2009 Exhibition Roundup
POST EXHIBITION UPDATE
After an exhausting weekend which only finished at 7pm last evening when the extra barrier we borrowed from the Stafford Railway Circle was returned we can now look back on a most enjoyable weekend.
The quality of the layouts was exceptional and we can only thank all those modellers who brought their work to Wigan and particularly those who travelled considerable distances. We hope you enjoyed the visit and that you felt well looked after.
It can be a very stressful weekend for us as we are such a small group (only 9 in number) with a considerable financial risk involved, so if we appeared a little fractious at times we ask for your forbearance.
Obviously we could not put on such an event without considerable help. Our list of 'invaluables' grows with every exhibition, many of them filling key roles over the weekend. The ladies manning the admission desk, selling guidebooks and serving hundreds of cups of tea in the Exhibitor's Lounge spring readily to mind.
However the 'Wirral Guys' who provided much needed manpower in the logistical department made the whole exhibition doable. Without them it would be a real struggle. We also acknowledge the assistance of several individuals, demonstrators and layout owners who assisted with the setting up and the breaking down of the exhibition. We thank you all.
It is very pleasing to report that preliminary calculations seem to indicate an increase on the door of 16% which put a smile on our Treasurers face as he has looked a little worried of late. The Saturday was particularly busy and a queue of nearly a hundred yards long took quite a while to clear when we first opened. The Advance Ticket holders really stole a march there circumnavigating the wait.
Pete Waterman was with us all weekend and opened the show and signed copies of his book. He is a superb ambassador for the hobby. We were also pleased to see representatives of all our sponsors over the weekend as without them the ticket price would be much higher. Again thank you all.
It was no surprise when Bath Green Park was awarded the £50 prize and the trophy for Best Layout as voted by the exhibitors. It was a worthy winner. Hassell Harbour Bridge was second, with Newcastle-by-the-Water, Rowland's Castle and Horton Regis joint third. Almost everyone else was joint fourth. In truth you could have awarded the prize to any layout and made a very good case. If you resided within easy travelling distance of Wigan and were interested in Model Railways and you didn't attend then you missed something rather special.
The 40 layouts for 2010 are already booked and yes there are more modern image layouts. It was not an oversight on our part but it is just how the cookie crumbled. With layouts of the quality we are looking for, and them being in such demand, you have to take them when you can get them.
Photographs of the exhibition can be found here
Wigan Exhibition 2009
thanks to David Hennessey who kindly took his time to take them for us.
Last Updated: 18:19:59 18/12/2009
