Shows keep getting smaller!

[Danuzzo]

Well where is that? In Central Soviet (Washington State), as far as I know, there are no viable shows, but now I am temporarily in Nevada near Las Vegas and doesn't seem to be anything here either.

East Idaho. Sorry, I thought my location showed that, but it only shows USA.

 

[Richard Hed]

East Idaho. Sorry, I thought my location showed that, but it only shows USA.

Ah, but Idaho is a long state, you could be in Kellog and that would be east. Or you could be way south in the mountain area. We have a member near us in Montana (West, I thimpfk)

 

[DLanum]

I've seen it on the forums, both this one and other groups. Guys are saying they are worried about shows getting smaller and are worried that they will be gone. We'll not all of you, but a good number of you, come to the show and leave your models at home. Instead of showing up empty handed maybe think about bringing your creations and filling those empty tables. The guys who do show are aging and won't be able to do it forever. There are many people, younger guys, who bring a few things in there pockets and tell me about There projects back at home. Bring them out! If the younger able guys don't start showing, the tables will continue to get emptier until there isn't much worth looking at. Don't complain that the tables were empty at a show you went to when you left a dozen models in your garage to go there.

Just Sayin!

I was not able to attend and exhibit this year, but will look forward to being there another time.
All very good points given. I can understand the show organizers wanting commitments for exhibitors being there all days, but that's not always possible. Be glad for anyone bringing anything to show.
I remember years ago at the local antique engine steam show they would have 80 feet of tables set up under cover, an airline with fittings and a compressor.
The tables were always full with loads of people watching and asking questions. The show management changes, that interest is not there. They don't want to put up tables nor provide air. And they listened to the flea market people complaining that we too up valuable space.
Along with the aging and passing on of the builders that part of the show has fallen to the wayside.
When exhibiting, I feel there are a number of good points.
Have a variety of display items .
Keep your display neat and tidy. Not a mass of plastic airline everywhere.
Be on your feet talking and showing your models to interested people.
Answer every question.
Allow people to touch and play.
Have fun items like finger engines, puzzles, and favorites like whistles with cords to pull and hand crank generators with lights.
I also took about 30 feet of track and a live steam locomotive with a riding car.
Ran an air hose to follow it along.
There were excited kids lined up all day to run that train back and forth.
I recall a visitor amazed that I allowed touching and playing. He was so pleased to see the interest.
So my point......
Don't give up.
Show what you can
Glean interest.
Be willing to share drawing copies to those interested.
Be willing to open up and mentor and train others.
Help support these show when you are able.

 

[Danuzzo]

Ah, but Idaho is a long state, you could be in Kellog and that would be east. Or you could be way south in the mountain area. We have a member near us in Montana (West, I thimpfk)

Idaho Falls to be specific.

 

[piper184]

Thinking about how vendors and booths appear in the malls at Christmas time. A large variety of things to buy, but one of the things that fascinated me the most was the glass artist who made sculptures and blew tree ornaments as people watched.

With that in mind I wonder if someone could set up a small lathe or mill and let people watch them make things. Maybe whistles or some other small toy that they could give to kids that seemed to "get it".

Some of my earliest memories are of sitting on my grandfather's lap watching him operate a lathe

Of course the success of this would depend on getting the public into the show in the first place.

The trick is to capture the imagination of those who would rather do things hands on than tap a screen. I would venture that many have never had a hands on opportunity as opposed to the tap a screen being shoved in their face every day.

For me, I have always wanted to do machine work but wasn't able to get to it until I retired. I didn't even realize I had a desire to build little engines until I went to my first show 2 years ago and saw what was possible. I still don't know if it is in my wheelhouse, but I intend to find out this winter!

 

[RonGinger]

I love shows. I missed the first NAMES, but made it to every one after that. I was at every Cabin Fever except the pandemic year. I have gone to England 3 times for shows there. I have been to one in Zanesville. I had reservations and intended to go to the Indiana show, but at the last minute I decided not to go. It is 965 miles from my home to Aurburn. I had no one to go with me- in the early years of NAMES I had a full size van and went with 6 guys.

Many years at both NAMES and Cabin Fever I gave talks, demos and classes about building CNC machines. Over 50 guys have a CNC machine they built under my direction at a show.

But I am afraid we are no longer in Kansas, or whatever state it was 25 or 30 years ago.

I think forums like this one took a big edge off interest in shows. You can see more of the construction of an engine here than at a show, and for no cost. You can learn a lot more here.

Mostly I think it is age. I am now 82, pretty active for my age. Many of my friends from early shows are gone now. My age group grew up in schools with shop classes. I ran a lathe, poured aluminum and beat re-rod into a chisel in my Jr. High years. Not long after my school years they switched to more academic classes, not shops. So few people younger than my group have a shop interest.

Things, they are a changing.

 

[GreenTwin]

Allow people to touch and play.

I put a sign up when I display my and my dad's engines, and the sign says "Touch These Engines - Use caution with the fingers and moving parts".
Anyone/everyone can touch any engine I have, including the green twin, and run most of them themselves using a flexible air line.

It is very funny to see the young kids who actually read my sign, and then walk up and start rotating all the flywheels on my engines.
The parents often react with horror when their kids start touching my engines, and the kid meekly points to my sign, and says "The sign says 'Touch These Engines'.

And other model builders sometimes react with horror that I am teaching kids to touch model engines.
Young kids are the next generation of model engine builders, and the best way to become a model engine builder is to actually interact with a model engine (in my opinion).
If you want to perserve your engine, I guess put a glass case around it.
If you want to teach, encourage folks to explore and touch your engine, and wipe the fingerprints off later.

I don't care if my engines survive, I want the hobby to survive.
I don't want people to admire my work; I want to inspire them to do their own work.

.

 

[Jasonb]

We usually have people using lathes and sometimes a mill at shows and they do at least on one of the stands let children have a go on them. see half way down page 8. The design has been brought upto date with metric sizes as anyone new to the hobby in the UK is likely to have spent their live with metric.

https://www.meridienneexhibitions.co.uk/media/fe7e2880b6b07fe8315d5a20e69aa4fa/MMEE24-ShowGuide.pdf