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Thread: Aerodrome get together

  1. #1

    Default Aerodrome get together

    I am opening this so as not to hijack the WMMS thread.
    It seems we are being limited to numbers for this show, not complaining here by the way,but I thought the original idea was to have a Aerodrome get together with as many members as possible, WMMS was chosen in the end for its central location, or so I thought.

    So as a group are we at all interested in a get together for as many of our pilots as possible, maybe for a weekend in a location where it is just us, with a number of tables available and possibly open to the public. Wether we run a tournament or a campaign weekend can be decided.
    Also maybe not this year due to logistics,venue etc but possibly next year for the 100 year anniversary of WW1.
    Any one
    A. Interested in the idea
    B. be willing to help organise

    What say you chaps

  2. #2

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    As I recall there was an initial idea to have a national wings of war / glory day somewhere centrally in the UK. During the chat around that the plan for the WMMS event was born. I can understand the reasons why the organisers of the show are "limiting" numbers - since I believe all they are doing is limiting the numbers who are getting in free or at a reduced rate. I don't see that they wold be stopping any of us attending, they'd just like us to pay the ful price (which i think is entirely reasonable). The WMMS event is more of a large parti / demo game than a "national day" and i can see a considerable attraction in us holding the latter.

    The main issues as i recall were:

    1) location - somewhere around the Birmingham area of a bit further North would seem to present the least worst option as far as travelling is concerned (we could hold one down here - heaven knows there seem to be enough active players in the SW - but that would not be that friendly to our colleagues elsewhere in the UK

    2) standalone event or tied in with (a) an existing show or (b) a museum. From a personal viewpoint I'd say a standalone event would be best. Tying in with an existing show would impose natural limits (as in the WMMS event). Doing something with a museum would be risky. If it flopped the first year they'd ever want us back. and I've approached the RAF Museum about doing something along these lines - nada!

    So, if we do want to hold a national games day we might want to think about holding something at a village hall or similar small to medium sized venue somewhere in the northern reaches of the Midlands. Trouble is - whilst there are undoubtedly some excellent venues in toe towns and villages of the UK it needs someone local to scout them out, find the most suitable ones and make arrangements (it may also help with discounts - we used to rent a hall in Bristol where "locals" got a fair amount off the regular hall price).

    So, I guess, the questions are:

    1) DO we want to do this?
    2) If so, where exactly?
    3) and when?
    4) and is there someone locally who could do the legwork in finding a suitable location and booking it?

  3. #3

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    As I recall this was also discussed at Crusade, and what David and Chris are saying looks good. I would certainly be up for it. We could look for a date later in the year to give everyone time to accrue enough brownie points and this would also give us more time to look for a venue. We could try for a small hotel with a function room, if we had enough players to fill the hotel we may even get a bit off the room hire. If I can help in any way I will, but bare in mind that I am in South Wales.

    Mark.

  4. #4

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    I would be up for it and if it was in my area (south Yorkshire ) would help out in the organisation . Without making it very easy for me Sheffield is well served by transport has loads of hotels and venues already holds amajor show (triples ) but I think a few areas might be put forward pros and cons discussed and a poll on who would attend each possible venue/area would be good as well.

  5. #5

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    The issue with a large venue is that as we are not a paying organisation all attendees would have to chip in for the full costs, so this will most likely stop a big hall.
    I like the idea of a hotel function room,built in accommodation.
    For now let's see how many are interested then we can look around

  6. #6

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    I wasn't sugesting a large venue ,only stating that triples manages to draw wargamers in to the city has most cities Sheffield has thousands of possible venues from meeting rooms to ballrooms and theatres to arenas. As i said I think a pol of who would/could attend in which area is the first step.

  7. #7

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    Didn't think you were Richard, my apologies if I gave that impression, I was just making a statement/ observation is all.
    If enough of us we may be able to get a big place, who knows.
    Being fromBarnsley I know the benefits of Sheffield for one.

  8. #8

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    I'm up for it. The easiest option is to tag onto an established show to cut down costs. If we are wanting a competition style event are there any shows with space for extra tables etc, including competition entry fees etc. It would be worth more discusion and we have talked at length about setting up regional and a national competition elsewhere.

  9. #9

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    I would be up for it. If it was a weekend with accommodation and a shopping outlet, my Good Lady might even agree to drive me down.
    Rob.

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by Skafloc View Post
    I'm up for it. The easiest option is to tag onto an established show to cut down costs. If we are wanting a competition style event are there any shows with space for extra tables etc, including competition entry fees etc. It would be worth more discusion and we have talked at length about setting up regional and a national competition elsewhere.
    Tagging onto an existing show could well limit tables etc. What I am suggesting is a purely Aerodrome fixture, with options of public. Possibly offering some traders but purely for 1/144 WW1 & 1/200 WW2 models / accessories

  11. #11

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    Definately an Aerodrome only event not an extension to an exsisting show ,but traders and public would be good

  12. #12

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    I agree that it should be a purely Aerodrome event, and if we invite a few traders along that could help with the cost.

