Cost of attending exhibitions

[D9020 Nimbus]

The thing that seems to cause the most problems is when the venue and the timing of the exhibition both change. The "Blyth" model railway exhibition has, since 2007, been in two different locations in the Blyth area, the Parks Leisure Centre at North Shields, the Quorum Business Park on the outskirts of Newcastle, then a high school in Tynemouth, and most recently a church hall in North Shields. Time of year varied from late November, early December, August Bank Holiday, back to December, then mid-July on the same weekend as the Sunderland Air Show. There were valid reasons for the changes, but the cumulative effect must have been considerable.

 

By contrast, Newcastle has moved from place to place but always at the same time of year — the second weekend of November.

[Allegheny1600]

19 hours ago, Chris M said:

It's ok to say you don't fancy going any more but why try to tell others they will have a bad experience?

I’m not telling anyone any such thing!

I’m saying why I no longer enjoy it.

If exhibition attendance drops off - would you rather know why or just carry on in blissful ignorance?

[toolongtoremember]

For me, I do everything to the best value possible. 

 

This year I am travelling from London to Birmingham for Warley, but staying overnight in an AirBnB. 

 

If you plan ahead, you'll actually get good deals still. 

 

Marylebone to Birmingham Moore Street; £6.40 on the Friday (Class 68 plus MK3s and DVT might I add).

Overnight in AirBnB in Stechford a couple of stations along from Birmingham International x 2 £25 total 

Warley show ticket £33 for the weekend 

LNWR train from Birmingham international to Euston will cost me £16 as there are no advance fares. 

 

Around £20 for local travel around Birmingham for the weekend.

 

Total expenses for a 3 day weekend away enjoying my hobby: £100. 

 

Try going away for a weekend anywhere else for that little. 

 

I started saving up a month ago for spending money for the show, because I think ahead. 

[melmerby]

20 minutes ago, Willie Whizz said:

The bit I find to be a rip-off is the very high cost of car parking - and that is out of the Organisers' control.

It's not totally out of organisers control as some shows cover the cost of car parking. (I've been to a few over the years, but not recently. They were mainly trade shows.)

However a model railway club, however big, is never going to be in a position to cover the cost of parking.

 

The thing that is making me waver about Warley this year*, is the possibility of a train strike as I always go by public transport.

However locally, we've already lost a convenient bus service that use to get me into Brum at a reasonable time for a train from New St., so I had planned a different strategy to drive to a station with a free car park and use trains all the way.

 

*I had been to Warley for about 15 year regularly up to 2019.

Edited October 25, 2022 by melmerby

[Michael Hodgson]

When it comes to cost of shows, it's not the admission that affects my decision but the total cost and how easy the journey. 

I object on principle to the price of a cuppa and a sausage roll at many of these places, especially if it's a dispoasble thin plastic mug that's too hot to hold.  But I can get around that by taking a flask of tea and some food with me. 

 

Ally Pally is easy, as I can do it on one train, or I can do York with only one change.  GETS is an easy drive and free parking - and I can usually combine it with a trip to IKEA anyway.  Warley is a bit further though still easily driveable, but NEC parking is an utter rip-off; I haven't yet decided whether to go.  If I do, it will be a case of driving to Milton Keynes Central - and of course only if the trains are running.  I've always liked the Bristol shows, but I used to be able to combine that with a visit to my parents.  They both passed away several years ago though, and I can't justify the journey so often now.

 

Exhibition Managers have to set their prices according to expectations; if costs have gone up they may decide to put the price up, but if they do that, the bottom line can be that the total cost of the trip gets too much, and if attendance drops too much that would become a vicious circle.  Time was when I've done Glasgow & back in the day from Peterorough.  Rail fares and the price of petrol are outside the control of show organsisers, but travel costs and convenience or otherwise will always be a factor.  I daresay choice of date also makes a difference - attendance will probably be less if the cup final is on the box. 

