I had agreed to move the Hove show a little later in the year so that there could be a London show in January. I cannot recall what date I gave to move it to now but I suspect it was end of March early April.Suggested dates are March 6,7,13,14,20,21,27,28, please pick one. Possible times are 10pm to 5pm.
This was not Quanta's fault. It was a date clash with Jochen and then finding the hall was already booked for the alternate date. Given that Jochen's presence is preferable we decided to fit it in.The show agenda for early next year is beginning to look crowded. London and Norwich are now being planned and we can also expect Hove and a QUANTA AGM all before end April/early May. (Although given that QUANTA now no longer has respect for its own constitution, it must be seen as being an unreliable, loose cannon.)
I will attend as many shows as I can and I prefer the overnight stays - more of an opportunity for socialising but gone are the days of massed meetings and large meals beforehand - sad to say.Practically I think it unlikely that I would be able to attend all these workshops and I think this will probably true of most traders, particularly those who have long distances or overnight stays to get to shows.
In many ways I agree and find this rather a problem. I would dearly like to bring some more products to the table but this is slow in happening. There is very little to give a talk about at the moment. I am hoping that Nasta will be able to get some of his hardware ready next year and I will happily demonstrate that in his absence. Although there are now few actual QL there are a lot of people who bring laptops with QPC2 and other emulators on them and I do get asked - and give - a lot of help and advice on my stand as does Tony Firshman. The thing is that the numbers attending make demonstrations at the table easier.
We really need to start thinking about what the frequency and purpose of workshops should now be. The attendance at the last shows has been fairly low and frankly they are beginning to offer very little to the average QL user. Their main purpose now seems to be meeting old friends and updating software from the traders. There are now no talks, no demonstrations, few people bringing their own QLs, hardly anyone giving advice or asking advice. This may be OK for the in-crowd, but not much use for people on the periphery of the QL community.
I would, however, say that the whole thing needs a bit of stimulation somehow and quite where that could come from is open to discussion.
-- Roy Wood Q Branch. 20 Locks Hill, Portslade, Sussex. Tel: +44 (0) 1273 386030 fax: +44 (0) 1273 430501 web : www.qbranch.demon.co.uk
