BBKA ticket costs

[jenkinsbrynmair]

£13.50 to stand watching a pile of rocks - do they do anything? sing, dance,change shape?
How many lectures do you get for that price? is it easy to get qa place in the workshops? any trade stalls there?
Not that it matters anyway,not in London will have to pay the train fares.

 

[alanf]

Just an observation based on looking though old newsletters and some back of the envelope calculations. I wrote before (flippantly) that raising prices could solve overcrowding. The serious point is that raising prices can be counter productive, particularly if you're relying on footfall to justify fees for trade stands. That was just a suspicion of how it was going from what I overheard some of the traders at Beetradex saying about not attending the BBKA convention. Then I started digging for some of the numbers.

The cost of attending has risen nearly every year recently. Back in 2009 there was no penalty for paying on the door, 13 quid for members. In 2010 that was the advance price, 15 on the door. In 2011 - 16 on the door, 2013 - 18 and 2014 - 20. A 53% rise in 5 years for the same ticket category. RPI rise Jan 2009 to Jan 2014 is 20%.

In 2011 when the event moved to HA, the HA press release claimed a success and "more than 2000 beekeepers" attended. I can't find any other reference to attendance numbers, but it's a working estimate. If the average ticket price was 16 pounds (as paid on the door) and guessing that the 14 advance for some was offset by up to 22 paid by the public, that's a ticket take of somewhere over 30,000. Maybe "more than 2000" attendance pushes that higher into the 30s. The accounts state the income that year as 101,419. There may be some profit from catering or other activities but the majority of that is going to be fees paid by traders. The larger traders are paying several thousands to be there, on top of their travel and staff costs. You might think the ticket price is high, but traders are probably contributing more than that again to the total income and if the numbers don't add up for them, they won't be there.

Of course it's not quite that simple. Hiring the venue is probably cheaper if there is no need for a trading hall and basic economics says that raising prices reduces demand for tickets; everybody has their own value for money calculation. What does come across from even a superficial reading of the numbers is that getting the forecasts of income and costs right is difficult but there is real danger of turning the balance for the convention further towards the higher price, lower volume end.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Just an observation based on looking though old newsletters and some back of the envelope calculations. I wrote before (flippantly) that raising prices could solve overcrowding. The serious point is that raising prices can be counter productive, particularly if you're relying
some was offset by up to 22 paid by the public, that's a ticket take of somewhere over 30,000. Maybe "more than 2000" attendance pushes that higher into the 30s.
.

my beetradex ticket was no 8938 and i booked quite late so if we say max of 50% on the door that would be about 12,000-13,000 attended beetradex

 

[Hivemaker.]

.... that would be about 12,000-13,000 attended beetradex

Good grief... now I'm sure i would not enjoy that, but nice for the many that do.

 

[REDWOOD]

Is there that many beekeepers in England

 

[MuswellMetro]

Good grief... now I'm sure i would not enjoy that, but nice for the many that do.

hmmm, well seem high doesn't it so perhaps i added a 0 LOL , my math's skills have got worst with age but it was almost as crowded as a normal old BBKA event there 1200-1300 instead of 2000 at the BBKA

 

[susbees]

my beetradex ticket was no 8938 and i booked quite late so if we say max of 50% on the door that would be about 12,000-13,000 attended beetradex..........

..........hmmm, well seem high doesn't it so perhaps i added a 0 LOL , my math's skills have got worst with age but it was almost as crowded as a normal old BBKA event there 1200-1300 instead of 2000 at the BBKA

Spoken like a true politician. So what was the ticket number ? Let me guess 0938

 

[Mellifera397]

Whatever the case may be for each individual, the BBKA should not concern itself with complaints over prices. It should only be concerned when their ticket sales fall to a level that leads to the cost of a trade stand being questioned.

Since that is unlikely, we have already heard of overcrowdingon site, stop moaning and just don't go. Lets not have some revolution against anyone making money, afterall it does go to the bees!

M

 

[alanf]

my beetradex ticket was no 8938 and i booked quite late so if we say max of 50% on the door that would be about 12,000-13,000 attended beetradex

Perhaps the ticket numbering doesn't start at 0001? Just an impression, but from car parks and hall occupancy, I'd guess around 1000 in round numbers. There was turnover, as in many stayed for only an hour or two, so could have been a little higher. I was surprised that it was worth charging for entrance. I'd have thought free pre-registration would be a better strategy. The marketing value is in compiling a mailing list of active beekeepers, you include many more who consider going but don't. Plus, you can reduce staffing on the door.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Spoken like a true politician. So what was the ticket number ? Let me guess 0938

yes, 0938 is the correct number, must go to specsavers as well!!!