SECC Show this weekend

[judder]

Anyone going ? Me and Yotasurf will be there on Friday looking for bargains

 

[desmoengine]

hi there judder
yep ive penned fiday in my diary to give the plastic a bashing (may-be , if swmbo doesnt find out)

dave w

 

[Drew]

It was on my list. But I cannot walk the distance from the car park into the hall now. So I've had to kick it into touch, but there's always next year

Drew

 

[judder]

Going Bessey hunting myself, Yotasurf's after a Tormek what are you after Dave ?. Drew - what's up ?

Stephen

 

[yotasurf]

yip tormek for me if the price is right,

they'll have to beat rutlands though( inc free tormek apron) I'll look a right jessy in one of those.

cheers yota

 

[judder]

I'll look a right jessy in one of those

:lol:

You can have my B+Q cap to match

How much will you pay me to walk round the show wearing it ?
:lol:

 

[Drew]

Hi Judder
I don't rightly know, one doctor says gout in feet, legs, shoulders and hands another says not in the legs and I'm starting physio to stretch the tendons/ligaments in my right leg. Basically there's not a pound of me hanging the right way :lol: but one way and another I'm hopeful I'll be out and about before the year is out (fingers crossed) and fling the stick as far as I can throw it.

I see by one of your posts you got a 14"SIP at the West Skelton show, good bits of kit aren't they. I got my morticer there about half price.

All the best

Drew

Enjoy the show

 

[yotasurf]

judder, £30 if you wear it all day.

it'll be a lonely day for you though, cause i aint walking about a show with some tosspot wearing a b&q hat

drew, wonder if thats the same mortiser that i bought at that show, draper i think, as you say it was about half price.

cheers yota

 

[Drew]

Yota that's the same one. too good an opportunity to miss

all the best

Drew

 

[judder]

mmm £30

 

[judder]

Well Im just back and .......HUGELY DISSAPOINTED !!

The tool stalls were selling gear at higher prices than mail order. EG

Tormek 1206 Rutlands £159 - Show £179
Bessey k body clamps (600) D+M £27.60 Show - £27.95
Trend T11 D+M £239 Show £260
DW 625Ek D+M £209 Show £220

Might not be a lot but add £6.50 entry and £3.50 Parking , I'll not be back and I heard others say the same.

Just thought the point of shows was to get "show specials" not to be ripped off. Rant over.

Stephen

 

[Terry Smart]

Maybe I shouldn't get involved in this one, it's just the phrase 'ripped off' that I can't ignore...

No, the point of shows surely is to be entertained and to have the opportunity to have a see, handle and even use the items you are looking for, all under one roof with the possibility of finding something even more useful that you hadn't seen before.

Of course mail order can be cheaper - storing loads of products in a warehouse somewhere (if stocks are held at all) is cheaper than lugging them up to an exhibition stand you've paid a small fortune for with the knowledge that you may have to take some of them back anyway because it's impossible to guess beforehand what will and what won't sell.

If you get a bargain, great, but to my mind that is not the point of shows.

 

[judder]

The show at WSS must've spoilt me Free parking, free entry, great bargains, free coffee - need I go on - I even won the raffle

 

[yotasurf]

agree with the two of you,

it is good to see the tools in the flesh and be able to compare them.

however, as you say judder, by the time you pay for your ticket, parking and travel its not long in adding up.

the least they can do is come and go a bit on the price of thing, but there was none of that yesterday, the price you see is the price you pay. not for me thanks, i'll go home and order on tinterweb and save a few quid.

for me the show was disappointing. be interested to see how others find it over the course of the weekend.

cheers yota

 

[judder]

bought a £3 chisel handle and a £2.50 router mat at the show. Came home and ordered £300 worth of stuff from the web I was hoping to get at the show.

Stephen

 

[Terry Smart]

however, as you say judder, by the time you pay for your ticket, parking and travel its not long in adding up.

At the risk of stating the obvious...

The exhibitors don't get any of the money you are referring to; travel is obvious, the SECC get the parking (no cut to the exhibitor) and the entrance fee goes to the organiser (nothing at all for the exhibitor).

Plus, whatever your costs were in getting there, you can probably multiply that by at least ten for most of the exhibitors, who have travelled great distances, paid a small fortune for the stand, have staff costs, accommodation costs... and probably even have to pay to use the car park!

I'm sorry you were disappointed with the show, but bear in mind there are two sides to this!

 

[yotasurf]

but at the same time they must say competitive.

which they wer'nt.

i wonder if all the people who were buying gear did not do there homework, and ended up paying over the odds?

cheers yota

 

[mrbmcg]

I have to say I see both points of view here, but in the main I agree with Terry in the respect that if the punters stop going to the shows then so will the exhibitors. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I first became interested in woodworking about 4 years ago and went to the Ally Pally show and the Scottish show that year. I went to the Ally Pally one the following year too and saw quite a marked decline in exhibitors and those still there definitely seemed to be downsizing and have less demonstrations too.

The Scottish show I have been to every year since (apart from this as I forgot - first child came this year and I now forget everything that isn't related to him as the old brain only stores important info now :wink: ) and the same applies. My local store (Kelvin Power Tools) didn't exhibit last year nor this and talking to them they say it just isn't worthwhile. The costs are prohibitive and most buyers are internet savvy when it used to be the exception rather than the rule.

The internet has hit many potential exhibitors badly I think. In the future I think these shows will cease to exist and few of us will get to see tools demonstrated or even have a go ourselves.

As an aside I think lots of people can't see past price (and I am guilty of this too) but what is going to happen when the Chinese start to charge sensible prices for their labour? (its already starting to happen in the electronic manufacturing industry). We will be left with no native manufacturers, no shows, and no bargains. Call me an old cynic but its as clear as day to me that this is what is going to happen in the next decade or so.

 

[GrahamC]

It was my first time at this show, or any WW show for that matter and I was disapointed at the level of exhibitors and nearly all the guys on the stalls I spoke to were saying it was poor compared to previous years.

In saying that however I got a good deal on the Mafell P/T, a decent deal on Record dust extractor and a chance to pick up and play with many things only otherwise seen in catalogues.

I have a huge amount of sympathy for many traditional retailers trying to compete with Internet sheds and I will always happily pay a little bit over the odds for the benefit of walking into a local tool store and actually having a conversation with the knowledgable and enthusiastic staff (Engineering Agencies in Dunfermline, Fife in my case).

 

[Neomorph]

The internet has hit many potential exhibitors badly I think. In the future I think these shows will cease to exist and few of us will get to see tools demonstrated or even have a go ourselves.

I wonder if in the future when they finally get VR running if we don't get virtual shows over the net. Mind you the early VR kit we saw made us think that VR was going to improve but instead it just vanished into thin air. Makes you wonder just how long it's going to take to bring it back into the spotlight again.

Could you just imagine it.. using VR to test tools building virtual woodwork projects?