Focus on imaging is no more

Wilkinson cameras are advertising Digital Splash which is free to get in and has relatively cheap workshops. Thought I might go this year as it is in the Northwest (University of central lancs). Anyone been before

I went to Digital Splash last year, well ermmm, if I said it was small and not overly attended by exhibitors, then that would probably sum it up in a nut shell.

The only way to purchase there is through Wilkinsons who seem to have stocks of everything the exhibitors are showing on the stands.

Having been to Focus 4 times, i was a little disappointed with Digital Splash, maybe my expectations where to high, can't say it's not worth a visit but don't be traveling for hours to get there.
 
Who on earth will I get to kick me in the shins, and whack me with rucksacks now? That kind of abuse costs money you know...

(Joking aside, I did quite like the Focus show.... I hope the gap gets filled by something equally large, because it was nice to have everything in one place..just my two penneth!)
 
I went this year for the first time in several years - enjoyed it. Now very glad I went as its gone for good.

I think it could have been physically arranged better - there were lots of talks but it was near impossible to hear them as many of the speakers were located much to close togeather. Finding out what talks would be available and when also seemed harder than it needed to be. Sticking the food in the middle and the speakers round the edge would have been beneficial, as would staggering the talks.

I think it had a lot of potential still and I hope someone starts another version. If they base it in London though, forget it. Being mid country was a big attraction for me (though I am based in the South West) as London is inconvenient, expensive and miserable. I have heard 'The Societies' do a good London show, but as its in London I will never bother to go.
 
Photoplus (magazine) on there Facebook page have just announced a photography/camera show with 200 sessions and talks by some of the best photographers held in London on the 26th and 27th October 2013

Don't know if it will be any good but maybe worth a look
 
HoppyUK said:
There is already a lot of interest from big media players in the market. If there's an opportunity, in whatever shape or form, I think it will get taken up.

TBH, the more I think about the way this has happened, with Mary Walker seemingly just giving it all up, with no attempt to sell it on or do something else (apparently :cautious:) the more I think there may be more to this :thinking:
Click to expand...
(y)
let's all just hope that whatever fills the void has nothing whatsoever to do with 'the societies'...
Click to expand...
(y)
Someone will come up with an alternative, that's obvious.
I've already had a few phone calls from people trying to sell us space at other exhibitions, but something dedicated to photography will replace Focus
 
Very interesting thread.... Focus originally succeeded a totally professional event, Photography At Work, but the market has totally changed over the last 15 years of the digital revolution from a relatively small clearly defined group of people earning almost all their income from photography to an extremely large gradient of people who earn varying amounts of their income from photography, plus a very great number of amateurs with disposable income to afford the user friendly technology.

Catering for all these is a massive task at one event, and certainly in the professional ranks there is some enthusiasm for a totally professional event- if a workable definition of professional can be found. It's also very true that professional events are easily dominated by album companies, and to that end, in my capacity as one of the associates of Bigger Picture Roadshows we have deliberately restricted the number of album companies, and those companies operate gentlemen's agreements between themselves as to what each exhibits at the events

Hoppy's idea of regional gear based shows has been echoed in several places- just needs someone to make it work, without it becoming dominated by paper products.

My final comment, much as the industry has appreciated Mary Walker's efforts with Focus over the years, is to let it be known that my company is one of a very select band of companies that exhibited at all 24 Focus shows. In all those years, despite not booking until late, we never received any sales contact beyond the annual 'Thanks for exhibiting, if you want to rebook your space, please do so by dd/mm' letter, and this approach of the show selling itself on reputation as much as anything is why our trade's premier show dwindled to extinction.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
As I see it, the problem with regional shows would be cost.
I doubt whether many of the visitors to shows have any idea how much it costs just for the space, and then there's the cost of the stand, the staff, hotels, vehicles etc - think somewhere near £1000 psm in total. And of course there is then the cost of disruption to normal business, with pretty much everyone at the exhibition and unable to provide normal levels of customer service.

Those costs are pretty much fixed, regardless of the number of visitors, so if one big show morphed into say 4 smaller regional shows, either the cost wouldn't be viable for many exhibitors or many exhibitors would only be able to attend one of them, and only lose one lot of money.

"Professional only shows"? Well, even if "professional" could be satisfactorily defined, it would reduce the attendance figures dramatically and most (not all)) exhibitors wouldn't like that.

As for the quality of the Focus on Imaging organisation - yes, not the easiest people to deal with, and not the best communication.
 
Well, the first meeting to discuss a possible replacement event didn't achieve a great deal, except to expose a wide range of opinions with two main divisions.... One camp want a new show to be a photographically inclined version of The Gadget Show, with the emphasis on consumer products, image taking and processing, with little trade or professional presence, and the other camp want the former Focus model with the emphasis the other way around..... The company who organised the meeting, who are a respected body working mainly with companies in the former camp, will be circulating a proposal shortly.... Watch this space.
 
Well how about a show of 2 halves with a 'printing and presentation' section and a gear section.
The pros get free admission through the 'trade' side, the hobbyists go straight into gear and gadgets and have to pay.

With a gadget show theatre that'll appeal to the hobbyists so there's a Venn diagram type layout with the mainstream gear in the middle.
 
It's a shame it's gone, but as others have said, the standard seemed to reduce. The previous year I went twice but this year I went and came away about lunchtime after getting there for opening. I do hope that something similar will be arranged in the future as the Midlands is rather lacking on this front without.
 
step72 said:
Photoplus (magazine) on there Facebook page have just announced a photography/camera show with 200 sessions and talks by some of the best photographers held in London on the 26th and 27th October 2013

Don't know if it will be any good but maybe worth a look
Click to expand...

What's it called?

Website?
 
Just had a look - not much in the way of retail so far- which was my interest. The weekend ticket includes as many seminars as you like - £200. Day tickets.... hmm. With the cost of travel to London and staying overnight unless we want a very long day on the road, not sure about this so far. Hope it doesn't put someone else off doing something in the midlands.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top