100% correct on both counts.

Whatever happened to Pickett's Lock? Went there once, as I remember - you don't need to penetrate quite so far into the People's Republic of London as for Ally Pal.

Its definitely the dinghy show, theres too many yachts at all the others,

You forgot to take your tablets again didn't you Rog....

"There is life outside London you know." 

Yes. That's why you have the option of voting for Southampton.

will be going to the dinghy show in march

looking forward to it

I dont think i ever went to the london Boat show at Earls Court but I have been to the Excel one for a few yrs now (but missed this one) I do like it but it is too much like an exhibition.

I love soton But I think you need more than one day as it is soo big and spread out - its way to easy to miss things. (and im sure it used to have more things on when i was a kid - its getting more corporate)

But my Fav has to be the Dinghy Show, Its does have such a good atmosphere etc and I have ended up working there a few years in a row. I may even be coming up after two days of work down here on the boats for the sunday avro then back again that eve for uni on the mon (not many things I would do that for)

I do think that there should maybe a similar show to the dinghy show up north beacuse there is a lot of sailing to be had up there. but im not sure how wel it owuld work out though.

Hi Headfry

Firstly, thank you for our boat show cookies again!

The BMF show is continuing to take place at ExCeL, but an independent company is starting a new show at Earls Court. See http://www.earlscourtboatshow.com/ - http://www.earlscourtboatshow.com/  for more information. As you might have seen in my other thread on the subject, this new show clashes with the Paris Boat Show which, in my opinion, will be the reason the new show does not succeed. But I'll be happy to be proved wrong!

I totally agree with the lack of a warm feeling in ExCeL. It is now just an exhibition. There were little corners where exhibitors had got together and created wonderful areas like the Classic Boats feature, but this was down to the exhibitors, not the venue.

Roll on the dinghy show - opinion seems pretty positive on this one!

Mark

Earl's Court - bit small, everyone hemmed in but had a friendly feel to it.

Excel - with everyone else on this - cold, clinical, very much an exhibition and little else.  Long way from anywhere.

Dinghy Show  -  I am a dinghy sailor (just restarted anyway!) and I always enjoyed going to A.P and seeing everyone, looking at shiny bits of kit and drinking lots of beer.  Will be going for the first time in 3 years and manning the Solution stand so do come and say hello.

Giles

Solution sail number 414 

Glewis, you are right about the Excel show, very cold and clinical, but you do get loads of room to walk around as it more spread out.   

Earls court, I think its had its day, always overcrowded for my liking.

Ally Pally, I will be on the Hurricane stand on Saturday once I have finished Saturday duty in the office. Always great to meet up with people who you have not seen over the winter.

Actually I think ExCel has a lot of promise ... after all it is next to a bit of water that means that there can be events run during the show but the organisers seem to treat the on-the-water part of the event as a side show rather than a key part of the show.

Now if the various races has a £10K prize fund with a professional commentator with covered viewing with a free betting with proceeds to charity for the racing, or a RC Laser event open to all with a real Laser as the prize then I am sure people would be interested ...

Seems to me ExCel is the best place for a commercial show but they need to think about more than just filling the floor space ...

The indoor windsurfing was pretty popular - what happened to that?

Rick

The dinghy show is best by far. AP is a far easier location to get to than the others but it would be great if it was at the NEC instead... More central location making it easier for far more people to attend...Better road access the m6 has far less trafic than any of the London motorways. I really dont get why these events ALWAYS seem to be hosted in a location around London or on the south coast when theres just as many people further north who sail. I would really love a show like the dinghy show to be hosted in different venues... AP one year... NEC the next i think a show like the dinghy show would suffer from a lower attendance if it was hosted further north.

Any how i think its a great show which always has a great atmosphere and i'll be someone who will attend dispite having to drive 5 hours (yes i know thats nothing if you live in scotland!) south to get there

Stuarthop has got a very good point, why not have it at the NEC, or would locating it there have the same effect that the LBS has experienced by relocating to Excel?  What I mean is that the NEC is a large, featureless exhibition hall in the same way Excel is, would the dinghy show become boring and clinincal in the same way as the LBS? 

Giles

Solution number 414

Solution  

I think we should move AP further North but find a suitable venue.  IMHO anyway

Giles

Solution number 414

If the dinghy show was to move further north of London I am sure there would be a decline in attendance.

That does not mean our northern friends are not worthy it's just there is more sailing going on in the south ...

I totally agree, NEC would be much beter allround, easier travelling, more central and there's lakes outdoors to see the boats in action.  It's still only an hour up the road for the cockneys!

Surely comparing the RYA Dinghy Show with the other three is going to produce a massive vote in favour of the friendly 'non-commerical' show run by sailors for sailors.

Would the Dinghy Show be better attended outside of London? I am not so sure as it seems pretty well supported as it is. Ally Pally is not the easiest location, but name one in and around London that would be better.

I tend to go to the 'Trade' Shows every few years as my real interest is sailing Racing Dinghies.  

rubbish!

Ah, unsubstantiated assertion met by blank refutation. That's what I call a debate!

But I suspect Rick is right, just running through the locations of top clubs in my mind (we're claiming Rutland and Grafham for the south here, even if they are north of Watford). Otherwise hard to prove either way, though presumably the RYA membership database could give some indication?

That said, all of us in the south don't exactly love plunging deep into the People's Republic of London. So I'll say again, what was wrong with Pickett's Lock? - at least it is outside the North Circular that I had so much grief getting onto from Ally Pally last night... (personally, I was happy with Crystal Palace, but that's pure selfishness, I'll grant you)

the joys of the forum

A lot of people I spoke to coming out of the Earls Court show on Saturday said that they were going to give Excel a miss (as they had been to the Earls Court one this side of Christmas).  Some said they were going give the Dinghy Show a go (some had been and said it was great) and the rest would go to Southampton.

Me...I'm looking forward to the Dinghy Show (and if I can talk my wife into it - Southampton)

this is purely my own personal opinion and not one from my company:

for Dinghies - Alli Palli

for general wandering and mincing with REAL punters - Earls Court and Southampton

excellent work done by James Brooke and the Earls Court Boat Show team though!!!