Mel Jones writes:
“Mel-Jay enjoyed a phenomenal weekend at the Lizian Events Well being show at Newark this weekend. The very best we have EVER done. Many many thanks to Liz and Ian. Lots of new visitors came through the doors as well as old friends from quite a distance. One lovely lady I saw two years ago came wearing the jewellery she had bought then; saying she had to come to look me up after the conversation and connection we had at that time and she came from Sweden !!!! Apart from looking us up to say she needed to tell me that, she waxed lyrical about the show experience last time which made her determined to come again. So well done to all the community. And thanks again Lizian.”
Community and Visitors to the Newark Show will know the dining area takes around twenty per cent of the floor area. If we asked for the dining area to be extended to an outside tent: the showground management would be happy to fulfil the requirement. Moving the dining area to a marque would provide space for another sixteen stands.
Therefore our revenue would increase by nearly one third! It is an enticing proposition. More stalls more profit! Be certain; we could have quickly filled the extra tables. If we had done so what would be the result?
The initial comment is this:
We would not have kept the balance of the show. Visitors were consistent in their comments about the mix of stands and the ‘atmosphere’ of the venue. Our feeling was to provide quality, not quantity. Therefore the choice was made to put the show and Community before profit.
Remember Liz, and I consider we work for the organisation. We do not own it. Therefore, choices are made to benefit the Community not us as individuals. I also remind readers we do not take a wage from the company. Our preference is to build and nurture, not plant seeds of greed. Therefore, our choices can be made from reality and truth. There is no need to embellish the truth. Which is ‘there is a long way to go before we can consider our objectives as being achieved.
What are the main objectives?
To give The Community every opportunity and possibility of covering the overheads and making a profit. To do this, we must continue to work consistently to gain public awareness of our organisation. We must also seek ways for Community Members to share LizianEvents posts here on LEN, the facebook group, facebook page, Instagram and Twitter. Community Members will receive the new table fees this week, and sharing is very much part of their options.
Let us return to the idea of extra stalls:
The possibility is the additional stalls (provided by using the dining area) may have been a hook to attract more visitors. Or the additional stalls may have limited the possibility of the overall success of the show. Mel Jones may not have written her praise for the event. If we had taken on one of the long lists of jewellery stall wishing to attend the Well Being Shows. So the choice is to be Community Driven and prioritise the Community, not our profits.
More Talks?:
An overriding comment from Vistors is ‘More talks?’. The difficulty with The Cedric Ford pavilion is there is only one room. However, we will address this drawback:
By assessing last weekends Well Being Show we have chosen to tighten up the venue and use the foyer area as a second open plan talk area. Now there will be resistance to this because some people will believe an open talk area will not work. If they had accompanied me to The Business Show at Canary Wharf last year, they would have their minds changed in an instant. It is a formula, which not only works it helps the speakers GAIN listeners and fans. I watched in amazement as the speaker connected with the audience. We have many first-class speakers who will not only rise to the challenge but gain from enjoying then experience.
Conclusion:
While we continue to use The Cedric Ford Pavilion the attending numbers of Community Members will number fifty. We need another talk area; the entrance foyer will be used for this purpose. We will step up the promotions and public awareness of The Well Being Shows.
Of course, we will not give away all of our plans for the next two years as people have a way of using our methods as their own. On this note, I will finish the article for today, and complete the review of The February 2019 Newark Well Being Show tomorrow.
See You Soon
Another great piece.
I have no problem with the foyer being used for talks and am sure that it would work just fine. Some consideration would be needed for content- a guided meditation would not work, but otherwise for most speakers , there are positive benefits from that format.
The majority of visitors are older. Many appreciate a place to sit down while still feeling part of proceedings. In good weather, an external marquee would be fine, and pleasurable in itself. In colder weather, despite heaters, it would not. Furthermore I saw numerous visitors taking a cup of tea at the tables for the purposes of spotting when a reader became free.
I think that you are right to recognise the advantages, and disadvantages, of such a move.
The issue of the number of stalls, juxtaposed with profitability per stall, variety for the visitor, and coherence of stall content is an imperfect science. Good luck!
Excellent developments. Quality over quantity wins every time.
The stalls that were in the foyer could take the space from those stallholders in the main room that decided to pack up early and cause disruption, cost other stallholders money and disrespect colleagues and visitors.
They are clearly not community spirited, as well as ignorant of the contractual terms and conditions and sound event practice, and of course, basic good manners.
It was my best Newark ever, sadly tainted at the end by the actions of a few selfish, lazy and unprofessional individuals.
Very helpful and reassuring to read Ian & Liz’s thought process regarding various aspects of running and possibly improving shows, according to the venue.
Too many people easily spout:” I think what they should do is xyz!” …But those know-it-all do not think beyond their noses, do not work out the realistic pros & cons – and do not think of the long term impact…
So, THANK YOU Ian & Liz for your honest assessments & explanations each time- and for doing all the ‘thinking and juggling’ …so that resulting sensible decisions are in OUR interests: i.e. both for OUR Community members and OUR dear Visitors.
It is also astounding & remarkable & praiseworthy that none of you take any wage whatsoever for you hard work, considering the hundreds of thousands hours you devote to ensure as perfect a promotion and organisation as possible… with us and our Visitors in mind all the time!
Your long term plans look very good… and considering that you already created ‘miracles’ in 2 small years,(AND set up a shining example that so many jealous others try and copy !), we are all looking forward excitedly, to following you to our next successful shows, with our dear Lizian organisers at the helm! xx 🙂