railtec-models Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 From a trader's perspective, our experience of the DEMU show was extremely positive and therefore it's very highly likely that we will attend and support further DEMU shows - and this is not something we say lightly. Luckily there seems to be a demand for an established transfer manufacturer, so we get asked to do every show under the sun but it's regrettably neither practical nor viable to consider many of those. It's a testament to the professionalism of Guy, Tom et al that we've come away with such a desire to continue support. We hadn't knowingly had many dealings with any of the DEMU staff prior to this weekend, but it's certianly a thumbs up from us. Did we think the 2 site split worked? Yes. In an ideal world the two venues would have been closer together, but that's a non-moveable. Having visited both sites we felt very fortunate to have been positioned in the marquee: a spacious, modern, pleasant, light environment, aided by the fact that many people seemed to come there first to make use of the available/free parking. Unlike other shows the generous space also meant that queueing at the stand didn't block the aisles! It was great to see so many familiar faces as well as put other faces to names for the first time (and Andy Y thanks for stopping by; we hope you like your new purchase!). Now we've just got the lengthy task of replenishing many more product lines than we could have hoped for. It came as some surprise that there was also a healthy demand for pre-grouping and early/late crest as well as the more recent fodder of Northern Belle, DRS, West Coast, ScotRail transfers etc which admittedly still had very strong interest and cleared us out on some lines! As for the popular debate of ticket prices, it seems to be the classic case of "you'll never please everyone all the time". At the end of the day the numbers have to stack up and there will be less obvious costs such as liability insurance and other organisation costs all of which have to be taken into account. I think we're lucky to have good folks who have the passion and take the time to organise all the moving parts and make events like these a reality. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gridwatcher Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Thanks to all who came and chatted to us on Hazelbank over the course of the weekend. I think the admission charge is a steal to see a lot of the country's top diesel era layouts in one place (or two!!) at one time. Trade support was excellent. The organisation and catering was spot on from a exhibitors point of view and despite the M6's best efforts on Friday we are not deterred from coming back with the SDEG crew if we are asked again?! Caught up with a lot of mates and RMWebbers too and made a considerable donation to the ongoing success of the Burton Bridge Brewery too!! Thanks again Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyram Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 From the 2014 DEMU showcase thread My bold. Hi Andy, Not offended at all. Sorry to quote you from last year, but yes, you did miss a cracking show and far better value than watching 22 grown men (supposedly) kicking a bag full of air around a bit of grass for 90 minutes other pastimes are available). Cheers, Mick p.s. if you really want to see a bunch of blokes whinging about the price of stuff, then try cycling. They will resist any parking charges and insist that it's a God given right to watch cycle events for free. Yes I did mention price last year as I compare prices to size of the show. Spent over a tenner by the time I got through door last year for a show that was smaller than other larger events which cost much less. That is always my point when mentioning value for money at a show. Other events such as football matches, concerts etc are different and have a different pricing structure. Whilst those who make this comparison make a fair point. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium 70000 Britannia Posted June 1, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 1, 2015 grahame ... Opinions/facts? Excluding Warley, just think for a minute; consider, e.g., Perth, SECC, York, Wigan and many other large GB exhibitions (containing good quality layouts) - how many of them exceed £10? I think you will find opinion translates very closely to fact. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold beast66606 Posted June 1, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 1, 2015 Can we move on from debating the price guys ? - you either pay the admission or you don't - simples. One of the best "complaints" I heard at Wigan was "I shouldn't pay anything, never mind £10, I live in Wigan and pay my Council tax and this is a council building, therefore I should get in free" As Jim said we had a few problems on Widnes - several points failures, all rectified but annoying none the less. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Enterprisingwestern Posted June 1, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 1, 2015 The concern over entry fee is b*ll*cks, In simplistic terms, if Showcase had the footfall of Stafford/Wigan/York etc then the cost would be less. See sense and get over it. Guy and Mike (and others) did a cracking job. Mike. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyram Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Can we move on from debating the price guys ? - you either pay the admission or you don't - simples. One of the best "complaints" I heard at Wigan was "I shouldn't pay anything, never mind £10, I live in Wigan and pay my Council tax and this is a council building, therefore I should get in free" As Jim said we had a few problems on Widnes - several points failures, all rectified but annoying none the less. Incidentally my rating was relating to the Wigan story. Sorry to hear you had problems on the layout glad you got them sorted. