No more CLA Game Fair...

[Darkside]

I have have no sympathy for the CLA game fair, bad management, over many years, elitism and greed!!! Whoever has been in charge over the last 20 years of decline should be embarrassed by their lack of business acumen...  

 

[Will Hewland]

Didn't people used to go to the CLA to bag a bargain on kit? Now they just go online.

This is what I suspect too. The whole business model of the game fair is pre-Internet and has not changed to cater for a very different market. High overheads for any sales outlet is the enemy these days and paying for an expensive pitch must be hard, when you know that many will gladly look at the goods then go online to search for the bargain.

 

[Ian Lawrence]

Didn't people used to go to the CLA to bag a bargain on kit? Now they just go online.

This is what I suspect too. The whole business model of the game fair is pre-Internet and has not changed to cater for a very different market. High overheads for any sales outlet is the enemy these days and paying for an expensive pitch must be hard, when you know that many will gladly look at the goods then go online to search for the bargain.

Did you Guys miss the bit in my post about one shop taking over £400.000?

That's about £370,000 more than they would have taken in their shop and over their website over 3 days. I think there are bargains to be had if the right retailers are there.

Cosmic Blue, I think the entry fee was £30.00 or more, or it was when I looked, and a major factor in why I didn't go. £30.00 to enter a field only to have to fork out for everything else, and the price for a stand is eye watering!!  To me, extreme greed is the motivator. It makes you want to rent a field or two and put on a show yourself?????

 

[Will Hewland]

£400k is a huge sum. (Almost too good to be true..) Of course it's important to understand the net gain for them, after considering cost of the pitch and any extra discounts that they offered. Also, what percentage of those sales would they have had anyway, with some punters waiting to see them at the fair? (I have done this; making sales at exhibition, but to people who would have contacted me otherwise). Anyway, it sounds like it worked for this company, but clearly it can't for everybody, or the event would have survived.

 

[D K Gibbs]

I must admit, I find it hard to see how these stall holders make money!

A lot of them will have to close their shops for the day and take the staff from the shops to the game fair. (Closed shop means £££££)
The time effort and expense packing and transporting huge amounts of stock to the game fair itself (again ££££)
Then the huge pitch fees and staffing costs (again ££££)

With online shops, the profit these retailers make must have dropped a considerable amount, then to have all these extra costs to exhibit at a fair! I'm surprised they are even able to offer the goods at the same rate as their shops, let alone offer a discount like they used to!!

Then you have the huge entry fees for families to enter, the price of the food and drink is something else!! (I was charged £21.50 for 5 pints *Warm Cans* of Carling! £4.30 a can!)
£7.50 for sausage and chips for my 2 year old, which she said "Uck Daddy" to .

I think the internet has had a lot to do with the demise of these type of events to some extent. However, I feel if the pitch holders were given half a chance to make a better profit from the game fairs (Even be able to offers some actual "Show Deals" again) there is still a huge amount of interest. Looks how gutted everyone is that the show has cancelled!

The trouble is, there is a lot of H&S requirements these days that cost a lot of money, just look how many first aid tents and toilets there were this year. I've never seen so much security around the perimeter fence as I did at the Midland this year. Again, I guess with such large entry fee's people will push their luck even more trying to get in for free etc etc.

I'm not sure what the solution is but I feel the demand is still there for the game fair, and if you could get the fairs as big as they used to be (needed 2 or 3 days to look round it all) the people would come.

But the only way to do that is to somehow reduce the pitch fee's for businesses to attend.

I personally felt the CLA was one of the best of all of the Game Fairs throughout the year, loved it when it was at Blenheim Palace, can't see it returning though.

I think it might open the eye of some of the other show organisers though and might act as an eye opener, resulting in the event organisers actually listening to the complaints and make other shows better.

We can only hope!

 

[Jeremy Baker]

I know food trader customers of mine who did very well from the event. 

It wasn't their best event of the calendar though. 

A good trader would turnover around 20k a day if they were in the right location. 

 

[Paul120]

How much!! So £100 + for a family?  Plus it sounds like you get mugged before you reach the traders.

