Jump to content
 

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


AY Mod
 Share

Recommended Posts

11 hours ago, TEAMYAKIMA said:

One thing which I guess has been implied, but not spelled out in a concise statement.

 

All layout exhibitors are volunteers and even traders often use 'volunteer staff' in the sense that they are not full time employees.

 

Each of these volunteers will have their own agenda when it comes to their personal safety and their perception of their personal safety may change from week to week if not day to day.

 

What I mean is ......................

 

Exhibition X is being held in December.

 

In mid October they have to make a 'GO' or 'No-GO' decision. They ask me if I'm bringing my 26ft x 13ft layout which needs six operators. I ask my five helpers if they are happy to exhibit in December - they say 'YES' and so I confirm.

 

In mid-November something happens and there are renewed concerns and three of my team including the van driver change their minds. I can't replace them and so I reluctantly pull out.

 

I tell the exhibition manager - he now has a big problem, because I am the third layout to pull out this week along with two traders.  How does he fill that space at such short notice, the hallplan has to be completely changed.

 

He has a window of 7 days where he can cancel the hall booking and get a 50% refund - does he cancel? What if another two or three layouts pull out in the next week?

 

I think even if exhibitors have committed (weeks/months) in advance exhibition managers won't know 100% if they are going to turn up until they actually turn up, because the situation can change day by day.

 

I would not want to be an exhibition manager at the moment and the bigger the show, the bigger the problem.

 

 

I feel any Exhibition Manager would be wise to wait until a vaccine is distributed or that the UK is COVID free. Otherwise the punters will not turn up and end up making a financial loss, which could possibly put the club of holding another exhibition.
 

Think the best thing to do is keep busy and see how things pan out.

Edited by Melangoose
  • Agree 8
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
43 minutes ago, NHY 581 said:

On the basis that every cloud has a silver lining............

 

If we take a leaf out of the guidelines relating to the hospitality industry, where music  is currently restricted to background only (to alleviate the need for customers to shout/spit/dribble)...then that's the end of exhibition layouts with DCC sound  for a bit........

 

 

Rob. 

Dangerous talk....

  • Like 1
  • Funny 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
1 hour ago, NHY 581 said:

then that's the end of exhibition layouts with DCC sound  for a bit.

Nah turn up the dreaded class 20’s so it’s impossible to talk and then people won’t worry about the face mask making it hard to hear! ;) 

You could carry those little reference cards to write questions on and have some pre-printed with “you wouldn’t see ________ with _________”. 
Exhibitors could have their responses pre printed too :diablo_mini:

  • Funny 8
Link to post
Share on other sites

I doubt if I shall go to an exhibition until a vaccine is available which will probably be for another year or so, if ever.

I find that the discipline of social distancing is breaking down quickly. Yesterday was No1 grandaughter's fifth birthday and as we an they are supposed to be in a 'bubble' we went to celebrate with her. When we got there there were other people attending too and nobody was paying an attention to social distancing.

If this is going to happen within a bubble I really can't imagine what is going to happen at a show, utter mayhem probably.

  • Agree 5
  • Friendly/supportive 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, NHY 581 said:

 

If we take a leaf out of the guidelines relating to the hospitality industry, where music  is currently restricted to background only (to alleviate the need for customers to shout/spit/dribble)...then that's the end of exhibition layouts with DCC sound  for a bit........

 

 

Gets my vote!

  • Like 3
  • Agree 2
  • Thanks 1
  • Friendly/supportive 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
On 10/07/2020 at 14:43, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

In my experience those would be equivalent to kryptonite and Superman to many exhibition attendees!

 

Mike.

 

 

I have seen the future of model rail exhibition entrance ways.  :yes:

 

 

shower.jpg

  • Funny 10
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

I think someone has to take the plunge and put on an exhibition at some point and then report back industry wide on how it went, suggest modifications, etc.  Once that happens and organisers have a far better idea of exactly what needs to be done and likely footfall/viability then we can move on.

 

The question is, who will be brave enough to try first assuming their venue or insurer doesn't then scupper them at the eleventh hour...

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

In an earlier post AYMod chastised me for suggesting that insurers would take the risk of insuring a show against the possible consequences of an attendee getting Covid-19.

