Thread: Adelaide Show

Thanks Neil, Jim and Tim.

Like I inferred, I can appreciate the huge costs to the traders.

I love attending and spending my money at the Show and would hate to see them disappear. Because there is no Adelaide show this year, I have even been considering going to the Melbourne one - but the stuff I would want to buy wouldn't fit in my suitcase to bring home.

So any thoughts as to what can be done to save the Adelaide WWW Show?
(Neil, I find your rants very informative)

I would love to here some ideas to save it also, I made some sugestions to the organisers and I was basicly told to go away as I was not an exibiter so what I had to say had no bearing, so it seems the public who attened these shows are not important.

[QUOTE=seasidevicki;943453]
So any thoughts as to what can be done to save the Adelaide WWW Show?
QUOTE]

Join a club.

Promote your craft at every opportunity.

Encourage our young people to work with wood.

There are no quick fixes to the Adelaide show.

The July home show may feature a wood section.

Cheers

Tim

This thread needs a kick along.............
Adelaide really is a back water for novice woodies like me. No grass roots events like sharpening courses, tool sales, shed nights etc and now i read the shame of the adelaide WWW show but I’m not surprised.
The wayville showgrounds are not the place for woodies and the 22 odd $ is rank just to get in. In a past life I used to exhibit at the Adelaide motor show at the wayville showgrounds. The stall fees were astronomical back then about 10years ago and since it has got 2 new pavilions at millions$$ cost to recoup.
The format needs to down size and go low key across the whole event. I frequent a lot of car swapmeets here in SA and in Victoria. The bonus is I not only get to pick up car stuff I get to pick up the odd tool stuff aswell, old and new. A lot of tool guys and a growing number of retirees with old chippy tools go to these events too.
I reckon turn the Adelaide WWWShow into a swapmeet at an oval or sport venue or combine it with something like the 2 day Antique Fair at Strathalbyn.
Outdoor venues have worked for events like the 4X4 and outdoor shows in past aswell. my 2 cents
Cheers
Michael.

Micheal most displays need to be indoors for security and weather.

A smaller venue with lower costs would help, the building the show is in is usually only half full.

The venue would need good parking, food amenities and dry.

Originally Posted by Jim Carroll

Micheal most displays need to be indoors for security and weather.

A smaller venue with lower costs would help, the building the show is in is usually only half full.

The venue would need good parking, food amenities and dry.

I'm aware of that Jim, yep.
Take the Ballarat or Bendigo car swap for example like others all over have indoor sites with some even being in marquees. The rest is outdoors.
Problem is though i think the WWWshow's current format is not really catering to the average wood worker/enthusiast but more the carpenter/tradie going by the equipment on show. They have their own show - the tradesman's expo.
What i think the show needs is to shrink a bit to a more personable level and cater more for the DIYs, enthusiasts and craft types but strictly woodwork mind.

......thats 4 cents now.
cheers
michael.

Micheal I would have to disagree on the assumption that it is catered for tradies.

The vast majority of customers are woodies with very little trade back ground, they just love playing with wood. They may come from other trade back grounds and find woodworking a good pleasurable way of making things for them selves and others.

The venue has to be big enough for everyone to be under the one roof, no marquees as a good example last weekend the outdoor people got a good rinsing from the rain and you cant leave cardboard boxes on the floor as they get soaked.

You sound keen to get something going why dont you ring around and see if you can get a suitable venue then organise all the exhibitors and clubs , would make the people of SA very happy, have a chat with Prue from WA as she has developed a very good show over there in opposition to the then DMG group. Her costs are well down on what others charge.

It was never $22 to get in.

$10 was the going rate. Could have been a bit more at the 2008 show??

Cheers

Tim

As an Adelaidian, I am truely dissapointed that the WWW show is in the condition that it is having supported it as much as I could over the years, but, having read Neil's reply I can really feel for the exibitors and fully understand their position. By changing venue etc to lower overheads for the exibitors won't help with patronage, and unfortunatley that's how it is. To Neil and the other exibitors I can only say sorry for their lost earnings and wasted time. To the other South Australian woodworkers, as my old high school teacher used to say "you've no one to blame but yourselves".

Originally Posted by Bagmann

As an Adelaidian, I am truely dissapointed that the WWW show is in the condition that it is having supported it as much as I could over the years, but, having read Neil's reply I can really feel for the exibitors and fully understand their position. By changing venue etc to lower overheads for the exibitors won't help with patronage, and unfortunatley that's how it is. To Neil and the other exibitors I can only say sorry for their lost earnings and wasted time. To the other South Australian woodworkers, as my old high school teacher used to say "you've no one to blame but yourselves".

Just an idea for you guys.
Why don't you see if you can get enough forumites together over there to organize a bus load and make the trip to Melbourne WW show and stay say 2 days.The bus would have plenty of room for all your purchases underneath.
Make a weekend of it and go out to a show at night as well.Some bus companys will do all the work for you.Like accomadation etc You may also be able to get cheap bulk ticket deal