Simon
That's an interesting take on things in the UK. It's one thing to have
a table or two to sell things as you have a profit motive to show up and
sell stuff. If it's a two day show you have more customers to pay the
extra expenses.
With a modular setup we have only the 'thrill' of all that work, some
good running times and maybe at best, pick up a new member. After that
comes the repairs and re-storing the modules and another weekend of lost
yard work.
Sometime in the past our club was asked to setup for one of the TTOS or
TCA annual conventions in a nearby city. The NASG asked us to
participate. It took me about 10 minutes to figure out that we'd be in
the hole about 2 thousand in expenses with no reimbursement. We were
200+ miles X 4 vehicles in gas coming and going, 4 rooms X 3 nights in a
tourist town for lodging and even eating at Mickey D's was a couple
hundred. I don't recall if we had to pay admission, but nobody in our
group wanted to go. I think Lambert's group handled it with their
hi-rail layout.
Bob Werre
Expenses are paid, yes, but nothing else.
Most weekends I have ended up out of pocket, so being told I have been
"paid" for giving up a weekend with my family rings a bit hollow...
Traders pay to attend, based on size of stand, and have to sort out
their own costs. Some of them are small one-man bands, and I wonder
how they can afford it.
Simon Dunkley