 

 

 

[Andymsa]

1 hour ago, Willie Whizz said:

Warley certainly isn't 'cheap' to get into, even in relative terms, but I can live with that for the sheer convenience of the number of retailers and suppliers in one place, and the high quality of the layouts.  The bit I find to be a rip-off is the very high cost of car parking - and that is out of the Organisers' control.

all I say is look at the other exhibitions for parking at the same time as warley, I let you work out the rest 😀

[Andymsa]

17 minutes ago, Michael Hodgson said:

 

 

Exhibition Managers have to set their prices according to expectations; if costs have gone up they may decide to put the price up, but if they do that, the bottom line can be that the total cost of the trip gets too much, and if attendance drops too much that would become a vicious circle.  Time was when I've done Glasgow & back in the day from Peterorough.  Rail fares and the price of petrol are outside the control of show organsisers, but travel costs and convenience or otherwise will always be a factor.  I daresay choice of date also makes a difference - attendance will probably be less if the cup final is on the box. 

 

 

 

this is a point that I have tried to raise awareness of, to ignore is akin to shuffling deck  chairs on the titanic. 

[Michael Hodgson]

1 hour ago, Willie Whizz said:

The bit I find to be a rip-off is the very high cost of car parking - and that is out of the Organisers' control.

Well only up to a point.  Their choice of venue affects what the parking options are.

I assume their original location would have been near Smethwick, about 30 miles further west

[Michael Hodgson]

1 hour ago, Pete the Elaner said:

 

Stevenage was a better venue. One floor instead of 3 with cramped staircases.

 

Much better for me.  Only 6 minutes on the train!  I don't do St Albans.

 

But I suppose it's the other way round for some folk.

[Michael Hodgson]

Maybe there's a trend emerging here ... pick the right venue if you want people to come !

[woodenhead]

5 minutes ago, Michael Hodgson said:

Maybe there's a trend emerging here ... pick the right venue if you want people to come !

Poor Wigan at the mercy of both football and rugby fixture schedules set after the time they would book the leisure centre.

 

This year they were lucky, no fixtures so free parking, otherwise you have to pay or come by train.

[Matt C]

Get creative. I played a cheeky one this year. As we aren't away for Christmas I said to SHMBO

"we should do a trip south so we can meet up with family before Xmas".

 

" We should go 'There' as you can visit a couple of Cathedrals and tick them off your list".

" We could go 'That' weekend as I have the Friday and Monday free"

Then as usual she said

" Have a look and see if there is anything YOU would like to visit that weekend ?"

 

" Oh look ! Warley is on" 😋

 

All costs except my ticket in for the weekend covered

[Gilbert]

Just now, Matt C said:

Get creative. I played a cheeky one this year. As we aren't away for Christmas I said to SHMBO

"we should do a trip south so we can meet up with family before Xmas".

 

" We should go 'There' as you can visit a couple of Cathedrals and tick them off your list".

" We could go 'That' weekend as I have the Friday and Monday free"

Then as usual she said

" Have a look and see if there is anything YOU would like to visit that weekend ?"

 

" Oh look ! Warley is on" 😋

 

All costs except my ticket in for the weekend covered

and your purchases......just saying..

[Matt C]

3 minutes ago, Gilbert said:

and your purchases......just saying..

 

Completely separate budget ! 'cough cough' and ive figured the car will be left at the Hotel for the duration. Removal of spare wheel from boot will leave a fair sized ' Stash' hole. Just need to NOT have a puncture, but ill carry one of those emergency cans anyway 🤪

[dagrizz]

It's been said many times before in threads about NEC parking costs for the Warley show, park for free at somewhere like Tile Hill and catch a train to NEC for £2.70 return. I do this for every Warley show and it works out really well.

