Thread: Jeff's Shed, You're Joking. But I'll be there anyway.

Well back to the future!!!

In the immediate past at the T&WWS at the Showgrounds I volunteered on a Stand for 3 days plus set-up and was willing the wear the minimal cost of parking.

Now to the future and with the move back to Jeff's Shed, I will not be doing it.

I certainly do not have that sort of disposal income for parking for the four days at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre prices. Public transport is out of the question. So I will have to give serious consideration to attending the show at all.

Originally Posted by steamingbill

Would some of you city folk consider catching the train or bus or tram ?

A day ticket on the Met would probably be less than your petrol and parking.

Bill

and

Originally Posted by Sturdee

Even if I could use public transport I would have to walk from Southern Cross station to the building and then a further kilometer to get to the section the woodworking shows were in which unfortunately with my health is not an option.


Peter.

Peter.

Originally Posted by Sturdee

Now you go to the city. Parking is way too expensive. I haven't got a Myki card and getting one for a 1 day a year use is not an option. Hence no transport.

Even if I could use public transport I would have to walk from Southern Cross station to the building and then a further kilometer to get to the section the woodworking shows were in which unfortunately with my health is not an option.


Peter.

Peter, like you I don't have a Myki card but am considering getting one.
A seniors' Myki card costs a sum total of $3.00 and there are certain categories of Myki cards that are free.
Have a look at the Myki website.

For the last Wood Show at the Exhibition Centre my wife and I came down on the train from Bendigo, using one of our free train tickets, and caught a tram literally in front of Southern Cross Station (can't remember the number but I think it was one that goes to St Kilda).
It stops right in front of the Exhibition Centre, we returned the same way. Of course the tram cost was covered by the (free) train ticket as well.

Not only was it less cost than coming down by car, both in fuel and parking, it was actually less walking as the tram stop was closer to the entrance to the Show than the car park, which is quite big.

Only down side was that I couldn't buy big articles, but SWMBO considered that a plus!

Something to consider perhaps?

Hello,

This may be useful to people not used to public transport.

Taken from this website .................. Where is MCEC | MCEC

Arriving by Tram

Tram numbers 96, 112 and 109 travel down Spencer/Clarendon streets and stop opposite the Clarendon Street entrance of the MCEC.

Tram numbers 48 and 70 stop at the end of Flinders Street. Walk towards the Yarra River, across the new pedestrian bridge.

Arriving by Train

Take the train to Southern Cross Station. Tram numbers 96, 109 and 112 travel past Southern Cross Station down Spencer/Clarendon Streets and stop opposite the MCEC.
Arriving by Bus

The SkyBus transports visitors direct from Melbourne Airport to Southern Cross Station.
MCEC is a 10 minute walk from the station or catch tram 96 which stops opposite the Clarendon Street entrance of MCEC. Bus route 238 operates to and from Southern Cross Station to Convention Centre Place between the hours of 10am - 3pm, Monday to Friday. The coach pick-u/drop-off point is coach bay 1, Convention Centre Place (closest to DFO South Wharf). Visit Home - Public Transport Victoria for timetable information.

Hi all,
Please don't get me wrong, as will still be going, but Liz & Co. just threw a small spanner in the works. I'll be there the 3 Days, on the HTPAA Stand.

I'm still slightly ticked off, because Barwon Valley Woodwrights Inc. hold their Woodcraft Expo, in November, & I wrote to Liz, asking if it wood be appropriate to put some A3 flyers around on those Vacant Black Partitions, & not meaning to saturate the place, just 1 here 1 there, & was told that there was a NOTICE BOARD to Put 1 On.
This Club Event wood not worry the T&WwW Show in anyway whatsoever.
It is The Wood Clubs that Support The T&WwWood Show, & with out their partition, there may not even be a Wood Show.
Seems some get away with out asking, but at least I did ask.

A little something from someone (me) who has exhibited at every Melbourne Timber & Working With Wood Show since they began 25 years ago.

I started off at the Royal Exhibition Building, on the VWA stand, demonstrating woodcarving. Graduated to my own stand with my Central Victorian School of Woodcrafts and then in our present guise as U-Beaut Polishes. I reckon I have a bit of a feel and affinity for this show by now. So.....

