Thread: Brisbane 2016 ShowThread

Ah! I guess I only had eyes for the timber as I was going out, and I think I came back in via the other door...

Originally Posted by IanW

I guess Neil has expanded & put a dollar value on what I was trying to say.

The most lamentable change in my view is that there is very little happening now, other than retailing, and a good deal less of that, to boot. Once you could compare prices & abilities of 4 or 5 examples of whatever woodworking machine you were thinking of buying, now you'd be lucky to find more than one.

When the show first kicked off, there were all sorts of demonstrations, clubs exhibiting work & techniques, Frank Weisner making some fancy bit of furniture and so on. Your would-be woody was far more likely to get inspired and go buy some tools to make the retailers happy. So I can't see why it isn't a major aim of the organisers to try & provide that sort of atmosphere.

Spot on Ian. Good demos are what get me and plenty of others I know, through (or back through) the doors. These also flow on to sales. Plenty of times I head Richard Vaughan say "and you've gotta get yourself one of these xyz beauties. So and so is selling them here this weekend".

Neil's post highlights the massive costs and efforts involved in putting on a more seminar type show. Look, I'd love it, but also realistically know it can't happen in Australia with our minuscule woodworking population. But surely these organisers can arrange for more non-turning demos! This is stuff that you CAN'T get off the internet or walk into a shop and see every other day of the year. They bang on about how they have made improvements, but each year they come on here and say 'we've added seating and given you the forum space'. Well, every convention has seating, and it looks like they've only added it where exhibitors once stood. And I see the point of the forum stand, but its hardly a drawcard to Mr Hobby Woodworker or Mr Tradie to get them into the show.

I'll go with my toddler who loves his tools nearly as much as I do, in the hope that the hobby and practical work rubs off on him, and also in the hope that our $30 of admission prices helps.

There should be big thanks to a number of people. Firstly to Neil for continuing to dig into his pockets and finance the stand. I have to say that I personally miss the Ubeaut stand being there but I understand why it is not.

Secondly, thanks to IanW, who was there every day and co-ordinated the running of the show for us.

Thirdly, to all the Forum members who so graciously gave up their time and assisted on the stand. Although we had been allocated time slots, most just came and stayed. Occasionally, they would dash off to check out something they had just remembered, but they always came back. On the Saturday and Sunday there were nearly always a minimum of three people on the stand. We quickly learnt how to engage the punters in conversation, bounce back and forward between the Forum members particularly when an area of expertise was required and finally pop the question,

"Are you a Forum member?"

Performed in this way, nobody is put upon and nobody takes offence. In fact as we are not selling anything in the customary fashion (ie. asking for money) it is not something that is difficult. The factor that made it easier this year compared to previous years were the articles we had on display. The passers by stopped passing by and looked. We immediately had a point for discussion. The fact was that we on the stand got as least as much out of the discussions as the customers. I had two very enjoyable days, although I did come away with a slightly sore throat. I must develop my listening skills a little more .

Ian's thread turning demos stole the show for us. We had both intended to do some saw sharpening demos too, but the interest in the timber threads never waned so with only a single bench to hold the gear there was no point in stopping a winning theme. Maybe some more holding devices for next year.

I was glad that the threading got such a good reception as although I had put in my toolbox of sharpening gear, I neglected to include by magnifier headband. Saw sharpening for me was not going to happen! A severe oversight on my part. I will have to consult my list next time.

On the subject of demonstrations, I think a lot depends on what you want to achieve by being at the show and this ultimately brings us around to the success too.

I think it is quite clear, from observing visitors that when a stand had a demonstration going they crowded around. Visitors wanted to know how to do things. The Ubeaut stand in the past has benefited hugely from this. I saw the Howard Products stand enjoying similar patronage. The Bote cote stand is normally deserted, but this year he did some demos. They flocked to it.

When we are talking expense, it is not limited to the cost of the stand. I was most interested in the Timbercon stand being there again. I had assumed they just did it for awareness, but one of the owners was explaining that they see a surge in business directly following the show. The point of mentioning Timbercon, is that they have a huge expense in attending the eastern shows. It does not end with the cost of the stand.They have accommodation costs, meal costs and transportation costs. Most exhibitors have at least some of this. It does not begin and end with the cost of the stand.

