The future of Model railway Exhibitions

[JSModels]

As a small trader - and one who only started up in business at the beginning of lockdown, so never traded 'pre-covid' - I don't attend shows to make money; I go for the exposure more than anything else. To get my stuff in front of more modellers, and show them what I can do, in the hope that they might buy something from me at some point in the future. But I do have to try to cover the basic costs of attending, I can't afford not to.

 

Out of the 10 shows I've attended in the last 12 months, I consider myself lucky that I've only made a loss at one show. The other 9 covered the expenses, but some only just (and that's without paying myself anything for my time).

 

I've come to the conclusion that unfortunately some shows are just not economically viable to attend. And not necessarily the smaller ones either. Small, local shows (within an hour or so's drive) are OK, since the only real expenses are the cost of the stand itself, and fuel. Smaller shows (obviously) have a lower footfall, and therefore fewer potential sales, but lower stand costs, and if I can keep the expenses low then that helps.

 

Shows further afield are more problematic, mainly due to the phenomenal increase in hotel costs. I used to travel quite a lot for work a few years ago, and pre-covid you could get a room at a Premier Inn for under £40 (and Travelodge, maybe less than £30) but that same room now costs £90-£110 a night. If that's 2 rooms for 2 nights, then throw in evening meals and you're immediately adding over £500 to the costs for the weekend - and there's very few shows where the sales would even come close to covering that. Certainly not the smaller ones.

 

The bigger shows have more footfall, but much higher expenses - some of which are, in my humble opinion, unjustifiable; for example I've recently converted my stand to operate entirely from small USB battery packs, as one show in particular wanted over £120 for 2-days' use of a mains socket! Around £50 on rechargeable battery packs, and 2-3 hours' work, and I'm all set for any future shows too.

 

You have to weigh up the costs vs. the potential takings. It doesn't help that some show organisers can be 'somewhat optimistic' about how many people they expect through the door. I don't think it's malicious, or that they're attempting to purposely mislead anyone, but they do want to seem to be an attractive proposition (one show promised 5 to 6 thousand people over the weekend, but in reality I'd bet my mortgage that it was less than 2,000). Then you have shows that target the general public rather than the existing modelling fraternity - a noble thing, to try to get the 'new blood' that the hobby needs, but whilst they're happy to pay to get in, they don't generally buy stuff once inside, so there's no benefit to most of the traders.

 

In the end, it's all a bit of a gamble; you pick the shows you do based on the information you have, and you hope you do OK.

 

Regards,

 

Jonathan

JSModels

 

PS - I'm at Leeds this weekend, which was the very first show I ever attended as a trader, last year. So my first return visit!

[009 micro modeller]

27 minutes ago, JSModels said:

The bigger shows have more footfall, but much higher expenses - some of which are, in my humble opinion, unjustifiable; for example I've recently converted my stand to operate entirely from small USB battery packs, as one show in particular wanted over £120 for 2-days' use of a mains socket! Around £50 on rechargeable battery packs, and 2-3 hours' work, and I'm all set for any future shows too.

That does sound ridiculous, but also sounds more like the sort of thing that would be stipulated by the venue rather than the organiser.

[LNERandBR]

I suppose for Trade it's also case of trying different shows and seeing which work out and which don't. Every Trader's experience will be different depending on what they are selling as well. So one show might be a good earner for one won't be for another.

 

I do think that Show Managers ought to do all they can to help Trade attend their shows. However, they can only do that if they can find savings in their own costs. 

 

The question of big layouts with lots of operators being expensive crops up. Has anyone tried sponsorship for transport costs?

The nearest my club gets to is borrowing a van so that it's only fuel that is needed for our expenses. 

[Ravenser]

6 hours ago, 009 micro modeller said:

That does sound ridiculous, but also sounds more like the sort of thing that would be stipulated by the venue rather than the organiser.

 

That sounds rather like a large venue next to the M1 in the Midlands - in which case , yes it would be imposed by the venue

[newbryford]

12 minutes ago, Ravenser said:

 

That sounds rather like a large venue next to the M1 in the Midlands - in which case , yes it would be imposed by the venue

 

The same pretty much applies to any of the "exhibition/convention" type venues.

I was talking to a trader at GETS and he's also moved to the rechargeable battery packs for stand lighting as the cost of providing a power outlet were becoming a large part of his show expenses.

 

There is a bit of a captive audience at these type of venues as the overall venue lighting isn't usually that good and as a result, many trade stands have to provide their own lighting rigs with associated connection costs.

 

(Reminds me I need to buy a few extra LED strips for my next layout outing).

 

This is where the school sports hall (and similar) venues score for model railway shows as the normal lighting in these is far better for the conventional usage of ball sports etc. And from experience of helping to run an exhibition, these type of venues particularly don't charge anything extra (outside of the normal venue charge) for electricity usage.