Here's a couple or few things re Jeff's Shed / Bracks Shack / MCEC (Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre)

CONS For public and exhibitors:

• Parking is expensive - Maximum chargeable rate $36 per day. Fix: Carpool... Go with a friend or four split the parking fee - 4 in a car = $9 each. Get public transport some good information about that above.
• No natural light inside the venue - I for one will miss that but I can live with it.
• Um..... Still thinking.... Nup nothing else drastic comes to mind right now.

PRO'S: For exhibitors and public:

• Accommodation - readily available, cheaper and closer to venue. There is only one reasonably close accommodation near showgrounds and their price has almost doubled in the last couple of years
• Stand prices: Same as show grounds
• Place doesn't stink of urine and cow dung.
• Visitors: Infinitely more visitors to the show at this center than showgrounds.
• Public Transport - Trams stop at the front of the centre
• Entertainment - There is plenty of entertainment for the whole family - Casino, Polly Woodside, Aquarium and all the fun of Southbank within a couple of minutes walk, five minute on a tram to the heart of the city and theaters, restaurants, shopping, etc. Nothing else to do at the Show grounds but the show which left half of the family out of the potential fun that could be had at other venues.
• Flexy time visitors: Hundreds of office workers used to flex the Friday afternoon off, come down to the show and spend up big. Never saw that at the Show grounds.

For mine the benefits far outweigh the negatives.

Yes... The venue used to be crowded and hard for some to get around. But if you took your time and had a little bit of patience it was quite possible to see everything, even from a wheel chair. We had a couple of wheel chair people who always used to make a point of coming to see us at each show and we never heard a complaint from them.

I personally would much rather see isles packed with people getting information and buying from exhibitors than see the vast open spaces of a poorly attended show. If shows are to continue then attendance has to be strong. If people don't come neither will the Exhibitors.

SECRET TIPS FOR GETTING ROUND THE SHOW:

1. Come early and when you enter the hall turn to the right instead of left as around 95% of visitors do. You will have the run of the hall with almost empty isles and by the time you meet the crowds coming from the other direction they will have thinned out dramatically. Believe me it works. We used to be on the right side of the venue and it was often an hour or more before we saw anyone, whilst down the left side the isles looked like a gathering of sardines crowded into the isles and barely moving.
2. Come around 1- 2pm you still have 3-4 hours left of the show and after 3pm the isles are almost empty.

Show hours: The first shows were 4 days and ran from 10:00am to 9 or 10m they then went to 3 days 10oam to 9:00pm and later closed at the much more civilized hour of 5:00pm Why: bacause after the first couple of years the shows were almost empty from 5:00pm until closing time. After that those who had been working all day still had to restock, get a meal (often the only one they'd had since breakfast) get home, have a few brief hours of sleep, go to factory/shop/warehouse etc pick up more stock and be back in at the show for around 8am to set up and start all over again.

As for those who now run the Timber & Working With Wood Shows.... They have gone out of their way, making massive sacrifices both personally and financially to try to make these shows great again after taking them over from the previous owners and organizers when they were headed for certain doom.

They have listened to and acted upon suggestions from exhibitors, members of the public and in particular members of these forums. The past owners, when given a massive list of suggestions from forum members did nothing, they saw it as negativity and literally threw the whole thing in the bin.

Liz was given the same folder when she and her family took over and saw it as feedback rather than negativity. To date she has made it her mission to acted on pretty well all points that were viable and doable.

I could go on but it's too late in the day early in the morning.

Cheers - Neil

PS Try and look on the bright side instead of the down side.
This could be the start of something really great especially as Melbourne this year will mark the 25th Anniversary of The timber & Working With Wood Shows

Sydney show last year moved back to Homebush. Initial nervousness about how this would affect exhibitors was replaced by pleasure, it ended in smiles all around.
But Liz..............
Greg

Originally Posted by ubeaut

Yes... The venue used to be crowded and hard for some to get around. But if you took your time and had a little bit of patience it was quite possible to see everything, even from a wheel chair. We had a couple of wheel chair people who always used to make a point of coming to see us at each show and we never heard a complaint from them.

