How good is Chatham exhibition

I've always found it well worth a visit. There's lots to see in the dockyard. Also down the road towards Chatham is Fort Amherst - part of the Napoleonic defences with lots to see underground as well as above ground, which is open on the Sunday.

I always look forward to this day out.

Alan

It's usually big-ish, and pretty good.

The exhibition is (usually) in one of the old dockyard buildings. I think in the past they've done a discount on museum admission if you have been to the show.

There is also a fort nearby which is open for visitors, if that's your sort of thing, plus Rochester castle and cathedral aren't far away.

Chatham itself is a bit of a hole, and quite a trek from the show - if you are going by train it is worth getting the bus from the station, either a service bus to the stop a few minutes away (signs might be a little naughty and claim there are no buses to the museum, which is strictly true but not usefully true, as you can walk across the car park), or use the (paid for) vintage bus shuttle to the door.

if the website bothered to say how often it runs or what it costs.

E.

It does. The OP linked directly to the list of exhibits; you need to go back up the tree to the main exhibition page to get that information:

Having said that, it's not particularly well-presented (a jpeg of the printed poster). The information is also on these listing sites:

Mark

The poster tells me what the show costs, but nothing about the special bus service other than that it exists, and that's what I was talking about. The listing sites don't seem to mention the bus at all.

E.

I can't see any bus gen, though?

Unfortunately the computer can't tell that there is a slight problem with getting to Strood station from the dockyard (unless you are Jesus!).

Slightly different, but you wouldn't believe the battle we had to persuade the relevant committee members to put a postcode on the posters and flyers for /our/ show. "But everyone knows where St Fred's school is!". I think the idea that people might use one of Mr Babbage's newfangled contraptions to plan their movements was a little bit alien to some of them.

Of course no one would need to check the code - after all it would be supplied by the venue owners. Barrow on Soar made that mistake and we ended up in an estate a couple of miles from the exhibition.

Cheers, Simon

Some good stuff. Very nice Lynton & Barnstable layout, a Thames-side scrap yard layout I rather like, a West Country china clay(?) layout which is a good example of the species, a US harbo(u)r layout which was interestingly different (i.e. not a logging rabbit warren or a tiny yard with an old coach converted into a cafe plonked by the track).

Best of all was Rowland's Castle, an absolutely fantastic model set in

1944 which you can stare at for ages and still seen new things - how many models have coaches full of the passengers, even stood in the corridors and looking out windows? All the colours were consistent (I'm sure there is technical term), so the trains and landscape blend rather than clash. It gave the impression of being inspired by real history, rather than repeats of TV sitcoms, and two old codgers stood next to me said it was the only wartime layout they'd seen that "got it right".

Well, I went, and it was sort of worth it:

• Some nice layouts, and a couple of very nice ones.

• Loads of traders (if I had any money).

• A tiring sort of venue - I think it's walking on the concrete.

• The "substantial catering area" wasn't really - the burger van needed more to help it out than a bar with a few sandwiches, and there weren't enough seats - if you're on your own the chance of having no seat is far too high (not that this show is alone in that), and from my point of view it meant no lunch.

• Seating at "various points around the hall" amounted to, as far as I could see, 12 chairs in one place, way over-subscribed.

• Even at the station bus stop and, worse, at the show itself, a lack of information about the bus service. The bus arrived at the station stop at the same time as I did, so that was OK, but getting the bus back meant sitting on a wobbly concrete block (everyone else was standing around) with no clear idea of when the bus would appear. Pity about it adding £2.50 to the price of the day, too.

And if you think I'm just a grouch, read the RMWEB thread and you'll see I'm not entirely alone - no one there mentioned the bus, but then I didn't mention the toilets!

E.

This was the first show I had been to so have nothing to compare it to

I spent about 3 hours there wandering about marveling at some of the fantastic layouts and getting totally disheartened with the one I am building at the moment, ( my modeling skills are never going to amount to much). I spent far to much as well but you had to be really careful with some of the prices being charged, I was after a Graham Farish Class 37 and these were priced between £75 and £99. and another dealer was selling an electrostatic flock device for £35 when he sells them for £25 normally.

Like I said only spent about 3 hours there so didn't need any food or drink or the toilets.

Had a good time though and would go again.

Name and shame please! That kind of behaviour deserves it.

I would perhaps tolerate a small premium if it's a small trader who struggles to cover the transport costs and stall hire, e.g. an amount equivalent to the P&P I would otherwise have to pay, but that kind of mark up is taking the piss.

Larger traders I would expect to charge the same price, or even lower at shows.

MBQ

I suspect naming & shaming would just ensure they, and others, would simply not attend again. Why do so many think that every business gets issued with a charity registration number to go a long with their business number!

Cheers Richard

So you're quite happy with a 40% price hike for the priviledge of buying at an exhibition? This will just ensure people stop buying at exhibitions and the traders will not attend anyway. Why do such traders lack even basic business sense? Perhaps they would do better as charities!

MBQ

I know how much it costs to attend a show, we used to do it a lot! Perhaps you'd care to provide us with a breakdown of the costs and I'll then provide a real one!

Cheers Richard

Last time I enquired (N gauge show at leamington last year) the smallest stand was, IIRC, =A3125-ish. With multi-day shows there is obviously accomodation as well as transport, but that's not really the point.

Larger traders such as Squires charge the same price at shows as shown in their cataloge (as far as I am aware).

I've already stated that a small premium would be acceptable (to me) for smaller traders.

The issue is the trader who seems to think that a 40% markup on a =A325 product is acceptable and justifiable. I will certainly not be charitable to that sort of trader.

MBQ

There speaks a non businessman! Costs, and how to recover them, are

*everything* to a business.

But the costs are still built in to their prices.

It's fully justifiable and acceptable *if* the trader can get away with it - every price in the world is based on what the seller thinks/knows what they can get away with - if the customer gets to set the price (as is happening during the recession) then failure is only a question of when, not if.

Cheers Richard

Wrong.

I don't disupte that.

Exactly. They have fully costed their business activities and accounted for the different costs of shop versus catalogue versus trade stand sales allowing them to charge regardless of the channel.

If the only way a trader can afford to attend shows is by hiking prices by 40%, then they need to examine their business model or not attend shows.

Well, I certainly would not let a trader get away with a 40% mark up if I was aware of it.

I'm surprised that you seem happy for fellow modellers to be fleeced (that's the only description for it) by such a trader. I'm still hoping this particular trader will be named so I can avoid their stand at shows.

I'll leave it at that.

MBQ

Sorry I forgot in the heat of the moment to get a sworn affidavit or even photographic proof,

I was only mentioning some of the price differences I had seen with my own eyes, I am not asking you to take is as gospel after all you don't know me.

Just sharing what I had seen that's all.

Shan't bother again though

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