Event Coverage | AutoCon 2012

Night Import: Photography by Nick Schultz | Words by William Lee

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Hello hello! Wow. Long time no update haha. I know my blog has been pretty quiet throughout these past few months, but most of you guys see the updates I make on my fanpage, so don't hate me too much. A lot of things have been happening to me other than work and I had to keep myself occupied other than going to car shows, which is one of the reasons why I've been so quiet. I was actually thinking about my activeness in the scene yesterday while browsing through the net and realized my activeness went down 80% compared to last year. Many of you guys who personally know me, know exactly what I'm talking about. Some of you guys greeted me as if I came back from the dead once I showed up at a show before haha. Well I'll try to be more active next year, so that all you fans won't be disappointed.

Well last week, one of my favorite car shows from last year happened this year at an earlier time and I was pretty stoked on planning to attend the event. Yeap~ it was AutoCon! I actually met up with Justin, Nathan, and other staffs who were a part of AutoCon last year to discuss about future plans with the event. I didn't know exactly what was happening back then, but I was fortunate enough to be a small part of AutoCon and glad that Justin and Nathan favored my blog. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend AutoCon this year because of a wedding I had to attend, so my apology to all of NI fans and to Justin and Nathan. Although I wasn't there to do a coverage, our contributing photographer Nick Schultz and videographer UMWorks attended AutoCon and as always, they brought us flawless work. Check it!

Event Coverage | Import Showcase by Import Fashion

Night Import: Photography and Words by William Lee

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I felt as if I haven't gone to a car show for years! Actually..it's been only 2 months after attending AutoCon last year, but for some reason, that 2 months was a wait. I did go to car meets and stuff, but the atmosphere of a car show was something I truly missed. Luckily, my boy Alvin, owner of Import Fashion, worked his ass off to lock down a venue and create his own show for the enthusiasts. There were some complications last year when he tried to have his 1 yr. anniversary meet, but gladly things worked out well this year and the planned meet turned into an event.
Alvin is a close friend of mine in and outside of the car scene and our friendship started even before my blog was created. We actually launched our sites around the same time period, which is why I've been going to car shows and meets with him pretty often in the past. When I heard he was finally having his own show, I couldn't be any happier. His work throughout the months was appreciated by many because of covering both models and cars. I would say his blog's content was more toward models. According to Alvin, he will be featuring more cars this year, so stay tuned! I could go on and on about how awesome Alvin is, but instead of writing down my thoughts like I always do with coverages, I'll jump into the coverage on Import Showcase by Import Fashion.

Event Coverage | AutoCon 2011 (Pt. I)

Night Import: Photography and Words by William Lee

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How should I start this..I have so many things to say about this event, but need to keep it as simple as possible so that I don't lose fans and kill the excitement I've been gradually building up for the wait on this coverage.
First off, I want to give mad props to my guys Justin and Nate for their effort and time to create this amazing event. I don't even clearly remember when I met Justin, but as we were talking throughout the months, I realized he was a humble guy and had a clear mind of how he wanted the automotive scene to go. His huge success on hosting AutoCon last year continued on this year and as expected, it was overwhelming. The same props go to Nate as well. He's been an awesome guy since he approached me regarding a major event he was a part of last year, and consistently was a help with all the curiosities I had in the scene. Once again, great job by these two guys and if you do have some time to give some feedback, make sure to visit AutoCon's homepage and e-mail them. I'm sure they're expecting something from those who participated, so it would be great to give them more ideas about the event or just your overall experience.

Now, to talk about my experience at AutoCon this year, let's just say I have to place AutoCon in my Top 3 Car Shows of 2011. This event was more than a typical car show. It was not all about bringing your modified car, park, show it, and get an award if you won. Nor was it a time to only walk around and take photos of cars and models and leave like every other event, complaining about the parking and entrance fees, and the ridiculous food prices. The meaning of "AutoCon" pretty much explains everything; Automotive Connection. Actually, I have to say it was both an Automotive and Lifestyle event. AutoCon was created to bring the whole automotive community together at one place and enjoy what we all truly loved. It was about talking with your friends and family or even better, making new friends through cars. You also can't forget about the collaboration with Toys for Tots and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to help those who are in need. While covering the event and looking around like I always do at events, the vibe I felt at AutoCon was different and rather pleasing. I knew the whole purpose of AutoCon and I have to say that purpose was met. I usually see the same cars at every car show or the ones that were built to only show at major ones, but AutoCon brought out almost everything. Although there were ones that I've seen numerous times, some new ones and fully built cars such as the ones from Auto Concept Elite, Heavy Hitters, etc. came out to support this event. The photos I'm about to share with you guys will lead to a better a storyline than my words. Do know that this coverage will be separated in parts, so make sure to come back later on or read the updates I make through my fanpage.

Event Coverage | Sideway Sundays (Oct. 23)

Night-Import: Photography and Words by William Lee

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I'm having that feeling again while writing this coverage...dammit...and I say to myself, "Already a year?" I remember the days talking with the staffs of Sideway Sundays before the event was officially launched. There were a lot of things to discuss and few misunderstandings, but overall, I was satisfied and I'm sure it was the same for every company out there that contributed to this monthly event. To be honest with you guys, I was very disappointed with how this event started. Only those who knew about this event during early 2011 know what I'm talking about. The first Sideway Sundays was planned to be free for everyone except drifting participants, but what really screwed things up was the unpredictable weather. What should have been 'Rain or Shine' was cancelled because of a predicted rain weather forecast and everyone who planned to attend were either pissed or disappointed because on the day of the event, it was sunny! From then on, things went downhill. The actual first event was greeted by a thunderstorm, next event was way too hot, and it's been continuing on like that till yesterday. I'm not saying it’s someone’s fault and because a few staffs of my blog and I were a part of this event, there is really no one to blame. I'm just not satisfied with the overall turnout since the first event and hoped it was going to get better, but my expectations were not fulfilled. I tried my best and so did the others, so I guess this is how we conclude Sideway Sundays for this year. Don't worry if you didn't attend any of the events because it will continue on next year.
Anyways, let's get to the coverage on yesterday's final Sideway Sundays of 2011.

Special Coverage | In Loving Memory - Benefit Car Meet (Pt. II)

Night-Import: Photography and Words by William Lee

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Continuing on with this special coverage, I want to give a shout out to our supporters JDM Sport for making this meet happen at their facility. It's more about people than the cars this company cares about, which is why they have a positive reputation in this community today. Once again, 'thank you' and make sure to check out their fanpage.

I left off by introducing Wright Wheels and a few show cars, so let's get back on track.