NRA chief taken away by police

[Chapuis]

I heard the story of the parking dispute some months ago. I must say that the rumour monkeys have been putting in a lot of overtime since then and the police weren't involved in the story that I heard simply a woman who parked in an area where she shouldn't have and an annoyed husband who took extreme exception to the way that Mr Mercer had allegedly spoken to her.

Comparing the Imperial to the CLA, now that's a good one. :lol: It's a bit like comparing a canoe to the QM2.

[ovenpaa]

Comparing the Imperial to the CLA, now that's a good one. :lol: It's a bit like comparing a canoe to the QM2.

Especially when it was an NRA staff member who made the comparison. :lol:

[Chapuis]

Makes you wonder if that person has ever been to the CLA doesn't it! I can't remember the exact figures on attendance but I believe that this year it was around 147,000 persons over the three days. Perhaps the NRA should look at some of the figures mentioned in this article http://www.shootinguk.co.uk/features/cl ... acts-37915

I went to the CLA game fair this year, the first time for a number of years. I spent the whole day on site and didn't see a fraction of it all. By comparison when I visited the Imperial last I can only say how disappointed I was. The time taken to walk around the Imperial or for that matter the Phoenix can be measured in minutes rather than in days. It's about time a few people got a grip on reality and realised just how small target shooting in the overall shooting world.

Perhaps it's about time that we looked back a bit at how popular the Anno Domini pistol meetings were, the buzz on camp at these meetings was something to behold and sadly missed. What can be done to get back to a similar situation we were in 25 years ago?
I know that there have been various shooting shows done in the past including grandiose ideas as Bisley Live arranged by fly by night get rich quick companies who did absolutely nothing for Bisley, the NRA or shooting in general. How about the NRA take a gamble and utilise their greatest asset which is the ground and ranges and instead of trying to make a quick buck, let traders attend for free just make them pay for the tents etc. Then recover their costs and a small profit from other activities such as the camp sites. This year I camped at Bisley twice. The first occasion was for the Phoenix, camp site use was a fraction of previous years and certainly no where close to how it used to be when we held the pistol meetings. The second occasion was in June when there was only one other tent on site the one night and mine was the only one on site for the second night.

[ovenpaa]

Yes, the 147,000 stacks up nicely with the suggested 50k/day I heard. Personally I find such events too crowded and this was the main reason we skipped Stoneleigh Park this year.

Bisley Live is best forgotten.

I do agree the NRA should review their traders policy however my big concern is the non shooting related trade stands that will pop up, I would hate to see the Phoenix and the Imperial become car boot sales...

[Chapuis]

No problem with crowds at the CLA, all pleasantly spread out.
I totally agree with you there Ovenpaa all trade stands need to be shooting related. The stalking show in Newark in November has already announced this policy just the same as the original event in the borders. I think most shooters feel the same, if we wanted to go to a craft fair we would go along to the village hall.

[Chapuis]

Duplicate post.

[Sim G]

Yes, the 147,000 stacks up nicely with the suggested 50k/day I heard. Personally I find such events too crowded and this was the main reason we skipped Stoneleigh Park this year.

Bisley Live is best forgotten.

I do agree the NRA should review their traders policy however my big concern is the non shooting related trade stands that will pop up, I would hate to see the Phoenix and the Imperial become car boot sales...

There are far more people attend Phoenix to shop, than shoot. If retailers don't attend, nor will that vast majority of the visitors. Through either arrogance or spite, they'll "kill" it, of that I have no doubt.

[Chapuis]

With a little bit of lateral or progressive thinking there's no reason why the Phoenix shouldn't re-emerge and grow to the size and style of the pre pistol ban event. The guys responsible for the Phoenix have done a grand job of getting shooting going again but perhaps because of things outside their control the full event i.e. full trade show of the previous proportions simply hasn't happened. Perhaps it's about time that this is looked at again and some thought given to encouraging a greatly increased foot fall on camp for all events.
How about petitioning the NRA to do something radical like hosting a trade show where the traders (all shooting related) only pay for the hire of their tentage and not any ground rent. This would be for one year only just to kick things off. Or how about starting a flying school for pigs on century range if that one is a non starter.

[The Cupcake Kid]

...Apparently for the same price she paid for Phoenix she could of had more then one stand at the CLA.

I'm still not convinced this is accurate. What are the actual daily costs of the same size stand at the Phoenix and the CLA?

Trade prices were hoiked excessively for the Imperial meeting and then reduced at the 11th hour, far too late for many trade members to reverse decisions and even then they were up on last years prices. The CLA was cited by the NRA as a cost comparison however there is a subtle difference in that the CLA were guaranteeing a footfall of 50k over the show, the Imperial as mush as I like it is not going to see 50,000 people.

I still have the original NRA booking forms for 2014 and can probably find the invoice for 2013 if anyone is interested, there is an eye watering increase.

That would be interesting if you're prepared to share them...

I'm not taking any sides myself, I just don't particularly like rumour-mongering and malicious gossip.

I've done trade shows and exhibitions. Exhibitors generally fall into two categories.
There are the ones that are there to sell products off their stands. They tend to measure success by comparing the cost of exhibiting against their takings and if they end up with a profit, they are happy.
Let's remember that the cost of exhibiting needs to include travel, accommodation, expenses and the time you are away from your shop or office neglecting your normal duties.

Then there are the ones that are there to promote their business or products they cannot sell off the stand. It's more difficult to measure success in this case, because the sales can come many days, weeks or months down the line. It's really more of a marketing expense than a sales expense.

Most stands at any Bisley meeting fall into the first category I'd say, so there needs to be a sensible balance between the cost of the stands and what the exhibitors are likely to take in sales.

What are the NRA's costs when they offer trade space to exhibitors? If minimal, I feel they shouldn't be looking to make a significant profit out of these meetings and I think they now realise that they should be supporting and encouraging trade at the main meetings as this will bring in more people generally. If they were hiring the London Excel centre or the NEC, it would be a very different matter, but this is all happening within Bisley so they need to take a more pragmatic approach.

[zanes]

http://www.full-bore.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=82&t=17764

http://full-bore.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=18039