Recon 2025... A Ghost Of Christmas Past?

 Well, it was off to Recon in Pudsey yesterday for the annual Christmas wind down day at a show we both enjoy.

However, the show seemed to have less footfall, which seems to have come about since the even was taken over, and indeed the general feel of the show was subdued.

Here are a few thoughts from a show veteran who was involved with Sheffield Triples in it's Imperial Period and who ran the bring and buy at that show for over 20 years as an independent service provider.

 

1. The mix of traders is piss poor with way too many MDF and 3D printing businesses. 

2. Resellers are a fact of life these days, but when will a show organiser (particularly if they themselves are resellers) show some backbone and not just let in everyon who is selling the same corporate shite?

 3. Holding a painting competition is a pointless waste of time when it's a single table on a landing, with two entries. 

4. Anyone who remembers Recon in the 80s and 90s will remember how well laid out it was and how full yet traversable the main hall was. If something works don't fix it.

 5. Put the bring and buy and tabletop sales in different zones, perhaps with participation games. This will draw people around and make the division more marked.

6. The bring & buy...

a. One man running such a frontage is asking for trouble. Having people agree to a set of rules is one thing but respoinsibility goes both ways.

b. Not handing receipts/tickets to sellers is unacceptable.

Instead, saying 'I know your face' is equally unacceptable.

c. Having heard that one seller was refused service because he had his 'paperwork on landscape rather than portrait' is laughable. Doubly so, because I jknow that person is a veteran organiser himself and (like me and everyone else I saw booking in) had downloaded and completed the forms as presented on the Recon website. 

This resulted in loss of a customer I understand.

d. Now, if you have someone fill in 3 description boxes for items, you do not (especially if you have insisted on people signing up to your 'don't blame us' clauses).

Do that to me and then make an error and I am going to pursue it very loudly and publicly (and others there yesterday would make me look like a pussycat)

You put a ticket on everything - no excuses. 

Laying down rules is pointless if they are not going to apply on the day.

e. Dealers running bring & buys, historically, has led to serious issues, and I have in just the past couple of years seen some egregious behaviour because of this. 

7. Write to manufacturers and invite them/inform them of your show. Give them a deadline to respond and then from those who do, curate the trader hall. Engage with them and they will engage with you, particularly if you have a reasonable fee for a trade stand. They will have their own comms network and will if they are worth their salt disseminate info about the show, potetntially making it more successful.

8. Recon seems to have the same faces attending every year, albeit a bit older and whiter of hair each time. This would indicate that just announcing things on Facebook is not hitting a wide enough audience. I would bet that 85%+ of those attending are long term repeat offenders, but we are a dying breed who attend the show I would say for the nice pace and in the knowledge that we will see some friends and acquaintances.

9. Look at the space you have and FILL it. There are many established clubs with a reasonable radius with members who would gladly put on quality games which catch the eye. Hel, if you want me to bring a few thousand pre-slotta fantasy models and put a game on, I'd be glad to. Not something I generally offer, but I have a soft spot for this grand old man of shows.

10. If as an organiser, your heart is not really in it, and you're using it as a sales platform, then reconsider it. I had a conversation with someone yesterday who was  remarking that several shows taken over by or run as businesses have gone sour. I am not sure about this yet, but I can see that there may indeed be something to it.

11. Tabletop sales. OK, these are a 'thing' now, but letting professional painters pay £10 for a table and then have 100 models for £500+ a pop, seems to take the piss when there are traders who are seeking to add something to that show experience and hopefully make something themselves after laying out more cash to do so. Nip that in the fucking bud, immediately, because that is up there with allowing known dealers to fill a bring and buy rather than take a trade stand for the same reasons.

12. Traders... If you are going to only put a few bits on display to attract the already small footfall, why in the name of Christ on a bike are you even bothering? 

Stay at home and count all that money you made at those big shows (I assume you did, because you had more on display at those shows) earlier in the year.

Now, taking all that into account, let me say that I love the Civic Hall as a venue and that is a large reason for the annual pilgrimage up the M1.

The show is free - that's a great thing. Hell, build up the attendance and charge a nominal £1 when you get it to a respectable attendance figure.

Catering is above average for shows. You can get two hot drinks and two breakfast sandwiches for a tenner. At lunchtime you can get a wide range of snack meals such as pie and peas, stew, pasties and hot sandwiches and the look, smell and indeed are good. So, the venue and it's staff are being poorly served by the show organisers who don't seem to be truly behind the event with any genuine enthusiasm.

Recon has a history and heritage and can and should be a leader on the 'smaller venue' show circuit .

Overall, I had a pleasant day despite the above points, but how good would it be if all those points were addressed? Indeed, I wrote constructively to the organisers last year who surprisingly... Did not even respond. 

That says a lot.

On the positive side, I picked up some great old books and rules and had change from a tenner, which was nice, as once again, the memsahib spent much more than I did...

 

The organiser who is not respecting of their customer base (as the Triples organisers found out) will end up in short order without a show in relatively short order. What's more, if they don't really care about the history of a show, then what do they have to lose? Why should they care? 

Because the heritage and rich tapestry of this hobby should be respected, curated and nurtured. 

Other events at that same venue do very, very nicely, so why is Recon not doing likewise?