As it's clear now that it isn't possible to get insurance for the risk then the exhibition manager and perhaps the trustees of the club under whose auspices the show is run would carry that risk.

How might that risk be mitigated and how would a possible court case be financed? I'd be interested to know as might they.

Regards

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
2 hours ago, PenrithBeacon said:

In an earlier post AYMod chastised me for suggesting that insurers would take the risk of insuring a show against the possible consequences of an attendee getting Covid-19.

As it's clear now that it isn't possible to get insurance for the risk then the exhibition manager and perhaps the trustees of the club under whose auspices the show is run would carry that risk.

How might that risk be mitigated and how would a possible court case be financed? I'd be interested to know as might they.

Regards

 

 

On most car parks these days you see signs that say " users of this car park do so at their own risk the management accept no responsibility for any damage incurred to vehicles parked here"  

 

I'm sure most insurance companies will already have, or will be putting in place the same disclaimer regarding Covid and any other 'disease' that might be out there, in all new policies.

 

I'm pretty sure you will see similar disclaimers appearing in any literature relating to just about any show going ahead in the future. The 'RISK' Will almost certainly be yours entirely.

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Guest Jack Benson
6 hours ago, Mattc6911 said:

 

 

I have seen the future of model rail exhibition entrance ways.  :yes:

 

 

shower.jpg

This should have been mandatory some time ago, possibly as long ago as the 70s

 

cheers and stay safe 

Edited by Jack Benson
People’s feelings.
Link to post
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, PenrithBeacon said:

In an earlier post AYMod chastised me for suggesting that insurers would take the risk of insuring a show against the possible consequences of an attendee getting Covid-19.

As it's clear now that it isn't possible to get insurance for the risk then the exhibition manager and perhaps the trustees of the club under whose auspices the show is run would carry that risk.

How might that risk be mitigated and how would a possible court case be financed? I'd be interested to know as might they.

Regards

 

I'm sorry, but if we are expecting to be able to hold someone responsible for someone else contracting this particular virus, doesn't that by extension mean that anyone who catches a cold or normal flu or any other number of infections could be able to hold someone responsible?

Taking an example where a source of infection is easily identified, poor hygiene in a catering establishment, it's relatively simple to trace the cause and act accordingly.

But with hundreds of people in a venue for any event, not just a model railway show, how can the organisers be held accountable for something passed directly from one attendee to another?

To take it to your obvious conclusion I suspect you're expecting to be able to sue the person that coughed as you passed them in the street, saying they had infected you?

Edited by great central
Add last paragraph
  • Like 1
  • Agree 5
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

I am sure all those PPI Lawyers who have been sitting around looking for some other scam to pursue since that load of silly nonsense was finally knocked on the head are already rubbing their hands and warming up their pencils in anticipation of loads of virus claims....

  • Like 1
  • Agree 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

As long as you had signs, sanitisers and control on numbers then there’s no more case to argue than in a shop for transmitting the virus. You’d probably need to say entry only allowed with a mask too which would then lead to arguments about medical conditions! Keeping a metre or two from the operator is another difficulty without barriers so they would probably add to the expense. Realistically you will pay out £500-1500 on extra stuff, to hire barriers, sanitisers etc. Then you have to recoup it in one go because the world expects to have a vaccine by the next show a year later. I bet a lot of the drop in numbers will be because they can’t believe the price going by the annual parking at Warley moans!

If the venue is open and controls were in place you’ve adhered to the guidelines. It would be impossible to prove you got it there rather than on the way to the show unless multiple cases of blatantly disregarding the instructions were allowed. 
So I don’t think insurance is the main issue as the venue effectively has said it’s safe. The question is will enough then turn up to make it worth the extra expenses?
Gauging the likely numbers is a nightmare if there’s less people overall then traders won’t want to pay as much. How do you calculate the admission if you can only practically get a third to a quarter through the door in the time and how do you gauge how long they will stay? Shopping time in a supermarket tends to be fairly easy to calculate but at a show some will stop and chat or do multiple circuits and throwing them out with a time limit is just going to cause conflict. 
All those impossible questions mean waiting for a vaccine is by far the most sensible way to avoid viral or financial risks. We’ve been told from the start it usually takes 18 months minimum and even with global money being thrown at it they still have to produce and supply it in a market that will pay top dollar to be first and is the biggest ever, literally everyone!

