East Anglian Airgun Fayre Up-Date

[boxman]

Well done for trying Gareth
Regards
Boxman.

[Punchsteve]

Sorry Guys plug pulled. Please see edit added at the start of this thread's opening post .

It's a shame mate, even though I wouldn't have been able to attend. But spending on the venue and insurance with no way of knowing if you would be able to recoup it would have been too much, particularly what with you having your family to be looking after.

Never mind, it was a cracking idea and good for you for giving it a go.

[BigDuncs]

Yep Gareth,

A big well done for trying!

[Pad. E]

Hi Gareth.

Shame you had to pull the plug. However you were right in your decision. Like you said 'no need stressing your family over it' You done what you could fair play to for trying.

Regards
Paddy.

[I. J.]

'A' for effort Gareth! Even though I couldn't attend you had my full support.

ATB
Ian

[Grayling]

Sorry to here about that Gareth , I for one would have paid up front if it would've helped, I was really looking forward to your show. Surely if we'd all threw a Tenner maybe more in each would that have helped. The first show was always going to be hardest. Maybe if you ever reconsider we could form a collective kitty so to speak. It was a lot for one man to do Gareth but good try mate, we've all lost out sadly methinks .

[Gareth W-B]

.

Sorry Guys plug pulled. Please see edit added at the start of this thread's opening post .

Thanks everso for all the kind words of support since post #62 above -- all greatly appreciated . Copy of edit in question below.

Sorry all but I'm pulling the plug on this, as have sent many letters and e-mails asking collectors to attend, and only had six stalls @ £30 each plus 70 visitors at £3 each confirm -- and all of them via this BBS (thank you). Yet I had to pay the booking fee of £400 by today if going ahead, and sort the public liability and personal indemnity insurance (which together total £350), shortly after. Although was happy to go out on a limb a little, the sums just don't ad up and I'm not prepared to put myself potentially out of pocket and spend the next four months stressing myself & my family by trying to play catch-up just to recoup any out of pocket expenses that could have been avoided. A shame but there you go, and at least my epitaph when written in (hopefully) many many moons time can read

"at least I tried" ... .
__________________________________________

[Paddy_SP]

Gareth - as you say, at least you tried. Hopefully, all your hard work need not go in vain, as you will have built an excellent template for anyone else who would like to try and put on such an event elsewhere. That is - you have identified who you need to speak to, written all the necessary letters, and worked out what all the related issues are... Let's hope this is a temporary glitch, rather than the end to the story...

[mxgb]

Sorry to hear that you had to pull the plug on such a good idea, though fully understand why, and as mentioned earlier "at least you tried" and if I may add put in a lot of time, work and effort in to the project. On the upside you wil have more time for the quarterly collectors mag now
ATB Keith

[Gareth W-B]

Thanks everso for all the kind words of support since post #62 above -- all greatly appreciated .

Cheers Keith and Paddy, and ditto the above. Yep, all valuable learning . Eyes down for a number crunch on the validity of a quarterly air gun collectors magazine now then, but as most of the "would be" advertisers have shut up shop post VCR, don't hold your breath for too long . Onwards and upwards : Gareth W-B.

[Gareth W-B]

Sorry Guys plug pulled. Please see edit added at the start of this thread's opening post .

Had a few suggesting I should've tried advertising this collectors air gun fayre in the gun press instead of relying on mail-shots (electric and paper) and bulletin boards, but this would've been cost prohibitive as spoke to many magazines but they all wanted iro £200 + Vat (and up) per 1/4 page ad, and you need to advertise for several consecutive months for ads to work.

This in mind, with seven months running to the event when the promotion started, even if I chose to advertise it in just one magazine, that would have been an extra £1,400 plus Vat (which i couldn't claim back) which would have had to be passed on to the public and stall sellers, and this would I believe have resulted in even fewer stall sellers signing up than the six who did.

Admittedly I could have gone for smaller adverts than those sized at a 1/4 of a page, true, but after 23 years working in the periodical and publications business, I know that for events such as this smaller adverts would've been like a broken pencil: pointless .

As of this morning the magazine idea as detailed above is also dead in the water due to available advertising revenue (read lack of), so that’s me mentally spent now, so I will just return to skulking in the shadows and pop out every now and again to comment on the odd collectable . Atb all: Gareth W-B.

[Lakey]

Sorry it didnt work out Gareth. I too understand the reasons why you had to pull the plug, and even though I couldnt have made it over to join in the fun, I thought is was a very brave idea.

All the best to you and yours.

Lakey

[Gareth W-B]

Sorry it didnt work out Gareth. I too understand the reasons why you had to pull the plug, and even though I couldnt have made it over to join in the fun, I thought is was a very brave idea.

Cheers Andy, good to hear from you and your words are greatly appreciated. The really frustrating thing though was that I had the local legislators and law-makers on side whereas at Bisley where a suitably adaptable arms fayre takes place annually they're not . Oh well, I'm off to play with my Light Pattern . Atb: Gareth W-B.

[daveuk]

Hi Gareth,
there is not much i can say that hasn't already been said. it was a fantastic idea and as you said, at least you went out of your way, made the effort, and tried.
i dont blame you for having to pull the plug, family stability HAS to come before our collective past time.
speak to you soon mate
Dave

[Gareth W-B]

there is not much i can say that hasn't already been said. it was a fantastic idea and as you said, at least you went out of your way, made the effort

Cheers Dave, yep, shame, but I truly did my best.Genuinely thought it'd create more interest among potential sellers/than it did. Oh well live and learn. Looks like we'll have to find another time and place to down a couple of pints together then but not to worry, I am on the case . Atb: Gareth W-B.