 

Graham

[Chris M]

2 hours ago, Andymsa said:

all I say is look at the other exhibitions for parking at the same time as warley, I let you work out the rest 😀

I was involved in discussions about this back in the early days of the Warley NEC show. It is true to say that, for a good sized fee, it is possible for the car parking to be free to visitors. Obviously the price of admission would have to be higher to cover the extra payment to the NEC. This would mean that those travelling by train were effectively subsidising those travelling by car. At the time we felt that would be wrong. 

The shows that provide free parking tend to be those where there are a lot of big businesses involved and pretty much all the space at the show is rented to trade exhibitors. At model railway exhibitions of course a lot of space is taken up by layouts that have to be paid expenses.

[Chris M]

2 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

Well only up to a point.  Their choice of venue affects what the parking options are.

I assume their original location would have been near Smethwick, about 30 miles further west

The previous location was indeed in Smethwick at the Harry Mitchell Recreation Centre. It did have a smallish free car park and attendance was far lower than the NEC. We did succeed in causing car parking chaos for a mile or so on the streets around the show. 

 

[Phil Parker]

19 minutes ago, Chris M said:

The previous location was indeed in Smethwick at the Harry Mitchell Recreation Centre. It did have a smallish free car park and attendance was far lower than the NEC. We did succeed in causing car parking chaos for a mile or so on the streets around the show. 

 

 

The first time we visited Warley, my Dad and I walked from Moor Street. Let's just say we caught the bus back and every time thereafter! 

[Oldddudders]

4 hours ago, toolongtoremember said:

Total expenses for a 3 day weekend away enjoying my hobby: £100. 

For some years now, young people have been regarding £100 as the cost of a decent night out. 

 

Yours is an absolute bargain!

[Mike Bellamy]

12 hours ago, Andymsa said:

very interesting and informative seeing a breakdown of costs, what I find really interesting is the 500 visitor drop which if they had been in attendance would of made up the shortfall of £7000. Was there any particular reason found for the drop in numbers?

 

Quote

 

Ticket sales Advanced internet 519 Member 112 Non-Member

Advanced postal 38 Member 3 Non Member

Door sales 522 Member 364 Non Member Total: 1558

The figures in 2019 were: 1498 Members 504 Non-Members 2002 Total

 

There are three main theories about the drop-in numbers

On-going fear of Covid

Concerns about the economy

Rail strike concerns

One member told me that the usual gang of club members who normally travel with him had decided to give this year a miss because they are genuinely worried about heating and electricity bills over winter and coming to Guildex and seeing so many O gauge goodies would just be too tempting. 

 

 

 

4 hours ago, Andymsa said:

all I say is look at the other exhibitions for parking at the same time as warley, I let you work out the rest 😀

 

A few years ago at the Classic Car show there was a large queue buying parking tickets from a portacabin on the way to the halls. I decided to get a ticket later in the day but ended up staying until the show closed. By the time I got to the ticket office it was all locked up and the barriers were all open so no charges that day for me.

 

 

1 hour ago, Chris M said:

 for a good sized fee, it is possible for the car parking to be free to visitors. Obviously the price of admission would have to be higher to cover the extra payment to the NEC. This would mean that those travelling by train were effectively subsidising those travelling by car. The shows that provide free parking tend to be those where there are a lot of big businesses involved and pretty much all the space at the show is rented to trade exhibitors. 

 

That was the Motorhome and Caravan Show last week - from Tuesday to Sunday in Halls 6 to 20 but as far as I know there were no other events on during that time and so all carparks were free.

.

[br2975]

On 23/10/2022 at 23:30, TEAMYAKIMA said:

As another has said, compared to going to watch football or going to the theatre, any model railway exhibition (including those like Warley) is very cheap entertainment for an enthusiast. 

.

My season ticket at Cardiff City cost me £149 for this current season (I get a discount being a 'crinkly').

.

That works out at about £6.50 per home game.

.

But, such is the fare on offer this season, exhibitions are probably the better option.

.

