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Exhibition cancellations (not much to do with that anymore!)


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Sadly the Thirsk exhibition scheduled for 26th July has now been formally cancelled. We had held off making a decision until after the government announcements at the weekend but these have made it clear it would be impractical for us to continue. No alternative date, we will try again in  July 2021!

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The Broadland MRC club show,  due 3rd Oct 2020 has been cancelled till next year.. 

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4 hours ago, TEAMYAKIMA said:

I had an email last night from the exhibition manager as I had been invited to take my layout in August 

 

Ah well, will just have to hope Peterborough in December goes ahead instead.

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I reckon the chances of Peterborough going ahead no better than 50:50 although at this point nobody knows. The only thing exhibition managers can do is press on with organising until either the government or the venue say it can't go ahead. Decisions about such things are more in the hands of the venue owner than the exhibition manager. We do know that, due to their very nature, all  exhibitions which rely on attracting the general public in numbers have to be one of the last things to restart.

 

I do look at the list of trade exhibitors before deciding whether to attend or not and this will influence my decision every bit as much as the layouts attending.

 

My thoughts are that, in an increasingly online world with fewer physical shops, exhibitions could become more important than in the past. Exhibitions may provide the only chance punters get to see and feel products before they decide whether to buy or not. You just can't tell from a photo on a screen.

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3 minutes ago, Chris M said:

I reckon the chances of Peterborough going ahead no better than 50:50 although at this point nobody knows. The only thing exhibition managers can do is press on with organising until either the government or the venue say it can't go ahead.

 

We are proceeding with plans as you say as we don't really know where we will be at that time. If the plans have to be wound back then so be it but at least the foundations are there should it be safe to proceed.

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18 hours ago, TEAMYAKIMA said:

I hardly need to post this, but for the record, Aly Paly in August cancelled.

 

 

 

Is this confirmed?

 

Both the visitor website page https://www.world-of-railways.co.uk/information/the-london-festival-of-railway-modelling

 

and the trade website page https://www.warners-shows.co.uk/indoor-shows/the-london-festival-of-railway-modelling

 

at the time of writing are still promoting the new dates of 22/23 August.

 

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3 minutes ago, adrianmc said:

 

Is this confirmed?

 

Both the visitor website page https://www.world-of-railways.co.uk/information/the-london-festival-of-railway-modelling

 

and the trade website page https://www.warners-shows.co.uk/indoor-shows/the-london-festival-of-railway-modelling

 

at the time of writing are still promoting the new dates of 22/23 August.

 

 

I have also recently checked and found the same as yourself; as the contact for our Society's stand (SLS)  I have not had any recent update on it either.

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2 hours ago, Chris M said:

 

 

My thoughts are that, in an increasingly online world with fewer physical shops, exhibitions could become more important than in the past. Exhibitions may provide the only chance punters get to see and feel products before they decide whether to buy or not. You just can't tell from a photo on a screen.

 

Indeed that's already the case for me. Now that there are no model shops in Reading, any shop visit effectively requires a "special visit", in my case by public transport. Twyford's my nearest shop, but even there I'd want to know they had what I wanted before going there, and it's not something I'd do for a tin of paint or a packet of rail joiners - and certainly not something I'd do on the offchance. The same applies even more so to my other "local" shops - Guildford, Basingstoke and Alton. So the only times I tend to visit a shop are when I'm in the area anyway - Alton once a year when the show is on, and when I was in my last job, Addlestone and Exeter when I was visiting our other offices. Otherwise the majority of my purchases are made at shows.

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27 minutes ago, adrianmc said:

Is this confirmed?

 

The exhibition department is working through contacting layouts, trade and demos before a public statement was made, out of courtesy. An official statement will be made later in the week.

 

It would have been a better process if comment had been held off until a statement given. I could have done without time being taken off me this afternoon.

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On 19/03/2020 at 07:48, Gilbert said:

Stow Rail in May is also off

 

As you are probably more than aware now the model railway exhibition world is shut for the duration. Regrettably StowRail is no exception and it is now cancelled. I’ll be in touch if I can salvage anything from the wreckage and see if we can try again sometime later.

 

Thank you for your support,

 

Best wishes,

 

Andrew

At least 4 of the exhibitors will be posting pics of "Not-Stow Rail" 2020 in an appropriate thread on Sunday

Edited by Gilbert
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On 11/05/2020 at 09:56, TEAMYAKIMA said:

Another aspect is that I think clubs may need to reconsider the way they are financed. It seems to me that too many clubs rely on exhibition income to make the club viable. Maybe they will need to rearrange their finances so that they are less reliant on exhibition income in the future to balance the books.

 

Have you been involved with a club?

 

I have been the Exhibition manager and Chairman of a club and I can say from my experince that your statment would mean lots of clubs closing as it wouldn't be viable to run the club. Don't get me wrong they would like to be but it would be very expesnsive to be a member.

