RMweb Live - 13/14 September - Ricoh Stadium, Coventry

[PaulRhB]

I impression that Warner based exhibitions like to stay close to home and there is a sort of Danelaw in operation which prevents them heading south-westwards into, say, the West Midlands let alone being even more adventurous. Food for thought? - I do hope so.

Are you volunteering to be the new King of Wessex Mike

I guess the problem is that it's Birmingham or Bristol if you cover the West to find somewhere with big show halls? I like the idea though.

[Steve-e]

Thanks for letting us know this is a shame, I didn't make it this year but was keen to go in 2015 hence my question as now is the time to start looking at booking key holiday dates for the coming year before those who leave it until after Christmas and I wanted to get dates sorted.

 

Steve

[Godfrey Glyn]

Thanks for letting us know Andy, it is a shame and I am sure you and the team have spent a great deal of time coming to the decision. I am really pleased I made the effort to get there, it really was something different and thought provoking. I look back at it in the same way that I remember the exhibition at the Central Westminster Hall all those years ago when we queued up to marvel at Hursley. I totally agree with you regarding the venue - both the facilities and it's location. I can sort of justify (to myself at least) a drive from Hampshire to Coventry and combine the day with some other visit. I do agree with Mike, it would be good to have something to the west of the ECML. I have looked at the cost of a rail fare to Donny and even with a senior card it makes for a very expensive day out from here in the deep south. I look forward to seeing your ideas being incorporated into the other shows you do, certainly Ali Pally will be on my list for next year.

All the best

Godfrey

[Sidecar Racer]

I liked it as an event - definitely 'something different' and with a different feel to it as it really was what it said on the tin so it would be a great shame not to see it continue in similar form.  It will be nice, but perhaps difficult(?), if some of the ideas could transfer to Ally Pally - see below.

 

 

So how about an event somewhere towards the other side of the country PLEASE.  Not to decry the excellent work done by the good Cap'n and his superb annual event at Taunton but I am left with a strong impression that Warner based exhibitions like to stay close to home and there is a sort of Danelaw in operation which prevents them heading south-westwards into, say, the West Midlands let alone being even more adventurous.  Food for thought? - I do hope so.

 

 I'm in full agreement with Mike's comments above .

 

 Being South and West of Bristol means Doncaster , Peterbourgh and Ally Pally are just to far and

difficult  to get  to as much as I'd like  to see one of these ,

 

 Coventry was a doddle though , 2 hours door to door by motorway .

 

 This side of the country really needs a bigger show , our biggest is  the Bristol show at Thornbury , it's a

large event and attracts large crowds and plentiful trade , it's downside to me is that the majority of layouts

have to be from member clubs of the Association of Model Railway Clubs Wales and West of England .

 

 There are a number of invited layouts from other sources but it still means it is likely that you see the same

local layouts each year .

 

 Having seen and been in the queues to enter this show I'm sure there would be a market for a Warner type event in

or around this area , Finding a comparable venue could be the stumbling block .

 

 More food for thought ???

[wombatofludham]

Oh dear, very disappointing there won't be an event in 2015 especially as I had a new project in the planning stage!

 

Whilst Peterborough is just about do-able from the Welsh Coast, I would struggle with Alexandra Palace and Doncaster even if I were to be invited to take the layout as it becomes more of a logistical nightmare.  A Warners/BRM event somewhere in the western Midlands would still be worthwhile holding as it is relatively accessible to a large population.

 

I wonder if the Bescot (Bank's) Stadium in Walsall, when the football isn't on, might be a cheaper, more cost effective venue for a Midlands based event?  I don't think it has a hotel on-site but there is a fairly large chain Premier-Travelodge type affair at Junction 10, it's opposite Bescot station with a frequent train service to Birmingham, there's retail attractions galore to keep the ladies of the house occupied in close proximity including the dubious joys of an Ikea, which might be suitable as a retail detention centre for other halves.  Their facilities seem to be more tailored to the banquet/conference market and there are six separate function rooms but it could make for a more intimate event, with one room as a presentation theatre, and the other rooms used for the "zones".  Apart from a regular exhibition at Alumwell school the Walsall area doesn't have much in the way of exhibitions so something at Bescot might be attractive, depending on clashes with other events.