 

BTW, don't even think about asking the costs for the specialist exhibition venue to provide good wifi access for a trader..........

 

 

[Tim Chambers]

19 hours ago, PaulRhB said:

In this case it’s the Wimborne show ;) I stayed a member despite moving a bit further North. 

Sorry about that! When is the show please?

[PaulRhB]

3 minutes ago, Tim Chambers said:

Sorry about that! When is the show please?

15-16 April 2023 at the Allendale Centre in Wimborne😀 

[arran]

HI All

 

The sockets at larger shows that get charged for are because they have to spec and pay for whats fitted over and above the contracted amounts , that's life either live with it or dont bother.

 

Yes smaller venues of which i hire myself for our club Are on this front , suit yourself  and dont overload them .

 

Regards Arran

 

 

 

[Ian_M]

14 hours ago, JSModels said:

 

 

PS - I'm at Leeds this weekend, which was the very first show I ever attended as a trader, last year. So my first return visit!

As it happens this year's Leeds show is going to be my first stand with TrainTrax. Any tips?

 

Ian

[JSModels]

12 hours ago, Ian_M said:

As it happens this year's Leeds show is going to be my first stand with TrainTrax. Any tips?

 

Ian

Ian,

 

Not really, I don't feel like I should be giving anyone any advice 😆

 

Just don't go with any expectations, and you won't be disappointed.

 

And don't forget anything!

 

Jonathan 

[Gilbert]

1 minute ago, JSModels said:

Ian,

 

Not really, I don't feel like I should be giving anyone any advice 😆

 

Just don't go with any expectations, and you won't be disappointed.

 

And don't forget anything!

 

Jonathan 

All I'll say is I was very pleased to see you at Stafford - I was on the 09 layout opposite and you did manage to sell me a few things..

Chris H

[PaulRhB]

13 hours ago, Ian_M said:

As it happens this year's Leeds show is going to be my first stand with TrainTrax. Any tips?

 

Ian

 

When I used to help out with a friends trade stand I always found smiling and just saying hello got them chatting to you and got others to come over and look as they might be shy if there was no one there. 
Just acknowledge them and always be prepared to break away for a minute from the chat to sell as soon as someone looks quizzical or picks up an item to look at.  
We looked at it as a shop window so have plenty of slips with the name and website on the front of the table as it draws them to the website over the next few weeks. 

Tidy stand with your business name prominently displayed can be done cheaply with a colour print laminated to start off. 

[Gilbert]

I certainly value seeing traders - another stand at Stafford was Primo Trees - a new one for me - I came away with some their products as well..

[The White Rabbit]

13 hours ago, Ian_M said:

As it happens this year's Leeds show is going to be my first stand with TrainTrax. Any tips?

 

Ian

 

Wear several layers and have flexibility with clothing. The gym can be chilly to start with but warms up later and the atrium can vary a bit depending whether the sun's out and what the outside temperature's like. 

 

The aisles are wide and you have more space than at some other shows. The speedhumps on the drive are severe - dead slow or the stock can rattle alarmingly! 

 

 

Then there's the obvious stuff which applies anywhere, read the instructions carefully and be clear in your own mind about what to do. Maybe use checklists and think the logistics through step by step to try and eliminate any problems. Ensure you have change, bags and personal supplies for yourself. Talking is thirsty work, trading and/or demonstrating could make me hoarse by the end of the day even with plenty of bottled water. Dustsheets/stand cover for overnight? Plenty of publicity material. 

 

Be approachable but not too keen, you can scare people off, sometimes they want to be 'engaged' and sometimes they want to be left alone - striking the right balance can be tricky but you develop a sense for it.  

 

And every exhibition varies in terms of what you sell - it is rarely predictable. 

 

I post as a former regular trade attendee (scenery & accessories) - we would have been there this weekend but for ill-health. It's probably a good one to start with. And if you go back in future years, just remember the clocks usually change Saturday/Sunday and that catches people out, both arriving on Sunday and loading on Sunday night when it's rather darker than it was when you left on Saturday... 

[Robin Brasher]

14 hours ago, PaulRhB said:

15-16 April 2023 at the Allendale Centre in Wimborne😀 

It is easier to exhibit there than the Queen Elizabeth School because it is close to the town centre, the car park is run by the Council so we don't have to martial the cars and it has its own catering. The Wessex Hornby Collectors Association is exhibiting its layout at the 0 gauge exhibition there on Sunday 23 October. We had a good attendance last year and I think all the visitors and traders enjoyed it. The Mayoress of Wimborne also visited it.

[Chamby]

In the context of the post-Covid exhibition scene, attending The Warley show was an interesting experience.  I attended on the Saturday, with a couple of mates, this year as ‘general public’ rather than an exhibitor.  

