No Ally Pally in 2012

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi all,

As the title says, there will not be a show at Ally Pally in 2012.

There will possibly be one in 2013.

Thanks,
Neil

 

[Blister]

Not surprised at all

its been in decline for a few years now

and much better shows are available :wink:

 

[Waka]

Neil

Thanks for the info, it's a shame to see shows declining.

 

[Bluekingfisher]

I was just about to ask about next years show at Ally Pally, question now answered.

I did not go last yeat but the 3 or 4 prior to that, each year showed an obviour reduction in the nimber of stands. The last one (2 years ago) there was less than half the floor space covered with stall than the previous year.

I guess the merchants just don't feel it is financially worth their while now??

So where are these better shows then please?? :ho2

 

[Paul Chapman]

Pity there will be no Ally Pally show in 2012 The 2011 show was a vast improvement over the recent past few years and was really quite good.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Terry Smart]

A show was held in Maidstone, Kent last year, the South East Woodworking Show, and will be held again this year. The dates have been moved to the same dates as Ally Pally would have been, hopefully this will become a replacement for it.

http://www.nelton.co.uk/south-east-wood ... -2012.html

I seeriously doubt that the Ally Pally show will ever return...

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Terry,

I seriously doubt that the Ally Pally show will ever return...

Thanks for your thoughts.

The Maidstone show is on our show calendar, I didn't realise that it was viewed as a replacement to Ally Pally.

Thanks,
Neil

 

[Harbo]

Not quite the same centralish location too?

Rod

 

[Terry Smart]

I have to say, Ally Pally wasn't exactly central and was, in my opinion, a nightmare to get to! I pitied anyone having to walk up that hill from the train (yes, there were buses laid on but I'm not sure how good they were).
Driving into/through London on a Friday is a problem, and engineering works and reduced services at the weekend made public transport awkward too.
From an exhibitor's point of view, Ally Pally left a lot to be desired. Loading and unloading were always chaotic, there was never enough access to the hall, you couldn't normally get your van near enough to the stand, and finding reasonably priced accomodation in the area was nigh-on impossible.
I always said, Alexandra Palace is a beautiful, historic building with a fantastic position for views across London...but as an exhibition venue it left much to be desired.

 

[Bluekingfisher]

I would have to agree Terry, I work in London but still found it a right n royal pain to get to. The 2Hill of Death" filled me with dread each time I stepped off the train. With the walk (Climb) to the Pally being so exposed I was caught out once with the rain, drenched right through nowhere to shelter,, not exactly in the right frame of mind for spending cash by the time I got to the top.

Why I ask then is/was the show not exhibited in a more central location in the country? I would have thought it, better for transport, easier access for exhibitors, less expensive for accomodation and no doubt less rental space fees?

I'm not sure Maidstone in Kent will be any greater a success, unless of course it is felt the majority of UK woodworkers live in the South East. I for one won't be negotiating the M25 to get there.

 

[Lowlife]

Definitely not the easiest place to get to, even when you live in the London area. We used to hold the Model Engineer Exhibition there back in the 90s, and it was a chore even with an exhibitor's pass to get you a parking space at the top of the hill and early entry!

So are there any other good woodworking shows within an hour or so of London, that are not just a shopping opportunity?

 

[Terry Smart]

Why I ask then is/was the show not exhibited in a more central location in the country? I would have thought it, better for transport, easier access for exhibitors, less expensive for accomodation and no doubt less rental space fees?

I'm not sure Maidstone in Kent will be any greater a success, unless of course it is felt the majority of UK woodworkers live in the South East. I for one won't be negotiating the M25 to get there.

I think habit/history is much of the answer. There have been shows in the Midlands but lack of support from the trade, organisers and visitors (not necessarily in that order) has killed them off, certainly for the time being. Exhibitions are expensive things to take part in for all concerned and if the costings were carried out properly and every expense (seen and unseen) taken into account very few stand holders would walk away with a profit. For most, us included, it's important advertising and the value of sales generated during the year are important - or at least we hope so as we have no way of really knowing.

