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Warley NEC Exhibition November 26th and 27th 2016


Barry O

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Re the amount of the exhibition hall used/unused:

 

If you visit the Warley MRC show website there are some FAQs about the exhibition one is why they leave some of the hall unused.

They only pay for the the square metres they use for the exhibition and have found there has to be a compromise.

The law of diminishing returns has shown that using more hall does not necessarily mean more visitors.

This reduces the return per square metre on the trade stands and reduces the viability of the whole enterprise.

 

The number of visitors for the Warley show has stayed fairly constant over the years unlike the Good Food show which I went to when it first started and was quite small but has expanded several times so that it is now many times it's original size.

So unless there is increased footfall, there isn't going to be any added space.

 

Keith

 

Very different demographics too. The target audience of something like the bike show or good food show is massive in comparison to Warley in all fairness. People moaning about the length of queues Saturday haven't seen what it is like the other side of the NEC for the ComicCon/Memorabillia show, that often leads to queues 5-10x as long waiting to get in, which makes the priority ticket for that show very much worthwhile.

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chrisf

Posted Today, 12:05

Except that the postcard, in an uncharacteristic lapse of accuracy on the part of Pamlin Prints, does not show the West London Line!  The SR loco is on the bridge over the Paddington branch of the Grand Union Canal near what my London A to Z calls Old Oak Sidings.  The line in the background is the North London line, which at this point curves round to join the connection which leaves the West London line at Mitre Bridge, joining the NLL just south of Willesden Junction High Level station.  The photo was taken from Old Oak Lane just south of the former entrance to Willesden MPD and just north-east of the point where Old Oak Common Lane diverges to the east and Old Oak Road becomes Victoria Road as it heads south-west towards North Acton.  Scrubs Lane lies a little over half a mile to the east.

I think you are spot-on Chris. The loco is on what is now the South West lines between Acton Wells and West London Junction. The NR Maintenance Depot, formerly Area S&T Depot is to the right of the picture.

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Well, that's a word you don't see on here every day, let alone correctly spelled!

 

Well done, that man!

 

I'd also have loved to have gone to the show, but I couldn't make the whole weekend and it's really too far, from a personal perspective, for just one day. Others may enjoy the lengthy hours travelling from and back to the extremities of the UK, but I'd rather not. Scalefour North in one day was quite enough, thanks, just over 5 hours to get there and the same back, and just under 5 hours at the show. Good time, though, but very knackering.

 

Warley is the type of show that in some respects needs about a long weekend to see everything. I missed a fair amount of it for one reason or another, but it was still a good weekend.

 

As for Scalefour North, I don't think you can compare that to something like Warley, the type of layout and trader at both is very different, and thus the atmosphere. This year was first time driving up to Wakefield for that show and was very worth the effort imo.

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There are several Warley 2016 threads now and I have thoroughly enjoyed reading every one and contributing to some.

 

Thanks to RMweb I feel now that I did attend after all. Discussions covered the journey to and from NEC from exhibitors and visitors viewpoint. Layouts and trade were well covered as was seating, toilets, rucksacks, catering, BO and other issues too numerous to mention.

o

Thanks RMweb for being such a wonderful forum.

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Some excellent photos of splendid layouts there - thanks from one who could not make it. Steve Monk's "Studley and Astwood Bank" (as seen on here) was advertised - that is one I am sorry to have missed - did it in fact appear?

Yes, it was there

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Thanks, Steve.

 

Except that the postcard, in an uncharacteristic lapse of accuracy on the part of Pamlin Prints, does not show the West London Line!  The SR loco is on the bridge over the Paddington branch of the Grand Union Canal near what my London A to Z calls Old Oak Sidings.  The line in the background is the North London line, which at this point curves round to join the connection which leaves the West London line at Mitre Bridge, joining the NLL just south of Willesden Junction High Level station.  The photo was taken from Old Oak Lane just south of the former entrance to Willesden MPD and just north-east of the point where Old Oak Common Lane diverges to the east and Old Oak Road becomes Victoria Road as it heads south-west towards North Acton.  Scrubs Lane lies a little over half a mile to the east.

 

None of this changes the fact that IMHO the addition to Clarendon enhances an already brilliant layout!

 

Chris

Thanks again for your kind comment.

 

 

Regarding our choice of spelling, we also decided based on:

Also this screen grab from www.old-maps.co.uk  did a search for Action then selected OS County Series London 1896 1:2500 and it shows the old spelling.

post-7609-0-86779600-1480515958.jpg

 

 

 

See More from steven ridgway

 

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Chrisf.. I saw you 3 times on the Sunday, but disappearing in the opposite direction to my intended course....

So, regretfully missed chatting to you.

Re. travel times etc., I visit the show about every 4 years, from west Cornwall, but I hang it onto social visits to close friends in the Malvern area - I use to live there until 1998 - and stay a couple of nights at a Premier Inn in Tewkesbury, yes it makes the Show alone expensive, but the social side..  :O

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I truly don't recognise a lot of what I read on here about how terrible it all is - utter codswallop.

 

Just goes to show you'll never please all of the people all of the time. Some folk appear determined to wallow in misery whatever they are faced with, I feel truly sorry for them.

 

Thank you again for a fantastic event and here's to Warley 2017!

