MIDLANDS MEX 2019

[martin perman 1Participant @martinperman1]

I'm going Saturday with a friend, I emailed Tracey Tools last night to see if they would take two particular thread taps for me to collect and this morning I got a reply from a very nice gentleman who wrote ask for me I will have them ready, I'm really pleased with that.

Martin P

[Mark RandParticipant @markrand96270]

Posted by John Haine on 16/10/2019 19:47:09:

My local contact advises approach up or down the Fosse Way as the A425 to the west is closed!

Is that because the nice folks in Radford Semele have got fed up with those weird model engineering chaps coming past every year?

I'm going tomorrow because SWMBO has got the car on Friday and Saturday.

Edited By Mark Rand on 16/10/2019 22:19:51

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Posted by Mark Rand on 16/10/2019 22:17:30:

Posted by John Haine on 16/10/2019 19:47:09:

My local contact advises approach up or down the Fosse Way as the A425 to the west is closed!

Is that because the nice folks in Radford Semele have got fed up with those weird model engineering chaps coming past every year?

I'm going tomorrow because SWMBO has got the car on Friday and Saturday.

Edited By Mark Rand on 16/10/2019 22:19:51

I doubt it! Might be the ‘straw that breaks the camel’s back’ but I expect there are many different weird exhibition-goers passing through as our show is not the only one occurring each year.

I’m on my way in about an hour or so.

[Brian HParticipant @brianh50089]

I'm going tomorrow (Friday). It would be interesting if someone would give their impression of the exhibition.

Brian

[JourneymanParticipant @journeyman]

Just got back from my visit. Initial impression was "not quite as good as last year". It seemed to be very dark in the main hall which was somewhat reduced in size to allow for the lecture theatre in one corner. Some not previously seen stands, Eric's Railway Art being one and a lady in the corner making lace, can't quite reconcile that with model engineering.

Warco's large stand was replaced by Station Road Steam and Keith Robinson Engineering Tools, which I don't recall seeing before. A large display of Pullman Coaches also occupied the ex-Warco space although they were very good just one with a sign saying one of seven (not Seven of Nine) would have done.

They look better close up after someone remembered to switch the lights on.

Outside was pretty empty as well as the Fosse Way Steamers hadn't quite all woken up, only about three engines when I first looked although there were apparently two dozen engines there.

A very good selection on the competition stand although again this was very poorly lit (perhaps it's just my eyes). The club stands were pretty much as last year with a good display all round.

On the catering front 0 out of 10 as the lady had forgotten to bring the gluten free bread so no "bacon butty" to get me going, good job I brought my own lunch.

John

Edit: Spelling

Edited By Journeyman on 17/10/2019 16:46:46

[Henry BrownParticipant @henrybrown95529]

Just arrived home with a bag of goodies! It was my first time at the show so these are very much impressions of a newbie…

We arrived at about 10:45 along the Fosse Way from the South West and met the traffic as we approached the roundabout and it was very slow going getting onto the the car park which was very near full then. Getting in was fine even though we paid by card on the door and we collected our free show guide (bonus) and started to have a look around. It was quite busy and just got busier as the morning went on. After I'd had a little shop around we (wife in tow) went for a coffee but the queue was horrendous so I left her chatting with a very nice lady from Leeds while I went and completed my purchasing spree and looked at the wonderful models on display. There were so many that I would have loved to have made but the one that sticks in my mind the the railway engine that was being displayed by OO Live Steam stand (Q), a gentleman was explaining how they fitted the steam and electrical gubbins, all powered from the track electrics!

We did sit in on the start of the lecture about CAD for 3D modelling but the poor chap giving the talk was clearly struggling with his equipment so we decided we'd leave and get some lunch on the way home.

