Thread: Adelaide Show

Originally Posted by Tonto

Does not appear we'll have a wood show this year in Adelaide can this be confirmed please I want to spend some $$$$$$$$$$

2010, for the next one, you'll have to wait!!

Why does Adelaide miss out this year??

Reorganisation or something rather.

Not happy at all! And I have sent the organisers an email saying so. Perhaps more South Australians should let them know we don't like missing out.

In previous years, the shows where around my birth date - so it was an excellent time to pick up my present.

Not the organisers fault it is the lack of attendance by the locals that has caused this problem.

If you dont support the show the traders will not come.

The orginisers lost a heap of dough in Adelaide last year.

What Jim said is spot on. If there is not enough support from the locals the traders won't come.

It costs many thousands of dollars for the likes of Jim to travel, pay accomodation and stand fees. Not to mention the week it takes out of his and Irene's life.

Then all the woodies complain it's too much to get in, the parking is too expensive, ect ect.

The pre show talk on this and other forums goes along the lines of "How much can we screw the dealers for".

Get real people.

If there is no local support, the orginisers don't make a profit, the dealers don't make a profit. This means there be no future show.

That being the facts of the matter, there is a worldwide trend of wood show numbers falling off.

I think the future lies in smaller regional shows.

That's my 2 cents worth.

Then there is the other side where patrons don't get what they pay for, organisers trying to fit too much in too short a time, resulting one not being able to view items because of over crowding, anyone who attended the last show will know what I mean

I've been going to these shows for the last few years and they always seem to be packed with people/buyers, but have notice there is a reduction in vendors/stallholders in the last 2-3 years.

Last year's show was a big waste of time, with just a handfull of stallholders there. It cost me $22 just to walk in thru the door ($10 park, $12 entry) + $4.50 coffees!

I caught up with a friend who was a regular stallholder in past woodshows but did not attend the 2008 show. I asked him why he didn't attend and he said the Oganisers were charging too much money to buy a stall space which made it completly unviable to set up a stall. He doubted he will attend future shows if charges dont go down.

I think I might give the next show a miss and just buy something for the workshop.

Is --and --will be less money available from us oldies as well this year.I will end up with half as much disposable income this year and that will go on consumables ,and a good time.Not upgrading or adding machinery.Did all that last year when it was going cheap

Perhaps this year wouldn't have been profitable enough for the traders with many people having less money to spend. I certainly appreciate the costs involved for these people to attend. I have supported them for the last five years by spending money with them at the Show.

I'm very curious as to the costs the organisers have to pay? From a naive consumers point-of-view they get money from the traders AND all the attendees.

Now that Adelaide has good woodwork stores in Carbatec, Macwood and others we can support them and buy here. But what I will miss heaps by not being able to attend the Show is the MANY things we can't buy in Adelaide. Particularly special woods, etc. I will miss the people from Tassy, NSW, and WA who would sell me some really special pieces that I can't get here. The internet is a wonderful thing for ordering interstate, but freight is prohibitive.

Neils rant....

I'm speaking purely from the point of view of someone who up till last year has been to every show in Melbourne (that's where it all started back in the 80's) and all but 3 of the Adelaide Shows, 14 Sydney Shows and almost as many in Brisbane.

Rant begins here....

For us to have a 3 x 3 metre stand in Adelaide (the cheapest of the shows), costs an absolute minimum of $5,000 up to $6000. This includes the price of the stand, plus accommodation for 6 days, meals, fuel costs for 2 vehicles + airline fares for other staff. Then there's walls, power, phone, insurance, signage, handouts, etc for the stand and that's just the stuff we pay for. On top of these costs there's wages for between 2 people for 6 days 1 person for 4 days and others for 3 days

We have to manufacture and take $20,000 worth of goods. Lose a minimum of 2 weeks production and a whole heap of other things indirectly affecting the the cost of doing a show.

