A 2-Day Out for Everyone: Inside the Ever-Growing Leicester Motor Show, when Heten Tejura organised the first Motor Show fourteen years ago, it was a modest gathering of car lovers.
A few dozen vehicles, a handful of traders and a couple of thousand visitors. Today, it has transformed into one of the regions largest free motoring events, drawing crowds that would fill a small stadium and offering attractions far beyond the world of engines and alloys.
This August, the show returns to Leicester Airport after a year in Market Harborough, a decision driven simply by public demand.
People wanted it back in Leicester, said Tejura, the shows business development manager and director.
Before Yanni joined us, we were seeing around ten thousand visitors over the weekend.
Now it is between sixteen and eighteen thousand.
The Yanni he refers to is the well known custom car influencer from Yannimize, whose involvement over the past three years has helped boost the shows profile and push it into a new league of popularity.
Walking onto the airfield this summer, visitors will find far more than rows of shiny new cars, although there will be more than two hundred of those from the likes of Toyota, Hyundai, Tesla and BYD.
Increasing numbers are electric, reflecting the shift in the wider market, and EV charger companies will be on hand to advise those thinking of making the switch.
But the cars are only part of the story. The show has evolved into a full day out, designed for families who want more than a brief walk around a forecourt.
We have something for everyone, Tejura said. If the men want to look at the cars and someone else wants to go shopping, we have more than fifty stalls.
If the kids want entertainment, we have wrestling, games, a funfair and face painting. People stay the whole day now. Some even bring picnics.
The airport runway will add a sense of drama. Instead of travelling outside the county, motorsport fans will be able to watch live drag racing as supercars tear down the strip.
A paid grandstand will give spectators a close view of the action, while helicopter rides and go karting will be on offer for anyone looking for an adrenaline rush of their own.
The event also provides a boost to local jobs and small businesses.
Photographers, drone operators, staging companies and event crews all play a part in bringing the weekend to life. Traders benefit too.
Last year some of our food vendors ended up buying vans from the car dealers, Tejura said, laughing.
It works both ways. The traders buy from the dealers, the dealers buy food from the traders. Everyone supports each other.
For Tejura, watching the event grow has been one of the most rewarding parts of the journey.
What started as a simple motor show for enthusiasts has become a community weekend, a place where families gather, friends meet and thousands of people share the same space for a day that feels more like a festival than a fair.
And for all the noise and excitement, the show also keeps its charitable purpose close.
This year it will once again support a charity that helps parents of premature babies.
It supports families who have to leave their baby in hospital, Tejura said quietly.
It is about helping them through a difficult and emotional time.
With thousands already registered for free entry before advertising has even begun, organisers are expecting another huge turnout.
For Tejura, the hope is simple: that people come, explore, eat, play, watch the racing and leave with memories good enough to bring them back next year.
It has grown massively, he said. And now we want to make it even better.
Date: Saturday 22 August – Sunday 23 August
10 AM – 5 PM!
To register for free, please follow the link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/yiannimize-live-leicester-motor-show-2-day-event-tickets-1980363890707
