Shepton Mallett Show this weekend (1 Viewer)

lunarman

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If you are going to the show at Shepton Mallett this weekend prepare to be disappointed we were.

There are even less traders there than last year and if you can make your visit last more than an hour I would be surprised.

We were there today the camping areas were virtually empty. I will be surprised if they run it again next year. Especially as there is another show there in April.

Lunarman
 

Peter JohnsCross MH

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We are dropping a lot of the shows this year as 2011 was hard work and really when one considers all the work and effort plus costs that go into them, the rewards are not worth the bother far better to stay on site.

Many traders feel the same way.

Yes we will be at the London Excel Fiamma Stand with a £1000 worth of Fiamma accessories as a prize to a lucky winner, and two vans fully fitted out with all the Fiamma kit fitted on them so should be interesting.

We will also be at the NEC later in the year but thats about it for 2012.

Peter
 
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Pity the shows aren't more worthwhile to traders. I will be going to Camarthen and Newbury, possibly some others but would never go to an indoor show.

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Landy lover

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We are dropping a lot of the shows this year as 2011 was hard work and really when one considers all the work and effort plus costs that go into them, the rewards are not worth the bother far better to stay on site.

Many traders feel the same way.

Yes we will be at the London Excel Fiamma Stand with a £1000 worth of Fiamma accessories as a prize to a lucky winner, and two vans fully fitted out with all the Fiamma kit fitted on them so should be interesting.

We will also be at the NEC later in the year but thats about it for 2012.

Peter


Peter how do you seriously feel about the Excel show - from where I stand it has totally replaced the NEC show - whether or not you feel that show was value for money it was reportedly attended by 87000 vistors last year that show was in the 'middle' of the country and reasonably accessible by the majority of the potential customers - it had camping facitlities and extensive car parking and basically no restrictions on vehicle type size or age visiting or staying.

Excel as I understand it has a maximum limit of 3,500 parking spaces total of 21,000 for the 6 days leaving a shortfall by my calculation of 66,000 parking spaces for the potentional market. There is no facilities for camping and in real terms there are no camping sites in reasonable reach and certainly no dedicated transport to and from as there would be at the NEC. Furthermore the site is well within the LEZ which from the 1st Jan 2012 excludes the very vehicles that many motorhomers would use to come and look for replacements:Eeek: To further compound that the site is for probably 80+% of the potential market the 'wrong' side of London involving circumnavigating London on the M25 which as we all know can be a hassle

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Peter JohnsCross MH

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Was not our choice, we have to go where ever they choose to set it up, Birmingham might be in the middle of the country but it was getting a total rip off with charges and the major exhibitors decided to go elsewhere.

Down South there is a dirth of shows, the Windsor shows were a waste of time, we did them for two years but no more.

Tend to agree with you about Excel with parking, LEZ and access, but we will have to see once it has finished.

Peter
 

ourcampersbeentrashed

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There used to be a show in London every year at I think olympia but that was stopped a few years ago.

Perhaps next year they will hold one at the 02 or millenium dome - plenty of parking there and easy to get to by public transport
 

slobadoberbob

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Same old tat, same old has been's

How many of us have seen the same traders with the same gear on there stalls show after show. Entertainment!!! yea, well we did better ourselves at Lincoln in the tents we put up as a club. Are we really interested in Ken Dodd? or Peter Noone and his Hermits ... golden 60's may be, but it is a bit worn thin these days.

Most will be going for a good weekend away and pick up the odd item they need. To be honest if I need something urgent I either order it for my RV from one of the suppliers based in the UK I use, or if it a general item I can nip along to Peter at John's Cross rather than hope he has the carry bag for the ground sheet with him (sold out last time, but I have one now).. OK, I do spend money, especially at Malvern.. always come home poor from that show. But the other shows are all the same these days. I go to meet other motor home and Rv owners for a nice weekend, but as the options expand now with other places to go i can see the 'shows' declining.

The January Shepton show is a dead loss and has been for a number of years.. even worse if the water pipe is frozen.. note I said water pipe and pipes.. hard standing parking .. yes in effect the car park.. just lucky no snow this year... always the risk of it being cancelled as in resent years. Again not the easiest place to get to. Bill expressed his feelings about the EXCEL show bing on the far side of London.. well Bill works the other way round for us.. Somerset is in the wilds for us.... those last 10 miles or so across country are not good. But then I take on board all you say about Excel..... they use to get a lot of people in Olympia and Earls Court when there was no real parking so who knows it may or may not work.. but then they did not have the LEZ etc.,

I cannot blame traders not wanting to spend the time and money on the shows if not supported, but then they do have to do there bit and not just bring out the same items over and over... that includes motorhomes that have more miles on the clock from being punted around the shows than they had.