Last time I went was in 2007. Didn't get much out of the day I'm afraid other than seeing the trick shooting by John Bidwell.  The clay shooting was expensive and I seem to remember a lot about the Fox hunters ad nauseum  banhing on about  every reason under the sun against a ban but the real reason being that they enjoy it.  I Did think about going this year as it was about an hours drive away.. the thought of paying through the nose for food and entry plus the anticipated traffic congestion put me off.  Looks like I made the right.decision.

 

[westley]

I must admit, I find it hard to see how these stall holders make money!

A lot of them will have to close their shops for the day and take the staff from the shops to the game fair. (Closed shop means £££££)
The time effort and expense packing and transporting huge amounts of stock to the game fair itself (again ££££)
Then the huge pitch fees and staffing costs (again ££££)

With online shops, the profit these retailers make must have dropped a considerable amount, then to have all these extra costs to exhibit at a fair! I'm surprised they are even able to offer the goods at the same rate as their shops, let alone offer a discount like they used to!!

Then you have the huge entry fees for families to enter, the price of the food and drink is something else!! (I was charged £21.50 for 5 pints *Warm Cans* of Carling! £4.30 a can!)
£7.50 for sausage and chips for my 2 year old, which she said "Uck Daddy" to .

I think the internet has had a lot to do with the demise of these type of events to some extent. However, I feel if the pitch holders were given half a chance to make a better profit from the game fairs (Even be able to offers some actual "Show Deals" again) there is still a huge amount of interest. Looks how gutted everyone is that the show has cancelled!

The trouble is, there is a lot of H&S requirements these days that cost a lot of money, just look how many first aid tents and toilets there were this year. I've never seen so much security around the perimeter fence as I did at the Midland this year. Again, I guess with such large entry fee's people will push their luck even more trying to get in for free etc etc.

I'm not sure what the solution is but I feel the demand is still there for the game fair, and if you could get the fairs as big as they used to be (needed 2 or 3 days to look round it all) the people would come.

But the only way to do that is to somehow reduce the pitch fee's for businesses to attend.

I personally felt the CLA was one of the best of all of the Game Fairs throughout the year, loved it when it was at Blenheim Palace, can't see it returning though.

I think it might open the eye of some of the other show organisers though and might act as an eye opener, resulting in the event organisers actually listening to the complaints and make other shows better.

We can only hope!

Sounds like you opened a real can of warms then ?

 

[Dog Tyred]

Tis the same for all major shows by the sounds of it. I used to go to the Bike Show but the entry fee became a joke to just walk around and look at bikes I could go and see at the showroom in far more pleasant surrounds and without having to queue to merely look, let alone sit on one. Ridiculous exhibitor stand prices meant very few bargains to be had so little way of recouping your entry fee.  Food and drink costs set by organisers and outrageous (to the point where people were actually taking their own picnics). Gave it up as a bad job so not been for years.

When will the penny drop that increased cost of attendance means less people attend. Less people means increased costs next time which means even less people attend the next time, and so on.

It's not rocket science....is it?

DT

 

[RobertBeard]

The show sites don't have an income every day, only when there is a show on, and they have their costs and infrastructure to repair and modernise etc to split up over 52 weekends and some weekdays.  Whether it is excessive I don't know but it must be a factor.

The Devon County show is held on a purpose built site at Westpoint and is reputedly expensive for holding shows but they put on a very good county show.  They have little regular income other than a driver training school, skid pan and some other shows during the year but its a long way for exhibitors to come to Exeter for a couple of days on a stand and fewer come to the lesser shows which then puts off the punters and the downward spiral takes effect until the show is killed off.

 

[webber]

I've attended many game fairs over about 30 years or so.

The CLA was always the best, the Midland second best.

Holding the CLA at Leeds was a good idea as the UK shooting world does not revolve around the southern counties.

I had a break from going to the Midland of about 10 years, I got sick of the ques associated with car parking.  I only returned as it was necessary for me to attend the BASC coaching line to qualify as a BASC Shotgun Coach.  After I'd completed my duties I had a stroll around for a couple of hours, I was shocked at the lack of stalls in comparison to what I could remember from years ago.

I attended the Midland last year as a visitor with friends and was even less impressed.