 

For some clubs the money made holding an exhibition covers the following years costs:

 

Rent,

Insurance
Heating

Water

Electricty

Club projects

Money for nexts years event.

 

This I know from personal experince runs into the thousands of pounds and having cancalled a show I know the costs of doing that. To get the club members to then cover the costs would mean the yearly subs are over £500 a year which would then stop the majority of members being members. Also the possible risk of no money for club projects and if you dont have a club project or other such activity whats the poit of the club?? This I would suspect to the club folding and the show would stop being put on. It would also put new members off as I sure they don't want to spend or even possible have a spare £500 plus for the club fees.

 

 

Sorry for going off topic Andy but I had to respond to Teamyakima and hopefully it wil explain to others why clubs are reliant on shows.

Edited by Mr.S.corn78
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2 minutes ago, Mr.S.corn78 said:

 

Have you been involved with a club?

 

I have been the Exhibition manager and Chairman of a club and I can say from my experince that your statment would mean lots of clubs closing as it wouldn't be viable to run the club. Don't get me wrong they would like to be but it would be very expesnsive to be a member.

 

For some clubs the money made holding an exhibition covers the follwoing year costs:

 

Rent,

Insurance
Heating

Water

Electricty

Club projects

Money for nexts years event.

 

This I know from personal experince runs into the thousands of pounds and having cancalled a show I know the costs of doing that. To get the club members to then cover the costs would mean the yearly subs are over £500 a year which would then stop the majority of members being members. Also the possible risk of no money for club projects and if you dont have a club project or other such activity whats the poit of the club?? This I would suspect to the club folding and the show would stop being put on. It would also put new members off as I sure they don't want to spend or even possible have a spare £500 plus for the club fees.

 

 

Sorry for going off topic Andy but I had to respond to Teamyakima and hopefully it wil explain to others why clubs are reliant on shows.


I totally agree with your comments.

 

Terry Robinson 

Exhibition Team

Stafford Railway  Circle 

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He did say may need to reconsider if exhibition income is going to be restricted ;)

Yes some clubs might rely on it due to meeting costs but two I belong to don’t rely on the show to keep going. One doesn’t have a regular hall, we meet at members houses and hold an annual open day covered by our subs so any extra income is a bonus. We do hold a large show every two years but that built gradually and is self financing as long as it breaks even. 
The bigger club holds two meets each week in a hall but we cover it from the subs not the show. We are lucky to have a long standing and cheap venue but it is possible. :) 
 

Both ways are valid and it’s an unknown at present so they are all shots in the dark. If we can’t go back to relative normal next year those clubs that do rely on shows will have to reconsider how to finance. 
 

As they say Don’t Panic ;) (just yet)

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24 minutes ago, PaulRhB said:

He did say may need to reconsider if exhibition income is going to be restricted ;)

Yes some clubs might rely on it due to meeting costs but two I belong to don’t rely on the show to keep going. One doesn’t have a regular hall, w e meet at members houses and hold an annual open day covered by our subs so any extra income is a bonus. 
The bigger club holds two meets each week in a hall but we cover it from the subs not the show. We are lucky to have a long standing and cheap venue but it is possible. :) 

 

I do apprecate that but it also need to be said about quite a lot of clubs not having that luxury and in my eyes gives a false impression of what clubs should do hence my opening question.

 

I'm the same as you, part of a group that meets at members houses so we don't have any costs as such apart from a couple of packets of biscusits for brew time :D

 

 Whilst yes you can find a cheap venue if you use a hall, that may have other users (not sure of your curcumstances with the hall you use) but having been involved with a club that at one point had to start looking at other club rooms for the sole use of the club, which many clubs have, the costs start to get extremely eye watering. The rent for the club I was in went from only few hunderd pounds a year to with increases in yearly costs would probably be close to £4,000 a year by now if not more.

 

 Divide that by the number of members at the time I left the club means the subs would have been near £360 each to cover costs.

 

This is one of those topics that can go on for ever and a day but I think best to revert back to the original reason for this thread and thats  to let everyone know of cancelled shows :(

Edited by Mr.S.corn78
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5 hours ago, Mr.S.corn78 said:

Have you been involved with a club?

 

Just to clarify, I have been a member of a club for 52 years and have been in that time exhibition manager (18 years) chairman (4 years) treasurer (4 years) and sales officer / fundraiser (umpteen years and counting) so I know something about one club in one part of the country - I do not claim to know about every club in every part of the country.

 

But, the point I was making is that there is already a new reality for the foreseeable future of no exhibitions and then when exhibitions do return there could be a downturn in attendance and/or a lack of traders prepared to support some shows in that new climate. Therefore clubs who rely on exhibition income to balance the books may struggle.

