Photography show @ NEC

Some good deals to be had on Olympus MFT Lenses from the LCE or Cameraworld stands. Picked up a 17mm 1.8 for £320 plus £50 cashback if you got one of the vouchers from the Olympus stands.
 
Just got back from the Photography show myself, Didn't purchase anything but was very tempted at times! My Dad picked up a Canon 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye for £715 as all Canon lenses were on double cashback, A great bargain if you ask me :) Had a play with the Tamron 150-600mm and wasn't impressed, the design & look of the lens is great but the AF speed was slow, Above 300mm it was useless apart from motionless subjects, would hate to imagine what its like trying to get BIF at 600mm! Overall a good day out :)
 
So, it's all over now.

I've never exhibited at the NEC before, so I can't really compare it with the previous shows. But I talked to lots of people there and the general consensus was that it was good, for a variety of reasons. Some of the things mentioned to me:
* The layout was nice and spacious. (At least, it was in Hall 11 where we were, though parts of Hall 12 felt a bit like a Middle Eastern bazaar. )
* There was a good variety of activities, rather than it feeling like it was just a big car boot sale.
* And there weren't so many overweight middle-aged men with bad hair waddling around with two DSLRs slung round their neck. (Though there were quite a few.)

From a personal point of view:
- It was great to meet so many existing customers and TP members and put faces to names (including the legendary @Marcel) - thanks for stopping by.
- We talked to an awful lot of people who seemed interested in our services, and I guess in the next few weeks or months we'll be able to work out whether it has had any effect on demand.
- I made some potentially valuable contacts with other exhibitors who we might be able to work with.
- And now I'm *totally* cream-crackered.

Roll on 2015. March 21st-24th. It will be in a bigger space at the NEC but apparently it's 75% sold already.
 
StewartR said:
...there weren't so many overweight middle-aged men with bad hair waddling around with two DSLRs slung round their neck. (Though there were quite a few...
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I was one of those (although without the cameras)! :D

It was good to meet you and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the 200-400 when it arrives! :)
Cheers,
Si
 
Spiritflier said:
I was one of those (although without the cameras)! :D

It was good to meet you and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the 200-400 when it arrives! :)
Cheers,
Si
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Me too
Except I have no need for the 200-400 we talked about the TSE's
 
What a great show, Well set out and easy to find Loved the garden!!!!

As always found and spent... Loved the new fuji frontier (Mini) minilabs.....

Great have beers with Fly TVR and Tracey.

Good natters with old friends Jerm ( Garry Edwards was busy with tire kickers, looked so happy like someone had stolen his Cornflakes) and Mike Weeks, Steve Parker of Parker/Franklin labs. And David from Sams lab.
Bumped into some of my old bosses from the past. And it was good to Derek Poulston from One Vision looking back to his normal self. Glad you're feeling better Derek.
Martin and Gary from from Dunns labs were very busy, Martin looked lost without his sandwich basket and root beer supplies.....
And a fab chat and meet up with Chris Rose from Adventure School Portraits..... Growing his business well and on the up.....
And many thanks to most the above and Studio Decor and Photovalue mounts for the goodie bags for this weeks School Photography training course this Friday.

Love and Baby cheeses to one and all.

and where was Phil V?????? Beer was on the bar waiting for ya!!!!!!!!!
 
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Looking at today's news, where do you reckon the show will be next year?

Looks like it'll be a costly buy if Birmingham council need at least £1.1bn to cover the costs of their illegal activities at the NEC. That cost will be passed on by the new owners to exhibitors and attendees.
 
As an exhibitor, it was an exhausting four days, Monday being totally manic! Turns out most people thinking to avoid the weekend crowds, opted to come on Monday! I think the 5pm closing threw a few folks as well as at closing, it was still jam packed! Great energy though, little different feel to the old Focus, but a grand success none the less. Highlight for me personally, quaint pub dinner Monday evening with Joe McNally and his assistant Cali. Cool dude, great stories, very charismatic!
 
