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[wideawake]

I think the problem is that the organisers can't make up their minds what sort of show it is, Public Exhibition, Trade Show or Club Regatta. In trying to make it a bit of all three they are succeeding at none of them.

Colin

Colin has neatly summed up my view.   I attended the May show last year and felt very strongly that it didn't know what it wanted to be.   I had a very enjoyable day sailing both my Karoline and Fair Constance.   I would have got in free via an AMBO ticket but for a lack of liaison with the the AMBO person with tickets     

I think that constructive suggestions for the future depend on the answer to a basic question.   Maybe an MTBC member here has the answer.   Is the show organised by MTBC at the request of the Beale Park authority as a public attraction or does MTBC ask permission to use the facilities of Beale Park to run a show for model boaters.   The answer to this question must surely fundamentally drive all planning of the actual event.    I have views and ideas but will save them until I find out the answer!

Cheers

Guy

[tolnedra]

Ariel, you forgot to mention that your pre-entry to the Weymouth IMMF includes your car parking ticket and free bus service between the different venues, which would cost you far more than the £4.50 you have been charged. The local council support the Festival both financially and in terms of equipment and staff, their idea being that if it brings more people into Weymouth to spend money, then it's well worth supporting.

Danny

[cos918]

Beale Park Boat show - get out there and make the most of it!

Hey lets remember they are not the only ones who charge an entry fee - I just paid £4.50 in advance for my one day as an exhibitor at Weymouth - But 'm not complaining I would expect to pay something to support the show organizers to keep the event alive. 

We must all remember that this show at Beale is taking place inside a commercial premises and there are overheads - these need to be paid for.
if you don't like the idea of having to pay then don't go no one is forcing you to attend.

I have supported the show since 1993 and will be there again this year - I think the local MTMBC have had to put up with a lot of negative comments from doom and gloom merchants over the last few years and I admire them very much for soldiering on and turning up each year to run the frequency control and rescue boat etc, they are very much in the hands of the park organizers who they like everyone else will be feeling the pinch right now financially, - I say go and support it or lose it altogether, there is still a future for this show it just needs all those people who claim to be model boaters to get out there and spend a few quid if they love their hobby so much and stop whining.

Ariel
(Ex- MTMBC)

OK you say there are over heads that need to be paid for. That what the visiting public  entrance fee is for.
My local model railway club puts its yearly show on. Exhibitors there Get
1 FREE entry for there layout and the people required to run it.
2 FREE tea/Coffey all day
3 FREE meal
4 Expense covered e.g. petrol money and van hire.
If we can do that and put on  great show with over 25 layout and over 30 trader + all the other expense ,commercial premises,insurance,first aid cover etc. etc. etc. and make a surplus for the club  so can any model boat show.Charging £8.50 + what ever for a tea is blatant money garbing.

In any model boat show there are 2 parts
1 trade
2 Exhibitors

It is these Exhibitors that make the show .Imagen a show with only trader and no exhibitors . We all put in a lot of hard work and money in to our boats. Why should we be charged  to show them off . It is the Show organisers that benefits from them so in turn they should pay us as we help make there show and with out us well there would be nothing.

You talk about negative comments etc.. These come about from changing from a well loved show run for model boaters in to a money making venture and to hell with what model boater want,that's why there is bad comments.
I am not whining , but i do object to being blatantly rip off and see my hobby  being used to rip people off. I don't have money to burn I don't know if you do or not but £8.50 or £17 for the weekend is a lot especial in these hard times.

John

[Guy Bagley]

Beale Park Boat show - get out there and make the most of it!

Hey lets remember they are not the only ones who charge an entry fee - I just paid £4.50 in advance for my one day as an exhibitor at Weymouth - But 'm not complaining I would expect to pay something to support the show organizers to keep the event alive. 

Ariel
(Ex- MTMBC)

hang on though..... at weymouth you do get the free shuttle bus service from radipole to the pavilion, they also pre promote the event with printed flyers, they set up the temporary pool outside the pavillion and they also offer some free parking exemption passes to the exhibitors,so you dont have to keep feeding the pay and display machines - thats where your £4-50 goes when you choose to sign up and exhibit at weymouth- i think that is amazing value, for a thoroughly brilliant show !

[tolnedra]

Err, Guy, you missed my earlier reply, saying just what you have said! I would however mention that the 'they' who set up the pool outside the Pavilion are modellers, mainly from Shepton Mallet Drifters club.  These same people set up the caravan site, Radipole site and the interior of the Pavilion too, as well as run the show each day and police the entire area, to attempt to stop any stealing or breakages. The whole show is FREE to the general public, and the Weymouth council crew do a tremendous amount to help set up and run the festival.

Danny

[Guy Bagley]

strange, i am sure i read the whole thread....

 i am at work and must be sniffing way too much glue !

[DaveB]

I've been travelling up to Beale Park for at least the last ten years and its a fantastic venue we always take boats to sail and for the last three years Beale Park sent me complimentry tickets for myself and other club members, it's a real shame the traders are not turning up. I think that the owners at Beale Park need to drop the price of the traders pitches to encourage more to come that would then generate more interest from the modellers and of course more income.
The internet is very good but there's no substitute for meeting and seeing the people and the goods on sale.
Dave

[Malcolm Reade]

Dave

It's not the price of trade 'pitches' that is the problem - it's the lack of modellers attending the events!  My belief is that high entrance ticket prices and forcing modeller's to pay to display their boats has kept them away from Beale Park in droves.  Traders will always support an event that is well attended.  The problem with Beale Park is that it is a commercial venue, and the owners (a registered charity as I understand), want and need, their slice of the action.