A thoroughly enjoyable few hours, and maybe try to go when it is less crowded. I'd certainly go again, but the catering and car park really needs addressing, and well done to all the society's who put on such a splendid show.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

A few pics from the show

[Harry WilkesParticipant @harrywilkes58467]

Thanks for posting the pic's Jason looking forwards to seeing some of them first hand ar the weekend

H

[Nick M0NPHParticipant @nickm0nph]

 

Any good deals to be had i will be going on Saturday looking to get myself a new lathe so hoping Chester are doing some show deals . or am i just being over optimistic ?

Nick

Edited By Nick Holden 1 on 17/10/2019 21:37:00

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

They sited the lecture theatre inside the exhibition hall and the noise from the hall was horrendous. I was considering going to two, but gave the second a miss because of that.

Other than the catering queues, it was a good show. Third time and will go again next year. An expensive day out, but at least the expenditure on goodies should come in useful. Plenty of ideas and inspiration from the show, as well.

[Mark RandParticipant @markrand96270]

The lecture theatre position and construction is definitely 'sub optimal'. Luckily, Noel Shelley has got a good carrying voice, so I really enjoyed his home foundry talk and a long natter afterwards. Chester's presence is very minimal, so I'm not sure what deals they might have. I was there from 10:00 until 16:00 and, whilst it was very crowded from 12:00 until 14:00, it was very easy to get around afterwards. Most of the usual purveyors of tat had most of the same tat, The likes of JB tooling and Blackgates had the usual selection of hidden gems . M-dro/Allendale had their chap that knows about the product there, so one could ask about what one needed or order stuff that they've forgotten to put on the web site.

The club stands were slightly more prominent than the trade stands, possibly due to the ever shrinking number of traders, but there were plenty of things to look at.

I spent more than I expected, learned more and enjoyed this one more than any since the Donnington days. It's not in the same league as Harrogate/Doncaster (neither is Doncaster!) but It was a good day out for me.

 

Edited By Mark Rand on 17/10/2019 22:17:01

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Posted by Nick Holden 1 on 17/10/2019 21:35:25:

 

Any good deals to be had i will be going on Saturday looking to get myself a new lathe so hoping Chester are doing some show deals . or am i just being over optimistic ?

Nick

Edited By Nick Holden 1 on 17/10/2019 21:37:00

Probably wishful thinking, The last few shows I have been to Chester have only had a small stand with a lathe and mill so unless you want a DB10 I don't think any deals can be had. Gone are the days when Chester and Warco would roll up with a big curtain sider full of machines as it is now what will fit in a long wheelbase transit.

Edited By JasonB on 18/10/2019 16:41:54

[magpieParticipant @magpie]

I went on Thursday and was not far short of being crushed to death. To say it was packed is an understatement. I agree with all the above comments about the catering, it was abysmal. Mark has it right when he says it is not in the same league as the Harrogate or now Doncaster shows. I confess that my main reason for going to the shows these days, is to top up on bits and pieces and tooling, although there are very few bargains to be had. Gone are the days when lots of traders were competing with each other by bringing down the prices. I like to see things before I buy so it's a shame that the traders are being priced out of attending.

[mike TParticipant @miket56243]

Quote: It's a shame that the traders are being priced out of attending.

That's a double edged sword. Traders being priced out of attending means such shows will no longer be viable and will soon cease to exist. Enjoy then while you can.

[Ian Johnson 1Participant @ianjohnson1]

I went to the show today, and despite all the negative comments above I thought it was pretty good! Great range of models and traders.

Even managed to pick up a gauge block set made by Coventry Gauge & Tool Ltd (Matrix), I've been promising myself a set like this for years, but wasn't prepared to spend silly money on something I might seldom use, so thirty quid seemed like a decent price for a 50 piece set. And it's got a Rolls Royce quality sticker on it too for extra bonus points!

