Andover Modelex - 2nd & 3rd September 2017

[298]

I would envisage that as a 'demonstrator' you are paid to go and demonstrate,

Really? As in a minimum wage? And with breaks away from the demonstrating workplace during the day....? I thought they were lucky at the most to get a meal, tea/coffee and a contribution towards travelling expenses. Sign me up for some demonstrating please!

 

whereas traders have to pay, it is they who make the show as diversified as you claim, without them there is no money to pay the demonstrators and layout owners.

So where did my entrance fee go?

 

If traders cancel a couple of weeks before the event or fail to turn up, then there must be good reason, perhaps they failed to make a profit last year at the same show

So you're saying that two weeks before a show and after probably paying a deposit and marking their attendance in their own advertising, a trader will suddenly realise that they didn't make enough money last time and decide not to attend? The " Good reason" will be Illness or a family emergency, anyone being a bit wishy-washy will so in gain a negative reputation and not be invited to other events. It's also up to a trader to make their own success, most shows will have more than one who broadly claims to be a secondhand seller but if one turns up with the usual overpriced RTR tat that they'be been carting round for five years and boxes of mouldy squashed Superquick buildings, then who'se fault is it if they don't do very well? Edited September 12, 2017 by 298

[Eddies Mate]

Really? As in a minimum wage? And with breaks away from the demonstrating workplace during the day....? I thought they were lucky at the most to get a meal, tea/coffee and a contribution towards travelling expenses. Sign me up for some demonstrating please!

 

So where did my entrance fee go?

 

So you're saying that two weeks before a show and after probably paying a deposit and marking their attendance in their own advertising, a trader will suddenly realise that they didn't make enough money last time and decide not to attend? The " Good reason" will be Illness or a family emergency, anyone being a bit wishy-washy will so in gain a negative reputation and not be invited to other events. It's also up to a trader to make their own success, most shows will have more than one who broadly claims to be a secondhand seller but if one turns up with the usual overpriced RTR tat that they'be been carting round for five years and boxes of mouldy squashed Superquick buildings, then who'se fault is it if they don't do very well?

 

Your entrance fee probably went into paying for the hire of the two halls, schools actually charge a phenomenal amount for their halls and the caretakers overtime over a whole weekend.

 

The quality of the traders is down to the people organising the show, I have no idea how AMRC select their traders, but you do tend to see the same ones year after year, perhaps that is an area they need to look at, one other missing this year was the guy that sells all the spares, like chassis etc. The organisers need or have to do a bit of research to find out who they actually invite, I would assume that like layouts you invite the traders you want.

 

I don't think that demonstrators necessarily rely on show for a realistic income, after all at the most it is a 2 days a week job. They may do private work during the week and shows are more a means of advertising than income.