The exhibition circuit post-pandemic

[Ravenser]

With the successful holding of Model Rail Scotland and Alexandra Palace - two of the five or six "national" level events - the exhibition circuit is clearly back in business

 

During the pandemic we have speculated what the effects of the two year shutdown might be , and how things might be when shows resumed. Now they have, and we can discuss the subject on the basis of actual facts.

 

1. Exhibitions are not back in the numbers they were. CMRA's Exhibition Diary for April is mostly cancelled,( CMRA Diary ) there are sporadic cancellations running until the Autumn, and the number of shows taking place looks quite modest until September. Middle-sized "regional" shows seem quite vulnerable. York (a "national" level show) and Railex are both cancelled again for other reasons. Quite a lot of organisers will have lost their show for three successive years. We may wonder if all of them will resurface in 2023; given  it has traditionally been claimed that exhibitions provide a major buttress to the finances of the average club, you might also wonder whether any clubs will disappear as a result. Come to that, have any clubs folded during the pandemic, taking their show with them??

 

2.There was much discussion about whether people would be willing to attend shows once they resumed . We possibly now have an answer -  there are hints that gates are down a little, but not much. Spending with the trade appears to be strong , as you might expect after a long break. Any suggestion that the trade would lose interest in attending shows after trading online through lockdown seems also to have been misplaced

 

The demographic may have changed somewhat. I quote some comments of mine on the Ally Pally thread:

Quote

To my eye there was a noticeable shift in demographic. The family gate as we knew it - Mum, Dad, and a small child with possible Thomas the Tank Engine interests - had largely disappeared. There were quite a few children there - but they were older children, in their teens. There were modest numbers of women aged 20-40 there - not accompanying a husband/father but on their own or with another woman. While stewarding I noticed one group - a lad and two girls, probably all about 17 . They weren't accompanied by anyone , they were there on their own account. Someone told me the trade were reporting footrfall down a bit , but takings strong - apparently they were making good sales to  younger adult customers. This all bodes well for the hobby.

 

I have heard from people who were at GETS last autumn that there were a lot of families /people in the 20-40 bracket there, who had started building a layout during lockdown, and were now looking to build on that.

 

3. Most of the few exhibitions that took place in 2021 were organised by preserved railways, often scattered over multiple venues with a few layouts in each. Ventilation was generally very ample. Will we see more of that kind of show? Will we see more virtual exhibition events now normality is returning?

[Claude_Dreyfus]

Well, I know of at least one club that has folded over the last couple of years, no doubt there have been more, as well as a few more over the coming years.

 

In terms of exhibitions, I suspect we will see a reduction in numbers. Perhaps there were too many pre-pandemic? I certainly don't think shows will prove to be the financial support for some clubs they were in the past. Costs of hire, transport and insurance will increase, but how much can admission prices rise to keep in step?

[MarkSG]

I was at the Cheltenham show earlier today, and my impression was that it was maybe a little quieter than previously, but not by a lot. I think some people may still be wary of places with large numbers of people, which may be an issue for a while. But I think that the shows which do return will be OK, once the calendar has returned to a fairly regular pattern.

[woodenhead]

Whether this applies to others I don't know, but I've got a serious case of cannot be ar$ed at the moment when it comes to exhibitions.

 

I did Doncaster and Glasgow, but others have come and gone since and I simply have no interest in making the journey.  Next week is Statfold Barn, it looks interesting, it has some nice layouts I think attending, but can I be bothered to drive for 2 hours on a Saturday down the M6 or be bothered to get on a train and walk/ride/walk/ride/ride/bus for 3 hours - I am not sure I can.  Then there is Bristol, I am quite excited by the exhibition, but train is definitely out - I am not doing Cross Country and certainly not New St, so I have a 2 hour drive again and I'm not sure I want to do it.  York would be an annual pilgrimage where the roads are generally clear, but cancelled this year and we are probably then getting around to the winter 22 season where I will be doing Warley, Wigan and hopefully Manchester.