The downside to all this is Adelaide. We have gone to Adelaide Show and turned over as much as $8000 (good show) $5,000 (average show) and as little as $1,200 for the worst show. That was the one when exhibitors were the only ones there and ended up playing cricket in the isles.

It's not the organizers, it's not the price of the stand, it's not the venue. It's partly the Adelaide patrons and partly the population. There just aren't the same numbers of woodworkers there who are willing to go out and buy at the show. Adelaide basically has 1 club, Melbourne alone has almost as many clubs as Adelaide has members. It's pure logistics.

We won't go to Adelaide again and I doubt we'll be going to any of the others again with the exception to Melb and if that one's as bad this year as it was last year, we won't be going back there again either. Made our first loss ever at a Melb last year. That's just not good enough.

Exhibitors just can't go on making losses at these shown and with the exception of Hobart, Adelaide is the biggest money loser for us and always has been. We kept on telling ourselves that we were doing the shows to promote the products and help people who wer having problems using them etc. Which we did. But when over a number of years, you constantly make losses so great that they don't even cover 20% of your production costs, it's time to give yourself a smack up the side of the head and say "Wake up to yourself stupid".

On a year to year basis Adelaide is a waste of time and money and when the Show Organizers lose 10's of thousands of dollars, it's time to pull the pin. Maybe, just maybe running it on a 2 yearly basis might just save the show in adelaide. But then again maybe it won't.

Bottom line for us: We can go to a show and lose money or stay home and work on an order that's worth 10 times the loss of the show. It boils down to pure common sense.

I could go on for another few hours about the Adelaide show and Woodworking Shows in general. I've been one of thhe most staunch advocates for these shows over the years, but I no longer care. The organisers won't listen to sense or take advice from people who actually know from experience what their talking about and many of the patrons do nothing but whine and complain, about the few dollars they pay for a great day out in a big shed, full of bargains, brought to them at massive expense by the exhibitors.

Rant over........

Cheers - Neil

Originally Posted by ubeaut

Made our first loss ever at a Melb last year. That's just not good enough.

Neil,

What do you attribute that too? Was it the change of venue to the showgrounds?


Peter.

Onya Neil

You tellem mate.

I'll even forgive you for the spelling mistakes.

Cheers

Tim

PS any chance of some cheap tickets for the Melbourne Show?

What do you attribute that too? Was it the change of venue to the showgrounds?

I love the venue at the Show Grounds. It's brilliant. Bright and airy, great space and windows so you can see out, etc.

BUT..... It's in the wrong place. In my opinion WWWShow will never do well there. No train station just up the road. There is a tram at the front door like at Jeff's Shed but it's an extra trip for most rather than one for most. Nothing for the family to do whilst dads at the show, no businesses nearby thousands flex the Friday arvo off to go to the show, many come for an extended lunch. There's no baby show or similar next door, etc,etc,etc.

In my opinion Great place wrong location. I'd love to see it either back at Jeff's Shed or even better back where it all began at the Royal Exhibition Buildings but that one might not be practical now.

any chance of some cheap tickets for the Melbourne Show?

Would be nice if we could get them for all the members to all the show but looks like the new owners are about as sharp as the old ones and still haven't worked out the pulling power of these forums, even after be offered help.

Exhibiting at every show in Melb since day one doesn't seem to hold much sway, as I haven't heard a thindg from EEE since the show last year other than a newsletter or something similar almost begging for exhibitors to sign up for the Brisbane Show. Bit late when there's only a few weeks till it opens.

I went out on a limb and said they looked like a breath of fresh air and could be the best thing to happen to the Shows. But I'm not too sure now. I fear we may be seeing the beginning of the end of the WWWShows. I sincerely hope not but I've seen the demise of similar things in the past and all the sign are there.

There are a number of people who derive a major portion of their yearly income from these shows so it would be a real shame if they were to continue to go down hill. Not only for those I've just mentioned but also for the EEE the new owners of the shows.

Have lots more I'd like to say on this one but I'll shut up now instead.

As for the spelling mistakes

Cheers - Neil