The cancellation was announced on this Forum on the 19th July 2021. Annoying but given the disruption over the last 18 months, the uncertainties and cost of late cancellation, understandable. Alexandra Palace exhibition also cancelled along with a number of other exhibitions staged by the organiser. I never book non cancellable accomadation and have no experience of train travel.

If in doubt delay decisions.

Robert Butler

Edited By Robert Butler on 22/08/2021 21:21:28

I love exbns and went to many over the years. Now I'm waiting to see a few actually take place b4 I make the effort – most are a good way from Brighton.

It may be worth talking to Travelodge as they may reschedule your dates, many organisations are being more flexible as things are beyond their and our control. Premier Inn refunded a non refundable booking we had made just because we asked, a big plus for their customer service.

Mike

Times are far from normal. Though Chris feels safe to travel to an exhibition, plenty of others are still nervous, thus anyone running a public event is gambling they will get enough customers to make a profit. High risk for organisers who lose big money if the event doesn't pull enough people in.

Of my extended family during the lockdown only my daughter caught Covid. Since lockdown ended last month, six of them have picked it up. Vaccination much reduces the chance of hospitalisation, but Covid is still highly active in the community and although mostly mild one of my six describes Covid as the worst illness he's ever had. With that in mind quite a few people are minimising contact until the figures improve. Makes it hard to plan anything at the moment.

Dave

Wife and I always look forward to a night or two in Leamington when the show is on so when they gave a thumbs up earlier this year we were v.pleased. "Shall I book the hotel" says she at the time. I thought about it but decided that the pestilence was to unpredictable and that it would be sensible to delay any booking until nearer the time.

We were disappointed but not surprised when it was subsequently cancelled.

Doing the tourist thing in Leamington for us means visiting the pump rooms in town and then a nice stroll in the sunshine round Jephson Gardens on the opposite side of the road where you will be able to feed the biggest grey squirrels we had ever seen.

If you need a bite we like to eat in Bill's restaurant just up the road past the poshest Co-Op in the UK. His chips served in a tin can are a work of culinary art.

Rik

Edited By Rik Shaw on 23/08/2021 14:49:41

Chris,

In years past, my wife and some others went to Stratford and took in a matinee performance at the Royal Shakespeare Theater while we did our 'man thing' at the show. You may enjoy doing the same.

Hi all, my fear is that there will be no more exhibitions. A show relies on two things, punters and trade stands. If punters are scared off by close contact, no shows. Traders by now are either out of business or have come to rely on the 'net for business and will no longer accept the inconvenience and costs of attending events, again no shows. I understand organisers are understandably risk averse but someone has to show faith or lose the lot, but perhaps the end has been on the cards since so many traders already abandoned us, and this china flu may be the final nail in the coffin. I do hope i am wrong as we have lost so many already.

BBC News every night gives individual infection rates for all the towns and cities in Sussex and Kent. The daily figures keep going up and down like a whore's drawers! Tonight, 432/100,000 in Brighton, usually the worst place in the area. It's a student city. Virus is very much alive and kicking here, although I don't know a single victim. Certainly dont want to catch it because effects are milder with 2 jabs, there is the danger of "long-covid", meaning some form of permanent I'll health. Would still like to do an exhibition though. Just have to wait and see what happens next year and in the meantime, more metal butchery in workshop.

I was looking forwards to the show as visitor, exhibitor and club stand-helper, and a few years ago I found a cheap, basic camp-site only a few miles from the exhibition-centre (and short walk from a good pub!).

I was though wondering what attendance would be like; whether many would be reluctant to attend, how the Centre would managed the rather deceptively spacious cafeteria on the balcony.

At least most of our traders can offer mail-order services, and I and several fellow club members have noticed even before the Coronavirus' world tour the larger suppliers are appearing less frequently at the big shows, presumably for reasons we guessed and can understand (the sheer cost for them).

I wonder too, how things are faring for other big hobby and trade exhibitions.

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On my "days off" in Warwickshire I have generally explored Stratford-on-Avon, finding among other things a lovely walk partly along streets down the right bank of the river to a footbridge over to the left bank for the return through that long park.

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Oh, and the three or four conkers I collected from the Centre in 2018 did not survive, though one produced a sapling about 6" high before it expired.

i like to attend car shows. far less traders at them, except those selling toy cars as models.