 

Two years of isolation, working from home and not having to go places has left me in a different state of mind when it comes to what I do for enjoyment.  I like days out with the wife, so if I am going to do a long journey, it's going to be more likely as a pair not a solo and she won't want to attend a model railway exhibition.

 

So for me it is not Covid that keeps me away, I've gotten out of the habit and found new ways to spend my weekend time that mainly involves the outdoors and my wife.

[RJS1977]

One thing I've found interesting so far is that I would have expected the village hall type shows to return first, with the bigger shows coming back later whereas it's been much more of a mixed return.

 

Of the shows I have attended so far, it's actually the largest (Basingstoke) that I felt safest in, partly because I decided to arrive at lunchtime to avoid the initial rush (which is just as well, as the first bus of the day was cancelled!), but also because in the main hall - and to a lesser extent, the hall with the stage - I could see across the hall to see which parts were less busy and move around those appropriately whilst waiting for the crowds to move on elsewhere.

[Chris M]

It’s good to see real exhibitions coming back on line. I’ve been to one big one and a small local one this year; both seemed to be well attended.

The larger middle ranking shows do seem to be coming back this year. I will be exhibiting at Exeter, Severn Valley Railway, Stafford, Rail Ex Taunton and one other . They are all organised and ready and raring to go. I am really looking forward to being there.

I wonder if we will see a trend of more preserved railways putting on exhibitions in future. It may be that they are in a better position than clubs to put on exhibitions. Many of them have premises they can use at no extra cost and have a large pool of  volunteers they can call on. They also have a relatively large turnover so may well be in a better position to finance a show.

 

Now is an appropriate tome for optimism, on the model railway exhibition front if nowhere else.

[TheSignalEngineer]

24 minutes ago, woodenhead said:

Whether this applies to others I don't know, but I've got a serious case of cannot be ar$ed at the moment when it comes to exhibitions.

I'm a bit in the same mode.

So far I went to Liverpool, a very early restarter, and Leeds last year. They were not that busy at the time I was there, possibly because I planned it that way.

This year I went to Doncaster which was busy when I arrived but eased off as time went on. Last week I was at Macclesfield. I was a bit shall I, shan't I but as I already had to drive to Longsight and Stockport for other reasons I continued to the show as I wanted some supplies from Squires who were attending. I missed out on one I was intending to go to as I didn't want to drive and the train service was so bad that weekend that it just wasn't viable to use it.

Generally the layout standard has been very good although some were having technical problems after two years off the road, along with a bit of rustiness from some of the operators.

Some of the smaller traders don't seem to have come back yet, although I think some are fully occupied by having developed their mail order presence. It must be attractive to those who operate in a small way to not have to spend on stands, accommodation and transport.

I have about six potential visits pencilled in for the rest of the year, but it will remain to be seen what clashes with other activities and whether I am motivated to go by what layouts and traders are on offer.

[ELTEL]

Stafford Railway Circle like many other clubs have had to cancel both the February exhibitions which would have tale place on the first weekend February 2021 & February 2022 

 

The good news is our now much larger exhibition will take place over the weekend of the 24th & 25th September.

 

In the future our annual exhibition will be the last weekend in September each year.

 

The second big change is that the exhibition will be held in Bingley Hall this at the same location on the Stafford County Showground.

 

This will mean we have almost twice the floor area than in our previous location.

 

This has given us the opportunity to both enlarge the exhibition so all the exhibition are in one hall.

 

This will give the exhibition much more space to move around, also much better catering facilities together toilets etc

There will be parking for over 2000 vehicles on site, plus a courtesy preserved bus service on both days from Stafford Railway Station.

 

Unlike many of the larger exhibitions our exhibition is not sponsored in anyway and is totally run by the our club and it’s members.

 

In the next few days I will be posting the full details of layouts, traders and demonstrators attending.now that the RMWEB is back in action.

 

I do hope you will all be able to support us in this new venture.

