[Closed] NVCF Sunday May 12

What I cannot understand about this event is like you say there may be up to 200 stalls of things for sale that you may or may not want to buy. But why do you omit that a over-priced admission charge of £10. must be paid to get in!

Sorry I forgot to say, between 9-10:30 its £25 to get in. £10 after 10:30am.

I went to last years NVCF , I enjoyed it but I'd like to see more working exhibits, I took my daughter, she enjoyed looking at the old TVs and Radios but was a bit bemused by the stalls of valves,knobs and parts. To see more of the old technology actually working would have appealed to her and help her understand what it was all about.

I've never been, though would like to but cannot face the 400 mile round trip which also entails 7+ hours driving marathon.

As for entry fees, well someone has to cover the costs of the venue hiring, catering and insurance, public liability will not be cheap. These days what can you get for a £10 anyway. With regards to the £25 early entrance, no one is forced to pay that and its par for the course at large antique fairs, has been for years not exclusive to NVCF. When I lived down south I used to go to a bi-annual huge Antiques fair at Ardingly show ground, that had all sorts on offer from furniture to art and including radios, TV's etc. People used to fly in from the USA and all over Europe for it (its featured on TV many times). They also charged £25 early entrance and I used to happily pay it as you got to go around with all the traders getting to the goodies before the hoards of crowds came in. Yes it two tier, yes perhaps unfair but when is life ever fair, cutting back on beer, fags, papers or other treats for a short time would not take long to save the £25 to partake in early access if some find it hard to find the extra. Anyway you're more likely to find bargains at the end of the show than at the beginning as folk went to sell not cart kit back home.

I may be on a loser with the rest of you but its just that I went a few years ago. I was disapointed due to all you had was stalls trying to sell goods. No displays or say talks on offer. The hall did not seem all that big to me. It was only when I got there did I discover the admission price. This is why I mentioned it above. If you advertise "Everybody's very welcome, see you there!" providing you pay £25 or £10 for admission should be added!

Posted by: abctelevision

It was only when I got there did I discover the admission price. This is why I mentioned it above. If you advertise "Everybody's very welcome, see you there!" providing you pay £25 or £10 for admission should be added!

Agreed David, that's an entirely fair and valid point ? 

p.s.
Admission is covered on their website link

It is an interesting event to go and browse, but I tend to come back with loads of stuff I don't need and would not have bought if common sense prevailed. But it's fun !

Posted by: PYE625

 I tend to come back with loads of stuff I don't need and would not have bought if common sense prevailed. But it's fun ! 

Perhaps NVCF could use that as their tag line..

Is it really only a couple of weeks away?! Where has the time gone! I still haven't really done anything with the new projects from last year! I do agree the entry fee is a little high, but it is only once a year (unless you go to other BVWS events, I don't!). I do like to see working exhibits too, I can remember when the Domino 405 line standards converter was available, and there was TV's set up playing away fed from the converter, probably got me into 405 telly's! There is usually someone with an old gramophone playing, or a radio or 2 working. Still a good event, and I'll always come away with more stuff than I intended to buy, most times I don't find what I actually went for, and end up with a load of interesting projects! I'd love to see either the stall full of the German Volksempfanger radio's and parts again, or the pile of American TV sets, from which I got the Motorola TV I should really get back to finishing! The boxes of knobs and valves are always handy, Last year I got a bashed up Murphy Bakelite radio, case cracked, and knobs missing, by the end of the show I'd found a complete set of knobs for it! They may not be exactly correct, but they look about right whilst I was googling photo's of the set whilst walking round 🙂

Regards,

Lloyd

Some fair points, thank you all. To clarify:

The event is run by the BVWS, so we have to make clear that at this event (unlike the table sales and auctions) "Everybody's very welcome" , not just BVWS Members.

ALL surplus proceeds go to the British Vintage Wireless and TV Museum in Dulwich and we must not run at a loss.

We do have to rent the venue, which is now larger than it was a few years ago (it is now L-shaped). This is a major cost.

We do put on displays whenever we can, but that is heavily dependent on volunteers to arrange them.

Much of the help, including that for the Bring & Buy stall is voluntary, so there are minimal overheads.

The entry fee is seen as reasonable for an event of this size, given what has to be set up in terms of safety, refreshments, parking etc.

For many people it has become a social as well as shopping opportunity, meeting up with friends from more distant parts.

And the sheer variety of things on offer have produced, for me, some of the rarest and most interesting items in my collection, as well as hard to find spare parts.

If you have any suggestions on how it can be made a better event, please do contact me via PM and I will make sure those ideas are aired within the BVWS Committee asap.

I hope to see many of you there...

-Jeremy