Went there on a press ticket, some places were refusing press entry (*cough* Bowens *cough* amongst others) because the Photography Show PR company seemed to have priority access. Good job I wasn't in the market to buy some Bowens lights... or talk about them in a magazine piece... um... fail.

Spent about 90 mins there in total, wandered round, did some business, got irritated by a couple of the public lectures and that was that really. I hate these things. Drove back to Banbury with a growling stomach because I couldn't face the queues or inflated prices.
 
I thought it was ok.
A bit smaller than Focus, and a bit less polished, but hey, it's their first year.
Nice to see the big players, but a lot of "fillers" too.
Don't mind a bit of charity mate, but don't want it pushed on me at every corner.
It seemed like it was geared a bit more towards people who wanted to take their cameras. Didn't really buy much, just a DVD that is shockingly bad and a subscription to EOS magazine.
Will go next year.
 
Mrs Y and I went Monday. We thoroughly enjoyed the show and chatting to exhibitors. Only bargain we picked up was Permajet papers (of which I am a great fan), but a number of other stands gave me food for thought and lighting accessories certainly "lighted" my wallet

I thought the turnout of the lecher brigade was about par, but one thing which struck me (almost physically) was the number of folk who had obviously and pungently not had time or inclination to shower!

The journey to the NEC for us took place on the Sunday. Seventeen miles of the M1 at 50mph ... aaaargh!! The return journey on Monday was worse. We exited the M1 at Nottingham to take the ring road to the A46 and were promptly caught in a stationary jam due to an accident at Gamston. Sat there for an hour or more.

I'm sure the negative memories will fade in time for a repeat performance next year.
 
CharlotteM said:
Went there on a press ticket, some places were refusing press entry (*cough* Bowens *cough* amongst others)
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You didn't miss anything, I'm not sure what the point of it was to be honest, I was expecting it to be a bit quieter and more relaxed with perhaps some decent refreshments; it wasn't. I guess it was lip service to make the Pro's feel a bit special.

The show in general was the same as usual, too crowded, too hot, but I saw what I needed and was in and out in under two hours ;-)
 
Yes I was expecting more from the Bowens lounge. In the past, the Canon Pro lounge offered free coffee and sweeties, and opportunities to play with their latest gear in peace, but all refreshments had to be bought in Bowens.

Clearly, you Bowens owners are not paying enough.;)
 
Crikey.

I didn't know the Bowens lounge was restricted to pros.

I walked in with my 'pro' ticket in my back pocket, and even said hello to the lady who was standing sentinel at the entrance. She didn't say anything to me like 'tickets please'.

Either I look like a pro (unlikely) or she took pity (more likely).
 
i enjoyed it
was my first time
and my last time with my son (every one on sunday must have heard him)
but next year will go with my wife only
did get a Capture Pro and P.O.V kit for my GoPro
and a light stand and reflector holder

it did spur me on to get a studio flash setup though
 
Yellowbelly said:
I thought the turnout of the lecher brigade was about par, but one thing which struck me (almost physically) was the number of folk who had obviously and pungently not had time or inclination to shower!
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To be honest, my day was really soured by all the people sitting on the floor eating sandwiches that I kept tripping over while I was trying to make my way around to appointments.

At one point I crouched down on the floor to crack open my ('fancy' Mac Air) laptop and view the map and overheard some guy say 'F**king tart with a fancy laptop. There's no place for women at a photography show. Who does she think she is.' And laugh to his equally fat, balding, sweaty mate. I mean there's so many things wrong with that statement I can't even start to even comprehend why he might say that.

I was in too much of a rush to say anything. But I consoled myself with the thought that I am probably making a considerable amount more money than him on his fake 'pro' ticket. ;-) And then I had a consoling cuddle from a friend running a stall, where we ranted about all the 'camera w**kers' present.
 
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Didn't get to go this year but hope to go next year.