 

I am pleased to report that I can guarantee that there will be no snow……..

 

Terry 

 

 

[Phil Parker]

My guess, and it is a guess, but based on chats with the trade:

 

Very large shows will be fine. It will be possible to cover the costs (stand rent, accomodation, travel, staff costs - often into 4 figures) by trading.

 

Tiny shows will be fine. They are cheap to put on, don't rely on the trade to help ofset costs, but only attract local layouts that probably don't charge expenses.

 

It's the middle range that will be thin on the ground. 1500 people won't be enough to attract the trade you need as they would have to operate at a loss. Don't say "It's advertising" either, that's not qualitifiable and rarely going to be worth the loss you'd make on the weekend. Exhibition managers can probably get some paste-table 2nd hand sellers, but the big names organisers want will be very selective about the shows they attend.

 

The other factor is that with so many people happy to buy online, if you are at a show, Monday needs to be spent packing and dispatching orders. No-one wants to hear "28 days for delivery, they want stuff ordered on Saturday on the doormat on Tuesday. The customer doesn't care if you are knackered from 2 days on your feet.

 

The good news is that experience at Ally Pally, Doncaster and Warwick Garden Rail, is that punters are willing to come back to shows.

[john new]

One problem will be that the volunteer crews are two years older, getting back into the swing will probably be OK for most but the feeling expressed up thread by @woodenhead will not be an isolated instance.  
 

Not railway related but in another leisure activity I pursue I have dropped one of my pre-COVID regular events, having got out of the habit of doing the fortnightly Fridays - like Woodenhead not worth the hassle. The regular weekly Monday morning event yes, still going, as getting to/from that one is so much simpler. COVID has made us reevaluate what we do.

[wombatofludham]

1 hour ago, ELTEL said:

 

I am pleased to report that I can guarantee that there will be no snow……..

 

Terry 

 

 

That's a brave comment.

I must admit I'm still a bit wary of attending exhibitions, not really because of Covid per se, but the uncertainty that some visitors will choose to wear masks, a perfectly sensible choice for the individual concerned, but which will trigger my irrational anxiety around masked individuals which developed during the pandemic.  On the other hand, I'm not entirely sure I'd want to attend a busy show where no-one was following Covid precautions, so I'm pretty much stuffed either way.

I hope though I can come over to the Stafford show as I very much enjoyed the last one I went to pre pandemic.

We still haven't come to a decision on the "Dolgellau" layout operating open days for various reasons.  I suspect we might look to a trial opening for August, but with Covid restrictions having only just been removed in Wales, and changes in the Chapel management where we are based, there's a deal of uncertainty for now.

[Pacific231G]

I can't help thinking that clubs depending on profits for their annual exhibition to keep going have always been in danger of letting the exhibition tail wag the model railway club dog.  Instead of the club exhibition being an opportunity to show off ones work and share the hobby with a wider public (including other modellers) it tends to become the raison d'etre for much of the  club's activity*. 

I strongly suspect that a number of clubs that have had to get off the annual big exhibtion treadmill over the past two years won't be rushing to get back on but there were signs of that starting to happen even before the pandemic. I agree with Phil that it may be some hollowing out in the middle range that we start to see. 

 

*Apart from amateur dramatics/community theatre and other public performance based activities (there's no real point in producing a play without an audience), I can't think of any other club based leisure activity that expects to subsidise itself this way.

Edited April 3, 2022 by Pacific231G
spelling

[Chris M]

6 hours ago, Pacific231G said:

I can't help tihnking that clubs depending on profits for their annual exhibition to keep going have always been in danger of letting the exhibition tail wag the model railway club dog.  Instead of the club exhibition being an opportunity to show off ones work and share the hobby with a wider public (including other modellers) it tends to become the raison d'etre for much of the  club's activity*. 

 

I think you have made a very good point. I've seen this happen.