The Maidstone show has much better access than Ally Pally, albeit a bit further south - although in some ways that's a bonus if you can avoid London. Costs are less certainly, but visitor numbers are also lower; we support such things as we hope they will grow and this is a real chicken and egg situation.

To answer another point, I think there is perhaps an argument for having shows that are more like seminars with no shopping opportunities at all and then exhibitions where manufacturers show off their goods and visitors can look, touch and ask as many questions as they want. The former would be more expensive without trade 'sponsorship' but might meet the needs of some...

 

[Harbo]

The ME Show is still held there - next one towards the end of January.

Rod

 

[Bluekingfisher]

Personally for me, the shopping aspect is preferable, although I am not sure how much in the way of sales is conducted overall and if it makes the exhibitor time and effort worthwhile. Perhaps some of the smaller stalls selling accessories and gadgets do some business but whether or not the large brand names do so well I couldn't be so sure. Spending £300 - £400 quid on a drill or mitre saw may be too much for most of us?

I have to say I have to say I believe I have bought more than my fair share of stuff which I would not otherwise have bought had I not gone to the show. I reckon over the 5 or 6 years £3 -4k, perhaps not a great deal in the scheme of things but as a hobby woodworker I believe I have done my little bit to ensure the shows continuance.

 

[Blister]

How far would you travel to a show ?

Me, I would up to about 50 miles whit the cost of fuel as it it at the moment long distances cost a fortune in travel :evil:

So the only 2 for me will be the Kent one and Cressing :lol:

 

[Lowlife]

If a show was any good I'd be happy to drive an hour, maybe two, which could be anything up to 100 miles or so if it was straight down the motorway, during the summer I drive to several events at a similar distance or more. 100 motorway miles is only a couple of gallons of diesel which isn't too bad, especially if you're car sharing, it could be a lot more though if the route is less direct.

But the show has to be good, and to me that means more than just a bunch of trade stands which is not what I think of as a "show", it's just a big temporary shopping mall.

The ME Show is still held there - next one towards the end of January

It's not what it used to be though, the old Seymour Hall show used to be really good, with a mix of trade stands, clubs, and demos (RTP flying above the ground floor stalls by Harry Butler, boats in the adjoining swimming pool filling it with choking diesel fumes!). It wasn't too bad at the Wembley Conference Centre either, although the number of rooms was confusing and we always left with a nagging feeling that we'd missed a whole section!

For several years I did indoor demo flying at Ally Pally and Olympia, but that all went with the organisers need to make ever greater profits, free stands for non-profit making clubs and societies became a thing of the past and the big trade stands took over, and that's where I lost interest in the MEE, as did most other modellers I know.

 

[dickm]

Huh,only travel for an hour??? If you live beyond Aberdeen, everything is 2 hours away at least .

Also wonder about you guys complaining about the walk from the station up to AP - I used to work there intermittently, and the walk was a good way to get some fresh air before/wind down after work

 

[Mike Wingate]

I have been willing to travel in the past. I bought my Hegner saw at a show in Bristol. Regularly go to Harrogate, went last month. I went to Wembly, Ally Pally and a local one at Belle Vue, Manchester.

 

[Doug B]

I only went to the Ally pally once about 5 years ago, my abiding memory was the 2 hour traffic jam getting from the venue to the motorway, it didn`t take that long to get home once on the motorway :shock: That`s why i never went again.

As for the distance I`d travel for a show, i once did a 420 mile round trip to Yandles show :? worth it to get my first Philly plane

Cheers.

 

[Bluekingfisher]

Yes , I think 50 miles would be about the same for me, 100 mile round trip would be about 20 quid for me in fuel.

Where is Cressing? and when is it on. I am just North of Cambridge so it would have to be just South of London, unless it is near a good shopping outlet where I could make a weekend of it and let SWMBO loose in the shops.

Oh god ,loose in the shops, maybe not such a good idea #-o