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lyneux Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Let's get the dull bit out of the way first: To Andy and others: as the show manager, the simple answer is: it cost £12 because that's how much it costs to put on a show given the numbers we predicted to come through the doors. Getting big layouts to the midlands from Scotland, Kent etc isn't cheap. We have a high layouts to traders ratio compared to some more commercial shows and we'd like to keep it that way. I'd rather a bit of moaning on here and you not come to the show than seeing the society that I belong to fail due to our financial mismanagement of the show. To the rest: thank you for coming to the show and it sounds as if you enjoyed it at least as much as Mike and I did! We are touched by many of the kind comments. As a national society, Showcase is primarily a chance for all of the members of the society to come together, relax, chat and celebrate D&E modelling. I'm proud to be associated with the show and certainly this year exceeded my (very high) expectations! I'm looking forward to next year already... Guy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted June 1, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 1, 2015 As Jim said we had a few problems on Widnes - several points failures, all rectified but annoying none the less.Yeah I had that at my new layouts first show and it drove me nuts so I had a paddy and replaced them! You'll have to add the Faller car system to your computer control Dave and have a NR van or two turn up at the access gate to keep the action going It goes to show though that an unusual failure can bring even the busiest layouts to a stop for a bit. It's nice to go to a show and leave thinking every single layout was worth seeing and not often you can say that. We spent £20 on fuel each plus entrance fee, chilli and chips, some indiscriminate wallet bashing on various stands and a lot of good chats with friends and layout owners and had a damn good day out Thanks to all the exhibitors and organisers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteScR Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 One of the major events of the weekend for me was the members get together in the evening at the "BBQ" at the brewery centre. As you looked around the room it was a Who's Who of D&E modelling and it was great to celebrate the 21st Anniversary of DEMU in such great company. I never heard anyone complain about the entry cost, because those who were there all realised they were getting excellent value for money. DEMU Showcase was primarily a vehicle for the members to get together and socialise. That tradition is upheld but the event as a whole is now appealing to the masses. As Nobby said, interest in DEMU hit a record level for renewals and new membership take up. This means that for many it was not only was it worth £12, it was also worth shelling out another £21 to be part of the D&E Modellers Society. Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold tarifa Posted June 1, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 1, 2015 grahame ... Opinions/facts? Excluding Warley, just think for a minute; consider, e.g., Perth, SECC, York, Wigan and many other large GB exhibitions (containing good quality layouts) - how many of them exceed £10? I think you will find opinion translates very closely to fact. I feel sure that those who complaine about the £12 entrance fee knew this was the case before they left home and the ticket was valid for 2 days, not many shows do that. There was also a free bus for the punters to ferrying between venues. What other show gives the pinter punter a choice of 4 bars and an excellent resturant. Its a real bonus to visit a show where there are more layouts than box shifting/traders. And the selected traders were specificic to diesel modelling not just stuffed in the halls to generate funds for DEMU. Then there was the layout selection, probably the best selection of diesel layouts seen under one roof for a long time. I was particularly taken with Calcutta Sidings 2 and Widenshaw but not necessarily in that order, there were many more layouts of great quality too many to list. For me the show was VFM. Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Revolution Mike Posted June 1, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 1, 2015 I wrote a much lengthier post last night when I got back and promptly fell asleep before posting it (my cat then helpfully turned off my laptop - doh!). Thanks for all the kind comments - they are much appreciated by Guy and myself and the rest of the exhibition team that helped us so much. All the exhibitors (some of them came despite very busy exhibition schedules), demoers and traders that helped us put on the show also receive our very grateful thanks for agreeing to come along to the show and helping us make it what it was. Pricing - as the person who came up with the pricing, I'm happy to explain/defend our prices. As Guy mentioned we had to take a large risk on a second site plus free transport between them, plus we would rather invite the best D&E layouts from (literally) all across the country than scrimp and save by only inviting "local" layouts. So we end up trying to charge a reasonable amount to cover our costs (not make vast surpluses). We are not trying to compete with other shows as our aims are not the same - DEMU's Showcase exhibition is a (or perhaps the only) exhibition dedicated solely to D&E modelling and we want to show off the best that there is. We are not making the same offering as say a local show or even the excellent shows in Stafford or Derby. For D&E fans we are offering a concentrated dose of D&E modelling and traders that might not be available elsewhere. As for the weekend tickets - the gentleman who commented that they didn't really work for those who lived beyond a certain distance definitely has a point. We decided to make the tickets valid for the whole weekend in recognition of two things: that the entrance price was higher than normal; and that there was much more to see than normal. We made the announcement here (and other sites) that tickets would be valid for the whole weekend and it was printed on the ticket that it was valid all weekend. We were very conscious that the price might put a few people off and for that we can only offer the explanation that we have given ie it costs at least that much to put such a show on! We hope that the vast majority of people