[t-b-g]

Without wishing to sound as if I am being too negative, I am neither surprised or disappointed at the decision.

 

We really do have too many exhibitions. The people building layouts and the traders just cannot fill them all with decent quality stuff and many of the specialist traders can only do one show at a time and have enough regular commitments that they do not wish to take on more shows. Several are looking to cut back on shows, due to increasing costs and lack of sales as modelling becomes less of a creative hobby and more RTR based. 

 

In my admittedly limited circles, just about everybody feels the same way. We just don't look forward to and enjoy either visiting or even exhibiting at shows as much as we used to. In many cases it is advancing years and the cost of a long distance trip to see a show, especially when you know that the only good layouts you are likely to see are the same ones that you saw a few weeks ago in a different arrangement.

 

I have built quite a few exhibition layouts over the last 30 years, either my own or joint projects but I have other ways to enjoy the hobby now and the idea of spending ages building a layout just to exhibit it maybe half a dozen times and then discard it or place it into store just doesn't appeal as it used to.

 

We also all feel the same way about the spreading commercialism of the exhibition circuit. It is one thing to give up several days of time and much effort to support a bunch of fellow enthusiasts trying to fund a club room. It is quite another to giving up the same time and effort to boost the profits of a commercial organisation.

 

One of the few shows that I still do enjoy (and is also one of the best shows around) is EXPO EM North, now that it has expanded to around double its previous size.

 

I was less than impressed when the RMWeb event was set up for the same weekend and I am very pleased that the diary clash isn't going to be repeated.

 

Tony

[ullypug]

 I'm in full agreement with Mike's comments above .

 

 Being South and West of Bristol means Doncaster , Peterbourgh and Ally Pally are just to far and

difficult  to get  to as much as I'd like  to see one of these ,

 

 Coventry was a doddle though , 2 hours door to door by motorway .

 

 This side of the country really needs a bigger show , our biggest is  the Bristol show at Thornbury , it's a

large event and attracts large crowds and plentiful trade , it's downside to me is that the majority of layouts

have to be from member clubs of the Association of Model Railway Clubs Wales and West of England .

 

 There are a number of invited layouts from other sources but it still means it is likely that you see the same

local layouts each year .

 

 Having seen and been in the queues to enter this show I'm sure there would be a market for a Warner type event in

or around this area , Finding a comparable venue could be the stumbling block .

 

 More food for thought ???

I've always thought that the conference centre at University of West of England (UWE) is a good venue and good location, being walkable from Bristol Parkway and 5 mins from M4. Plenty of the usual hotel chains in the vicinity. Not sure if the GOG still have a trade show there.

For me Wells is still the best thing in our part of the world, closely followed by a couple of the smaller club shows. A lot of people have a lot of issues with the Bristol show but then judging by the footfall, a lot of people like it too.

[PaulRhB]

I was less than impressed when the RMWeb event was set up for the same weekend and I am very pleased that the diary clash isn't going to be repeated.

 

Tony

Tony, one thing it does prove though is that the commercial end of the shows don't win out at the expense of the established ones

BRM can't win as if they didn't people would ask what they are doing to support the hobby! At least the BRM and Modelrail shows are companies that spread the word about the hobby and even the biggest show Warley is treated like a commercial one when it really is a club show, albeit a very successful one.

This was never meant to be just another model rly exhibition but a bigger event based on the members days. I suspect those who've been to the members days understood what they were trying and why a lot seem to have gone because they liked the idea. Those who haven't been might just not see the differences and I admit it worked better than I expected in a larger scale. That said I don't think it was better than a members day just even more to do so I stayed longer. I liked it and fortunately I doubt it will affect the established smaller RMweb events and by Andys comment will add a little more of their attraction to the existing BRM shows.