With regard to sitting on the floor eating sandwiches in your previous post you mentioned the over priced food, maybe this is why there were so many people sitting eating their sandwiches ;). Its what we do when we go the the Classic Car Show or Autosport.

As for the comments aimed at you well thats not right but sadly there are some very sad people in this world (try benig in the Mini/MINI scene some of the comments us MINI owners get are unbeleiavble (and I own both a Mini and a MINI)
 
I enjoyed the show. Nice day out from London and not as expensive as driving. Bought some inexpensive items and played with Canon's big lenses. Worth the entry fee. Now I can just dream of owning this flagship equipment.
There, you don't have to buy!
 
It's only 361 days to next years event :)
I never made it this year. Were there the usual hordes photographing models and treading on toes while the lighting demonstrations was being demonstrated?
 
Well, it seems that there are a lot of intolerances around. People swearing inexcusably at Charlotte (jealousy? Maybe. Ignorance? Definitely but then he will have been like that all his life) and people sitting on the floor. MY intolerance happens to be food and so have to bring my own. And I guess people wouldn't sit on the floor if there were bigger spaces allowing people to take a load off. I share Charlotte' s dislike of the photographers who come to photograph / stalk scantily clad men and women; calling people camera w******* ? The show is for all, regardless of whether or not we make a living from photography through being a pro or whatever. Some pay, some get in for free. Some come for a day out, to buy something on a wish list, perhaps. Others come to network. I thought, and I went on Saturday , that it was better than before. I'll check the website better next year to add a talk or two. Anyway, 300 and something days to go. :D
 
Nothing I have read in this thread makes me wish I had reconsidered my original decision to not attend

Sounds generally awful although must say people eating sandwiches sitting on the floor would not have bothered me at all

Judging by many of the comments were the Daily Mail giving out free tickets to their readers?
 
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I went
I took my own food and also a nearly 3 year old (who shortened my visit) and my wife
We sat on the floor on the outer edge near the live stage
I carried my camera bag and my wife a back pack
I carried my bag so it wasn't left in the car
And had the cameras for the day out and maybe test stuff out

And there were worse people than me
One including a man pushing himself against my wife at the bessel stand even though there was only the store room in front of us
 
brad131987 said:
I went
I took my own food and also a nearly 3 year old (who shortened my visit) and my wife
We sat on the floor on the outer edge near the live stage
I carried my camera bag and my wife a back pack
I carried my bag so it wasn't left in the car
And had the cameras for the day out and maybe test stuff out

And there were worse people than me
One including a man pushing himself against my wife at the bessel stand even though there was only the store room in front of us
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I am not a pro and payed to enter
I do not earn my money from photography but I think me and my wife are good at it

One woman at a stand asked if we were photographers and when we said no she pulled a funny face
Not good for her business really as we won't be buying from them any time soon
 
brad131987 said:
I am not a pro and payed to enter
I do not earn my money from photography but I think me and my wife are good at it

One woman at a stand asked if we were photographers and when we said no she pulled a funny face
Not good for her business really as we won't be buying from them any time soon
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Well she was probably wondering why someone that isn't a photographer was at a photography show :LOL: as you are a photographer, you might not be one that earns money from photography but you are still a photographer :D
 
well yes i am a photographer but not by trade
and to pull a face when someone says its not there job is a bit strange for trade
it was one of the backdrop stalls not sure on the name as we didn't get given a brochure just told to look on the website
they were really nice backdrops to
 
brad131987 said:
well yes i am a photographer but not by trade
and to pull a face when someone says its not there job is a bit strange for trade
it was one of the backdrop stalls not sure on the name as we didn't get given a brochure just told to look on the website
they were really nice backdrops to
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Ah but you've said something suitably different there you said you told her its not your job so which is it, I'm all for naming and shaming poor customer service but I'll be honest in the first instance if I'm staffing a photography related stand at a photography only show and someone says to me when looking at my stand that they're not a photographer then they would get a quizzical look of me too e.g. why are you even here? Where as in the second post you've described the situation/exchange slightly differently
 
