How often is a exhibition layout not 'ready to go' at 'doors open' at exhibitions?

[Gilbert]

3 minutes ago, Not Jeremy said:

No names no pack drill, the "best" I ever managed was to pack up and leave before I had even started to set up, owing to complete f*ckwittery by the utter twerp who'd been delegated the job of organising the show.

[Andy Hayter]

42 minutes ago, Not Jeremy said:

No names no pack drill, the "best" I ever managed was to pack up and leave before I had even started to set up, owing to complete f*ckwittery by the utter twerp who'd been delegated the job of organising the show.

 

 

 

 

Been there and nearly played the same game.  The manager had organised all of the layouts into his hall but had forgotten to add any gangways for the public to view his offerings.  We remained.  Others were politely asked to leave.

[john new]

At one of the Weymouth MRA shows a couple of decades back we arrived to find the builders had been in to the college over the summer break. Several rooms were smaller due to wall mounted book cases that had been added since we'd measured up and one of the bigger halls had been split with a central studding wall having been added! 

[DaveF]

 

A long time ago I belonged to a model railway group, we built our layouts in the spare room of one of the members.  One evening we loaded a layout into a Fiesta, it didn't quite fit - by about 0.5".  We knew it fitted into my Metro but I was going out that evening.  Phone calls ensued, as this was before mobile phones we phoned the organiser's house, his wife took the call and she went to the venue to tell him.

 

We had a phone call back later on, we arranged to take the layout the next morning but were told we could only access the venue after 9a.m., the exhibition opened at 10a.m.  We got the layout set up and working in 45 minutes.  It was about 16'x2'.

 

From then on we always went to more distant venues on Saturday mornings, it saved us time and also reduced our expenses claims.

 

Another time  we set up our layout for a local exhibition on the Saturday morning.  We found the owner of the layout next to ours very upset - he fastened his boards together with coach bolts but had forgotten to bring them.  Fortunately we always took spares of everything with us so we helped him out.

 

We once suffered a detached point blade in a goods yard, we quickly stuck some figures round it to make it look as though it was deliberate and used the other sidings.

 

By the way, we managed to build a layout which was over 24 feet long, when carefully packed it fitted in my Metro.  The stock and operators fitted in another car.

 

David

[EddieK]

For the last 20 years or so I have been involved with exhibiting a large P4 layout. Many of the points (pardon the pun) in the preceding posts ring bells in my memory. 

 

The layout takes a number of hours to set up (typically around seven, these days). We always set up the day before, though we have had some late nights getting things ready. One show that we turned up to, 10 years ago, had the venue opened for us, but the exhibition manager and his tape measure did not turn up for some time, and until he did, we did not know exactly where to erect the layout, (We very nearly turned around and went home on that occasion). 

 

The award for the show venue with the most uneven floor has to be the Agricultural Showground at Stafford; it took several hours and loads of wooden packing pieces to get the layout levelled on the Friday.

One year we were at Ally Pally, and we suspect that the BBC transmitter on the roof was interfering with the DCC chips in some of the locos / DMUs. Once we set them going from the Fiddle Yard, there was no control over them until they had completed a lap of the layout. At least trains were running....

 

The occasions when we have not been fully ready when the doors open have been when we have not been allowed into the venue early enough on day two or three of the show. On the day(s) after the layout has been running for a day, every loco and powered DMU car is taken off the layout to have the wheels cleaned. In parallel, the track is cleaned on the scenic section. I seem to have adopted the role of cleaning the track in the fiddle yards, both of them. Easy to do when there's no trains on the layout, a little more difficult when all 34 roads are occupied. 

The well-rehearsed procedure is to start in the inner road (Road 1) and work outwards. The loco cleaning starts here, and I try to let this get a good head start. When the first few roads have their locos back, an operator moves the trains out of road 1, then 2 etc and parks them nose to tail on the scenic section. This allows me plenty of space to clean the track with my big clumsy hands. Where the problems start is when the doors open and I have only cleaned up to road 25 or so. What we have to do at this point is run the layout "properly" and I have to clean each road while the train that lives there is out on the scenic section. Even more fun when the road has two trains on it. At least the public can see trains running.

 

At the end of the show, we usually have all of the trains still on the track, but nowadays it takes about two and a half hours to vacate the hall.

[SM42]

Breakdown time is one of those things that annoys me both as a visitor, exhibtor and ex exhibition manager

I expected and do expect the layouts to be working till close and it was a principle we adopted at other shows as exhibitors.

 

Yes the freight trains may start to get shorter and with about 10 minutes to go the selection of trains reduced, but shutting up shop and pulling the   the layout apart before the show closes,

 

No way

 

It is not unusual for a loco and brake to appear to collect all the odd bits of stock still out on the scenic section and take them round to the fiddle yard. 

 

In fact planning for an orderly breakdown whilst keeping the entertainment going is just as important as planning the main exhibition running session. 

 

How many layouts are not in exhibtable condition  in the last half hour is also a valid  question.

