Doncaster ME Show and Warco.

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

OK for everyone coming from the North it will be further but for people coming from the South, it will be shorter.
Swings and roundabouts.
Its no wonder suppliers pull out of the shows with all the bitching.
Far easier to handle an on line form

Edited By John Stevenson on 14/03/2017 14:27:39

[HOWARDTParticipant @howardt]

I only started this model engineering lark twelve months ago and only managed Bristol and Brooklands last year due to holidays. After a working lifetime of going to machine tool shows here and abroad, which used to cover many acres of exhibition space, it is a little underwhelming going to these shows. But all the shows are reducing in size due to high costs and without support from the enthusiasts they will disappear. I shall have a quick visit to the Warwickshire Exhibition Centre this weekend to see what is there, then the NEC next week for photography. Even the NEC exhibitions are not what they were, very few hardware sellers. To get a worthwhile exhibition for some we would have to get most of the UK model engineering companies involved and that ain't gona happen, so accept and support what we have.

[petro1headParticipant @petro1head]

Out of interest where else are there shows like the one at Doncaster?

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Doncaster in May.
Bristol in August.
Warwick in October.
Alexander Palace in January.
Manchester in early March, (that one has gone this year )

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Don't forget Brooklands alternate years September

[petro1headParticipant @petro1head]

Posted by John Stevenson on 14/03/2017 14:26:44:
OK for everyone coming from the North it will be further but for people coming from the South, it will be shorter.
Swings and roundabouts.
Its no wonder suppliers pull out of the shows with all the bitching.
Far easier to handle an on line form

Edited By John Stevenson on 14/03/2017 14:27:39

However there are plenty shows in the midlands to cover people coming from the south and there was only one show in the North which would also have been better for the Scottish lads.

I don't think anyone is bitching

Edited By petro1head on 14/03/2017 16:40:13

[Steve Ambler 1Participant @steveambler1]

Sad about warco not being at Doncaster, was keen on looking over their milling machines

Will have to look elsewhere now bad business idea by warco

 

Steve

Edited By Steve Ambler 1 on 25/04/2017 22:47:06

[Peter LayfieldParticipant @peterlayfield]

Why not try the Spalding show now in its fourth year, what a really pleasant atmosphere small but enjoyable

long may it continue and grow

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Sorry just accept the world is changing.

10 – 15 years ago when shows were at their peak we didn't have online internet sales.

Now we have and companies have to move with the times or die.

When a company is at a show they sell a small amount to the through the door punters, majority are tyre kickers just looking.

However whilst they are at the show they are loosing sales to the rest of the country and also overseas sales which far, far outweighs anything they sell at the show. In fact deducting the cost of getting to the show and standing it they are very lucky to even break even so the whole show on paper is a dead loss.

This is why we are seeing the larger traders not doing the shows, it's the modern way of internet trading.

People come up with all weird and wonderful ideas of why not take just so and so to the show but it all boils down to cost and time. They are not idiots, they know their trade and figures.

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

All the discussion comparing shows is depressing, particularly when comparing with shows in the past. General discussions with my friends tend to go along the lines of well it wasn't as good as last year and do you remember the old shows at Wembley etc. However when someone asks did you enjoy the day the answer is nearly always "yes I had a lovely time" Maybe that's the question we should really be asking ourselves.

So long as I found something worth looking at that makes me think 'Im glad I saw that' and I've spent a day with my mates I'm happy even if it wasn't as good as last time.

regards Martin

PS see you at Doncaster

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

You forgot the Spalding Show (last week end), which has grown over the last four years!

Can fully understand how the traders view shows, preparation, disruption to normal activities, (before and after), and the attached costs.

Have any of you ever organised a stand at a Show for your Club?

If so, you'll know about the time to plan / prepare, organise exhibits and stewards, collate YOUR exhibits, set up the stand, keep an eye on things during the show, and then clear the stand, and finally put away your stuff afterwards.

The physical work started on Thursday, and ended on Tuesday morning for a two day show. As a local Show it involved nearly 200 miles in my vehicle. For club members exhibiting, it spread over three days.

So for Warco, much as we miss their presence, (and ability to by "over the counter" at the Show) preparing, travelling to and from Surrey, and then reversing the process after three days, plus stand and staff costs, must be balanced against how much profit is actually going to be made at the Show. And the same must apply to other traders. The cost has to be covered somehow; whether in the Sales budget, or as an overhead. Either way, eventually those costs have to be recovered by profit on the products, or thge Company will eventually go bankrupt.

For Model Engineering Shows to continue, income from trade presence is vital, unless we are all prepared to pay a LOT more for tickets to see just the work of members of other clubs.

Venue owners and show organisers cannot afford to price themselves out of the market, for either traders or visitors, or there will be any shows.

Howard

[Clive IndiaParticipant @cliveindia]

Interestingly, for the Leamington show, clubs are getting less for attending this year. Previous years, steward free passes for a club stand were two per day – reduced to one per day this year. Exhibitor passes are also limited to the number given last year.

Given the club stands probably make up about 50% of the entertainment value for a punter, would it not be better to encourage them to attend?

Presume, with a reduced number of trade stands, things are getting tighter.

As for Warco, my bandsaw came as a kit – not the assembled bandsaw I thought I paid for from the catalogue and I saw at a show. It did not come with the UK-made blade it was advertised as having – sent when queried. Perhaps they will now have more time to get this kind of thing right?

[Mark Harrison 6Participant @markharrison6]

Real pity I hadn't seen this thread before the show as I was specifically looking forward to looking at Warco's stand and to discuss a few things with them… Spoilt the day a little ​for me.

Visiting their showroom is out of the question for me to. Due to health reasons it would take two days minimum each way traveling…

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

It is always a good idea to check the website of any company of interest to see whether or not they are attending any particular venue.

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