvertantly. Give out some stickers and pens. Have drawings for shirts. Give out 3d printed actually replacement parts for the truck. Heck, even have 3d printers running at the show making those parts to give out. It's all low effort with maximum impact.

End rant lol

 

[Paul Rodgers]

Great rant! here you go:
"Go to car shows, go to farmers markets, go to anywhere that has a large crowd of people and ideally in place where they are most likely a captive audience so they can stay and chat and look it over. "

Show a slate to some folk whose kids are buying candy and sausage?
Yes! its called eyeballs, the kids climb all over it, talk about it incessantly to the entire school, and put it into their doodles.
The parents of course "discuss it rationally", hmm, never in any car-buying decision in my family.

Please, just some place near me, in central FL

 

[sodamo]

So far, they seem to be "park a truck in a high-traffic public space and talk to people as they come over to see what's going on." While having a presence at a car show would be where "car people" are, I'm not sure that "car people" are their target market.

I’m guess there might be a challenge of availability of high quality models and costs. Are car shows free to exhibit? Never been to a big car show, but are these typically production vehicles or most concept one off type?

 

[Paul Rodgers]

Seems to me it's simpler than that.
1. They only have 2 or 3 show cars
2. Show them in the north first. Before winter arrives
3. Only show them at free venues, pretty much wipes out all the big car shows.
4. Cheap lodgings. Can't afford fancy stuff for the crew. They will be lucky to get fries with the hamburger

This tells me, that even with Bezos$, they are strapped for cash. Just like all the other startups

 

[Kit352]

Big car shows have everything. Manufacturers displaying new models, vendors, concept cars on occasion etc. I believe the numbers for the show this year are 8000 cars in the show and a couple hundred thousand visitors expected over the weekend.
It's not much money to enter a car. I'm sure vendors pay a couple or more for a booth but clearly it's worth it for the amount of people that will be there.

 

[Paul Rodgers]

Does not matter, if entry costs 2000 and you can't even afford lunch for 2 or 3 staffers. You don't go