The advantage for exhibitors is we have a choice which shows we support with our time for a weekend and I've only turned down one in the last ten years because I felt uneasy that it was purely in it for cash not to establish a good show. The facilities offered were what you'd expect from a very small club and I wasn't prepared to put up with that when the likes of Warley and other bigger shows can put you all up in the same hotel and provide breakfast and lunch

[The Stationmaster]

Going slightly off the point but do we really have 'too many shows'?  Two clubs within realistic driving distance of me each have two shows a year, albeit at different venues, and all seem well attended, attract 'good' (whatever they are) layouts and offer good to amazingly good trade representation although some layouts do appear to do the rounds of some of these shows.  Another nearby club organises, every year,  an excellent one day show plus a well staged 'open day' at its home base which is in many respects the equivalent of providing layouts at a smallsh show.

 

Several of these shows attract regular attendance from families and youngsters although one (Railex) is aimed at a very different market but appears to be extremely successful in continuing to reach and serve that market.

 

Many shows do not conflict or compete with each other, even when they are on the same day or weekend because they are aimed at different parts of the market - from passing mums & dads with children up to highly skilled modellers, and just about every shade in between.  Some, such as that at Steam, are to some extent company oriented while others are very specifically gauge/scale oriented and thus appeal to a very different sector of the market.  And of course many shows are so geographically separated as not to form a threat to each other.

 

The biggest hurdle which RMweb Live had to overcome was its clash with several other 'heavy', and well established shows the same weekend plus a new - and therefore unknown to many - venue plus being sat almost underneath a foot ball match; not a good combination but unavoidable (as we know) for a variety of reasons.  As it happens it was a very good show and it did - I think - achieve the difference it was out to create, but then you would only know that if you could be bothered or could spare the time to attend - which for many was where the 'clash' element had a negative effect.I think we must accept that our hobby is a very broad church and that anything which brings new people into it, or immerses them in it, or broadens their view and knowledge of it, is worth a try. 

 

Saying something is no good just because it clashes with something else isn't really the most positive way to approach anything in my view (and by the way I altered my 'normal' arrangements that weekend so instead of going to Swindon on the Saturday, as usual, I did so on Sunday and was therefore able to go to the Ricoh on the Saturday - that's the advantage of having two day shows, you can do two in one weekend;  unless of course you happen to be exhibiting at one of them).

[t-b-g]

Tony, one thing it does prove though is that the commercial end of the shows don't win out at the expense of the established ones

BRM can't win as if they didn't people would ask what they are doing to support the hobby! At least the BRM and Modelrail shows are companies that spread the word about the hobby and even the biggest show Warley is treated like a commercial one when it really is a club show, albeit a very successful one.

This was never meant to be just another model rly exhibition but a bigger event based on the members days. I suspect those who've been to the members days understood what they were trying and why a lot seem to have gone because they liked the idea. Those who haven't been might just not see the differences and I admit it worked better than I expected in a larger scale. That said I don't think it was better than a members day just even more to do so I stayed longer. I liked it and fortunately I doubt it will affect the established smaller RMweb events and by Andys comment will add a little more of their attraction to the existing BRM shows.

The advantage for exhibitors is we have a choice which shows we support with our time for a weekend and I've only turned down one in the last ten years because I felt uneasy that it was purely in it for cash not to establish a good show. The facilities offered were what you'd expect from a very small club and I wasn't prepared to put up with that when the likes of Warley and other bigger shows can put you all up in the same hotel and provide breakfast and lunch

 

Nobody won! Attendance was poor at EXPO EM too.

 

Tony

[Andy Y]

The people building layouts and the traders just cannot fill them all with decent quality stuff ...........................

