Shows keep getting smaller!

[Vietti]

The two shows I go to have gone to a donation system instead of an entrance fee. Both organizers tell me it is working OK. I try to contribute to insure the viability of the shows.

 

[kf2qd]

I guess I am the odd man out in that the cost of things is a major factor in what I do or don't do. I have to control my expenses and the cost of travel, entrance fees and lodging are significant. I am delighted that some are wealthy enough that these aspects don't even enter your mind. Must be that I am part of the wrong club and should see myself to the door as I don't have the wealth enough to be involved here. And thank you for letting me know that because my priorities don't come up to your high standards that I am very wrong and the real problem with why these events are struggling.

 

[Jasonb]

I have always look at it this way

If I can buy some metal from one of the traders at the show then the saving on postage will cover the entrance fee.

If I do the same a few more times with other purchases and maybe get a bit of discount for cash then that will cover my fuel bill, at least for the more local shows.

Just doing that for a one day visit has only cost me my time.

 

[GreenTwin]

I guess I am the odd man out in that the cost of things is a major factor in what I do or don't do. I have to control my expenses and the cost of travel, entrance fees and lodging are significant. I am delighted that some are wealthy enough that these aspects don't even enter your mind. Must be that I am part of the wrong club and should see myself to the door as I don't have the wealth enough to be involved here. And thank you for letting me know that because my priorities don't come up to your high standards that I am very wrong and the real problem with why these events are struggling.

Well, I am in the same boat (welcome to the club).
It is not a matter of me spending on shows instead of golf or other hobbies.
I don't have other hobbies, and I still don't have money for attending shows.
Prices have gone up to the point that for me, I feel lucky to be able to pay bills, much less travel.
Such as it is.
Money is a minor problem in this city; we also have out of control crime, as if the money problem was not bad enough.

I am still holding out for some sort of virtual engine show, set up like some sort of zoom meeting.
Live streaming is pretty cool.
Who knows how to set this up?
At this point I think I would rather invest in a server than a show, just due to the cost of traveling these days.
.

 

[gbritnell]

This thread is just a conversation about the current situation of model engineering shows. There is no attempt to belittle anyone for not being able to afford going to a show. There is no reason for sarcasm. I don't attend the Cabin Fever show because I can't afford it. At least one or two days off work. Fuel for the 600 mile round trip. Turnpike tolls. Lodging for at least two nights. Food while attending the show. Without adding it up its in the neighborhood of $600 not counting time from work so your situation is completely understandable..
Green Twin, there is a forum named The Office of Steam for Toy and Model Steam and Gas Engines. The have done several virtual engine shows on the forum. It might be something to consider for everyones interest.

 

[compressorguy]

Well, you don't see ME attending NAMES or any other show on the east coast. It's far more than 12 hours for those of us on the Left coast--it would be easier to fly but I thimpfk the airlines might object to all those metal engines. ON the Left coast, I know that San Francisco must have a show but I never hear about it. Portland also might have a show or at least some place in Oregon. But if there is a show in the Soviet, I've never heard of it.

We used to have GEARS in Eugene, OR. It brought people from the whole west coast, but they started a show in California and GEARS faded away. Now there is nothing up here. Not even any clubs north of Portland. I used to belong to two clubs in Eugene and Corvallis, but the Eugene club died. There are no groups in Seattle at all and the Portland Model Engineers club is dying slowly. Just no interest among the younger generations.

 

[Richard Hed]

We used to have GEARS in Eugene, OR. It brought people from the whole west coast, but they started a show in California and GEARS faded away. Now there is nothing up here. Not even any clubs north of Portland. I used to belong to two clubs in Eugene and Corvallis, but the Eugene club died. There are no groups in Seattle at all and the Portland Model Engineers club is dying slowly. Just no interest among the younger generations.

Yes, what a shame, I know for sure that the Soviet has MANY enthusiasts in it, but it must be the oppressive air of sovietism or something?! I thimpfk Oregon has many enthusiasts too. CAlifornia is too far for me to drive (except that I am presently in Henderson, Nevada). In Washington, a nice central area to meet might be Yakima, as it has nice dry weather most of the time and is large enough to have motels, food etc. I don't know of any enthusiasts in the Yak area tho'. Idaho and Montana have some.

OHooh?! I didn't notice you are in Chehalis. I was born in a log cabin manger in Centralia! Grew up in Yelm and now live in MOses Lake.

 

[gbritnell]

I think our hobby, model engineering, . was somewhat born from a time when craftsmanship was still commonplace. Let's start out with something quite mundane, a fence. Iron fences were decorative with finials and scroll work and wood fences with trellises were the norm. Now replaced with plastic. Woodwork in houses was fancy even for the middle class home. Hardwoods were used and chair rails and crown moldings were used. Now if used at all most times they're plastic. Head boards and furniture had sculpted shapes and most times were made from some type of good wood mahogany,, oak or walnut. I remember my parents had radios and later tv consoles that were made with mahogany with fancy wood grill work. Now they're either veneered or made of plastic. The automobiles of the teens and through the thirties had parts that were not only functional but artistic, hood ornaments were artistic and badging was done with enameling or cloisonné.

A lot of home shops were born from wartime. It's not that people back then could afford mills and lathes for a home shop but a lot of them came about to support the war parts manufacturing effort. I grew up when the average high school offered mechanical drawing, and had wood and metal shops. Now if available at all they are only offered at vocational schools. My friends and I all worked on motor scooter and later cars and engines. Now you go to a car show and talk to some of the owners and they had the engine built by someone else, they didn't do the body work or the paint. On top of it the cost in a lot of cases is out of the reach of the working families of today.

I have built model cars and airplanes for as long as I can remember. I belong to a local plastic model club and when I joined there would be upwards of 15 members at each once a month meeting. Now were lucky to get 5. We talk about getting the younger generations involved but even when they have what's known as a make-and-take at the bigger shows it's just and instant gratification and I doubt goes any farther.
I am also an artist and have belonged to several art leagues over the years. Over time the interest faded and they eventually disbanded.

To condense this the bottom line is things have changed, lifestyles, costs, interests. I have two sons, one is quite mechanical and the other not so much. The one enjoys working on cars and motorcycles while the other cuts grass and waxes his car. Although they love my work and what i have done over the years neither of them has any interest in turning handles. I don't blame them for that because I didn't follow in my father's footsteps either.

As far as model engineering shows go it's up to us to keep them going as long as possible. if we want them to survive at all. I attended the first show in Indiana last year. The organizers went out of their way to provide a suitable venue for for the exhibitors. Even with my health issues I attended this year's show. I thought the number and variety of model displays was great for only the second year but to be honest I was really bummed out by the number of spectators. I know the show had good advertising through the forums and in print but the Saturday crowd was underwhelming. The few people I did have conversation with were genuinely interested but then some just kind of walked past.
Hopefully I will be able to attend next year and keep this hobby going for the near future.