who came thought it was worthwhile. Thanks once again! Cheers, Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahame Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 grahame ... Opinions/facts? Excluding Warley, just think for a minute; consider, e.g., Perth, SECC, York, Wigan and many other large GB exhibitions (containing good quality layouts) - how many of them exceed £10? I think you will find opinion translates very closely to fact. Sorry but wrong again. The leading price doesn't mean it is excessive. You have given an opinion. Many have stated they didn't find the price excessive. A fact would be speaking for them and you obviously aren't. G Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WOMBATTY Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 A big thank you to Mike Guy and all the showcase team. It was a pleasure to be part of a special weekend...Looking forward to next year. Alan and Maggie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Radford Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Great show. Best layout - Hazelbank. I'm not usually a fan of DCC sound but this layout used it very well. The down side was the state of Burton's roads - the suspension on the Routemaster took a hell of a battering!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted June 1, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 1, 2015 Looks like it was a success though so quite a few of us did think it was worth it, I can understand the people who couldn't justify the cost especially if having to drag round uninterested partners or kids though. I guess a lot of the cost is the venue and paying for all the exhibitors as there were some big layouts with a few helpers and the location meant a lot of us could get there as it's pretty accessible from all directions. I was lucky and could afford it so did feel I got value rather than ploughing round tons of box shifters there to prop up the finances. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted June 1, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 1, 2015 - the suspension on the Routemaster took a hell of a battering!! so did us travelling on it evidently the rmf is longer too according to the 'expert' on our trip Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bigbee Line Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Cracking show. The trip between the venues was a bonus. There was a bonus plus with the museum. Can't pick a best layout. Was fun to see operators trying to shunt and hold a conversation with the audience, then witness the inevitable derailment. I know that feeling. A big well done to all concerned. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium CloggyDog Posted June 1, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 1, 2015 A cracking weekend!Especially the social aspect of it, catching up with friends old and new over a beer or three. That's what makes DEMU special for me.Top marks to Mike and Guy for putting on a damn fine Showcase and dealing smoothly with all the little (and not so little) niggly nonsense from some exhibitors over the weekend.Wibdenshaw always great to see and very much enjoyed the eclectic selection of well-modelled stock on Hazelbank.The twin-venue approach meant that neither venue was crush-loaded, there was space to see everything properly and without being barged out of the way.Staffing the front door at the TH both mornings, there was a steady stream of punters each morning (though it was noticable when a train arrived and every bus arrival brought a rush of ticket-waving visitors). We (Mark L, Chris I and I) cleared close on 500 admissions before 1pm on Saturday. Only had 2 or 3 folk say the price was too high and leaving. Lots of positive comment and feedback heard.AGM painless and quick, congrats to the new vict volunteers elected to committee and thank you to the outgoing committee members for their hard work.I can only echo what a number of people said during and after the weekend, I am proud to be a DEMU member and Showcase 2015 only reinforced that pride. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonhall Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 I really enjoyed demoing the plotter cutter over the weekend, it's unfortunate that it all couldn't be accommodated all on one site, but Burton is pretty convenient for most in the UK. If you talked to me about Transfesa flat wagons please can you remind me, I can't remember who I had that conversation with! Jon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 ....One of the best "complaints" I heard at Wigan was "I shouldn't pay anything, never mind £10...... Sounds like someone who is reluctant to pay for anything and wants everything free. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judge Dread Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Sounds like someone who is reluctant to pay for anything and wants everything free. Could also be a Yorkshire person then? "How Much!!" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf27 Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Some of the lovely train sets from the weekend! Apologies for Wibdenshaw being cut short, that's a problem with my editing software that I can't understand! Cheers Shane Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johndon Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 (And I still managed to miss Tonbridge W Yard and Widnes Vine Yard . Was there some other room in the Town Hall hidden by a labyrinth?) They were in a room off to the right of the entrance - I completely missed them as well during my first stint at the town hall and only spotted them when I looked at the show guide when I was trying to find where the Scalefour Society stand was... John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johndon Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 disappointed with Calcutta Sidings as I never really saw a proper length train running despite many visits back to see it, mainly light engine movements. And yet for the hour plus over the day I spent in front of it, I never saw a light engine movement, just long trains... John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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