 

In my admittedly limited circles, just about everybody feels the same way. We just don't look forward to and enjoy either visiting or even exhibiting at shows as much as we used to. In many cases it is advancing years and the cost of a long distance trip to see a show, especially when you know that the only good layouts you are likely to see are the same ones that you saw a few weeks ago in a different arrangement.

 

 

Maybe there is some exhibition fatigue but I can genuinely say that around half of the content at RMweb Live wouldn't have been seen before, certainly on the wider circuit and some of it was of exceptionally high quality and I have one exhibit in mind that will be much talked off when complete and on the show circuit. We looked at new blood and new ideas, that part definitely worked. 

 

Whether the show's 'commercial' or not it was intended to be more of a modellers' event which has to be good rather than just another average event and certainly brought a lot of modellers together and it was also quite a social event too. I can understand you weren't impressed it clashed with ExpoEM North but I went to substantial lengths to try and ensure there wasn't any damaging effect.

 

At least some can say they were there and did see something that was different from the norm.

[Andy Y]

Nobody won! Attendance was poor at EXPO EM too.

 

 

Although I know some who did both in the weekend I don't know of anyone who chose not to go to Urmston to go to Coventry instead. I did talk on the Monday morning to Derek to see if there was any impact and I still can't say that there was.

[Mike Bellamy]

I've always thought that the conference centre at University of West of England (UWE) is a good venue and good location, being walkable from Bristol Parkway and 5 mins from M4. Plenty of the usual hotel chains in the vicinity. Not sure if the GOG still have a trade show there.

Agreed - and yes the O Gauge show is still there - next month in fact - Sunday 25th January 2015

 

http://www.bogg7mmexhibition.com/

 

 

.

[t-b-g]

Going slightly off the point but do we really have 'too many shows'?  Two clubs within realistic driving distance of me each have two shows a year, albeit at different venues, and all seem well attended, attract 'good' (whatever they are) layouts and offer good to amazingly good trade representation although some layouts do appear to do the rounds of some of these shows.  Another nearby club organises, every year,  an excellent one day show plus a well staged 'open day' at its home base which is in many respects the equivalent of providing layouts at a smallsh show.

 

Several of these shows attract regular attendance from families and youngsters although one (Railex) is aimed at a very different market but appears to be extremely successful in continuing to reach and serve that market.

 

Many shows do not conflict or compete with each other, even when they are on the same day or weekend because they are aimed at different parts of the market - from passing mums & dads with children up to highly skilled modellers, and just about every shade in between.  Some, such as that at Steam, are to some extent company oriented while others are very specifically gauge/scale oriented and thus appeal to a very different sector of the market.  And of course many shows are so geographically separated as not to form a threat to each other.

 

The biggest hurdle which RMweb Live had to overcome was its clash with several other 'heavy', and well established shows the same weekend plus a new - and therefore unknown to many - venue plus being sat almost underneath a foot ball match; not a good combination but unavoidable (as we know) for a variety of reasons.  As it happens it was a very good show and it did - I think - achieve the difference it was out to create, but then you would only know that if you could be bothered or could spare the time to attend - which for many was where the 'clash' element had a negative effect.I think we must accept that our hobby is a very broad church and that anything which brings new people into it, or immerses them in it, or broadens their view and knowledge of it, is worth a try. 

 

Saying something is no good just because it clashes with something else isn't really the most positive way to approach anything in my view (and by the way I altered my 'normal' arrangements that weekend so instead of going to Swindon on the Saturday, as usual, I did so on Sunday and was therefore able to go to the Ricoh on the Saturday - that's the advantage of having two day shows, you can do two in one weekend;  unless of course you happen to be exhibiting at one of them).

 

I don't think that anybody has said that the show wasn't any good.

 

Exhibiting at Manchester (EXPO North) prevented me from going but it also prevented a lot of specialist traders who may otherwise have attended. It also stopped a good few RMWebbers going as they had commitments at Manchester and I do know of a number of EM Modellers who were at Coventry who would normally have been at EXPO EM North.