 

[SM42]

8 hours ago, Pacific231G said:

I can't help tihnking that clubs depending on profits for their annual exhibition to keep going have always been in danger of letting the exhibition tail wag the model railway club dog.  Instead of the club exhibition being an opportunity to show off ones work and share the hobby with a wider public (including other modellers) it tends to become the raison d'etre for much of the  club's activity*. 

I strongly suspect that a number of clubs that have had to get off the annual big exhibtion treadmill over the past two years won't be rushing to get back on but there were signs of that starting to happen even before the pandemic. I agree with Phil that it may be some hollowing out in the middle range that we start to see. 

 

*Apart from amateur dramatics/community theatre and other public performance based activities (there's no real point in producing a play without an audience), I can't think of any other club based leisure activity that expects to subsidise itself this way.

 

I concur

 

We had that problem.

 

We used to run a quite well respected show but it got to the stage that it was all consuming and after a couple of unfortunate events became too big a financial risk for the club. 

 

Since we stopped doing it the club has flourished and has not suffered any financial hardship as a result.  In fact we have more members than ever.

 

I was at Macclesfield last week. A last minute decision to attend which I could combine with meeting up with an old friend.

 

I thought it was quieter than I expected, but nevertheless quite enjoyable with no overwhelming sense if risk and the first show for me since Leamington 2020.

In fact I probably felt the same regarding Covid risk as I did at Leamington 2 years ago

 

Some layouts were having issues but nothing out of the ordinary as far as I could see.

 

Hopefully the trickle will grow and a healthier exhibition diary will slowly emerge.

 

In term of trade and exhibitions, I can see things getting tougher with all the other things in the world other than Covid making things harder to gain a return from the weekend. Who knows where that will lead?  Indeed where will it lead with the viability of some exhibitions as costs increase? 

 

Hopefully the the clubs out there had or will have  good exhibition weekends. 

 

It was nice to be back. 

 

Andy

[enginelane]

Found finding a suitable venue an issue as costs have risen steeply. A number of key traders have gone on line and will have to look at the business case very carefully to ensure that any event does at least break even. 
 

Club exhibitions are important, especially the middle range size events as they are big enough to bring in layouts from a distance. Without this size then a lot of Club exhibition layouts are going to sit gathering dust in clubrooms.

[jcm@gwr]

6 minutes ago, enginelane said:

 

Club exhibitions are important, especially the middle range size events as they are big enough to bring in layouts from a distance. Without this size then a lot of Club exhibition layouts are going to sit gathering dust in clubrooms.

 

It maybe that some clubs will have to change their approach to layout building.

I admit that we are lucky, in the fact that we own our clubhouse, which makes it

a lot easier.

We haven't built a specific exhibition layout, but we have built club layouts, that 

are portable, and have been invited to shows; the rest of the time they are set up

in the clubhouse, for our members to use and enjoy.

Obviously, leading up to a show, there is a flurry of activity to fix any problems, or

finish off any upgrades, etc., but it does mean more members can be involved.

[john new]

12 hours ago, SM42 said:

 

I concur

 

We had that problem.

 

We used to run a quite well respected show but it got to the stage that it was all consuming and after a couple of unfortunate events became too big a financial risk for the club. 

 

Since we stopped doing it the club has flourished and has not suffered any financial hardship as a result.  In fact we have more members than ever.

 

I was at Macclesfield last week. A last minute decision to attend which I could combine with meeting up with an old friend.

 

I thought it was quieter than I expected, but nevertheless quite enjoyable with no overwhelming sense if risk and the first show for me since Leamington 2020.

In fact I probably felt the same regarding Covid risk as I did at Leamington 2 years ago

 

Some layouts were having issues but nothing out of the ordinary as far as I could see.

 

Hopefully the trickle will grow and a healthier exhibition diary will slowly emerge.

 

In term of trade and exhibitions, I can see things getting tougher with all the other things in the world other than Covid making things harder to gain a return from the weekend. Who knows where that will lead?  Indeed where will it lead with the viability of some exhibitions as costs increase? 

