The READING 'O' GAUGE SHOW now on Saturday 10th December has been changed from 3rd

[two tone green]

This has come via another web site but I have no reason to doubt it.

 

They are trying to reorganise the event for the following Saturday, 10th December, and have provisionally booked that date but this is not yet confirmed. They have a committee meeting tomorrow evening 24th October when the subject will be discussed, and they are also trying to contact all the Traders to check their availability.

[daifly]

The word cancelled is unfortunate since it has not been cancelled but postponed until 10th December. See here for more details.

[Mod4]

I have amended the title of the topic to reflect the change in date from the 3rd to 10th December rather than cancellation. 

[55012]

The word cancelled is unfortunate since it has not been cancelled but postponed until 10th December. See here for more details.

It's still a lamentable show by the venue. I wonder what, if any, recourse is available as it's quite possible traders and others have booked non refundable hotel accommodation etc and costs will have been incurred.

I'm not after who gets what but just wondered what happens in this type of situation as its not the first time I've heard of this happening.

[MarcD]

If my memory is correct this is what happened to the GOG's Summer show at Halifax in 2012. You have to ask the question do some locations want model railway shows? 

 

Luckily we hadn't book accommodation, however the good lady wife has had to swop shifts and call in a few favours in order for us to go.

 

Marc   

[Simond]

I suggest that polite but firm requests to Rivermead, from traders for lost deposits, coupled with FOI requests to Reading council, (to which a response is required, I believe) demanding an account of events leading to the cancellation, from enough people, might cause substantial embarrassment in higher places. Whether this would then result in them pulling the plug for future events, is, of course, a risk to be considered.

 

It has always been a great show in spite of the pitiful venue. The toilets are unpleasant, the parking insufficient and the catering woeful. Year after year they run out of basic ingredients (like bacon) when there is obviously a ready market. The management appear to be muppets. This is a disgraceful way to treat a regular customer, and I for one hope that the Guildford club can find an alternative for the future and vote with their feet.

 

It appears that the double booking is for a boxing evening, which promises to be extremely lucrative.

 

Cynically

Simon

[MarcD]

Rivermead would be able to charge a lot more for a boxing match than a model show.  its about £40+ per-head + drinks for boxing and between £5 and £10 for the model show and its 1 evening not an evening and a whole day.  

 

Good economics, bad ethics. A refection on the way this country is going I fear.

 

Marc 

[Mike Bellamy]

Copied from Gauge O Guild forum

 

 

 

We discovered only on Friday of last week that Rivermead Leisure Complex Management had Saturday 10th of December 2016 in their diary for our Reading Trade Show, not December 3rd.
We have not yet got to the bottom of this grave misunderstanding. Our show is booked on a forward rolling 3 year basis, always for the first Saturday in December. This year, it transpires that they allocated our date to another event as long ago as last January, which they tell us cannot be changed. At no time during this year were we contacted to confirm this date.
So now, our primary objective is to rescue as much as we can from this debacle. We have accepted their offer of Saturday 10th of December, although we realize that some traders and visitors may be somewhat compromised. for this we are deeply regretful and greatly embarrassed and we can only apologise profusely for this turn of events.
An A5 flyer has been inserted in the November GOG Gazette to this effect.
We hope you can make it on the revised date and we look forward to seeing friends old and new
Thank you
Alan Brasted on behalf of Steve Cook Exhibition Manager

 

 

 

.
 

[The Stationmaster]

The responsible Councillor in Reading Borough Council is Councillor Paul Gittings, Lead Councillor for Culture and Sports

 

http://www.getreading.co.uk/all-about/reading-borough-council

 

Maybe 'Gittings baiting' qualifies as a sport?   

 

Rivermead is managed - it seems - by a concern called GLL Greenwich Leisure Ltd who - judging by press reports - have managed to upset several apple carts and Rivermead users since they took over.

 

It would seem that them main hall at Rivermead is definitely being used on 03 December for something called 'ultra white collar boxing'  with tickets costing between £21.90 and £363.45 - maybe Councillor Gittings is a boxing fan when it involves white collars?

[81A Oldoak]

Sadly, I can't attend on 10th December because of a family wedding. Chris Basten will be there on 10th with the Victories and more news about the Pannier Project, but he is going to be very busy.

 

I agree with other correspondents about the venue. It is execrable. I wonder if there is a suitable school or college in Reading that might be able to host this event in future.

 

Regards,

 

Chris

[The Stationmaster]

Here's one possible although I don't know what the hall/gym areas are like nowadays - they were not as large as Rivermead but other rooms might also be available

 

http://www.denefield.org.uk/Contact-Us/Hire-our-Facilities

 

The school is on a 'bus route fron Station Road in Reading - and a 20 minute interval service runs on Saturdays.  Not as much parking as Rivermead but it is presumably free!

[Cheekypaul]

Another venue that could be considered - The Hexagon, which is in the centre of Reading town, with multi-storey car park next to it and handy for wives/partners/children/friends to go shopping while you explore many layouts. I don't know what the costs are like to hire a room etc though....

 

http://www.readingarts.com/hexagon

[JeffP]

Perhaps next year's show could move to somewhere obviously more bothered about having us...and perhaps a bit more central UK. Not everything needs to be a spit from London.

[81A Oldoak]

Perhaps next year's show could move to somewhere obviously more bothered about having us...and perhaps a bit more central UK. Not everything needs to be a spit from London.

The three official Gauge 0 Guild shows are in Doncaster, Kettering and Telford, all well outside the M25.  This event is organised by the Guildford group, which is in Surrey.

[Simond]

Indeed, given that the population is very much London-centred, it is a source of some frustration to those of us that live in the South East that the nearest G0G show is Kettering, which at a rough estimate is 3 hours away from my bit of Kent on a good day.

 

I'm sure our Scots pals have similar, if not much worse issues. Having raised the issue with the Guild, I was informed that there is an issue with suitable spaces in London. Probably not their existence, more their cost.

 

Best

Simon

[MarcD]

As a paid up member of the Northerners club I would like more shows in the north. However from trade's point of view, we have stopped going to Scottish shows, a number of years ago, and we are now not going shows in the North (other than Doncaster) for the simple reason we don't sell enough to cover our costs. And as trade support pays for the shows to go ahead, I think I can speak for a number of smaller producers people in the North, need to spend more to allow traders to attend more shows in the North. Traders are not charities there to supports peoples hobbies they are businesses and as such we need to make a profit, as we need to eat. We have noticed that if a show has easy access for the population of the south east of England then we make a profit if there is no access then we don't.

 

The Reading shows make a profit so selfishly more shows in the south please.

 

Rant over

 

Marc

[81A Oldoak]

Indeed, given that the population is very much London-centred, it is a source of some frustration to those of us that live in the South East that the nearest G0G show is Kettering, which at a rough estimate is 3 hours away from my bit of Kent on a good day.

 

I'm sure our Scots pals have similar, if not much worse issues. Having raised the issue with the Guild, I was informed that there is an issue with suitable spaces in London. Probably not their existence, more their cost.

 

Best

Simon

Undoubtedly so Simon, which is why London is a desert for model shops.