 

You are very lucky if you are able to afford the time and the cost of visiting two shows at a weekend. I certainly couldn't and I am not sure if too many people would want to do it very often, if at all.

 

I have to say that nowadays I treat exhibitions as a social event, to meet up for a chat and a catch up with people I don't see other than in an exhibition hall. The vast majority of layouts I have seen several times and that special "wow" moment when I see a layout that is quite special for the first time just doesn't happen very often now. I do make purchases from traders and would rather support a trader at a show than save a few pence by ordering stuff from the cheapest supplier online but I don't have much spare cash these days so my purchases are strictly limited.

 

I visit around 10 shows a year as a demonstrator, with a layout or as a visitor and it is enough for me. If another 100 shows appeared on the diary, it wouldn't make me go to any more as my exhibition needs are satisfied by what I do already. So I don't need or want any more shows appearing and I do not think that I am alone in this.

 

Tony

[PaulRhB]

Nobody won! Attendance was poor at EXPO EM too.

 

Tony

Well it might suggest then that it was just a busy weekend for lots of family events then. Certainly the two of us that went don't do EM north and didn't sacrifice another show in the South to go. How many of the RMweb crowd did 'Live' instead of another show?

Without lots of research that's not going to be worth doing we will never know why it was quiet for both events. If they fall on a weekend off I will do two shows if they look good as I don't tend to stay over even for a long distance.

[Huw Griffiths]

Oh dear, very disappointing there won't be an event in 2015 especially as I had a new project in the planning stage!

 

Whilst Peterborough is just about do-able from the Welsh Coast, I would struggle with Alexandra Palace and Doncaster even if I were to be invited to take the layout as it becomes more of a logistical nightmare.  A Warners/BRM event somewhere in the western Midlands would still be worthwhile holding as it is relatively accessible to a large population.

 

Similar thoughts here - a real shame - but that's life.

 

There have been lots of comments about the number of visitors at the Ricoh - and loads of suggestions about why there were less people there than might have been hoped for.

 

Personally, I suspect that the real reasons were down to clashes with other major events - and, possibly, also the fact that RMweb Live wasn't an established event. Let's face it - if given the choice between an established event that you were already thinking of attending - and a new one you know nothing about - a lot of the target audience would probably opt for the event they know.

 

Actually, this was a real shame - as RMweb Live was a superb event, with loads of excellent content. If it had been able to continue, it might also have acted as a springboard for future exhibitors - both layouts and demonstrators - who might have held back initially, to see how this year's show turned out and what was involved. I guess we'll never find out how many of these potential new demonstrators etc would actually have turned out to be any good - which is a shame, but also a commercial reality. That's life - no point getting stressed out over it.

 

 

I've always thought that the conference centre at University of West of England (UWE) is a good venue and good location, being walkable from Bristol Parkway and 5 mins from M4. Plenty of the usual hotel chains in the vicinity. Not sure if the GOG still have a trade show there.

 

... A lot of people have a lot of issues with the Bristol show but then judging by the footfall, a lot of people like it too.

 

I personally like the Ricoh - I like the place - I like the fact that it's accessible by public transport (an important consideration for those of us without cars) - I also like the people working there (very pleasant - with none of the officious nonsense found at certain venues I could think of).

 

If a suitable date could have been found, which didn't clash with other major events, I suspect that things might well be rather different. Well, they might - but this isn't going to happen.

 

 

As for the Bristol show, my main issue is the lack of public transport to the venue (Thornbury Leisure Centre). As I've commented already, I don't have a car - so, if I go there, I've got no choice but to use the (hourly) chartered bus to and from Bristol Parkway. This is a problem to me for 2 reasons - timewise, these buses don't tie in very well with trains to and from South Wales - also, I've found the trains to be prohibitively expensive to travel on. In other words, the Bristol show is a non-starter for me.

