UK Birmingham Show - Anyone on the forum Attend? (2 Viewers)

[Peiper007]

UK Birmingham Show - Anyone on the forum Attend?

 

[Imperial Miniatures]

UK Birmingham Show - Anyone on the forum Attend?

I did as a trader.

I was quite quiet after an initial rush in the moning and had gone completely dead by 1pm.. We packed up (along with everyone else) at 2pm...

 

[Peiper007]

I did as a trader.

I was quite quiet after an initial rush in the moning and had gone completely dead by 1pm.. We packed up (along with everyone else) at 2pm...

Thanks, I have attended in previous years as an exhibitor, went last year and it cost me money as sales were low, I hardly sold anything and nothing over £20. I noticed my name was down this year to exhibit despite me informing them I was not. In 2018 there were none of the big dealers there, J Jenkins, T Gunn, K & C or F Legion and this affected throughput and I just decided not to bother in 2019.

 

[Imperial Miniatures]

Thanks, I have attended in previous years as an exhibitor, went last year and it cost me money as sales were low, I hardly sold anything and nothing over £20. I noticed my name was down this year to exhibit despite me informing them I was not. In 2018 there were none of the big dealers there, J Jenkins, T Gunn, K & C or F Legion and this affected throughput and I just decided not to bother in 2019.

I didn't manage to get there in 2018. This year there was only me and GNM as manufacturers and Replica Models...

Everyone else was a dealer selling mostly Britains and secondhand toys and collectables. People were buying but not in huge amounts.

I do wonder if it is advertised enough?

I covered petrol but not the stand cost....

 

[Warrior]

I did as a trader.

I was quite quiet after an initial rush in the moning and had gone completely dead by 1pm.. We packed up (along with everyone else) at 2pm...

That sounds like 99% of the shows on this side of the pond; you get an initial rush, they by noon/1:00pm, you can shoot a cannon down the aisles and not hit anyone.

I can recall 10 or 15 years ago, there would be a mob waiting to get in, it was crazy busy for a few hours, then a lull, then another surge in the afternoon.

Sadly, that ship has sailed...………..

 

[Warrior]

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Everyone else was a dealer selling mostly Britains and secondhand toys and collectables. People were buying but not in huge amounts.

I do wonder if it is advertised enough?

I covered petrol but not the stand cost....

Sorry to hear about you not even covering the cost of your stand...……….the thing is the prepping, packing, vehicle loading, unloading, setting up, breaking down, driving home and unloading is basically the same, ie, the amount of effort you put is in the same, the only variable is the profits.

At one point, I used to attend close to 23 shows a year on this side of the pond, all of them were a license to print money, one by one they fell by the wayside, I now attend about 10 shows a year, 3 are wargaming related, 2 are local here in Massachusetts so the overhead is low, the other 5 or so require travel, gas, tolls, meals, hotel rooms, etc, etc.

We're seeing the same thing you described; tables full of second hand items being peddled by part time dealers, general toys more and more are popping up, as we lose collectors, we also lose dealers too.

And some of the promoters don't spend .05 cents on advertising, they depend on the dealers to tell their customers...……………..others spend big money promoting, having Facebook pages, adverts in toy soldier magazines, distributing flyers, etc, etc and still the turnout is low.

It's a sign of the times, best of luck to you...………...I've become a lot more active on social media, it has paid off in spades, people change the way they shop/gather information, so as a business owner you have to change as well.

Going to show after show hoping people will show up is sadly proof that Einstein was right about the definition of insanity...……………..:wink2:...…………

We as business owners do need to show the flag, so from that standpoint, shows are somewhat still important, you don't want to cease attending, because then this will happen "Minutemen is not here? Gee, I wonder how he's doing, is he still in business, is he going under, gee, maybe I'd better start buying from so and so"...………………...so there's that.

 

[Imperial Miniatures]

I used to do 8-10 wargames shows a year when I made wargames figures and they were always profitable. But even then, I found my takings were static for the last 10 years I did them - my prices went up, costs went up but takings stayed still.

To match the criteria that I used for wargames shows for profitability, I would have to have taken 20 times what I did at Birmingham...

I do the London Shows as I think it is worth it from a publicity point of view, handing out price lists, being seen, etc. It is starting to pay off and I get orders from people after the show and people are a lot more aware of me now.

But if I was relying on show sales I would have starved by now!

 

[Warrior]

I used to do 8-10 wargames shows a year when I made wargames figures and they were always profitable. But even then, I found my takings were static for the last 10 years I did them - my prices went up, costs went up but takings stayed still.

To match the criteria that I used for wargames shows for profitability, I would have to have taken 20 times what I did at Birmingham...

I do the London Shows as I think it is worth it from a publicity point of view, handing out price lists, being seen, etc. It is starting to pay off and I get orders from people after the show and people are a lot more aware of me now.

But if I was relying on show sales I would have starved by now!

When I first started in the business back in the late 1990's, 75% to 80% of my yearly income came from show sales; in 2019, that number is about 10% give or take, it's done a complete 180. Conversely, about 75% to 80% of my annual expenses come from attending shows.

The 10%/75% ratio is not good.

 

[Peiper007]

I used to have a stand at the Birmingham show and the London shows. I used to buy collections and bits and bobs and take out what I wanted and then sell on the rest. Not to make a living but just to increase my collection. I do not really know how people can make a living out of selling TS unless you are a manufacturer or main dealer. At the Birmingham 2018 show it cost me money to attend, in 2017 I think I made around £50, which was not worth it but it was good to go and see the guys.

Not done the London show for 3 years, except to visit, as the venue changed and did not like the new venue plus it got a little bit expensive and too much effort for the return.

I have noticed there are fewer people attending and are an 'older' crowd, sometimes I think it looks 'Gods waiting room'. Collectors are literally dying out. There used to be big queues waiting to get into the London shows but now at opening time there are around 50 people waiting, with the show being dead at around 1pm.

I do not know the answer, we can all speculate at the reason shows are in decline, ebay, buying on-line direct, travel costs, etc. One thing I would like to see is newer and preproduction sets at the shows, T Gunn and J Jenkins do it at the London show, but more would be appreciated.