Great electric train show 14/15 October

[woodenhead]

9 minutes ago, Matt C said:

I think its worth remembering  Just how MUCH space in the main hall the Making Tracks layout took up. Could this account for record numbers of visitors and also some traders and layouts being accomodated in a side room and on  balconies  ?  Making tracks is probably a one off so next year may not be QUITE so busy ?  Just a thought.

 

Edit to Add, MT certainly  atracted me to make a special trip down from Scotland to a venue I otherwise would probably  never have visited

It was there last year in it's previous form and will be at the NEC in April, it appears to be a staple of Key Model exhibitions at the moment.

Edited October 16, 2023 by woodenhead

[Trainshed Terry]

I went yesterday and arrived just after 10:00am the queue for people to purchase tickets was long. I had purchased my on line so I was able to get in quickly and little fuss, I just had to register my car for parking. Which was free, but there was limited information say it was free on the day.

There was some great layouts "Making tracks V. 1,2,3 was interesting to watch. "The Spirit of Shap" was very atmospheric and a pleasure to watch.

As for "Ranelagh Bridge" was great, again atmospheric and some interesting prospective modelling. There was great trade support as well but I was still unable to find a DC controller for a "O" gauge project I have rattling around me head.

 

I didn't spend much on the day, but it was nice to get out and about and see some friends that I have not seen since that time two years ago. 

 

Terry.

[Matt C]

I know space may have been an issue but I do think maybe a trick was missed ?  If the Making tracks layout could have been moved out one row to the edge and then the first balcony ( which I think had a bar area to the rear ?) 

Made over for catering/ tea coffee supply with some seating  available, keeping the Balcony edge free for viewing, 

This would have made a great place to see the Making tracks layout and also eased congestion at track level. 

Probably plenty of reasons why not, but I enjoyed looking at the whole thing from above.

[Andymsa]

I decided to give gets a miss this year as I wanted to get on with my big build extending the railway room. I’m glad I did from hearing about the large numbers of visitors. One thought tho is is disabled visitors can purchase there advance tickets online but the accompanying carer can only get there ticket at the door, so with the queue for on door tickets is this wise to make a disabled visitor who might struggle in such a que.

[bourneagain]

1 hour ago, ELTEL said:

Well next year you will all be able to come to Stafford on the weekend of 28th & 29th September as I understand GETS will not be happening at Milton Keynes next year.

 

As we have been able to move the Stafford Exhibition to the last full weekend in September means  it will not clash with Scaleforum 

 

Bingley Hall Stafford is much larger venue than Milton Keynes and all on one level

 

Not as big as Warley, with good road and rail connections being just of the M6 and on the West Coast Mainline ( courtesy bus service on both days from the railway station.

 

FREE PARKING FOR OVER 250O plus extra if we need it

 

Have a look here on RMEB what visitors  said about this year’s Exhibition 

 

This exhibition is completely run by Stafford Railway Circle friends and support from local clubs.

 

Like Warley any excess funds run the club and fund the following year’s exhibition.

 

Terry 

 

 

Does that mean that it won`t be taking place at Milton Keynes, but it could be somewhere else, or has it been cancelled?

[Vecchio]

Not easy to make everybody happy. Too many people, one layout too big, not enough busses, and so on. 

Why are we not happy that model railway shows obviously are still popular and many people come to look at these shows? 

For me this show was one of the highlights of this year, and let's face it also Warley was/is? crowded at times. 

Where would our hobby be without shows? 

 

[Graham_Muz]

2 hours ago, ELTEL said:

Well next year you will all be able to come to Stafford on the weekend of 28th & 29th September as I understand GETS will not be happening at Milton Keynes next year.

 

As we have been able to move the Stafford Exhibition to the last full weekend in September means  it will not clash with Scaleforum 

 

Bingley Hall Stafford is much larger venue than Milton Keynes and all on one level

 

Not as big as Warley, with good road and rail connections being just of the M6 and on the West Coast Mainline ( courtesy bus service on both days from the railway station.