 

UWE is a slightly different proposition for me - well slightly - as a number of Sir Brian Souter's little blue coaches call there. Unfortunately, the timings of these coaches are less than ideal - with the first one back not being due until 10pm, or even later (with nowhere much to wait) - again, I'd really have no choice but to give this a miss.

 

 

So, on reflection, I can fully understand why this decision was taken - but it's still a shame.

 

 

Huw.

[Andy Y]

I also like the people working there (very pleasant - with none of the officious nonsense found at certain venues I could think of).

 

 

And at that point I'd like to give thanks again to the Leamington & Warwick MRS guys who did a fantastic job over the weekend combining with the venue's own staff. 'Commercial' shows aren't just about take, take, take - we're keen to see that the L&WMRS's own show in March gets plenty of exposure at the right time around these part; it's all part of what makes the hobby go around.

 

The Ricoh staff were great; even when banning me going for a wander with a beer back into the hall on the Friday evening but done with good grace and humour - more than I can say for the second member of NEC representation I met on the Friday, cut him in half and he'd have ****hole written right through him.

[The Stationmaster]

I don't think that anybody has said that the show wasn't any good.

 

Exhibiting at Manchester (EXPO North) prevented me from going but it also prevented a lot of specialist traders who may otherwise have attended. It also stopped a good few RMWebbers going as they had commitments at Manchester and I do know of a number of EM Modellers who were at Coventry who would normally have been at EXPO EM North.

 

You are very lucky if you are able to afford the time and the cost of visiting two shows at a weekend. I certainly couldn't and I am not sure if too many people would want to do it very often, if at all.

 

I have to say that nowadays I treat exhibitions as a social event, to meet up for a chat and a catch up with people I don't see other than in an exhibition hall. The vast majority of layouts I have seen several times and that special "wow" moment when I see a layout that is quite special for the first time just doesn't happen very often now. I do make purchases from traders and would rather support a trader at a show than save a few pence by ordering stuff from the cheapest supplier online but I don't have much spare cash these days so my purchases are strictly limited.

 

I visit around 10 shows a year as a demonstrator, with a layout or as a visitor and it is enough for me. If another 100 shows appeared on the diary, it wouldn't make me go to any more as my exhibition needs are satisfied by what I do already. So I don't need or want any more shows appearing and I do not think that I am alone in this.

 

Tony

Interesting points there Tony as I too tend to regard many shows as much as social events, in the way you describe,  as anything else and as it happens RMweb Live was excellent for that purpose - hence one of the reasons for my saying that it did exactly what it said on the tin

 

Similarly with traders - I like to do my best to support 'local' model shops (although one of mine is 'a day out' away) but I do buy at shows from concerns I don't otherwise see or whose products aren't otherwise widely available and I buy virtually nothing online as it happens.

 

Clearly our views on 'too many shows' are from different perspectives although I also visit about 10-12 shows per annum, mainly as a visitor.  Hence two on a very occasional weekend (especially if I can do at least one of them on the train) is no real problem although the latter part of the year does seem to result in Mrs Stationmaster asking 'are you going to a show this weekend?' and the two days occasioned by RMweb Live and Steam did result in a little frostiness for a day or two.  But then as I don't spend my evenings in pubs or Saturdays off to watch sporting events of any sort I reckon around a dozen days out per annum is hardly likely to break the 'pass out days' bank

[Sidecar Racer]

 

I've always thought that the conference centre at University of West of England (UWE) is a good venue and good location, being walkable from Bristol Parkway and 5 mins from M4. Plenty of the usual hotel chains in the vicinity. Not sure if the GOG still have a trade show there.

For me Wells is still the best thing in our part of the world, closely followed by a couple of the smaller club shows. A lot of people have a lot of issues with the Bristol show but then judging by the footfall, a lot of people like it too.

