Harper Adams BBKA convention

[Edwardking]

I spent Friday and Saturday at HA - education courses were excellent. The trade show was rubbish - suppliers with little stock, a cold hall, card machines that didn't work, poor layout, very amateur organisation. Beetradex was 10 times better, better organised, designed, managed. BBKA should be ashamed of the trade show - it needs a professional approach, proper organisation. The days of amateurism in business are long gone. The businesses there deserve better treatment, the customers likewise. And it should be free for all visitors.

 

[victor meldrew]

Nice thin well balanced hive tools at that . They are now in possession of my Email address and me their free hive tool
VM


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Cazza]

In fairness, the distance between the two events isn't significant from 'the south' of the country, probably not from 'the north' either, as they're both in the Midlands area. Both are, for some people, too far to go for a full day and drive home again afterwards.
QUOTE]

It certainly makes a difference living in the East. HA is too far for me, Stoneleigh is not.

Cazza

 

[beebopalula]

It certainly makes a difference living in the East. HA is too far for me, Stoneleigh is not.

Cazza[/QUOTE]

Ditto. I went to the first HA but will not go to any more.

 

[Edwardking]

I suggest a Bristol location in future - the best place in the country for road, rail, plane connections. A city full of universities and Colleges, reasonable accommodation costs. Bristol wins over HA and Stoneleigh!

 

[MuswellMetro]

In fairness, the distance between the two events isn't significant from 'the south' of the country, probably not from 'the north' either, as they're both in the Midlands area. Both are, for some people, too far to go for a full day and drive home again afterwards.

If traders can't make sure they have enough goods to sell (satisfy potential customers) at the trade fairs they attend, then it's poor stock management. Isn't it?

Stoneleigh is 105m from central London and £107m from central manchester, and £115m from Leeds

but my veiws is there should be more regional events, with lectures and trade stalls, similar to the National Honey Show in the South East

 

[Hivemaker.]

Stoneleigh is 105m from central London and £107m from central manchester, and £115m from Leeds

...and 250 miles from Bodmin.

 

[itma]

Stoneleigh is 105m from central London and £107m from central manchester, and £115m from Leeds

but my veiws is there should be more regional events, with lectures and trade stalls, similar to the National Honey Show in the South East

Even more expensive by HS2.

And, as someone in the far South East, even the NHS is actually West of London ... and a couple of hours away by car.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Even more expensive by HS2.

And, as someone in the far South East, even the NHS is actually West of London ... and a couple of hours away by car.

yes, it is even a pain to get the other side of london on a weekday, it takes me just over one and a half hours to get to stoneleigh (105m) and on the friday it takes me two and a half hours to drive back from the Nat Honey Show at weybridge (25m) and an hour an a half on the saturday ( dual carriageway all journeys)

For the NDB organised short lectures, i prefer to drive to Devon and stay overnight rather than leave early and fight my way through the QE bridge M25 Tolls to sittingbourne as by the time i get to the lecture i am shattered

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

It's great to have a national event, which is not in the south east.
Dusty

And there's the rub - it's been obvious on here for quite a while that people in the SE and home counties are not happy that there is a show which is exclusively theirs and to hell with the rest of the country - everything I've read on here for the last couple of years is just attempting to put out spoilers for the HA event and bring it back, not even to Stoneleigh but further East and West IMHO. Instead of giving the only good thing the BBKA do a fair chance.
I've travelled the length and breadth of the British Isles for work and pleasure and anything East or North of Birmingham is a PITA.
Just cheesed off with the constant wingeing and negativity to be honest

 

[MuswellMetro]

And there's the rub - it's been obvious on here for quite a while that people in the SE and home counties are not happy that there is a show which is exclusively theirs and to hell with the rest of the country - everything I've read on here for the last couple of years is just attempting to put out spoilers for the HA event and bring it back, not even to Stoneleigh but further East and West IMHO. Instead of giving the only good thing the BBKA do a fair chance.
I've travelled the length and breadth of the British Isles for work and pleasure and anything East or North of Birmingham is a PITA.
Just cheesed off with the constant wingeing and negativity to be honest

Becasuse of the lecture facilites needed then the event costings would make any BBKA national show in the london M25 Ring unviable, it just will never happen , leave venues in London Area to the Prawn Sandwich coporate events

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Becasuse of the lecture facilites needed then the event costings would make any BBKA national show in the london M25 Ring unviable

Good, so let's try our best to be positive and make the HA event a success then

 

[beebopalula]

I think it would be better if the BBKA Spring convention moved around the UK so everyone would get a fair chance of going. Separate English, Scottish and Welsh events could be held near the geographical or population centres of each country.
I have not been to the National honey show - wrong side of London. Any more than 2 carts an hour is a traffic jam here.

 

[fatshark]

The Game Fair moves around each year. Any campus-based University would have suitable facilities for the lectures and practical courses (and for HM, Exeter has an excellent conference set up). With suitable flooring the sports facilities could house the trade stands. The only problem might be £££ … universities tend to charge quite a bit.

 

[MuswellMetro]

I think it would be better if the BBKA Spring convention moved around the UK so everyone would get a fair chance of going. Separate English, Scottish and Welsh events could be held near the geographical or population centres of each country.
I have not been to the National honey show - wrong side of London. Any more than 2 carts an hour is a traffic jam here.

The Scottish Beekeepers Assocation are not part of the BBKA and therefore their subs are cheaper and dont they would like the BBKA organsiiting an event in their area
A small convention with lectures and trade stands is held shortly before the HA event by the welsh beekepers assocation , this year at Builth Wells, Powys

 

[itma]

...
A small convention with lectures and trade stands is held shortly before the HA event by the welsh beekepers assocation , this year at Builth Wells, Powys

You mean that instead of supporting the BBKA event, the Welsh organise their own rival event, just before THE Spring Convention?

Sounds a bit 'negative' to me!

 

[MuswellMetro]

You mean that instead of supporting the BBKA event, the Welsh organise their own rival event, just before THE Spring Convention?

Sounds a bit 'negative' to me!

Your putting words into my mouth ITMA, Did I say That? ,

though it might be a more useful time to members than the NHS even at Weybridge Surrey, which is two months after we have extracted all our honey, and a Trade Event with everything expect NBBooks at full prices, Also Never understand why the Irish seem to win all the major National Honey Show prizes

 

[Edwardking]

So we all agree Bristol is the best place for the next event!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

You mean that instead of supporting the BBKA event, the Welsh organise their own rival event, just before THE Spring Convention?

It stemmed from the days when the BBKA event was too far away for most of us (still is for the 'cardis') But i noticed last year that a lot of the same faces were at HA as were at Builth which is a much smaller one day event. And once the kit is sorted from Builth it gives us more time to enjoy all the lectures at HA (we only get three at the Welsh one)

 

[the naked beekeeper]

...and 250 miles from Bodmin.

And didn't it feel like it!