Ian

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

Walked into the sort of "tent" on the side of the main hall where the GTBA stand is, to find it filled with a blue haze. Had they be running the jets perhaps? or left a door open while a traction engine was passing? No, it was the grease smoke from the cafe… Catering abysmal I thought, poor quality and inefficient. Why don't they just get a few food trucks to park outside? Apart from that the show was humdrum I thought, every year a few less traders, always the same models being displayed (it seems). Every year the wife asks me why I go, I suppose it's mainly local family connections, but I'll just go and see them next year and give the show a miss I think.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Did you not notice that two walls of the "cafe" are made up of food trucks, they cover the area in so you don't get wet if its raining. Upstairs restaurant may be more civilised but I did not go up there.

As for the same models, all those ones I posted I have not seen displayed before as I don't bother taking pics of ones I have.

Edited By JasonB on 19/10/2019 06:55:50

[RMAParticipant @rma]

I went to the show on Friday, having been absent from the shows for many years due to distance from venues and seeing the same models each year.

I thought this show was very good. I wasn't interested in seeing large dealer stands, I was pleased to see some smaller newcomers, well to me anyway.

The layout of the catering could be improved, maybe a separate area just to get drinks. However what really annoyed me was the number of totally ignorant visitors with back packs! No thought given to people around them, just selfishly concerned with getting to the front of the dealer stands no matter what. As the day wore on these packs became heavier, no doubt filling up with metal, and can cause some distress when they swipe you round the face. Only had one apology!

Saw some great models on the club stands and managed to get everything on my shopping list, which was mainly for club members who couldn't attend. Obviously the internet has changed the way we shop, so a show with more models and technical content might be the way forward.

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, I went yesterday and though it was a decent show, the trade stand issue is something that is affecting all sorts of shows not just ME ones. The restaurant meal upstairs in my opinion, was excellent, I had fish, chips and peas, OK there was a queue but you need to expect that with a large number of people in relation to the size of the venue. There was a fairly wide range of exhibits to look at and yes some of them I'd seen before, but undoubtable there were a good number of people who hadn't. I got a number of items that I was looking for which saved me buying from websites and having to pay postage. If people think that there is nothing new to look at these shows, then why not enter something into them even if it is just in the display or loan sections, as it is a bit like the magazines, that they won't survive without contributions.

Regards Nick.

Edited By Nicholas Farr on 19/10/2019 08:27:19

[Old SchoolParticipant @oldschool]

I went this year and it's probably my last, I bought nothing but food and a drink. I did try to get a club stand a few years ago but it was declined by the organisers no reason given. The stand was for tether cars they are scale, semi scale and out right race cars most built in model engineering type workshops. Not sure I will try again it's a big commitment in time and money.

[JAParticipant @ja]

I went yesterday and thought that the show had not really changed other than there were fewer major firms. However I came away with what I wanted – some metal, small bits and pieces and silver soldering stuff.

The models were good but quite a few had been seen before. This does not worry me since models take time to make and there are not too many people who are prepared to display their work.

My major gripe is that the site is small and the major hall is quite cramped. Having said that I liked the chairs along the inside wall. I did not use the catering, we had a late lunch at a local pub.

As for the lack of traders, it was nice to see that the likes of Home & Workshop Machinery, Polly Engineering and Myford were still there. I think Myford may have got their stand about right – you bring things to the show that punters will buy there and then. OK they displayed a couple of lathes. I fully understand the commercial logic for dealers to stay away but I think they should be present is to meet, in person, their customers. In an earlier life I was involved in a large motorcycle club this was always the question; "why should we have a stand at shows?" – the only real answer was "because our members expect us to be there".

JA

[Ketan SwaliParticipant @ketanswali79440]

Members of my team and I went yesterday to have a look.

I think the show was great. The organisers had managed to cover up the 'green Warco space' with new stands and displays. Having missed a visit last year as a spectator, the feeling I had was that there were many good new models on display. From what I could see, there was plenty of technical engagement between people presenting their displays and visitors. This was good to see on the club stands as well as on the SMEE and Stirling Hot Air engine society stands.

Didn't get a chance to try out the catering, as queues were long upstairs. As the caterers are consistent, I would expect that the food was good.