 

Andy

[newbryford]

46 minutes ago, SM42 said:

 

 

How many layouts are not in exhibtable condition  in the last half hour is also a valid  question.

 

Andy

 

Very good point.

 

There's also the question of how many exhibitors are in an exhibitable condition on the Sunday morning.....🍾🍺 🍹

[SM42]

3 hours ago, newbryford said:

 

Very good point.

 

There's also the question of how many exhibitors are in an exhibitable condition on the Sunday morning.....🍾🍺 🍹

 

I've seen some that struggle on Saturday morning. 

 

Andy

[Happy Hippo]

20 minutes ago, SM42 said:

 

I've seen some that struggle on Saturday morning. 

 

Andy

And there are those who struggle all weekend.

[newbryford]

7 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

And there are those who struggle all weekend.

Even when not exhibiting!

[TheQ]

Just caught up with the thread.

On 14/09/2023 at 14:10, brossard said:

 

Dowels between the boards make getting track ends lined up easy.

There's a bag full already waiting!

 

Make as good a job of the wiring as you can.  If my layout is anything to go by, it can get very complex.  Wiring issues are a common theme on this thread.

40 plus years of professional electronics, test, maintenance and repair, will prove I can still make mistakes.

 

My boards are all white underneath.

👍

Don't know what you have in mind for a layout, or if you are alone or have a few friends to help.  Keep the layout a modest size which means, to me anyway, something like a BLT.

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/181694-decoville-h0e-1919-1939/#comment-5293901

 

My layout is 21' x 2'6" and is a BLT.  Not sure about the 15mins but it is fairly quick to assemble.  There are usually about 4 of us.

 

John

 

Thanks John 

[PaulRhB]

On 15/09/2023 at 21:14, Not Jeremy said:

the "best" I ever managed was to pack up and leave before I had even started to set up, owing to complete f*ckwittery by the utter twerp who'd been delegated the job of organising the show.

Came very close with one to leaving before lunch on the Saturday when the show manager insinuated we wouldn’t be paid expenses as our van was too expensive!

Fortunately a club member on hearing the exchange ran for the chairman and he arrived just before I declared break down and leave. 
Show manager ushered off and told not to discuss finances, expenses promised and Chairman apologised profusely over lunch and turned it around well. 
Huge save by the Chairman, evidently he was prone to random rants off message but as he was the only one prepared to do the show they kept an eye on him on show days. Distractions of his assistant, carer? , meant he’d wandered off alone! 
 

[Mike Bellamy]

20 hours ago, SM42 said:

Breakdown time is one of those things that annoys me both as a visitor, exhibtor and ex exhibition manager

I expected and do expect the layouts to be working till close and it was a principle we adopted at other shows as exhibitors.

 

Same should apply to traders. A previous exhibition manager wouldn't invite back any traders who he thought had started to tidy their stand too early. At one of our swapmeets, most of the 15 or so traders had cleared their tables except for one who in the last 10 minutes sold more than he had for the rest of the day as a late visitor found he was the only one still trading.

.

[roundhouse]

I recall one show where we were short of operators and I was after a particular book that I had lost to a fellow modeller who borrowed it but never returned it then moved. So half hour before the show closed I went to the trader to buy it but he was packed up and ready to leave, so was very ubrupt about me not disturbing his stock. Not seen that particular book again.

 

Depending on which layout we have, we do start running the rolling stock down some time before the end of the show but we are running till close and quite often the last layout around us to run trains.

 

And yes we do normally enjoy our evenings apres show but are always there in a fit state operating the layout by opening - if we can't enjoy ourselves over the weekend then we wouldn't be doing shows.

[009 micro modeller]

8 hours ago, Mike Bellamy said:

 

Same should apply to traders. A previous exhibition manager wouldn't invite back any traders who he thought had started to tidy their stand too early. At one of our swapmeets, most of the 15 or so traders had cleared their tables except for one who in the last 10 minutes sold more than he had for the rest of the day as a late visitor found he was the only one still trading.

.

Agreed, and in a way it’s less understandable because often traders are there to try and make money, whereas layout operators are volunteers. I wonder though if there is an argument for announcing that all the trade stands will close a bit before the end, giving them time to start packing up before the show closes and staggering it a bit so that not all of the exhibitors and traders are trying to pack up and leave at exactly the same time.

[Gilbert]

3 minutes ago, 009 micro modeller said:

Agreed, and in a way it’s less understandable because often traders are there to try and make money, whereas layout operators are volunteers. I wonder though if there is an argument for announcing that all the trade stands will close a bit before the end, giving them time to start packing up before the show closes and staggering it a bit so that not all of the exhibitors and traders are trying to pack up and leave at exactly the same time.

As you illustrate - communication is key...

Chris

[ColinK]

Lunchtimes can be a bit poor for visitors. For example, at one big show with lots of large layouts, while the operators went for lunch en mass, many layouts, including one with a four track main line, just had one operator who had no idea how to run it.

 

Lunch arrangements for exhibitors are important - just one sitting for a hot meal doesn’t work.  The arrangements I find best are where there is a hot water urn tucked away somewhere for exhibitors to make drinks as often as they wanted and lunches are simply sandwiches to be eaten when convenient - but not while operating.