  • Like 3
  • Agree 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

Exhibitions (when we had them) produced the necessary return by attracting the attendances they did, and for them to resume successfully, in a form any of us would recognise, something very close to those will be required.

 

I suspect that even a drop of 15%-20% from previous levels would be sufficient to throw almost all such events into loss and. under the conditions ruling at present, 80-85% of normal numbers would be unmanageable anyway.

 

Real normality will only be possible at exhibitions once it is truly restored in general life, and the only route to that is effective and widespread vaccination, however long that takes.

 

Living in a part of the country that relies heavily on the holiday trade, one sees plenty of people at large who have clearly acquired more than a touch of "cabin fever" under lockdown and are riding the line between "allowed" and "safe" for all it's worth. Tourists, those who rely on them, and local news media have all been at it and I'm having difficulty keeping mental images of the town mayor in the film "Jaws" at bay....:jester:

 

I, for one, am doing my best to socially distance from them by at least the length of a barge-pole.

 

John

Edited by Dunsignalling
  • Like 3
  • Agree 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
17 minutes ago, Stephenwolsten said:

Usual caveats make it difficult and expensive?  Will it all just be too much hassle for us volunteer exhibition managers?

 

The guidance makes clear that the following measures should be considered to allow for safe resumption of business events and conferences:

  • Attendees will need to pre-book and pre-register to attend events

  • Contactless registration systems will be introduced at venues to reduce waiting times and limit contact between organisers and guests
  • A digital first approach will be adopted to eliminate the need for physical badges and lanyards

  • Paper handouts and gifts will no longer be offered
  • Entrance to event or conference spaces will be staggered to reduce queuing and overall capacity will be limited to ensure social distancing can be maintained
  • Events will be planned around one way systems for visitors

  • Spaces between exhibition booths will be increased and aisles widened to achieve social distancing requirements
  • All venues will also have enhanced cleaning procedures, with hand washing and sanitising facilities at frequent intervals

  • Like 1
  • Friendly/supportive 3
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Regrettably the Brighton MRC show on the 21/22 November 2020 is another casualty. We are looking at the logistics of having a club open day on the 22 November at the Clubrooms in London Rd Station, Brighton. 

Edited by acg5324
Typo
  • Like 1
  • Friendly/supportive 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
1 hour ago, snitchthebudgie said:

Usual caveats make it difficult and expensive?  Will it all just be too much hassle for us volunteer exhibition managers?

 

The guidance makes clear that the following measures should be considered to allow for safe resumption of business events and conferences:

  • Attendees will need to pre-book and pre-register to attend events

  • Contactless registration systems will be introduced at venues to reduce waiting times and limit contact between organisers and guests
  • A digital first approach will be adopted to eliminate the need for physical badges and lanyards

  • Paper handouts and gifts will no longer be offered
  • Entrance to event or conference spaces will be staggered to reduce queuing and overall capacity will be limited to ensure social distancing can be maintained
  • Events will be planned around one way systems for visitors

  • Spaces between exhibition booths will be increased and aisles widened to achieve social distancing requirements
  • All venues will also have enhanced cleaning procedures, with hand washing and sanitising facilities at frequent intervals


 

I did not get that far.  The sentence in the intro. that reads :

Business events, conferences and events centres will be given the go ahead to reopen on 1 October adhering to social distancing, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced today. 

 

kills it for me.  There is no way I can think of that this will work, unless we have a socially distanced audience sat in seats and layouts and traders are moved across a stage presenting their offerings.    A kind of prize winners conveyor belt in slow motion - where's the cuddly toy?

Edited by Andy Hayter
  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • Administrators
15 minutes ago, Andy Hayter said:

I did not get that far.  The sentence in the intro. that reads :

Business events, conferences and events centres will be given the go ahead to reopen on 1 October adhering to social distancing, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced today. 

 

kills it for me.  There is no way I can think of that this will work, unless we have a socially distanced audience sat in seats and layouts and traders are moved across a stage presenting their offerings.    A kind of prize winners conveyor belt in slow motion - where's the cuddly toy?

