Thread: The Future of the Wood Show

Just cruising threads I don't normally visit and found this one. I went to my first show this year (Brisbane) and as someone new to woodworking it is a great place to soak up ideas and build up knowledge of tools and timber and the craft of working with wood. I have been setting up a workshop this year and used the show to select which planer thicknesser I would buy. Also bought a Fein multimaster and a drill sharpener and piles of sandpaper etc.

Next year I will be back and will be trying to boost the wallets of some exhibitors when I select a bandsaw and a dovetail jig and no doubt other things. Not sure what will happen when I eventually get the workshop finished (if there is ever such a state). My Dad has been going to the show for many years and still looks forward to going each year. i know his interests now are more on the demos and bits and pieces for his various projects (Bruce Haggie and Jim Carroll get a cut of his pension spend each year).

For a newcomer the shows are a great event, for a regular then the shows probably need more demos/classes/new products and ideas etc to get their attention. The hard part is the demos probably don't generate a lot of revenue. I wonder if each of the bigger displays could be given extra space to host a demo in the middle of their areas if they agreed to support/sponsor the demo/class (things like various elements of furniture making, working with veneers, pen turning, gluing segmented pieces, etc etc.