In fact, I missed the last home game having taken my layout to a fundraiser at local Special Needs School, which certainly was more rewarding than the alternative - 90 minutes of pain.

[Widnes Model Centre]

We have basically given up on attending exhibitions as a trader. Balancing supporting a local show and making a loss can only lead to giving up. Noting that traders are saying the same thing to us. 

 

Being told that ‘we are trying to keep the numbers down’ didn’t help.

 

What we find really strange is that many of the exhibition managers no longer send a  ‘flyer’ advertising the show, let alone a bundle of small takeaway leaflets. When asked if there is any promotional material, ‘we have run out’ or ‘we forgot to send you some’. One of the local shows has forgotten for the past six years. At the moment we have flyers in our window for Manchester, Rainhill and a swap meet on the Wirral. In relation to the Manchester Exhibition we are on our second large bundle of flyers. 
 

A recent local event went largely unnoticed, l only discovered it was on when a customer came into the shop and said he had just visited. He was driving past the venue on his way to the shop and saw it was on.

 

It costs next to nothing to post a flyer to a local shop. 
 

If potential attendees don’t know an exhibition is on, they can’t be expected to turn up.

[LaGrange]

47 minutes ago, Widnes Model Centre said:

We have basically given up on attending exhibitions as a trader. Balancing supporting a local show and making a loss can only lead to giving up. Noting that traders are saying the same thing to us. 

 

Being told that ‘we are trying to keep the numbers down’ didn’t help.

 

What we find really strange is that many of the exhibition managers no longer send a  ‘flyer’ advertising the show, let alone a bundle of small takeaway leaflets. When asked if there is any promotional material, ‘we have run out’ or ‘we forgot to send you some’. One of the local shows has forgotten for the past six years. At the moment we have flyers in our window for Manchester, Rainhill and a swap meet on the Wirral. In relation to the Manchester Exhibition we are on our second large bundle of flyers. 
 

A recent local event went largely unnoticed, l only discovered it was on when a customer came into the shop and said he had just visited. He was driving past the venue on his way to the shop and saw it was on.

 

It costs next to nothing to post a flyer to a local shop. 
 

If potential attendees don’t know an exhibition is on, they can’t be expected to turn up.

 

Fair points, certainly regarding promotion. Time and manpower is the enemy now. Doesn't matter how much promotion you do, people will always say they didn't know. I believe there are 1 or 2 casinos along the strip in Las Vegas, wasn't handed a flyer about it though

[Invicta Informant]

Paying to get into shows itself is comparatively cheap. But there are many variables that can make the cost of attending exhibitions expensive, such as travel, parking, catering, accommodation, products for sale that you would like to buy, etc. Of course, these depend on how much you are willing to spend and how far you are prepared to travel. Some of these costs can be partially reduced with some careful planning and research. For example, bring your own packed lunch and if you are travelling by train, use a Railcard to get up to a third off your ticket price.

 

It is ultimately down to the individual.

3 hours ago, Widnes Model Centre said:

What we find really strange is that many of the exhibition managers no longer send a  ‘flyer’ advertising the show, let alone a bundle of small takeaway leaflets. When asked if there is any promotional material, ‘we have run out’ or ‘we forgot to send you some’. One of the local shows has forgotten for the past six years. At the moment we have flyers in our window for Manchester, Rainhill and a swap meet on the Wirral. In relation to the Manchester Exhibition we are on our second large bundle of flyers. 

 

It costs next to nothing to post a flyer to a local shop.

I and other members in my club (Erith MRS) always try to take a wad of flyers whenever we go to other model railway shows, toy fairs, preserved railways, model shops, local events, etc. to get as much exposure for our exhibition as possible. This sort of advertising is often crucial for getting numbers through the door of an exhibition.

[melmerby]

The "Local" Wetherspoon's has two model railway flyers on the notice board!

 

One is for the Burton Model Railway show, the pub is the Navigation in Kings Norton, Birmingham.

(Just noticed it's cancelled!)