 

Hopefully the the clubs out there had or will have  good exhibition weekends. 

 

It was nice to be back. 

 

Andy

We, SLS, recently made the decision to stop doing the larger shows. (Not COVID related) Income from newly recruited membership and the over the weekend sales were not covering the travel and accommodation costs. We will still attend those where local support can crew a stand but it is a sea-change. I won’t name them but at least one Society, formerly a York Show regular, withdrew a few years back citing the same reason. 
 

Life is changing and how people interact with their leisure interests along with it, interest in railways isn’t in terminal decline, but some traditional ways of accessing it may be. Example, digital media - I still take most of the magazines I have done for years but not now in print format. Knock on impact as this trend increases nationally from printing companies/suppliers right down to the school child losing the opportunities for getting a paper round. It takes a decade or two to be noticed but, as a related example, when did you last have a doorstep milk delivery?

Edited April 3, 2022 by john new
spelling error noted citing not siting.

[SM42]

29 minutes ago, john new said:

 as a related example, when did you last have a doorstep milk delivery?

 

Yesterday morning.

 

However I appreciate the point and it may well be that the trade will dictate whether any particular exhibition survives in the longer term as they are after all a significant income stream for any event.

 

We have a small low key, low cost event keeping a little bit of income coming in each year, but we fund via the membership in the main. It seems, in our case, the exhibition wasn't as critical an income stream as we thought

 

Some soul searching may be required at some clubs, ( it's not any easy decision to make to can the exhibition, emotions run high)  but I remain ever hopeful for the exhibition circuit

 

Andy

[Chris M]

The average age of club members is a significant threat to exhibitions. A mid size exhibition needs a small army of volunteers to make it happen. Many of these volunteers are getting to be past their sell by date.

Why do they always put the slow old codgers on ticket sales when doors open?

I’m just an old codger at the moment and expect to turn into a slow old codger over the next year or three.

[Pacific231G]

3 hours ago, Chris M said:

The average age of club members is a significant threat to exhibitions. A mid size exhibition needs a small army of volunteers to make it happen. Many of these volunteers are getting to be past their sell by date.

Why do they always put the slow old codgers on ticket sales when doors open?

I’m just an old codger at the moment and expect to turn into a slow old codger over the next year or three.

That can be frustrating when the queue to get in starts growing. I presume it's because the more active of those volunteering (and not attached to layouts)  are needed for more active stewarding duties during the show, but it does suggest that the club is maybe finding it difficult to have enough stewards for the show they're organising which could mean something.

 

I've noticed that our French counterparts (where there are far fewer shows)  tend to have a club show every other year and the ticket prices are far lower- suggesting that the aim is to spread the word rather than help finance the club. The French do though have a rather more enlightened attittude to their towns supporting local sporting, cultural and leisure activities so the clubs are probably paying very little in hall fees.  Visiting clubs at all but the very largest exhibitions also tend to be from the same region rather than the other end of the country but France is a large country.

 

The other thing I've noticed while attending a number of shows in France, both as visitor and layout operator (a pleasure that I'm afraid will now be kyboshed by customs) , is that it's far more common with smaller private layouts to see both halves of a couple (sometimes the kids as well) with the layout  and, though the hobby seems smaller overall, the age profile of both modellers and clubs is far more evenly spread. I don't know if that reflects on a different age profile of the hobby overall or simply that it's more clubbable and less solitary than it seems to be here.    I've not been to exhibtions in other European countries though so I'd be curious to know what they're like.

Edited April 3, 2022 by Pacific231G

[john new]

4 hours ago, Chris M said:

The average age of club members is a significant threat to exhibitions. A mid size exhibition needs a small army of volunteers to make it happen. Many of these volunteers are getting to be past their sell by date.

Why do they always put the slow old codgers on ticket sales when doors open?

I’m just an old codger at the moment and expect to turn into a slow old codger over the next year or three.

