Thread: 2023 Canberra Timber Tools & Artisan show

If it is not advertised at Service Unavailable IT IS NOT ON.

We had the same issue with the Melbourne show where a whole lot of 'event' websites continued to list it long after it had been cancelled. I had confirmation from the organisers in the week leading up to the show that at that time - August - the only show going ahead was Brisbane and subsequently that was also cancelled.

While I think Phoenix Exhibitions (the organiser of the woodworking shows) could do better in communication, I don't think they are to blame for these false listings. These so-called event sites copy information about events so that when you search, they come up. Their only purpose is to attract your attention and sell you something. Not quite a scam, but certainly parasitic behaviour in my opinion.

Bruce

Bruce ,
Thanks for your input. I now think that the organisers, Phoenix Exhibitions may have shut down, gone broke! No indications on the web that I can find regarding cancellations of the events.

Originally Posted by bruceward51

While I think Phoenix Exhibitions (the organiser of the woodworking shows) could do better in communication, I don't think they are to blame for these false listings. These so-called event sites copy information about events so that when you search, they come up. Their only purpose is to attract your attention and sell you something. Not quite a scam, but certainly parasitic behaviour in my opinion.

There's a lot of parasitic behaviour on th einternet, Bruce, not just events.

There's business advertising as well. I shut my business down 18 years ago and stopped all advertising. Even now, there are sites advertising my old business, many of them did not even exist when my business was running. They are parasiting off of the other parasites.

I still have my old business phone number and occasionally I get a phone call demanding I pay the invoice they sent me for advertising - to my old business postal address. I just tell them that I will pay it when they can show me the paperwork where I authorised them to place the ad.

Originally Posted by Patonga

Bruce ,
Thanks for your input. I now think that the organisers, Phoenix Exhibitions may have shut down, gone broke! No indications on the web that I can find regarding cancellations of the events.

Yep - since I posted that link their website has gone west.

In a surprising twist, I saw a Facebook post from Phoenix this week to say the Canberra show was not on - but talking about a return. Seems like the are still ‘alive’ for now at least. I still don’t have much confidence the shows will ever return to their former quality.
Bruce

Originally Posted by bruceward51

In a surprising twist, I saw a Facebook post from Phoenix this week to say the Canberra show was not on - but talking about a return. Seems like the are still ‘alive’ for now at least. I still don’t have much confidence the shows will ever return to their former quality.

How often can "Phoenix" rise from the ashes?

The owners before Phoenix had no idea. They made a real mess of the shows.

When Phoenix took over there was a lot of hope and they started off very well, but Covid cripples them before they could get any momentum up.

I truly wish Phoenix well if they give it another go but I feel that anyone who tries would have to be prepared to take a loss for the first couple of years in hope of recouping the losses in future years. It's a business after all. They are doing it to make money. There are far better investments out there.

Personally Folks IMHO; The wood shows are dead and gone.
Even when we had the last one in Sydney a good few years ago it was a dud!

Originally Posted by crowie

Personally Folks IMHO; The wood shows are dead and gone.
Even when we had the last one in Sydney a good few years ago it was a dud!

Crowie,

Unfortunately I hated what you said, but unfortunately I think you could be right, it’s a shame for a lot of us it was probably the biggest day of the Wood working calendar, it certainly was for me.

Personally I think there is still a want an need, it’s just weather us as the public can get over our scepticism, if the same or a new show pops up.

Cheers Matt.

Yup seems to be dead and gone, recent conversations I’ve had sound that the Maleny woodshow is the place to be.

Missed this years but certainly will be making the trek up next year

Home - Maleny Wood Expo

Sounds like venue costs that the other wood shows were attempting to host it at have gone through the roof but Maleny is much more reasonable or affordable for everyone

That was a big part of the problem - big venues, high costs to exhibit. A lot of small specialised outfits would never make the cost back from sales, and then even bigger outlets started just offering discounts for web orders while the shows were on. A lot of people attending already knew what they wanted, and were just hoping for a better price at the show. Why go to all the trouble of shipping heaps of stock to show venue? I think events like Maleny are the way forward.