Based on our experience in Brisbane, I would encourage Forum members at other exhibitions where we exhibit to run some demos and certainly have plenty on display. It makes life easy.

Lastly, I derived tremendous enjoyment from meeting up with old friends and meeting new like-minded friends. It was wonderful.

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

There should be big thanks to a number of people. Firstly to Neil for continuing to dig into his pockets and finance the stand. I have to say that I personally miss the Ubeaut stand being there but I understand why it is not.

First
I need to clear up common misconception. The forum stand is NOT paid for by me, or U-Beaut or the forums.

The Forum Stand, is most generously given to the Forums free of charge by the show organizers Impressive Exhibitions. including the space the walls and the power.

I did forget to thank them with my earlier thank you all post. So....

THANK YOU IMPRESSIVE EXHIBITION Your donation of the stand for the forums is, as always most gratefully appreciated by all.

In the past I have supplied the tea and coffee at my expense but the exorbitant price and poor servicing of it led me to stop as it would have been cheaper to just put $600 on the table for members to go buy their own from the food vendor trucks out in the wood yard. Probably would have had change left over and still saved on the cost the venues put on the service. Note I said the venue not the organizers.

Second
Believe you me the U-Beaut Stand misses being there. We would love to be still doing the shows but for us it just isn't feasible any more even if we got the stand, accommodation, meals and transport for free it still wouldn't be feasible. We need to do them and similar to help get new users of our products but doing it at a loss of money and time just doesn't work. Eventually you need to say stop.

Finally
If the show was supposed to be so small, I can't believe that people couldn't find the forum stand and not just one but a few I even had 4 exhibitors say that it wasn't there.

How on earth can anyone possibly not see this:


or this:



or this:



Maybe it was because it was an open stand without the big lounge area and the smell of coffee, etc or just too many people milling around the stand in interest that people couldn't see it.

Very strange.... But then again after 25 years and around 80 odd shows we often used to have people say: "why weren't you at the show. We looked for you and couldn't find you." They must have been having a blokey look and not a mummy look because out bright and colourful stand with 5 mtre high banners above it really stood out among the rest.

Bottom line
Back in 1989 when the first show was held in Melbourne, there was no late-night trading, no shops (or very few) open after midday on Saturday, no internet, almost no mobile phone, no social media (facebook and the likes) no Woodwork Forums and no where you could go to see all sorts of tools and machines and demonstrations and an exhibition of fine woodwork all in one place and for 4 days and nights in a row from 10:00am to 10:00pm.

Comparing what the shows were before and what they are now is once again like comparing apples with oranges. They are both different and often appeal to different tastes although together they are something that almost everyone wants.

Thin I'll close on that slightly Zen Buddhist Confuciust Guruish deep and meaningful note.

Cheers - Neil

Ahem..

So a fourth thank you or perhaps that should rightly have been the first thank you to Impressive Exhibitions. It is appreciated. Thanks Neil for setting the record straight.

Regards
Paul

Just as a side issue, with a question for Neil please...

With only 3 weeks to go to the Sydney Show, is the forum stand going up there please and if so, is Christos running the volunteer rooster again, thank you...cheers, crowie

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Ahem..

So a fourth thank you or perhaps that should rightly have been the first thank you to Impressive Exhibitions. It is appreciated. Thanks Neil for setting the record straight.

Regards
Paul

Yairs, I thought Ubeaut had to cough up for the booth space. So it's just as well I kept my mouth shut when the man was giving me an earful about how much it was costing them when I asked for a bit more wall. I now understand his position a bit better. He could have put his case a bit more gently, I thought, but it was getting along in the day, & he'd no doubt had a few other problems to fix.

So the fact that we are simply 'guests' puts things in a different light for me. We are in pretty much the same position as the clubs were, when I was going there as a member of the Woodcraftsmens Guild. I think we can make a good case for ourselves by giving them value for their support, so in that light, we should certainly try to make our booth as appealing & as interesting as we can. Under the somewhat hurried circumstances, I reckon we did pretty well this year, but if they give Neil (& therefore us!) a bit more lead-time, I reckon we could do an even better effort next time...

Cheers,

How about a question form someone waiting for the Melbourne show? Were there second hand tools for sale?