 

FREE PARKING FOR OVER 250O plus extra if we need it

 

Have a look here on RMEB what visitors  said about this year’s Exhibition 

 

This exhibition is completely run by Stafford Railway Circle friends and support from local clubs.

 

Like Warley any excess funds run the club and fund the following year’s exhibition.

 

Terry 

 

 

I appreciate that you always take every opportunity to promote your excellent Stafford show, but according to the Hornby Magazine team at the weekend GETS will still be taking place next year at MK in addition to the Key Model World show at the NEC in April. 

[Michael Hodgson]

44 minutes ago, Vecchio said:

Not easy to make everybody happy. Too many people, one layout too big, not enough busses, and so on. 

Why are we not happy that model railway shows obviously are still popular and many people come to look at these shows?

 

Because people don't like queues all the way round the block and having a long wait before they can even get to the front door and buy a ticket, and once they're in don't like being told they can't go to some other part of the show because that area is dangerously overcrowded.  They like to be able to park a car, as public transport isn't a viable option if they are coming from somwhere that doesn't have a reasonably direct service.

 

They also like to be able to see the layouts once they do get in and to move about without shoving.  The sheer numbers attending several of the better known shows has become a problem.  It's not all about maximising revenue for the organisers or what admission prices have to be to meet break even costs.  

 

It's a matter of the difference between popularity and overcrowding, and I agree it's not easy to get that right, and I don't suppose the fans who went to the football match were any too happy about whatever they had to do to park their cars or get into the stadium either.

[Gilbert]

1 hour ago, Vecchio said:

Not easy to make everybody happy. Too many people, one layout too big, not enough busses, and so on. 

Why are we not happy that model railway shows obviously are still popular and many people come to look at these shows? 

For me this show was one of the highlights of this year, and let's face it also Warley was/is? crowded at times. 

Where would our hobby be without shows? 

 

I've simply given my view, I paid to go, I also paid a lot more for fuel as a Saturday visit by train was not practical for me, I left when i was ready but I had real concerns about the crowding. I'm sure no one set out to create such an environmnent but if those numbers are expected the environment should be suitable and safe. When I left at about noon it was rammed inside and there were lengthy queues to get in. I'd like a good show to be popular, busy and safe....I've been to a few crowded "Warleys" and left after about 4 hours but I never worried about crowd safety.........

[StuAllen]

Reading the forward in the programme looks planning for next year is already well advanced, guessing the venue is already booked

[andyman7]

 I fully accept other people's perceptions but my own experience on Sunday was that it was busy but no more than would be expected at a popular show. I was there from 11.30 to 14.30, 3 hours being about my limit for wandering around. I do enjoy having a show at MKC as there aren't many big shows that are accessible by train in the London/Home Counties area. 

[PaulRhB]

3 hours ago, Vecchio said:

Why are we not happy that model railway shows obviously are still popular and many people come to look at these shows? 

It’s a dying hobby don’t you know with an aging audience 😉

 

Well I think those saying it was overcrowded need to step back and ask how were they supposed to know that it would get so crowded this year? It’s rather difficult among all the worry about shows losing audience and venues to predict just how many will turn up. 
Would you now say advance tickets only? With the vagaries of the transport network imagine 10,000 advance tickets suddenly being hit by a strike or engineering work on the day you booked? 
Would they have been better turning those ‘on the door’ queues away, wasting several hundred peoples journeys and expense?

I don’t see how they win this discussion, if they book a bigger venue next year and find the surge was purely down to ‘Making Tracks’ they could end up with a loss putting the show in jeopardy. 
There are a lot of valid irritations but I’ve had a show cancelled the afternoon before as the organiser turned up and found they’d double booked the hall so he had to cut half the show before people left home. My layout was all lined up ready to pack in the car, fortunately not lugged down two flights of stairs when I got the fraught call!

They were surprised by the demand and after recent experiences that’s not that hard to understand. Will next year have a similar show stopper layout or return to the normal busyness? Will their NEC show promote a thread full of angst about parking charges? 
 

[ModRXsouth]

22 minutes ago, Graham_Muz said:

I appreciate that you always take every opportunity to promote your excellent Stafford show, but according to the Hornby Magazine team at the weekend GETS will still be taking place next year at MK in addition to the Key Model World show at the NEC in April. 