 

Simon

:) I don't find Warley any different to any other show in its 'busyness' and character, just bigger. Maybe I just go prepared to take it easy and have regular snack stops making room for more purchases ;) Replace the common Don't panic T shirts with 'Codswallop, I'm having fun!' ;)

Good to see you and relieve you of a copy of the excellent Furzebrook book.

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This was my first Warley, and I figured on arriving Friday night, staying over.

 

As shows go this is well worth it, Ally Pally was equally a good show, but having something "real" in the room certainly adds value.

Next year I'll make it two days for sure, as splitting my time between hunting and farming (shopping and watching) really wasn't enough and I didn't have time to see everything as I depth as I would have liked.

 

What would I change ?, well nothing really it was a great show and lived up to the expectations I'd seen of it.

 

It would be nice though if there was an RMweb social spot (bar/cafe or even just a bunch of sofas and a tv) as it would be nice to put faces to usernames, even if it was pay per view.

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I have just received a nice letter form the Exhibition Manager of the Warley show explaining the reason for the delay in getting access on Friday afternoon.

 

Apparently a section of walling fell down (presumably that separating the unused section of the hall),  plus a failure of one of the main door mechanisms.

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I have just received a nice letter form the Exhibition Manager of the Warley show explaining the reason for the delay in getting access on Friday afternoon.

 

Apparently a section of walling fell down (presumably that separating the unused section of the hall),  plus a failure of one of the main door mechanisms.

 

A little different to what we were told by the Stewards on Friday.  We were told the planned access V.E. door (5.4 i seem to remember) when opened caused a lot of wind to blow through the hall so an alternative door (5.9) at 90 degrees to the original but only about 50 yards away was brought into use. This lead to some exhibitors vehicles being directed from the waiting queue to a totally different V.E.door 5.7 where the stewards were under strict instructions not to allow any vehicle with a wheelbase of over fifteen foot entry.

 

At 5.7 Common sense prevailed and access was allowed after some "discussion". It seems that the change in access plans was not fully communicated to all those that were stewarding access arrangement's, which is understandable at an exhibition of this size.

We used the time standing in the queue to load our smaller train set from one car into the larger layouts van and then took the two operators cars out of the queue and off into the car park.

 

We were just about to fire up the Primus and have a barbie when the traffic queue started to move. I guess it just goes to prove that even the best laid plans can go a little bit awry and when they do, patience can be a virtue. Good job the weather was kind.

 

Overall I reckon the organizers did a pretty good job and nice to know they are communicating with people after the event.

 

P

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A little different to what we were told by the Stewards on Friday.  We were told the planned access V.E. door (5.4 i seem to remember) when opened caused a lot of wind to blow through the hall so an alternative door (5.9) at 90 degrees to the original but only about 50 yards away was brought into use. This lead to some exhibitors vehicles being directed from the waiting queue to a totally different V.E.door 5.7 where the stewards were under strict instructions not to allow any vehicle with a wheelbase of over fifteen foot entry.

 

At 5.7 Common sense prevailed and access was allowed after some "discussion". It seems that the change in access plans was not fully communicated to all those that were stewarding access arrangement's, which is understandable at an exhibition of this size.

We used the time standing in the queue to load our smaller train set from one car into the larger layouts van and then took the two operators cars out of the queue and off into the car park.

 

We were just about to fire up the Primus and have a barbie when the traffic queue started to move. I guess it just goes to prove that even the best laid plans can go a little bit awry and when they do, patience can be a virtue. Good job the weather was kind.

 

Overall I reckon the organizers did a pretty good job and nice to know they are communicating with people after the event.

 

P

It was apparently opening 5.4 that caused the wall to fall over, owing to the wind.

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It was apparently opening 5.4 that caused the wall to fall over, owing to the wind.

  Hmmm. I think their use of the "word" wall is a little melodramatic. I assume what they really mean is the partition screens.

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Yes they were and they were close to knocking over the Leeds MRS members putting stock into our display cabinet. No one was hurt but they had to open a different door.

 

Baz

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  Hmmm. I think their use of the "word" wall is a little melodramatic. I assume what they really mean is the partition screens.

 

Yes, a rather different spin. 'Wall' tends to infer a permanent structure whereas a partition screen is a temporary moveable barrier.

 

G. 

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The contractors who build the "walls" refer to them as walls. Trust me if the Aluminium support frame hits you it will hurt - this did not occur, but the whole "wall " moved

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Next year I'll make it two days for sure, as splitting my time between hunting and farming (shopping and watching) really wasn't enough and I didn't have time to see everything as I depth as I would have liked.

 

My first few years were Saturday only and it was an unpleasant rush trying to shop and watch in the time available.

I have been going both days for some years now and split it something like: Saturday 70% shopping & 30% watching. Sunday 20% shopping (for anything I missed on Saturday) & 80% watching.

Even then I don't see all I would like to.

If it was on Friday as well I would go then also! :declare:

 

I also go to Redditch show each year and have been to other odd shows, but IMHO Warley, through sheer variety as well as size, beats the others.

Fortunately I am close enough to use local public transport but this year the trains were even more crowded than usual.

 

Keith

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Hmmm. I think their use of the "word" wall is a little melodramatic. I assume what they really mean is the partition screens.

Yes, a rather different spin. 'Wall' tends to infer a permanent structure whereas a partition screen is a temporary moveable barrier.

 

G.

Funny, one definition of door is a movable wall or partition ;)

I think the fact the majority understood what was meant by the wall shows that it's common usage ;)

 

On a positive note I too was blown away by Warley again ;)

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