Typical comment from an able bodied person, I use to think like that also Neil, until my wife became disabled then I opened my eyes and noticed:

• From a wheelchair eye contact can't be made all one sees from a wheelchair is navels and men,s flys this can be intimidating in a crowded venue.
• Most counters are too high it is very hard to make a purchase especially if there is a pressing crowd behind you and some inconsiderate a&%^)$ tries to move your wheelchair so they can get in. From memory the UBeaut stand is the only low one I had come across at the show.
• Abel bodied people tend to step over you if they can't move the chair out of the way.
• At the Shed there is not enough disabled parking, at the show grounds it was a lot better eventually.
• I have noticed that most disabled people have given up complaining about the rude and inconsiderate attitude shown toward them because the able bodied just are just not interested, I sense this from you Neil.

Before you make comment about access for disabled people I challenge you Neil to hop in a wheelchair and try to navigate your self around a place like the woodwork show for a day at the least.

The other thing, I did not mind the smell of cow poo and urine it was an honest smell unlike the sanitized smell of greed in the shed.

Surely it is equally difficult to make eye contact in a wheelchair at either venue ?

and surely the counter tops are equal height ?

And surely I smell greedy at whichever venue I attend .. Perhaps the organisers could import manure to jeff's shed to cover this ?

i think your drifting from the thread topic and having a general whine, not a specific one to the thread ?

greg

Thanks Guys for the further comment……………..yep I may have over reacted a tad; but honestly major decisions such as this one to move venue are not made lightly as I am sure you can appreciate. I am passionate (and sometimes emotional) about these shows, and probably my reply demonstrated too many of these characteristics!


In reply to further comment. Yes we survey exhibitors and visitors receiving at least 600 replies at each show. I know you will recall the barrow of tools competition we had at all shows. When visitors completed that form they also had the opportunity to tell us what they thought of the shows. For example, catering, parking, presenters, marketing, ease of venue, transport to venue, etc etc. Following the shows we collate all of the information and it is this which forms many parts of the operation going forward. This is in addition to the many visitors we all speak to at each event. We constantly receive feedback from our exhibitors either written or verbally.


I like your comment Big Shed about us making a profit – I wish we could make a reasonable profit from the Melbourne Show. Like exhibitors when attendance drops it hits our bottom line too!! I have never ever thought of us performing a public service role. I for one and I know the team would join me couldn’t stand the thought of anything to do with a public servant role – we are commercial and I have never hidden behind that.


You go on to mention the aging demographic and you are correct in part. However we have worked on all shows to attract a younger demographic whether that is by our schools program or incentive offers to associated clubs. Melbourne you are correct we do not ‘pick up’ the younger visitor to the same degree as other states. Ask some of the exhibitors about our schools programs we have in Brisbane and Sydney, over the past years we have doubled the attendance, the same can be said of Men’s Shed attendees. I received a call yesterday from one of our exhibitors, and without any prompting what so ever Pam from Gifkins told me how pleased they were that they were seeing a much younger audience at the shows and how they were translating into sales for them.


Big Shed you mentioned that you thought we should have changed our details for the Melbourne Show on our website first. It was my decision not to do so. I wanted our VIP clients (Club Woody) to receive their email announcing the move via email from us first – I believed as VIP clients they were owed that.


Ray153 I have never and would never view any of my clients as complainers and I can certainly state that this is no pr stunt what so ever. I value what my clients have to say that’s whether it is an exhibitor or a visitor after all without exhibitors and visitors we do not have a business – we know who butters our bread to put on our plates.


You are correct though in your comment you cannot please everyone all of the time – but you can go along way to help by listening and addressing all points of view and that’s what I am trying to do.


It is truly hurtful that you believe I have treated you ‘like petulant little kids’ and whiny little nuisances’ again I believe I am open and honest and anyone who takes the time to comment or raise issues in my book is worth listening to. I believe I have demonstrated that by being part of this forum, something that wasn’t done prior to us buying the shows. Believe me it would be much easier to hide and not participate. However I do so because I believe in the value of the forum and enjoy the many interactions of the forum!


At no time have I been silent and keeping announcements away from you. Let me explain – the plan was to make the announcement to exhibitors first, then email the VIP database, then announce on the forum and at the same time change details on the website. issatree (don’t know who you are as you are under non de plume) obviously received the exhibitors email and chose to make the announcement on the forum at 8.08pm Tuesday night. I signed onto the forum on Wednesday morning with a view to make the announcement and found all of the comments – I had no choice but to go straight to addressing points rather as I had intended make the announcement. As I have already said I know the value of the forum and believe in the forum – why would I hide from it??