 

No club can assume that just because their exhibition was profitable in the past it will be so in 2021/22 etc

Edited by TEAMYAKIMA
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3 hours ago, TEAMYAKIMA said:

I have been a member of a club for 52 years and have been in that time exhibition manager (18 years) chairman (4 years) treasurer (4 years) and sales officer / fundraiser (umpteen years and counting) so I know something about one club in one part of the country - I do not claim to know about every club in every part of the country.

 

On that basis I would have hoped you'd have held off jumping onto the internet to tell people as soon as you could before other people had been contacted and an official statement issued rather than causing questions from others not yet advised taking up time.

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32 minutes ago, AY Mod said:

 

On that basis I would have hoped you'd have held off jumping onto the internet to tell people as soon as you could before other people had been contacted and an official statement issued rather than causing questions from others not yet advised taking up time.

 

I do unreservedly apologise for the inconvenience caused

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20 hours ago, NHY 581 said:

It should be left to the organisers to announce any changes. 

 

As an exhibitor due to have exhibited at a numbers of exhibitions this year, I have been contacted by organisers advising of the cancelling of shows, ahead of any formal announcement. 

 

It is common courtesy to respect the confidence we have been shown and reserve any comment, if the need is felt,  until after the organiser makes public the news. 

 

To do so before hand is quite frankly bad form and no doubt adds to the pressure the organisers are already under. 

 

 

Rob. 

 

The cancellation of an exhibition is not classified information. I see no problem with people posting on here an exhibition has been cancelled if indeed it has. Of course if somebody reports an exhibition has been cancelled when it hasn’t or vice versa than that’s an issue.

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@bart2day - You seem to mark a number of my posts as funny when there's no humour involved.

 

bart2day.JPG

 

I am asking you now not to do it again. If you do, I'll just remove access.

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12 minutes ago, bart2day said:

 

The cancellation of an exhibition is not classified information. I see no problem with people posting on here an exhibition has been cancelled if indeed it has. Of course if somebody reports an exhibition has been cancelled when it hasn’t or vice versa than that’s an issue.

 

 

It's common decency. As an exhibitor you are granted access to information  which persons outside the event are not privy to. 

 

That  should be respected and the information managed appropriately.

 

I fail to see how my last post was amusing..........

 

 

Rob. 

Edited by NHY 581
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2 minutes ago, NHY 581 said:

I fail to see how my last post was amusing

 

So he's doing the same to you.

 

First step then is to remove his access to this topic.

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31 minutes ago, bart2day said:

 

The cancellation of an exhibition is not classified information. I see no problem with people posting on here an exhibition has been cancelled if indeed it has. Of course if somebody reports an exhibition has been cancelled when it hasn’t or vice versa than that’s an issue.

 

It's helpful to avoid posting something like that in public until you can include a link to the relevant statement on the club's website or Facebook page, though, or at least a link to one of the main listings sites, such as UKModelshops, that shows the event has been cancelled. Not least because it avoids the possibility that you will end up looking like a numpty if you've misheard something on the grapevine that turns out to be inaccurate.

 

By the same token, of course, it is incumbent on exhibition organisers to make sure that they do keep their websites and social media presence up to date. And, to be fair, not all of them are particularly good at doing so, and sometimes there is no real alternative to spreading the word via other means. But at least give them some space to do it before you appoint yourself as their messenger boy.

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3 hours ago, bart2day said:

 

The cancellation of an exhibition is not classified information. I see no problem with people posting on here an exhibition has been cancelled if indeed it has. Of course if somebody reports an exhibition has been cancelled when it hasn’t or vice versa than that’s an issue.

>

As an exhibitor I'd not really be happy about finding out about a cancelled show off T'internet before the exhibition manager had a chance to speak or mail me personally. As an exhibition manager I'd be very severely peed off if it appeared in public before I'd chance to contact  all exhibitors and traders personally. It's called common courtesy. 

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The cancellation of an exhibition is not classified information. I see no problem with people posting on here an exhibition has been cancelled if indeed it has. Of course if somebody reports an exhibition has been cancelled when it hasn’t or vice versa than that’s an issue.

 

 

It takes a while to contact everyone. We thought it would be courteous to inform those we had invited and would have preferred to then tell all our club members before it went public. 

 

Although it turned out to be correct, it wasn't at all helpful when the weekend before the March Ally Pally was officially cancelled another club's Facebook page stated the show had been cancelled, and used it to promoted their show as "the last before lockdown".  Although they rapidly removed the post, that created issues with some exhibitors and members, and given we were waiting for the government to tell us the event couldn't happen might have had serious financial consequences (as discussed further up the thread).

 

The upside is we have a full list of layouts for 2021's show earlier in the cycle than we ever have before! So looking forward and positive, here's hoping we're in a position to hold it. 

 

Tom

 

The MRC

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