  13. #13

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    It would only be viable if we could get the support of traders. The problem being there we would have a select show with traders in direct competition with each other, whereas at a wargames show organisers try to get a diverse selection of traders to appeal to a wider cross section of the public. I think this would be a stumbling block as we would not get enough traders to back a 'select' show like ours would be.

  14. #14

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    Yes Neil I agree, if traders were to be involved it would have to be a select group.
    For example, and only an example, Doms Decals, Stafford Games and KR multicase.
    This coud give, transport , models and decals.

  15. #15

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    But this is getting a bit ahead, first how many would come. This is the main question, once we got numbers we can look at venue and see costs. Lets face it if we could get traders and ask for a fee of some description it would be a bonus towards the cost
    At the moment a yea from 6 of us. Lets see if we get more interest before we start going into details

  16. #16

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    Elvington Airfield Yorkshire is a good location. Plenty of space & there is camping on site. Bit far north for most but worth checking the site for ideas etc:
    http://www.yorkshireairmuseum.org/calendar

    Neil

  17. #17

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    Good point about the numbers Chris. Dave said at Crusade that he would like to go for the British record which I think stands at 25 planes, so lets see if we can drum up enough support.

    Mark.

  18. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by Skafloc View Post
    It would only be viable if we could get the support of traders
    Depends on what you call "viable". I used to run NWS games at a local hall where the hire charge was about Ł50. We would get 10-15 players along so the head charge was less than a fiver. A friend ran similar games in Mortimer where he would regularly get 20+ players together, so the head charge was rather less. OK, so hall charges are higher now, but if we could find a location that wasn't overly expensive and which was attractive to a suitably large number of players the cost would be OK, and could be extremely low. The "Time of Eagles" event in Cardiff attracted 24 players so a "middle of the country" Aerodrome event (and I think we should cast wider ad publicise in the general wargaming press too, to catch those WOG players who aren't members here) should be able to attract at least as many. So I don't think (initially) we would "need" to have traders along. Of course they could come along if they wished, they would be most welcome. In fact we have another NWS parallel - we now run a naval wargaming show in Gosport in June; its billed as a gaming event only but we have a few traders who want to come along just to be there and (a araity for them at shows) to actually be able to play games

  19. #19

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    Just to return to the point of traders. The reason that we ran our show at the fag end of the year was because most traders are busy during the season. You need to pick a weekend with nothing else going on. So as Dave suggests, traders would just be an extra bonus.
    Rob.

  20. #20

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    I would suggest then that we:

    a. Agree on a geographical location.
    b. Find suitable venues in that area.
    c. Find out when the venues are available and the cost for a single day/full weekend.
    d. Go firm on a venue and date(s). Probably linked to maximum attendance possibilities work out min/max payment dependent on attendance figures.
    e. Book venue, advertise and get ready to fly.
    f. Send an invitation to traders relevant to WGF/WGS.
    g. Have a great weekend gaming.

  21. #21

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    I as you may know run wargames events for the Royal British Legion and was once invited to put something on at Doncaster Air Museum ,it was open to the public as normal but they gave me 2 rooms free of charge I am sure there must be something like this in most areas which if we only end up with 20-30 interested may be the most viable thing to look at ,again all down to knowing definate numbers.

  22. #22

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    Doncaster Air Museum, now there is a thought, central England, easy motorway and rail access. How far into town for spouses, or even a drop off at Meadow Hall.
    Plenty of accommodation in the area, how does this sound for a venue?

  23. #23

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    Ther is a hotel next door if I remember right a premier inn type I think ,its about an hours bus ride from meadowhall (getting back on Sunday may be an issue ) but not far from Doncaster bus and Train stations five minutes from motorway . I can check on all that if every one is interested.

  24. #24

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    Donny sounds good.

  25. #25

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    One of the Premier Inns in Doncaster has no hotel parking, so you have to use the council carpark and that can be expensive.

  26. #26

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    Sounds great from my point of view. With the airport as well, I wonder if we could attract any interest from our European compatriots?
    Rob.

  27. #27

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    Ok as a venue a possibility, Richard would you mind testing the water for us as you have had dealings with them before.
    But before we ask, when are we looking, this year or next?

  28. #28

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    Quote Originally Posted by armstrongjohn1 View Post
    One of the Premier Inns in Doncaster has no hotel parking, so you have to use the council carpark and that can be expensive.

    Just had a Google and according to its web site the one near the museum does have free parking ,but never stopped there myself so only going on the web site. I can nip over this weekend and make sure and anything else anyone wants to know.

    I will nip in and see how they feel about it (the Museum ) and find out when they have space as they do run a few events there. will let you know as soon as I know probably saturday .

    Later this year or next year ? we need a bit of time to arrange and check calenders etc whats the general view.

  29. #29

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    Donny would be good for me. Thats looking good.