 

 

 

 While I do like Wells for it's content I just cant stand  the venue itself , it gets  to crowded and ends up with

people standing in the already limited aisles nattering , the maze of rooms and stairs are another cause of

annoyance , it might be okay for exhibitors but as a venue for a specialist show it just does not work for me .

 

 Bristol is a means to an end , good trade being one thing that makes me go , nice  to see some of the more

specialist trade closer to home .

[Andy Y]

the two days occasioned by RMweb Live and Steam did result in a little frostiness for a day or two.

 

Please do relay my condolences to Mrs Stationmaster for the couple of days absence; at least you can take it that she likes you taking up house room. Look on the bright side, it didn't cost you an arm and a leg at the Moat House to be sent to Coventry.

[t-b-g]

Although I know some who did both in the weekend I don't know of anyone who chose not to go to Urmston to go to Coventry instead. I did talk on the Monday morning to Derek to see if there was any impact and I still can't say that there was.

 

I am not so much thinking of paying punters deciding to go to Coventry instead of Manchester but I am thinking of people who were behind layouts and stands who would normally have been at EXPO EM. There were certainly a good number of people at Manchester who would have gone to Coventry if they hadn't been involved in exhibiting, myself included. There were a lot of RMWeb "usual suspects" knocking about (including the BCB team) who would have certainly gone to Coventry but couldn't make it.

 

I do know a little of what went on behind the scenes to minimise the impact and the efforts made were considerable (and appreciated) but it still doesn't really get around the problem of people wishing that they could be in two places at the same time!

 

Tony

[The Stationmaster]

Please do relay my condolences to Mrs Stationmaster for the couple of days absence; at least you can take it that she likes you taking up house room. Look on the bright side, it didn't cost you an arm and a leg at the Moat House to be sent to Coventry.

Such condolences should really be in respect of her 'lost' annual (she had come to think) few days in a nice hotel at Acton Trussell as a result of the Stafford event going the way of all good things.  No condolences need be offered to me on that account because while it was very nice there and the Stafford event was most enjoyable my Bank Manager has seemingly expressed considerable relief at our no longer partaking of several nights in the Moathouse establishment at Acton Trussell .

[2ManySpams]

Andy, if you're looking for a smaller venue then there's my local village hall, you know - the one not long enough to erect all of BCB (Ooops).

[Huw Griffiths]

And at that point I'd like to give thanks again to the Leamington & Warwick MRS guys who did a fantastic job over the weekend combining with the venue's own staff. 'Commercial' shows aren't just about take, take, take - we're keen to see that the L&WMRS's own show in March gets plenty of exposure at the right time around these part; it's all part of what makes the hobby go around.

 

The Ricoh staff were great; even when banning me going for a wander with a beer back into the hall on the Friday evening but done with good grace and humour - more than I can say for the second member of NEC representation I met on the Friday, cut him in half and he'd have ****hole written right through him.

 

I couldn't agree more.

 

A lot of people take venue staff - and volunteer stewards - for granted - which is something I don't particularly like.

 

I've got nothing but thanks for all the people - volunteer or otherwise - who really went out of their way to make RMweb Live the excellent event it was.

 

 

As for the NEC - well, what can I say? Over the years, I've encountered loads of people there - the vast majority of whom have been great.

 

Unfortunately, I've also encountered a small number of people who just grate - real "charmers" - who leave a nasty taste in the mouth - and give the decent majority a bad name.

 

I suspect that there might be a word missing from your "stick of rock" analogy - a word which none of us wish to see appearing on this site.

 

 

Huw.

 

[Andy Y]

Well if you will stay in them posh villages outside town Mike.

 

 

 (including the BCB team) who would have certainly gone to Coventry but couldn't make it.

 

Why do you think we did Coventry that weekend? I couldn't have coped with all their riders for pasties delivered by local virgins (try finding those in Coventry at six month's notice) on top of everything else.