On Thu, 12 Jun 2003 10:26:36 +0100, "Jo" wrote:

~Anyone been to this show yet? Any recommended areas to see? Lots of
~inspiration?
~I'm thinking of going tomorrow and wondered if it was any good!
~Thanks
~
~
I'm going tomorrow too.

I'm hoping it won't be too much of a letdown after previous years.
Last year was distinctly worse than the previous as a lot of the
little companies which sell useful things had been forced out by costs
and management. (A stall inside costs a minimum of £3.5K, outside
£1.5k) I was told this by a stallholder who said they couldn't afford
to do it again and they just couldn't break even.

For instance: 3-4 years ago you couldn't move for little stalls
selling things like bottletop waterers, cane tops, string, strimmer
lines, basic tools... last year it took till nearly closing to find
one stall who sold bottletop waterers. And that was the one who told
me why. It's not that we all have them... but you'll find car sales
(!!), big ride-on equipment manufacturers, DIY stores...who can all
afford the outlay and detract from the 'feel' of the original show. I
remember seeing Alan T walking alone through the exhibits smiling at
folk, and being left to his browsing. Now it's a rugby scrum and you
don't see the poor bloke for minders. I guess the organisers have
succumbed to big business and the lure of Profit.

I looked on their website earlier and they have got rid of the chairs
in the celebrity theatre (no more having a rest, which means I
probably won't see anyone as I've got a bad back and can't stand
easily) and there is no GQT this year (boo, hiss).

By going to the exhibitors' site I managed to find a map but nowhere
does it tell you who is there ('a list will appear' it says, but
that's NBG if it's not there before you go!)

Practical stuff: Get there early or you get stuck on the access roads
or wind up in a car park miles away. Parking is £6 on top of the £15
door fee and you will need cash for it! This makes it as expensive as
Chelsea. There are cash machines there but have a 50:50 chance of
being in use. At 5pm the place goes dead and you can't even get a
coffee easily.

I'm going cos it's a day out, I may just buy a few bits and bobs (and
order some seeds and plants) and it's an excuse to chat to my Dad. The
latter makes the trip worth it, but I'm biased!


--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!