  30. #30

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    Put me down as a maybe, it depends on date and venue.
    Doncaster is fairly central but a long drive for me.
    Don

  31. #31

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    I must admit that my diary for this year is filling up already, so dates would be important. Next year I would prioritize it over everything else if we got it sorted before Christmas.
    Rob.

  32. #32

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    Looking at the posts so far, we have a few members who are willing to commit to an Aerodrome event. We have no definitive venue or cost. Therefore we need to establish;
    1: Who wants to take part.
    2: How far are we prepared to travel
    3: How much are we prepared to spend.

    If we can establish the above then we can narrow down the area we need to look at for a venue.

    I am prepared to travel up to 4 hours.

  33. #33

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    Yes, 150-180 miles, Ł20ish
    (but maybe more to both of those)

  34. #34

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    Just checked, Doncaster is about 230 miles, a bit too far for me.

  35. #35

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    How about if we car share? Stuart, Chris and I were mulling that over last night. Seems like an Avon Wing Jolly Boys road trip would be both workable and cost effective

  36. #36

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    The RAF Museum holds the Hendon Model Show once a year in May, on a Sunday. This has a lot of traders (albeit geared towards modelling/booksellers), and exhibitors are located out into the aircraft halls. It strikes me that there is a bit of spare space, in particular on the second level of the main hall, which hasn't had anything exhibited up there for years. Might be worth investigating.

    http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/london/w...on-model-show/

  37. #37

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    Quote Originally Posted by Guntruck View Post
    The RAF Museum holds the Hendon Model Show once a year in May, on a Sunday. This has a lot of traders (albeit geared towards modelling/booksellers), and exhibitors are located out into the aircraft halls. It strikes me that there is a bit of spare space, in particular on the second level of the main hall, which hasn't had anything exhibited up there for years. Might be worth investigating.

    http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/london/w...on-model-show/
    Thanks for the offer Squadron Leader.
    Kyte.

  38. #38

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    Had a coupe of hours off and went to Doncaster Air Museum to day thought i would get it out of way. ,info as follows
    Fully booked until end August and September 2013 which are free at moment
    As they are a charity they charge but dependent on numbers and dates etc negotiated a discount ,Ł100 approx for both meeting rooms (normally Ł98 per day )for the 2 days plus discounts on entry for all Aerodrome members .Can confirm this if we get more exact figures if we go with this
    Camping on site Ł7 per night
    3 hotels local 1 in 5 min walk other 2 are 5 min drive plus more hotels and guest houses within 20 min drive some willing to discount for numbers . If this is chosen as venue I will post links to accom willing to discount plus any thing else .

  39. #39

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    That looks pretty bloody reasonable! And camping too for those who enjoy the outdoor life

  40. #40

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    So Doncaster looking a good venue.
    I like the idea of a date of say Sept 2014 anniversary of the first Marne 1914

    So really we now need numbers, do we rig up a poll?

    Interested in a Aerodrome function in Sept 2014 at Doncaster Air museum
    How's that sound

  41. #41

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    maybe give others a few days to put alternatives up and then do a poll ,the sooner we know what we are doing the sooner we can book the venue and confirm the cost plus anyone needing hotels etc get better discounts booking in advance .

  42. #42

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    Quote Originally Posted by David Manley View Post
    That looks pretty bloody reasonable! And camping too for those who enjoy the outdoor life
    Camping! Are you mad? You'd probably get stuck in a tent next to Kyte and his pointy-stick brigade wassailing or whatever the re-enactors do when they are not knocking 9 bells out of each other.

    For me, September 2014 would depend on the date as I am planning to make the trip to Arnhem for the 70th anniversary of Market Garden.

  43. #43

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    Doncaster will be about 130 miles post house move (or about 2 1/2 hours). Not so sure about camping, particular if the weather this year is anything like last year's! Oh and best avoid early September, or I definitely won't get a pass!

  44. #44

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    September sounds good, but do we have any other events to cover then, ie. Colours. Doncaster is also fine with me, only a 3 hour drive and if we get anyone else from South Wales we could car share. Are we looking to do this for 1 or 2 days?

    Mark.

  45. #45

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    7-8 or 21-22 works great for me, I work weekend on weekend off. But that's me just being selfish. Great work Richard.

  46. #46

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    Either would be OK for me I think - and it leaves Colours sitting in the middle

  47. #47

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    Quote Originally Posted by Skafloc View Post
    7-8 or 21-22 works great for me, I work weekend on weekend off. But that's me just being selfish. Great work Richard.
    No problem Neil ,once people have decided then I will confirm things and post links etc ,thank you for your thanks glad I can do something for the forum

  48. #48

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    Count 7-8 out for me. Trying to get a pass for the 1st Wedding anniversary would be a trick too far even for my alter ego!

  49. #49

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    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Flashheart View Post
    Count 7-8 out for me. Trying to get a pass for the 1st Wedding anniversary would be a trick too far even for my alter ego!
    You'll be OK for 2014 though
    Maybe you could see if Lady Flashheart would like to give the game a spin?

  50. #50

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    Sept was just an idea chaps, for organising I do think next year is better, month really is up for discussion

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