i said i wasn't a photographer (earning one)
just a part timer as a hobby i guess
and as i was looking for a backdrop for a home studio i thought it might be a good place to get one or see the different sorts
 
tijuana taxi said:
Sounds generally awful although must say people eating sandwiches sitting on the floor would not have bothered me at all
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The places I saw people sitting down were right at the edges of the halls, in general behind the stands and where there was actually a reasonable amount of space. They weren't causing an issue at all.
 
I enjoyed it - I got in early on Saturday and picked up a graded 85mm for half the RRP price from LCE and a pair of MacWet gloves for out landscape shooting. Also bought a trolley bag like the previous poster earlier in the thread - the 5 year guarantee sold it for me and I now have one place to keep all my gear.

As for the show, it was my first time at anything like this and had a great day playing with all of the cameras and lenses set up. My 9 year old daughter came along and must have picked up every free pen and lens cloth on offer too lol. I watched a few of the free demonstrations and decided not to bother queuing for the Adobe sessions or anything on the private stage. Overall if was a fun day out and we had a great time.

I'd like to echo the comments above about guys shooting away at models with no control over the lights or backgrounds - seems pointless, surely time would be better spent listening to what the pros were saying rather than try to sneak a crappy shot.
 
CharlotteM said:
To be honest, my day was really soured by all the people sitting on the floor eating sandwiches that I kept tripping over while I was trying to make my way around to appointments.

At one point I crouched down on the floor to crack open my ('fancy' Mac Air) laptop and view the map and overheard some guy say 'F**king tart with a fancy laptop. There's no place for women at a photography show. Who does she think she is.' And laugh to his equally fat, balding, sweaty mate. I mean there's so many things wrong with that statement I can't even start to even comprehend why he might say that.

I was in too much of a rush to say anything. But I consoled myself with the thought that I am probably making a considerable amount more money than him on his fake 'pro' ticket. ;-) And then I had a consoling cuddle from a friend running a stall, where we ranted about all the 'camera w**kers' present.
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Gosh, what a damning indictment of a tradeshow Charlotte! Unfortunately there is very limited seating in the public areas and people really have no choice but to sit on the floor to eat their lunch - their mistake is that they did not part like the Red Sea to grant you unfettered access. In my experience people tend to sit around the edges and it's quite easy to negotiate your way around them. Then you yourself settled on the floor to view your laptop - that is different of course.

As for the remarks apparently made by the men you refer to, I find it incredibly far-fetched that any male in this day and age would actually say that out loud. Did the guy trip over you, and responded with a bad attempt at humour? And I find it equally far-fetched that no female would respond to them (in a hurry or not). You also referred to him as bearing a fake ticket - a perfect opportunity for you to get your own back for his remark, no? You also state that you presume to be making more money than him, I'm not so sure about that given some of your recent comments in another thread. I feel your attitude towards other people is hard to fathom at times.

Not every guy toting a camera around is going to be a w*anker - that's a little insulting to be honest.

Tradeshows are what they are, they can be busy, crowded, bustling, frustrating to move around. We have to accept they will attract all kinds of people and we all have to coexist - and this works both ways. Planning our visit in advance can sometimes be helpful as well as understanding that some of the people manning the stands have been on their feet for several hours and sometimes they can get a bit fed up with some of the approaches they encounter - not everyone is polite to the vendors unfortunately. This can certainly affect the way in which they greet visitors and communicate, it's part and parcel of the show. People are rarely at their best in these situations.
 
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I didn't get to go in the end. I had tickets (train & show) booked for me and a friend for the Saturday but my son decided he had to be born 2 weeks early so I couldn't go.

My mate still went and brought me back the programme I had ordered but I haven't found the time to look through it yet.

This is Stan. Born on 27/02.

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