 

Am I the only person who has been to a trade show?

 

These guidelines are firmly aimed at pre-booked trade shows NOT model railway events. The impetus is to get those shows back again as there is very little in the way of online replacement for a lot of them. That, and there is an exhibitions industry that needs to get working again along with venues that need to bring in an income. I can't imagine how you'd do the London Toy Fair, with millions of exhibits in one hall, any other way. If the web would do the job, since all the exhibitors have websites, they wouldn't spend a fortune attending the real thing.

 

These events are generally fairly lightly attended compared to Warley or Ally Pally. Those turning up are better behaved and can generally be trusted to wear clean clothes and wash their hands after going to the toilet. They will follow the rules.

 

We get the chance to watch how they get on before deciding what we want to do. That's the luxury we have.

  • Like 2
  • Agree 6
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
11 minutes ago, Phil Parker said:

 

Am I the only person who has been to a trade show?

 

These guidelines are firmly aimed at pre-booked trade shows NOT model railway events. The impetus is to get those shows back again as there is very little in the way of online replacement for a lot of them. That, and there is an exhibitions industry that needs to get working again along with venues that need to bring in an income. I can't imagine how you'd do the London Toy Fair, with millions of exhibits in one hall, any other way. If the web would do the job, since all the exhibitors have websites, they wouldn't spend a fortune attending the real thing.

 

These events are generally fairly lightly attended compared to Warley or Ally Pally. Those turning up are better behaved and can generally be trusted to wear clean clothes and wash their hands after going to the toilet. They will follow the rules.

 

We get the chance to watch how they get on before deciding what we want to do. That's the luxury we have.

 

I've done a few trade shows in various sectors of business and industry. They are not usually that crowded. 2m social distancing could probably be managed fairly easily with a restriction on the number of people on any given "shell" stand at one time.

 

One problem, of course, is that some of the main venues for these trade shows are requisitioned as field hospitals.

  • Like 1
  • Agree 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Guest Jack Benson
29 minutes ago, Phil Parker said:

 

Those turning up are better behaved and can generally be trusted to wear clean clothes and wash their hands after going to the toilet. They will follow the rules.

 

 

 Oh, to attend an exhibition without the olfactory senses being assaulted, social distancing is a must preferably with a barge pole. 

 

Railwells on a hot August afternoon with a distinct whiff of something, such lasting memories.

 

Cheers and Stay Safe

Link to post
Share on other sites

The Boston Model Railway Society are sorry to announce that our 2020 exhibition due to take place at Stickney Village Hall on the 26th and 27th September 2020 has been cancelled. All exhibitors and traders have provisionally been booked for the 2021 exhibition.

 

The reason being the Hall informing us that the number of people allowed in the building at any time has been restricted due to the virus. This being a small village hall, I think its going to be the main issue stopping the smaller shows from running.

 

The Boston Club are also thinking of holding an open day early next year at our club room depending on the situation with the virus.

  • Like 1
  • Friendly/supportive 3
Link to post
Share on other sites

The Epping Railway Circle regrets that its 2020 exhibition, due to be held at Theydon Bois Village Halls on 7 November has had to be cancelled for obvious reasons. We hope to return in 2021

John Woods

Secretary ERC

  • Like 3
  • Friendly/supportive 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

From their Facebook page (and other sources):

 

Model Rail Scotland 2021

 

AMRSS Limited the organisers of Model Rail Scotland have been advised by the Scottish Event Campus that due to the venues continuing use during the remainder of 2020 and into the early part of 2021 as an NHS Nightingale Hospital for the Coronavirus outbreak the hall used for Model Rail Scotland will be unavailable.

 

The Exhibition Management team have carried out a detailed analysis of the risks and challenges the current coronavirus situation presents to them as event organisers and have agreed that the best course of action is to cancel the 2021 show and look forward to the 2022 exhibition which will take place on the 25th, 26th and 27th February 2022.

 

The organisers hope you understand the reasoning behind this decision but given the degree of uncertainty relating to the current public health situation and how it could impact on matters into the early part of 2021 it considered to be the appropriate solution.

 

Geoff Endacott

  • Like 8
  • Friendly/supportive 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...