Is Big really the Best?
Throughout this week there has been plenty of excitement about this weekend's Warley exhibition. Sadly I have never been to this event, and my plans for a visit this weekend have been scuppered by a nasty case of flu! Strangely enough I do not feel that disappointed.
This year Warley advertises 87 layouts, numerous demonstrations and plenty of traders ready to tempt people to part with their hard earned cash. There is also the manufacturers who will be announcing new products, and full size exhibits such as the part built Patriot class. There really is plenty to see. So why I am not that disappointed to be visiting this mecca of model railways.
That fact is - I am going to play devils advocat for a few minutes. Can a show grow to be too big?
The show is advertised as running from 9.45 - 6.00. Let's assume I can get in the show at 10am and stay until closing. That gives me 8 hours. Take away half an hour to have some lunch and that leaves 7 and a half hours or 450 minutes. That means that during that time, just to see all the layouts I would have an average of just over 5 minutes per layout. That does not account for the demos / traders and all other exhibits. Considering them would reduce the average time down to 2 or 3 minutes per exhibit. To me that sounds like a real rush!
Considering the number of people who say they are going to the show, I am sure that there will be a large crowd inside the NEC and I wonder how easy it will be to get to see some of the exhibits.
Entrance to the show is £13, and parking can be as much as £10. If I am going to pay that much out before I even get into the show I want to know that I will enjoy the event and have the time to see all that I want to see.
The biggest event I regularly visit is the Stafford show which is quite a bit smaller than Warley. Despite spending the whole day there I sometimes come away feeling that I have not had enough time to properly see everything.
At the smaller shows there is plenty of time to make two or three circuits of the exhibits, see everything, go back and view and photograph my favoured layouts and also spend time talking to some of the exhibitors. At these events it seems a lot more relaxed and less rushed, as a result I often come away having enjoyed them more.
So, at the risk of asking a contraversial question, can a show actually be too big??
5 Comments
Recommended Comments
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now