I attended GETS on Saturday and had a very enjoyable day with no train or parking problems. Southern train then tube to Euston for 9.48 to MKC. Full shuttle bus but into venue before 11am for an absorbing range of very long to compact layouts plus well stocked traders. Yes it was crowded but I dodged the rucksacks and just remained patient as many people moved on from viewing each layout after a few minutes. I stayed until the 4.30 shuttle back to the station for trains home.

 

A table by the entrance/exit had various exhibition leaflets, including Key Publishing/Hornby Magazine’s double sided leaflet advising “save the dates” for their 2024 shows. It states that GETS will still be at the same Arena MK on 12/13 October, following a brand new Spring show ‘Model World Live’ at Birmingham’s NEC on 27/28 April.

 

Interestingly, that end of April weekend coincides with the usual dates of the Friday to Sunday show at Bristol’s Thornbury Leisure Centre staged by Warners Group Publications/BRM magazine. The Bristol show’s dates are yet to be confirmed on its website, and UK Model Shops Exhibitions database does not yet include either show, but could we see the two publishers with large shows on the same weekend?

 

[PaulRhB]

5 minutes ago, ModRXsouth said:

Interestingly, that end of April weekend coincides with the usual dates of the Friday to Sunday show at Bristol’s Thornbury Leisure Centre staged by Warners Group Publications/BRM magazine. The Bristol show’s dates are yet to be confirmed on its website, and UK Model Shops Exhibitions database does not yet include either show, but could we see the two publishers with large shows on the same weekend?

Pretty sure the dates mooted for Bristol are 3-5th May next year. 

[Compound1000]

A good point about the "Making Tracks" 'effect' Paul and the potential risks for the organisers of misjudging the demand level and booking a venue that is either too small or too large. Having been to GETS at MK several times now I suspect the impact of Making Tracks on attendance was significant. Certainly it seemed to be the focus of interest for many early in the day but other layouts and stands were also busy due to overall numbers. 

 

Personally I'd not favour advance tickets only, having paid on the door for many a good show in recent years. We did have advance tickets for GETS'23 as it happened but we quite often don't do this. Also turning people away would be a really quick way to turn people off, which is the last thing shows would want to do. As another poster said, enjoy scenario that it was a popular event. 

[AY Mod]

12 minutes ago, PaulRhB said:

Pretty sure the dates mooted for Bristol are 3-5th May next year. 

 

Correct.

[Mike Bellamy]

6 hours ago, Matt C said:

. . .  Making tracks is probably a one off so next year may not be QUITE so busy ?  Just a thought.

 

 

A quote from the BBC link shown on the previous page

 

Mr Waterman said he hoped to break a world record at the event next year.

 

 

31 minutes ago, PaulRhB said:

It’s a dying hobby don’t you know with an aging audience 😉

 

 It’s rather difficult among all the worry about shows losing audience . . . .
 

 

Our "village hall" event a couple of weeks ago had double the attendance from last year - and many of them were young families with children in tow - and they got in free of charge.

.

[JSModels]

8 hours ago, Mike Bellamy said:

 

A quote from the BBC link shown on the previous page

 

Mr Waterman said he hoped to break a world record at the event next year.

 

That's for the NEC show, not MK - they're going to extend it by another 70 feet or so (and that was from Mr Waterman directly).

 

With an additional 70', it wouldn't fit in the MK venue!

[russ p]

15 hours ago, ELTEL said:

Well next year you will all be able to come to Stafford on the weekend of 28th & 29th September as I understand GETS will not be happening at Milton Keynes next year.

 

As we have been able to move the Stafford Exhibition to the last full weekend in September means  it will not clash with Scaleforum 

 

Bingley Hall Stafford is much larger venue than Milton Keynes and all on one level

 

Not as big as Warley, with good road and rail connections being just of the M6 and on the West Coast Mainline ( courtesy bus service on both days from the railway station.

 

FREE PARKING FOR OVER 250O plus extra if we need it

 

Have a look here on RMEB what visitors  said about this year’s Exhibition 

 

This exhibition is completely run by Stafford Railway Circle friends and support from local clubs.