 

Owing to the increased local accommodation costs we decided to travel there and back in a day.  First impressions weren’t great despite a smooth journey up from Cornwall, once we entered the NEC site it took 30 minutes of queuing traffic to park up, and for some reason we were directed to a car park with a much longer walk to the exhibition hall than in previous years, so we missed out on the benefit of early entry with our pre-booked tickets.

 

Once inside, on the Saturday at least, it seemed quieter than in previous years.  The aisles were wider, exhibits were more spaced out and there seemed to be fewer large layouts on display.  The general feeling was that the train strike hadn’t helped footfall, and fingers were heavily crossed that Sunday would be busier as a result - I don’t know if that actually transpired.

 

Re: layouts, a member of the modelling press commented that the Covid period had resulted in more small, single owner layouts being built over the last couple of years, larger group projects being impossible for a while.  Those layouts that were on show, however, were mostly of the usual high standard.

 

Was it worth the cost and effort of attending?  On balance, although it didn’t feel quite as impressive as previous years the reduced footfall made it a much more pleasant visitor experience: everything and everyone was easy to access and/or view.  The three of us all felt ‘yes’, we would still do it again, despite the 18 hour-long round trip.

 

It was interesting to see that even the big shows have a different feel after Covid - I hope that the numbers still added up for the Warley team at the end of the day.  Their efforts - and the hard work put in by all the traders and exhibitors - contributes much to the hobby, and is still very much appreciated.

Edited November 28, 2022 by Chamby

[Legend]

I think a significant factor for exhibitions and swapmeets will be electricity costs. I overheard a trader, I think maybe the organiser, of a swapmeet saying that he was unsure there would be any next year as the council was reviewing hiring out the school hall and the extra costs of heating etc versus income from the hire. In anycase he felt hiring costs would increase maybe making it beyond the reach of some stall owners. So the energy crisis will have some effect, either in cost or availability of venues.

[rab]

Deleted, wrong topic!

 

Edited November 28, 2022 by rab

[Philip1812]

There has been very little said in this thread about one crucially important aspect of staging an exhibition (or, indeed, any event): - advertising.   This links to a second, very important, question which not all exhibition organisers consider: who are your target audience?

 

I manage the Manchester MRS exhibition.  Like many clubs up and down the country, we were forced to cancel two exhibitions, but we had the added problem that we had been obliged to move venue.  The 2020 show would have been our opportunity to tell our visitors that the 2021 show would be on the other side of the university campus, about 500m away, but both shows were cancelled.  This year our problem has been not just to tell everyone that we were back after an enforced absence, but also WHERE we now were.

 

We took the brave, some would say foolhardy, decision not to increase our ticket prices, or the trader stand rents from their 2019 level and to use this as a positive inducement in our advertising.  Fortunately, over the last 5 exhibitions we have (a) collected a large mailing list, and (b) analysed carefully the demographics of WHO was attending.   We also had a clear idea of our target audience: (1) the keen and experienced fine scale modeller, (2) those with an average interest in railway modelling and rail transport  generally, and (3) families with children.

 

It remains to be seen whether we will cover our costs this year - back in January I told the MMRS committee that I could not guarantee breaking even, but the omens are looking promising at present.  The biggest expense for this year's exhibition has not been the venue hire, nor the accommodation costs for the 34 hotel rooms I've booked for two nights.

 

The biggest single cost has been advertising.    But advertising targeted at the sections of the public we want to attract.

 

Will it work?  Ask me in a fortnight!  What I can tell you is that between 2015 and 2019 we saw an increase in % attendance of the under 16s and the 35-45 age groups, at the moment approximately 1/3 of the advance tickets which have been sold are to people already on our mailing list, and that advance ticket sales are up by about 24% on their 2019 level - what effect that will have on walk-up sales is anyone's guess!

Edited December 4, 2022 by Philip1812
Changed "under 1s" to "under 16s"

[Chris M]

7 hours ago, Philip1812 said:

There has been very little said in this thread about one crucially important aspect of staging an exhibition (or, indeed, any event): - advertising.   This links to a second, very important, question which not all exhibition organisers consider: who are your target audience?

 

I manage the Manchester MRS exhibition.  Like many clubs up and down the country, we were forced to cancel two exhibitions, but we had the added problem that we had been obliged to move venue.  The 2020 show would have been our opportunity to tell our visitors that the 2021 show would be on the other side of the university campus, about 500m away, but both shows were cancelled.  This year our problem has been not just to tell everyone that we were back after an enforced absence, but also WHERE we now were.

 

We took the brave, some would say foolhardy, decision not to increase our ticket prices, or the trader stand rents from their 2019 level and to use this as a positive inducement in our advertising.  Fortunately, over the last 5 exhibitions we have (a) collected a large mailing list, and (b) analysed carefully the demographics of WHO was attending.   We also had a clear idea of our target audience: (1) the keen and experienced fine scale modeller, (2) those with an average interest in railway modelling and rail transport  generally, and (3) families with children.

