scalford hall hifi show 2011

Quite right and it has been removed.

This thread needs to go positive fast, or it gets deleted - all of it.

 

It has been nothing but positive by me apart from asking why not save a lot of faff and use a credit card.

But I keep getting attacked and different versions of reality quoted. I just refer everyone to any of my past posts on the subject. I wish the show *every* success.

 

I think HFWW haven't decided how to approach the money yet. IMO there are some bad ideas floating round.

Time will tell. We need to give the actual organisers time to work it out.

Paul

 

I agree with you Paul, the idea of splitting the cost over those people who book rooms seems a little, arse about face. Surely they are the show, without them schlepping gear a couple of hundred miles in some cases there is no show.

They should max out of dealers selling gear at the event, but not have any demo rooms for them. Cables and vinyl seemed a good mix, maybe add in some DIY and 2nd hand bits into the mix, thats the target audience after all.

 

I am almost afraid to talk or recommend things again.

I think it is daft charging people for rooms, they are the reason people are coming to the show. It is all very simple to me - £4500 means at last years price you need 450 people, I think that is pushing it. The answer is £15 which is still a bargain price for the entertainment involved, so you need 300 attendees. They did more than that last year so problem solved.

I don't think any trade even second hand dealers should be involved apart from records and CDs.

 

If exhibitors are willing to chip in for their rooms, which frankly it would appear they are, then what's the problem? The idea is to share the profits of the show back with the exhibitors afterwards. Financial stability assured and the show goes ahead - jobs a good 'un.

 

Guess it's just me, I'd pay to see but not pay to spend a day lugging my stuff around and miss everything. I have no doubt it'll be a storming success.

 

As far as I am aware, the exhibitors pay for a room to exhibit in, in advance.

Entrance fees are collected at the door, or before. The entrance fees, plus any income from the vinyl/CD stalls are shared out among the exhibitors. If when the cost of the exhibiton rooms have been covered there is a surplus, great- that can go to the following year. If the income does not meet the costs, then the neagative amount is spread over 50 (ish) exhibitors. If that means the exhibitors finish £10 quid of pocket each, then so be it. Its fairier than one guy getting stuck with a £500 quid bill.

That is why I do not feel that one guy brandishing a credit card is the best solution.

It is very possible that a much simpler solution could be found, but if the exhibitors are prepared to go with that, then go with it. (I am as it happens, and so it would seem are quite a few more.

It is very early stages for the forum to organise the finances, and it may well change. If it does then I will probably go with whatever they come up with. The only thing I want to see out of the show is a fairness in carrying any financial risk.

 

Hi dudywoxer - dead right.

I cant imagine anyone wanting to stump up a 4.5k risk .. just over a hifi show...

unless they are in the industry, which as Richard points out is a bad idea, and the only thing that seperates this event from the countless others.

I also think a ''record sales stall'' is a great idea.. especially if the profit for it pays for the event.

Anything ''outside of equipment sales'' could reasonably be added without going overboard. For example, hifi world magazine might want a stand (?).

You can easily chuck the baby out with the bath water, and I really like the idea of this event, want to see more and more hobbyists showing rooms..

.. a ''trade free zone'' is key though, absolutely key.

 

Another thing that I suggested to both James and to Chester Group which was not followed through with is to look for sponsorship from Ebay.

If you toted up all the gear on show at Scalford then a very large majority would have been bought second hand, and a very large majority of that was bought at Ebay.

It would be in their interest to promote the show and themselves by being involved.

 

Interesting idea Richard.

Big corps are notoriously difficult to get the ball rolling with for any sort of co-marketing such is the hoop jumping they require. ( I have lots of experience of this, from both sides of the table) But if they could be gotten on-board that would be a huge coup.

 

Perhaps it is just me, but I see no risk (in fact less risk as I explain later), this is a proven format with two years trading history - that works! and anyway they don't take the money until the event. Though if the discount for up front cash is good enough then it is worth it. The only problem for me is that we are heading into recession and the leasure / hotel group companies are in trouble, the Scalford people own Whittlebury Hall as well, and they are fighting anyway they can with promotion to fill the hotels. If the company goes down before next March, kiss your up front dosh goodbye!

The whole way it has been explained by dudywoxer just looks like one enormous faff, with loads of admin time and possibilities of fall-out. My outlook on life is keep it simple - stupid!

I also would love to see James going on Dragons Den to get the finance, I would pay the ten quid just to watch that on my telly

 

May be the up front money is going into a separate bank account, with the hotel being paid on the day. Just a case of making sure the money is available to pay the bill.

What happens to the show if the recession does bite, and instead of having 300 paying visitors, you have 100. Or, with show being in March, the weather decides to throw a strop, and on the Sunday of the show we awake to 6'' of snow? How many people would set off from home in that?

If some one is prepared to give the hotel a credit card number, and be prepared to pick up the bill should either of those things happen then OK, but I would not.

The ethos of the show for me is that it is a enthusists show, and because of that there is a wide range of kit on display, wider than any commercial show I can think of. The acid test, is are the enthusiasts prepared to finance it. We have the chance to find out.

The two years trading history the show has show nothing, we are told that without commercial involvement last year, the show would not have happened. Despite the commercial involvement a small fee had to be paid by people wanting to use larger rooms to balance the books.

The idea for the next show is get the money together in advance, Repay that from any commercial stalls and door fees collected. If that faff means that the show goes ahead without any one person being expected to meet any shortfall in receipts, then I would have thought the faff was worth it.

That is why I said the organisers did not need snipers from the sidelines. To me they (the organisers) are looking at running the show as a community thing, communal payment to ensure the show goes ahead, reimbursement of that payment if the show is a financial succes, communal sharing of the shortfall if not.

Why is that so wrong?

 

It is the stupid bollocks in your head that says someone is sniping from the sidelines. It has become some sort of urban myth with *no facts* to back it up, from me there has been nothing but support for the show, and some piss taking of James.

The only person at the moment who is sniping in this thread is you, and I am your target.

 

It would seem that , we both want the show to be the succes it deserves to be, we just have different ways of expreesing it. What I see as sniping, you see as piss taking. just leave it at that.

 

"Or, with show being in March, the weather decides to throw a strop, and on the Sunday of the show we awake to 6'' of snow? How many people would set off from home in that?"

You take out a thing, that obviously no one has heard of, called insurance

 

Sorry I've had enough.