Ray153 you say you are still (just) a patron – I would like to think that we could move forward and you could keep enjoying the shows.


We have as well received some positive reaction of the move from the VIP email and I quote ‘best thing you could do is move back to Jeff’s Shed’ I would not attend while at the showground – I will be back” it’s not huge but its positive and after the day from hell I had yesterday I am hanging on to that in the hope the show will get the support and will be bigger and better than ever for everyone! Exhibitor reaction to the move with the exception of 2 exhibitors has been great!


The Melbourne Timber Show used to be the strongest show in the country it is now number 3, why not work together to get its position back to number 1.


Regards Liz


PS enelef loved the verse
Sturdee it was remiss of me not to mention your continual postings of support after each show – thank you.

Originally Posted by Mutawintji

i think your drifting from the thread topic and having a general whine, not a specific one to the thread ?

greg

Neil Raised it not me, I will take a shot to defend the disabled no matter what the forum or subject. So if you did not like my comments suck it up.

Originally Posted by Mutawintji

i think your drifting from the thread topic and having a general whine, not a specific one to the thread ?

greg

I disagree, disabled access is a very important point. Probably not in your viewpoint as you happily and illegally park in a disabled spot.

Peter.

Hi All & Liz,
I received an Email from a Woodturning Friend at 18.36pm - 6.36pm. & as you say I put my announcement up on The Forums at 8.08pm.
I have Emailed him for his source, & he wood not divulge his contact.
My Name has been written up a few Times, & I'm not going to put it up here, but if you want to know who I am, ask either Neil or Jim Carroll.
I live in Bell Post Hill, Vic. 3215. A Geelong Suburb.
As I said I Emailed you quite awhile back, & the response I received wasn't great, & as I said, I only wanted to put up a few Flyers & you almost said No, to My Clubs Expo, weekend of Woodworking.

Originally Posted by Liz Falloon

Exhibitor reaction to the move with the exception of 2 exhibitors has been great!

Let me guess. They wouldn't be the exhibitors who sell large slabs or large items of equipment would they? The stuff you cant take out on the tram?

Liz, and fellow forumites,

I am keeping an open mind about the change. I have been to the last three shows in Melbourne, having only lived here for nearly three years. I have never been to the show at Jeff's Shed. I used to attend the Brisbane show when I lived in Bundaberg. Non-woodworking shows I have attended at the Shed have been well attended but I have not gone to them to buy stuff that I cant carry back on the tram.

If all things were equal at the show at either venue then I would prefer the showgrounds over jeff's shed but obviously all things are not equal based on the comments in this thread, but people cant seem to agree which is better and why.

Transport to Jeff's shed will be cheaper for me if I go on the train and tram, even if I had to fork out another $6 for another myki. I might look a little silly going home on the Friday at the height of rush-hour with the 3 metre cloud rosewood slab Greg Ward is bringing down for me .

Car pooling to minimise the costs of parking might sound alright on the surface, if all that everyone wanted to buy was a years supply of U-Beaut polishes. That would fit in the car as might a handfull of Lie-Neilson or Chris Vesper tools. My concern its the bigger stuff, which is the part of the market where I fit in. What is the cost of parking a car and trailer at the venue for the day? I usually attend two days.

Since the Show has been held at this venue before, I am hoping someone can answer this for me and put my mind at rest. That is the only real concern that I have.

My only other comment is that I do not think it is particularly wise to end the show at 5pm on the Friday, right at the height of peak hour. I wont be driving home at that time nor would I be considering the tram/train alternative. My back will not put up with standing on crowded public transport carrying my heavy purchases. Why not let it run until 7 or 8 on the Friday to let people come in from work and go home after the evening rush. If it finishes at 5, I will be leaving at 3. That gives me 5 hours only, so I might even give that day a miss. If you were to finish later on the Friday you could always start at 11 or 12. A lot of small exhibitors could possibly then set up on the day instead of arriving the night before and reduce their accommodation costs of attending. Just a thought. More might exhibit.

Doug