Bob
 

estcres

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Peter how do you seriously feel about the Excel show - from where I stand it has totally replaced the NEC show - whether or not you feel that show was value for money it was reportedly attended by 87000 vistors last year that show was in the 'middle' of the country and reasonably accessible by the majority of the potential customers - it had camping facitlities and extensive car parking and basically no restrictions on vehicle type size or age visiting or staying.

Excel as I understand it has a maximum limit of 3,500 parking spaces total of 21,000 for the 6 days leaving a shortfall by my calculation of 66,000 parking spaces for the potentional market. There is no facilities for camping and in real terms there are no camping sites in reasonable reach and certainly no dedicated transport to and from as there would be at the NEC. Furthermore the site is well within the LEZ which from the 1st Jan 2012 excludes the very vehicles that many motorhomers would use to come and look for replacements:Eeek: To further compound that the site is for probably 80+% of the potential market the 'wrong' side of London involving circumnavigating London on the M25 which as we all know can be a hassle

My views exactly

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Jul 28, 2010
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the show organizers have milked the show s for years the dealers are sick of ever increasing charges the public sick of the same same at a higher price each year
they have just about killed the golden goose not just in the motorhome industry same in most shows from baby shows to agricultural shows

more money for less each year
I feel sorry for businesses like starspangledspanner.co.uk who do the shows and get hit for ever increasing costs to attend

We used to do 4 shows every year
last year only did one this year 2012 plan on none
better to pay for a weekend rally with real people and for less cost and a better time too boot :thumb:
 

JJ

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Come on JJ, at least you are funny..:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO: he is not. ... even his tickle stick is well past it's sell by date.

Bob

I very, very, very strongly protest... :Sad:

I wonder...

Have you ever seen him live?

JJ :Cool:

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Chris

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Saw him last year. Top drawer or what! Had us giggling for hours

I saw him in Blackpool when I was about 8. It's remarkable he is still going.

He must be mid 80's I suspect.

I admire that:thumb:
 

Hayleylulu

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Me and Lynn went to one of is shows in Manchester by the time he finished we came home on the back of a milk float i think hes still one of the best comedians around

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Jul 29, 2007
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Saw him at one of the shows and he was excellent, you can't beat a live show, much better than when on TV.

Him and Ronnie Corbett must be about the only ones left from their era.

Ian
 

estcres

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Saw him in 2010 at Salisbury, really funny and not a swear word used.

Thought he had finished at 10:20pm having been on stage since 7:30pm but NO, that was only the end of the first half. He carried on until 1:00am.

I understand that if he has a good audience he has been known to go on for much longer.

Jokes, Singing, Diddymen, all the usual stuff.

Met him personally in 1970 when he was doing forces entertainment in Northern Ireland and he came to one of our Border Posts for visit. He signed a photo for me and took the P**S when I asked if he could sign it for "Vera" my mum.
 
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The other evening there was something on the Midlands News re various businesses in the Midlands, reporter asked re the show and the chap (can't remember who he was as I wasn't really listening until they mentioned this bit) from the NEC said the show wasn't on because the National Caravan Council decided to go elsewhere and everyone else followed suit.

I suppose the tuggers do have a larger presence at the show, just annoying is all cos we'd have gone this year. We went in 2010 but because we'd only done the rounds of dealer after dealer in summer 2009 when we bought our van, we'd seen much of what was on offer anyway. Hardly Oh Wow look at that one when they've only changed the colour (or not even the colour, just the pattern) of the upholstery. And certainly no chance of us wanting to actually buy another after only 6 months.

We are now slightly interested in looking at a different van; maybe with some different features - plus we haven't seen the Bailey yet of course, even though like many others we do have a keyring already LOL. But not interested enough to spend megabucks trekking down to Excel. The NEC takes less than half an hour in the car and NP parking. London is 20 mins bus into Coventry, 20 mins walk across Cov to the station, an hour train to Euston at a cost of approx £120 return each (you can go later and cheaper but wouldn't be able to arrive at Euston till lunchtime or can go really cheap on a slow train which takes 2 hours each way - that's only £12 each way) so it's over £50 in fares whatever way you look at it, or maybe £240 plus. Then, is there a direct tube from there to Excel and how long does that take?

Just not on. We could get to Calais quicker!

Jenny
:Doh:

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