Doncaster MEExhibition.

[millwright]

 I've  just arrived home from the show. Hmmmm what can I say,  well for a start the parking organisation was abysmal.  Nobody at the gate on entry and not a sign of anyone till I got to the far end of the field cars driving in all directions trying to park no apparent facilties for disabled parking in fact most of the disabled people seemed to have the furthest distance to walk. Several bodies in hi viz tops appeared to have no idea how to organise the parking lines and we're contradicting each other about who parked where. Where did my disabled badge get me? Probably the furthest point in the field!!!!!!!. The words couldn't oragise a piss up in a brewery spring to mind.
 Then a good walk over the field and the main road to join the slow moving queue of people waiting to get in. After paying for  my £9 concessionary ticket I was in 40 min after arriving at 10am.
The show yes I enjoyed it there didn't seem to me to be as many clubs and societies in attendance this year, dealers and the various firms selling also seemed a bit less than at Harrogate, the venue seemed a bit cramped for space, no seating in the hall that I could see, although seating was available in the grandstand outside. Food...... well take your own I would say, £4.50 for a sandwich  £7.50 for pie and peas and a good sized very slow moving queue. My opinion was i don't think the organisers expected the amount of people turning up probably thought it was a minority interest.. but as I said I enjoyed browsing the stalls and the models. Interested to hear other people's opinions.  Am I in a minority of one?  No doubt  someone will comment.

John

[appletree]

I had a bit of a head start as I only live 20 miles away and new where i was going arriving early at 9.30, parking looked to be running out fast. And yes organisation was thin on the ground.
The venue itself is nice and modern although very little natural light and as always the lighting was very poor for our type of exhibition.
That said I thought the show can be counted as a success for its first time in Doncaster.
I too thought model stands seemed fewer, but it was difficult to be sure as they were intermingled with trade stands.
Sadly the number of trade stands have steadily down sized or stopped attending shows over recent years.
I think the sheer cost of the stand plus overheads like hotels etc are making attendance prohibitive, and I dare say with the internet many of these firms can get enough trade anyway.
None the less I enjoyed it and bought a few bits, lets hope by the end of the show it has been a success and it goes from strength to strength.

[howsitwork?]

Car parking was "organized by the race course" or rather not organized. There is masses of parking at Donc but NO ONE TO TELL YOU HOW TO GET INTO IT OR SIGNS TO SHOW YOU. Guys in hi vis jackets were friendly but clueless. Access wasn't helped by the council relaying park of the road surface outside at 9 am in rush hour?? with 3 lanes of traffic being router into one on a roundabout???

Having said that I enjoyed it. The isles were wider that Harrogate so more space to browse in. Didn't feel so rammed in which was nice.  I agree there seemed to be fewer club stands but then found the |RC planes lads upstairs with the gas turbine bunch and the wagon builders. Food looked OK but I always take pack up. SWMBO tells me the coffee was reasonable priced Whitby fish and chip place over the road was being widely recommended but didn't try it today.

Plenty of benches to eat at outside and access was good. There was also a lot of seating upstairs under cover but little available in the downstairs hall its self. R/C helicopter display outside was breath taking and quite humbling

It's treble the distance of Harrogate from me but I thought it well worth the trip, back again tomorrow talking son  will see what he thinks.

[millwright]

Pleased it wasnt just me, thought perhaps i was being a grumpy old git lol

John