This year I received two free entry tickets.  Due to commitments at the shooting ground and gun shop I was unable to attend, and so gave the tickets to a gamekeeper friend of mine.  He telephoned me on Monday night to thank me for the tickets and went on to advise that had he paid to enter he would have demanded a refund from the organiser.  He reported that Gunmakers row was a joke and ryhmed off a number of companies who were missing.

The lack of trade stands comes as no surprise to me.  When I opened the gunshop and took on the Bernardelli range of guns I investigated the associated costs of having a trade stand at both the CLA and Midland game fares.  Even taking a caravan and camping at the rear of the stand I simply couldn't make the numbers stack; seemingly the big boys have done the same sums and voted with their feet and wallets as have the paying shooting public.

The CLA started as a small game fare.  I do feel that smaller more local game fares have a future.  I enjoy the BASC Gamekeepers fare at Caton in Derbyshire.  I think that BASC could use the same model to good effect in other areas of the country; I'm not sure that given recent events that they would rush in to fill the void.

webber

 

[Meerkat]

London Boat Show. £10 entry.

 

[Dog Tyred]

The show sites don't have an income every day, only when there is a show on, and they have their costs and infrastructure to repair and modernise etc to split up over 52 weekends and some weekdays.  Whether it is excessive I don't know but it must be a factor.

The Devon County show is held on a purpose built site at Westpoint and is reputedly expensive for holding shows but they put on a very good county show.  They have little regular income other than a driver training school, skid pan and some other shows during the year but its a long way for exhibitors to come to Exeter for a couple of days on a stand and fewer come to the lesser shows which then puts off the punters and the downward spiral takes effect until the show is killed off.

Here what you say Robert but the Bike Show is held at the NEC, a purpose built exhibition facility with trade shows or events on almost every week, sometimes several shows on at the same time.! I realise it is a big facility to run, maintain, provide security, etc but all of those costs are spread across dozens, if not hundreds of events. They even charge about £8 to park for the day. Lets not forget though that it is the show organisers who set the prices for trade stands, food franchises, entry fees, etc. I guess if they are only organising one major show a year they have to recoup sufficient funds to last the year. 

London Boat Show entry sounds very reasonable though Pity I'm not into boats

As you say, people will vote with their feet.

DT

 

[DavidJ]

The loss of the CLA Game Fair is sad news, I'd be very curious to see a break-down of the costs of staging such an event though some of the stats are pretty eye watering:

http://www.shootinguk.co.uk/features/cla-game-fair-facts-37915

Even so 113,000 people at £20 a go is a large pile of cash plus a 1000+ exhibitor fees.....feels like we need more information to judge where the CLA failed on this one.   This year's location up near Leeds wasn't practical for many people including myself (have been to the previous 8 shows) and seemed an ill conceived decision and I said the same to the CLA when they called to chase up my membership fee....I didn't renew.

What a shame this years show wasn't practical for you. The last 8 show haven't been practical for me!!! In fact since they've also moved the shooting show further south that isn't practical for me either.

Why did they charge £35 to enter on friday and then £30 for Saturday and Sunday. Pre booked tickets only brought a discount of £1. 

My two friends refused to go on principle, Friday was the only day available to them and they felt the extra £5 just wasn't on.

 

[tiptop]

The show sites don't have an income every day, only when there is a show on, and they have their costs and infrastructure to repair and modernise etc to split up over 52 weekends and some weekdays.  Whether it is excessive I don't know but it must be a factor.

The Devon County show is held on a purpose built site at Westpoint and is reputedly expensive for holding shows but they put on a very good county show.  They have little regular income other than a driver training school, skid pan and some other shows during the year but its a long way for exhibitors to come to Exeter for a couple of days on a stand and fewer come to the lesser shows which then puts off the punters and the downward spiral takes effect until the show is killed off.

Robert, Blenheim Palace is open all year round as a visitor attraction, and there are things that you can do there, like fishing in season.

Guess they must charge a fortune for the CLA to stage the show. If i remember rightly there were rumours not that long ago, that they were going to stage it at Blenheim every 2 years, so it couldn't have been that bad.

CLA  just got greedy, and people voted with their feet.