It's Barret Jackson Auto Auction week here in Las Vegas. A cruise in was held at a local Ford Dealer on Saturday.

On Wednesday, 100 cars, including auction vehicles, will cruise down Convention Center Blvd, turn south onto the strip and continue down to Mandalay Bay, the host hotel where there will be a big party.

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday will be the big auction which will be televised on SPEED TV. Check your local listings for details.

I never got around to posting about the Barrett Jackson week here.

Most people think of it as an auto auction on TV. It's much more than that. It is an event. And it is a very high quality event.

There are cars that everyone can identify with. Maybe it was your dads car, your best friends car, or your old car. Maybe it was a Batmobile, Bar Cycle, Munsters car, Barney Fife car, or a race car. Even if you aren't a car person, there's something that brings back memories.

So you walk around looking at these cars, talk to people who share their stories about the car, hear people talk about what makes this car special or what makes it degrade in value. Later, you want to know what it sold for and imagine what you would have paid if you were financially able. And there are a number of ways watch the auctions. You can go to the arena, you can follow it on Twitter and other social networking, you can watch it on SpeedTV. It's not just car people, it's not just rich people, and it's not just lookers.

But again, it's more than an auction. There were at 4 tracks set up in the parking lots for ride alongs, drives, and demos. Corvettes, Mustangs, Ferraris, and on and on.

This is just the second year of the show in Vegas. They also do it in Florida and Arizona and the northeast. In the other events, it's more like a county fair. And they just announced that next year they will have an auction in Orange County and make it a part of the county fair and big skateboard championship.

Best of all, Barrett Jackson is run professionally. They don't take short cuts. They do it right or they don't do it at all. And they are the nicest people to deal with. Mandalay Bay was an excellent host hotel. Everything, including, parking, ticketing, directions, access, concessions, media, vendors, and the business end were all excellent. I've been to several of the biggest conventions and events in this town, and nothing was more professional, well planned, well executed, and simple as Barrett Jackson. Once they get settled into Las Vegas and combine the show with other local events, it will be one of the biggest shows in town.