Not just for the organising club, the age profile of members within Societies and layout builders seems to have an increasing % of older members, not because there are not younger people newly entering the hobby, clearly there are, but not at the same rate as joined in to rly modelling post war and through the baby-boomer years. I will be 70 later this year, not yet feeling I have got to the codger* stage but do have far less energy available for events etc., and I won't be alone in that. The last two big shows I did with the full Society stand and my display kit were Warley (2018) & Ally Pally  (2019); not sure I would want to repeat that cycle of get van (Thur pm) load it, drive, unload/set up, 2 x full days, break down and then the 3.5 to 4 hours drive home with a similar weight of layout, unload it then van back on Monday Am. Even the van hire run is a 24 mile round trip.

 

* I find codgering to be an attitude of mind not one of frailty, my elderly mother is frail at just short of 99 but still has a razor sharp mind, I know people younger than me already acting like old codgers as they think they are old.

 

 

 

Edited April 3, 2022 by john new
Omitted word now inserted

[Mallard60022]

I think it may still be difficult for some time. We are just experiencing the highest level of CV infection since the thing started and that includes both me and my wife. It ain't nice as many of you will know. 

Until it becomes less dangerous as an additional infection to existing conditions, then I for onw won't be bothering even if everyone is supposed to wear masks. 

I reckon another year before we get back to a more regular cycle of shows but Phil Parker has the futire profile  in one and more so if fuel costs remain really high.

Shame really as I quite like the odd show such as York or even Spalding.

Phil, 8 days into Covid whatever the name is now and not happy.

P

[Phil Parker]

19 minutes ago, Mallard60022 said:

Shame really as I quite like the odd show such as York or even Spalding.

 

I'd certainly class York as one of those big shows that will attract enough customers to survive. Don't know Spalding, so can't comment.

 

20 minutes ago, Mallard60022 said:

Phil Parker has the futire profile  in one and more so if fuel costs remain really high.

 

If high fuel prices really affect people's travel, they I'd expect them to start buying smallers and more efficient cars. Yet I see ever more SUV's and high end performance cars on the road that have NOT been bought for their MPG.

[woodenhead]

@Phil Parkeri think the supply of new vehicles is worse than the supply of Farish models at the moment.  It’s months of waiting for new vehicles or paying a higher than usual second hand price. 😁

 

The wife wants a new Yaris, if she orders now she might have one for Christmas.

[Chamby]

The club that I attend has just taken the decision to cancel our long-running show for this Autumn.  And yes, we fall smack into that 'middle' bracket in terms of show size.  As a medium sized club (24 paid-up members) we have traditionally covered our running costs from member subscriptions, and put the annual exhibition profits towards building/maintaining our club layouts.

 

Factors involved in our decision to can this years exhibition were several, including:

• Increased venue (school) hire costs.
• A new requirement on us to 'deep clean' the venue after use.
• Anecdotal evidence of a likely reduction in attendance.
• A major retailer advising us that they would not attend our exhibitions (and most others) in future, following a review.  The loss of their attendance (and implied endorsement of our event) will undoubtedly reduce the appeal of our exhibition to some.
• Continued hesitancy regarding Covid and social mixing, among our older demographic.

We assessed that there was a significant risk of an exhibition operating loss this year, that we were reluctant to accept.  As a consequence, we took a vote last week and decided instead to increase our (below-average) member subscriptions by a modest amount, to both offset the lost exhibition revenue and contribute towards the anticipated increase in electricity costs that our landlords are already warning us about.  Additionally, we have had some recent success in raising funds from other community sources, to support our activities as a club, so we are financially secure without the exhibition for now.

 

For us, 2022 will be about watching, learning and assessing, and liaising with other clubs so that we can make a more informed decision regarding local exhibition prospects for 2023.  

 

Our large club exhibition layout remains active on the circuit and we greatly look forward to supporting other exhibitions as an exhibitor, both locally and nationally, as before.

 

 

 

 

Edited April 4, 2022 by Chamby
Tweak