[Happy Hippo]

Another point about traders at shows is that they have paid somewhat more than the entrance fee for their stand, so I would have thought it is up to them when they decide enough is enough and prepare to go home.

 

Colin makes a good point about the catering arrangements, but if you are single manned on your layout, you either close down for lunch or, take it when there is a lull in the procession of viewers.  Sometimes a sandwich can last nearly an hour.

Edited September 28, 2023 by Happy Hippo

[newbryford]

35 minutes ago, ColinK said:

Lunchtimes can be a bit poor for visitors. For example, at one big show with lots of large layouts, while the operators went for lunch en mass, many layouts, including one with a four track main line, just had one operator who had no idea how to run it.

 

Lunch arrangements for exhibitors are important - just one sitting for a hot meal doesn’t work.  The arrangements I find best are where there is a hot water urn tucked away somewhere for exhibitors to make drinks as often as they wanted and lunches are simply sandwiches to be eaten when convenient - but not while operating.

 

This weekend, one of the venue rules is no food or drink in the main exhibition hall. (Its a school sports hall)

 

And I find eating behind a layout can sometimes be untidy/unsightly.

[SM42]

1 hour ago, newbryford said:

 

This weekend, one of the venue rules is no food or drink in the main exhibition hall. (Its a school sports hall)

 

And I find eating behind a layout can sometimes be untidy/unsightly.

 

Whilst I agree, I might sneak the odd biscuit now and again. 

 

 

 

Andy

[newbryford]

25 minutes ago, SM42 said:

 

Whilst I agree, I might sneak the odd biscuit now and again. 

 

 

 

Andy

 

Biscuits ( and a bit of cake, but don't tell HH) can be ok, but its the full plateful of hot food isn't a good look. 

 

And having food of that nature isn't good for greasy fingerprints on the layout/stock

[009 micro modeller]

3 hours ago, ColinK said:

Lunchtimes can be a bit poor for visitors. For example, at one big show with lots of large layouts, while the operators went for lunch en mass, many layouts, including one with a four track main line, just had one operator who had no idea how to run it.

 

Lunch arrangements for exhibitors are important - just one sitting for a hot meal doesn’t work.  The arrangements I find best are where there is a hot water urn tucked away somewhere for exhibitors to make drinks as often as they wanted and lunches are simply sandwiches to be eaten when convenient - but not while operating.

 

3 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

Colin makes a good point about the catering arrangements, but if you are single manned on your layout, you either close down for lunch or, take it when there is a lull in the procession of viewers.  Sometimes a sandwich can last nearly an hour.

I think this is another thing where it doesn’t quite work with small layouts (the kind operated by only one person). If you had a layout operated by, say, 3 people, you could have a 4th operator who acts as a kind of relief operator, perhaps arriving a bit later and leaving a bit earlier than everyone else but covering all the lunches and any short breaks (or extra time away to look round the rest of the show) for the other 3 operators. This is roughly how we do the relief shift in the museum I work in as well, so it does work. (This does of course rely on whatever the exhibitors’ lunch arrangements are being available over a reasonable amount of time and not just an hour etc., although I did an exhibition last year where we were simply given vouchers to use with the caterers who were there all day anyway, plus access to a tea urn, and that worked out quite well.)

 

On the other hand, if you have a micro layout usually operated by one person, you only need to cover one lot of breaks (so perhaps about 75 minutes in total, maybe with an additional hour or so to allow the main operator to look round the show a bit). Which is fine, and in situations where I’ve exhibited this sort of ‘one man operation’ micro layout and had a second operator we’ve usually shared the time out more evenly. But I get the impression that some show organisers are unwilling (or at least reluctant) to pay expenses/provide food for a second operator on very small layouts. I can understand the reasons for this, but it does mean that, unless you have a friend who is going to the show anyway and can provide cover for you, then you are probably going to end up just pausing operations completely when you go on a break.

[NBL]

A thing I do a few days before an exhibition is to load my layout into my car and take it on a good 20 mile run on local roads and motorways.

 

I then set it up at home, give all the stock a good test over the entire layout, and take the layout back down, ready for packing.  That way any faults or errant stock can be put right.

 

After an exhibition, I'll set the layout up the next day and again give all the stock a good test.

 

I find this is a good way to root out a lot of problems.

 

Regarding lunch/refreshments, I never expect the organisers to supply for free, if they do then great, if not, that's fine.  I exhibit for the experience and to meet old and new friends.

 

If it's a local show, within 30 miles, I don't charge expenses.

 

 

[JeremyC]

On the subject of breakdown time at the end of a show, I have noticed since Covid some shows saying you only have a limited time to get out of the hall (about an hour and a half in one case). I don't remember this being an issue pre-covid, but I assume it's due to hall costs.

Edited September 29, 2023 by JeremyC

[BachelorBoy]

Actually, from my experience on both sides of exhibition layouts, I am always pleasantly surprised how many are in working order by the time the doors open to visitors.