There is a perception amongst some modeller's that traders are just an accessory at model boat shows, in reality, the truth is somewhat different.  It's a combination of model boat displays, trade support and a large number of visitors through the gate that makes for a good show anywhere.

Trade shows without club displays are a waste of time for traders - modellers turn up for the morning and then disappear.  Boat shows without traders present leave modellers with nothing much to do all day apart from sitting around looking at each other (and it's not a pretty sight).

The Warwick show is a case in point, lots of displays (although there are some gripes about modeller's attending their displays for the full three days), lots of visitors, and a real 'shed load' (literally) of traders who actually pay very high prices for their pitches.  It has to be the best model boat show in the UK annually.

Malc

[cbr900]

Guys I know nothing of the situation, but from what I am reading,
1 It's to dear to get in.
2 Exhibitors have to pay to get in.
3 It's a grand Venue.
4 The only one who has said anything really constructive is no longer a member.

From where I sit way over hear it sounds to me that someone should be talking
to the MTBC, and Beale Park and find out what is the agenda.........

Just my thoughts from wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy over here............


Roy

PS Areil I am not picking on anyone just commenting.......

[Colin Bishop]

If you do a search on "Beale" you will find that the subject comes up every year together with comments from MTMBC.

[Malcolm Reade]

4 The only one who has said anything really constructive is no longer a member.

Roy

You've got me beat there Roy, I can't see any posts on this thread by a 'Guest' - somebody who is no longer a member?  Who on earth said anything constructive?  Shouldn't be allowed..

Malc

 

[Dean's Marine]

Dear Modellers
 It is the same story as before, use it or lose it.? If you have a problem, talk to the organisers, complain if you get ignored. not before.

 We have always supported Beale Park show, it is an excellent venue and it gets lots of the public in as well as the modellers.
 How many more show are there that the owner is a model boat fanatic ?
 We will be attending the show this year as before, and will be releasing 4 new models all shown at Nirnburg 2009, and more to come.
Regards
 Deans marine

[Ariel]

Dear COS918 and Guy Bagley thanks for your opinion on free modellers Shuttle buses, inflatable pools, printed fliers, and free parking all of which you are of course perfectly entitled to mention here, but these do not really float my boat - (well the inflatable pool might)

I stand by my original comments and am very much looking forward to the show and I expect you will both be elsewhere...

Regards

Ariel

[Guy Bagley]

nope - i should be around....i hope to make it, at least for one day....

[Ariel]

My apologies to COS918 it was actually tolnedra who mentioned Inflatable paddling pools, modellers shuttle buses, printed fliers and free car parking at Weymouth.

tolendra - If you read my initial post on the Beale Park show I mentioned Weymouth as another example about entrance fees and clearly stated I was not complaining about having to pay but would be happy to support the organizers, just like for a higher cost (agreed) the entrance fee at Beale Park.

Regards
Ariel

   
 

[MCAT]

well despite my worries for the show I will go along as usual  can only make the sunday. but this year I will take a boat.( first time )

so if some one comes up to you trying to pinch a corner of your table it will be be. 

see you there in the sunshine .

[Marks Model Bits]

MMB will be there if the Beale Park staff can be bothered to send out the forms  I am fed up with chasing them!!!

24th attempt to contact them and I have now managed to part with some money so it looks like MMB will be there after all.....
Not the way to run a show though IMHO

Mark.

[Colin Bishop]

Did anybody go to Beale this weekend? I met Steamboat Phil and No Mustang Mark and family on Saturday but didn't see any other Mayhemmers. Attendance was noticeably down on last year but there were still a lot of boats and the weather was good. Also, the new arrangements for operating the boats from the North side of the lake seemed to work quite well.

Colin

[KitS]

Sunday at Beale Park was OK too, but the number of traders in the octagon thingie was waaaaay down on previous years.

The lake was pretty busy, with lots of hovercraft, Thames barges and RAF fireboats on the water. Random selection of pics below.

[chingdevil]

I wanted to go, but have been working all weekend, its a shame the numbers were down it could be a really good show.


Brian

[tugnut]

HI all went on sunday to,. very spars in traders part.
Got my foggy of MARK will put that in my imara.
Had a tow round with rays wood chip barge   prefer the parking idea

[MCAT]

Hi   went to Beale Park on Sunday, nice new layout on the north side nice and level, tarmac path right alongside the stands good for
vistors and us easy path to the water. good safety barriers on those big step downs, no longer a problem, you can park behind your
marque / table got there to late for that, was not aware of the new layout, but never mined the Guys at M.T.B.C. sorted us out with
a large trolley. yep trade was down, but still managed to get some bits I wanted,  had a good chat with the guys on the Tug stand
going to pinch some ideas spotted there, also a good chat with some vistors. enjoyed the day a great deal I will support the show again.

Made a couple of quid for the RNLI  Sold my pile of Boat Mag's Er in doors laying down the law again still a good cause.

will post some pic's later

[SteamboatPhil]

Spent a great weekend at Beale, as Colin has said, down on the readers this year, but overall a good turnout of models (and the weather was kind to us this year)
Evenings were spent with "no mustang mark" and myself with the aid of the BBQ burning all sorts of things (which started out like as food, and ended up with something carbonised with a half life of a 1000 years) still good practice for wicksteed. (Angie and Hannah were kind to us, and ate what we gave them !!!!!mad fools.
Thanks to Ian and Richard of the MTBC, and all the rest who made everone feel really welcome.
Here's to next year   

[DaveB]

We could only attend on the saturday the weather was great, lovely lake to sail on spent  a few quid shame there where'nt more traders but enjoyed the day
Thanks to MTMBC
Dave