 

Like Warley any excess funds run the club and fund the following year’s exhibition.

 

Terry 

 

 

 

Well if its Stafford that's me and our group not coming.  Too far as is Warley.  

I'm sure plenty of other venues towards the east not only the present venue.

Stafford may have good north south road and rail links but terrible cross country 

[Mike Bellamy]

9 hours ago, Mike Bellamy said:

 

A quote from the BBC link shown on the previous page

 

Mr Waterman said he hoped to break a world record at the event next year.

 

 

51 minutes ago, JSModels said:

 

That's for the NEC show, not MK - they're going to extend it by another 70 feet or so (and that was from Mr Waterman directly).

 

With an additional 70', it wouldn't fit in the MK venue!

 

In that case, I apologise but . . . . the BBC report says "at the event" which to me meant GETS as that was the show being discussed in the report. No mention whatsoever of NEC.

.

[Michael Hodgson]

54 minutes ago, JSModels said:

 

That's for the NEC show, not MK - they're going to extend it by another 70 feet or so (and that was from Mr Waterman directly).

 

With an additional 70', it wouldn't fit in the MK venue!

If they run out of space, Ely Cathedral is bigger than Chester.

And I think the Catholics have an even bigger one in Rome!

[ELTEL]

37 minutes ago, russ p said:

 

Well if its Stafford that's me and our group not coming.  Too far as is Warley.  

I'm sure plenty of other venues towards the east not only the present venue.

Stafford may have good north south road and rail links but terrible cross country 

Just to correct you, I did not say GETS would be moving to Stafford.

 

I now understand GETS will be going ahead in 2024 

 

Apologies 

[Pete the Elaner]

1 hour ago, Michael Hodgson said:

If they run out of space, Ely Cathedral is bigger than Chester.

And I think the Catholics have an even bigger one in Rome!

 

But the team who built it (& therefore also present it) live nowhere near Ely ... or Rome, so neither are of any use are they?

[Pete the Elaner]

15 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

Because people don't like queues all the way round the block and having a long wait before they can even get to the front door and buy a ticket, and once they're in don't like being told they can't go to some other part of the show because that area is dangerously overcrowded.  They like to be able to park a car, as public transport isn't a viable option if they are coming from somwhere that doesn't have a reasonably direct service.

 

They also like to be able to see the layouts once they do get in and to move about without shoving.  The sheer numbers attending several of the better known shows has become a problem.  It's not all about maximising revenue for the organisers or what admission prices have to be to meet break even costs.  

 

It's a matter of the difference between popularity and overcrowding, and I agree it's not easy to get that right, and I don't suppose the fans who went to the football match were any too happy about whatever they had to do to park their cars or get into the stadium either.

 

People also complain about the higher entry & parking prices for larger venues like NEC & SECC. I have seen queues for the NEC backed up so badly that they blocked the M42 before now too.

 

As far as the venue is concerned, it is certainly not the only time in the year the arena is used. It is simply a booking which this week filled the hall with model railways. I am sure the venue management does not consider model railways to be any more special than the PDC Masters darts tournament in early February. That has been known to clash with a home match too. The arena seems to have 4-6 events per month, many of which will also require more days for setting up. The surrounding shops are always there, so football supporters are used to working around these & if they don't like it, they need to be reminded that the arena & hotel subsidise the football ground.

 

"It's not all about maximising revenue for the organisers or what admission prices have to be to meet break even costs.  "

Just what do you think an exhibition is for? A donation to you from those who organise it?

Neither clubs or businesses will want to produce a show which makes a loss. For a club, it is a fund raiser to pay for model railways without having to raise subs high, because that will discourage members. Businesses exist to make money for their staff & directors. This could be directly from exhibition revenue, future exhibition revenue or increased magazine sales. Getting the balance right is a matter of debate, so they do not want to be discouraging attendees from returning. Whoever organises it, a show which loses money is not successful.

[Lambton58]

2 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

If they run out of space, Ely Cathedral is bigger than Chester.

Or St Albans Cathedral  - it has the longest nave in England