It was great to catch up with the usual traders, especially Andy from Polly with his new million dollar leg. , celebrating 20 years in business. I believe that traders with unique businesses like Polly, and Adrian from Engineers Emporium were experiencing 'good business as usual', and the show is the best way of presenting their unique offering. The impression I got after taking with BB Engineering, Home and Workshop , J.B.Tools , Noggin End, RDG, was that trade was up and down depending on time of day.

I am uncertain if traders are being priced out of attending. The visitor numbers were there, and the organisers had done their job in that respect by presenting the visitors to the traders. I think that as a trader, if you had something unique, second hand old gold at good prices, or current new tooling at a reasonable price, then the show is okay for you as a trader, especially as the big stand holders are out of the picture. All I would suggest for a new visitor to the show is to beware of some of the products being sold on certain new trader stands. When something seems to be too good to be true… it is. The older traders have gone though such experiences, whereas some of the new ones fail to realise what they are doing… or may be they do. This has nothing to do with our loosing any business to new comers. It is just based on observations we made, but at the same time, it would be better for us to keep quiet about what we saw, because at the end of the day, it is our opinion only, on a small selection of products.

I hope that more new comers visit these shows, using it as a learning ground to gain knowledge from experienced makers of things. On one or two stands there was a concern raised about the average age of the visitors being 50 to 60+, and the usual 'this is a dying hobby'. I would suggest that there are plenty of younger people about who are, and want to be working with metal as a hobby, be it making models or carry out restoration work on things like motorbikes and classic cars. We as a business come across them as customers on a daily basis. Unfortunately, many lack knowledge or experience, but have plenty of enthusiasm. The fact that they are unable to visit the shows for some reason doesn't mean that this is a dying hobby. The car park was full on Thursday and Friday with a more mature retired audience visiting . Perhaps today and tomorrow being Saturday and Sunday, the younger 'working' audience will appear. If they don't, just accept that they are definitely out there.. In our opinion, people attending the shows only represent about 30% of the market place.

As for ARC, we will continue with web sales, rather than participating at shows which we left a while back due to a variety of reasons, other than the cost of the shows, based on competition for generic products. There is no point getting into discussion over this.

For the future of shows: From what I can see, the development of the shows based on presentation of models and a place for imparting or sharing of knowledge is probably a good direction, complemented by a limited number of traders serving the hobby.

Ketan at ARC

[OxymoronParticipant @oxymoron]

Interesting comments. I went on Friday, arrived 10:10 with pre paid ticket. Slight queue but got in quickly. For the record I am retired and 59. Maybe I reduced the average age slightly.

It was my first show for many years. I once attended Donnington park, many years ago. For me I wasn't bothered about buying much as I've used the net for this although I bought some Bakers fluid and a couple of spotting drills. Highlight for me was looking at the models on show. Some inspirational work on display. The outdoor display of a sawmill cutting timber was great.

I am building a 1" Minnie and was dissapointed not to find much in this scale. Also I've been contemplating joining a club. I'm based near Loughborough so Melton and Nottingham clubs are close to me. Unfortunately both these stands were unmanned although I returned several times. Would have liked to talk to them but I appreciate it is difficult to man a stand with volunteers continually for 4 days. I only stayed 2 hours.

As for the future, I would like to see more lectures and demonstrations. Otherwise I'm not seeing much to entice me every year.

Dave

[magpieParticipant @magpie]

With regard to the age of those attending, I am 79 and the shows are one of the few places where I don't feel my age. Being surrounded by other senior citizens means I don't stand out as an old codger.

[Nick M0NPHParticipant @nickm0nph]

Just back from a very enjoyable visit to the show met up with some old friends went in for a breakfast roll and surprised after reading above comments that i went straight up to the counter for my bacon and sausage roll and no problem getting some ware to sit also had a very pleasant visit to the Chester Machine Stand managed to get every thing that i was after new Lathe and bits and bobs all with a 10% discount along with free delivery so very pleased. All in all i thought that it was a very good show some very good engineering work on display

Nick

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