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The 2023 PlaneTags Festival took place October 13 and 14 at the MotoArt headquarters in Torrance, California. Here’s what happened when MotoArt owner Dave Hall and his team threw open the doors to the most avid of PlaneTags collectors, known as Tagnatics.
We kicked off the Festival at 6pm Friday night. Old friends reunited; new friends were made. The shop was cleared out and a dance floor created. An open bar and festive atmosphere brought out the joy in all of us we took in the sights around us. The MotoArt team answered questions and gave mini tours. Attendees took photos in planes and with each other.
MotoArt employee and chef Cesar Guerrero and his family served up a fantastic array of homemade tacos - carne asada, carnitas, pork and chicken - and grilled hotdogs, served with all of the fixings and a salsa bar. Attendees had their fill of tacos and dogs all night, coming back for seconds and even thirds.
The Springsteen Experience provided the music and entertainment for the night, playing classics from the Boss and other favorites that brought us to the dance floor. The lively music had us partying pretty late. We just couldn’t get enough of our time together.
We kicked off Saturday at 9am sharp. Festival attendees registered and got their gift bags, then mingled over drinks while we waited for the festivities to begin. This was the perfect time to set up collection displays and check out other tables and collections. Many Tagnatics brought PlaneTags to trade and sell. There were also puzzle pieces to collect and friendships to foster.
Each attendee received a TagFest swag bag, filled with treats including a T-shirt and the special Festival PlaneTag, as well as a container to scoop their own PlaneFetti, an auction book and paddle and more. Kids got their own bags too - with planes to build and fly and fun items to keep them occupied.
This year’s Festival PlaneTags were a special, limited edition Boeing SB-29 Super Dumbo. Made from 44-69957, the SB-29 PlaneTags are a small run of only 300 and only available at TagFest. The cockpit of ‘69957 has been restored and is on display at the Palm Springs Air Museum.
MotoArt PlaneTags Owner Dave Hall welcomed everyone to the 3rd Annual PlaneTags Festival. He talked about what MotoArt has been up to in 2023 and introduced the team. He shared some photos and what Tagnatics could expect at the Festival and in the upcoming months.
A long-time friend and ally of PlaneTags, Scott Marchand shared stories from his experiences as the director of collections and aircraft restoration at Pima Air & Space Museum and the Titan Missile Museum in Arizona. Scott, on behalf of the Museum, has graciously provided many aircraft skins for PlaneTags in the interest of preserving the stories of these planes.
A delicious lunch of sandwiches, salads, and sides was provided. Tagnatics gathered inside and outside, while enjoying another opportunity to swap stories and PlaneTags, and peruse the auction handbook.
This year’s auction, called by Auctioneer David O’Shaugnessy, was fast paced, full of energy, and a lot of fun. Some of the items auctioned were emblems, PlaneTags from Dave’s family collection, and other artifacts from past planes we’ve worked with. We raised funds for Connecticut Air and Space Center with auctions of two F-111 landing gear doors.
The highlight of the auction was a mystery item from an upcoming release - a double window set from a Pan Am 727. Details coming soon - sign up for our mailing list to be notified about our Pan Am PlaneTags release.
Pete Zaccagnino shared an exciting video from his DeHavilland Vampire that he raced - and won - at Reno in 2015. His commentary and nose cam video made the race come alive for everyone in the room.
In each Festival bag we provided a card and pen for guests to ask us anything. Our first AMA was only a few questions long but we had fun. Dave, Yvonne, Priscyla, Chet and Santiago answered those important queries and Santiago told us what it's really like being on the PlaneTags cutting team.
In addition to the camaraderie and friendship amongst the Tagnatics, the highlight of the event was the special buying experience offered to attendees. We opened up the reserves and brought out the special PlaneTags that have not been seen or sold before. Each attendee was assigned a shopping group and time, based on their registration number. During their shopping time, they were able to fully examine the PlaneTags on the wall, choose the numbers and colors that appealed to them and use their $50 festival credit and special discount to get the perfect PlaneTags for their collections.
For those who could not make it to TagFest this year, we raffled a Festival SB-29 PlaneTag and offered a site-wide 20% discount during the event.
Dave Hall and the entire team were ecstatic to meet everyone and show you what we do at MotoArt. It is an honor getting to know the people who appreciate PlaneTags and give them an experience that is like none other. Thank you for joining us. Sign up for our newsletter and be the first to hear about new PlaneTags and other events like the PlaneTags Festival.