 

It remains to be seen whether we will cover our costs this year - back in January I told the MMRS committee that I could not guarantee breaking even, but the omens are looking promising at present.  The biggest expense for this year's exhibition has not been the venue hire, nor the accommodation costs for the 34 hotel rooms I've booked for two nights.

 

The biggest single cost has been advertising.    But advertising targeted at the sections of the public we want to attract.

 

Will it work?  Ask me in a fortnight!  What I can tell you is that between 2015 and 2019 we saw an increase in % attendance of the under 1s and the 35-45 age groups, at the moment approximately 1/3 of the advance tickets which have been sold are to people already on our mailing list, and that advance ticket sales are up by about 24% on their 2019 level - what effect that will have on walk-up sales is anyone's guess!

Sounding positive. Getting an event known about in the model railway world is easy, its getting the message to others that is more difficult. I'm sure all the railway modellers  know about the Manchester show and that you have a great line up of layouts. I wish you every success. I was planning to go but SWMBO has told me we are visiting family in Cornwall that weekend. Hopefully I will be able to go next year. I always think Facebook is a good place to advertise for free. In order to attract local people you can use all the local area Facebook groups. I have used this in the past to advertise a model railway exhibition as a local event of interest to everyone and I think it has worked.

[TEAMYAKIMA]

1 hour ago, Chris M said:

In order to attract local people you can use all the local area Facebook groups. I have used this in the past to advertise a model railway exhibition as a local event of interest to everyone and I think it has worked.

 

I think that most model railway shows need a large family audience and one idea and back in the day my club got that by putting up posters in local shops, but that is not so easy these days.

 

One idea I've had (and TBH I may have posted this before) is to offer a special family ticket via a voucher in the local free paper. A really cheap price for two adults and two children if they bring the cut out voucher on the day - even cheaper than the advertised price on posters. In this scenario, the normal family ticket might be the same as two adults, but the voucher family ticket would be the same as 1.5 adults as long as they bring one/two children with them (to avoid two enthusiasts turning up without children and getting the deal).

 

Just a 'off the top of my head' idea.

Edited December 4, 2022 by TEAMYAKIMA

[Barry O]

Having run our Exhibition in Leeds in 2021 and 2022 all I would say is that the attendees have changed. More younger families, more Grandparents with grand children. Modellers have come back too.. but its the families that have increased in number and they don't particularly have a hang up about "finescale".

 

We have had a family ticket (up to 2 under 16s free with every adult) for a fair few years. It seems to get helping attendance a lot.

 

It is also leading to anupsurge in junior membership..which is good.

 

Good luck withthe show in Manchester.

 

Baz

 

 

[Mark Saunders]

The days when Newcastle exhibition was in the Guild Hall on the Quay Side it would be filled with those that wouldn’t admit to having attended a few hour later.

[Philip1812]

1 hour ago, Barry O said:

Having run our Exhibition in Leeds in 2021 and 2022 all I would say is that the attendees have changed. More younger families, more Grandparents with grand children. Modellers have come back too.. but its the families that have increased in number and they don't particularly have a hang up about "finescale".

 

We have had a family ticket (up to 2 under 16s free with every adult) for a fair few years. It seems to get helping attendance a lot.

 

It is also leading to anupsurge in junior membership..which is good.

 

Good luck withthe show in Manchester.

 

Baz

 

 

Thank you Baz. 

 

Like you, we offer free child tickets with each paying adult, and, like you, we hope that this will lead to more junior members.  Every "free" child comes with an adult of the right age to be really useful as a member or helper if the child joins.  The other point is, of course, that by targeting families with children, we get adults attending for a family day out who might have little interest in coming otherwise.  We market the show in the local media as "The perfect pre-Christmas treat for all the family"

[298]

3 hours ago, TEAMYAKIMA said:

 

I think that most model railway shows need a large family audience and one idea and back in the day my club got that by putting up posters in local shops, but that is not so easy these days.

 

One idea I've had (and TBH I may have posted this before) is to offer a special family ticket via a voucher in the local free paper. A really cheap price for two adults and two children if they bring the cut out voucher on the day - even cheaper than the advertised price on posters. In this scenario, the normal family ticket might be the same as two adults, but the voucher family ticket would be the same as 1.5 adults as long as they bring one/two children with them (to avoid two enthusiasts turning up without children and getting the deal).

 

Just a 'off the top of my head' idea.

 

That would have been great 5 years ago but are local papers even a thing nowadays? The obvious answer is a local Facebook area group and advertise free entry for under 16s as alot of shows do anyway. 

 

Inviting "newbies" to a model railway show might be a risk if they don't know the etiquette of how to behave at one, but to be honest I've never noticed a problem with those who obviously are, in fact they're probably better behaved than some enthusiasts!