[<:o)] I attended the Victoria, BC train show today and can report some good news:
Attendance is up! Organizers were saying that for the first 2 hrs (10-12) they had more through the doors than the entire show in 2012 (about 1,100).
On a more subjective note, I thought there was a better turnout of the less than 50 or so age group, another positive.
The show was well run , with lots of room to get around; this is important with the aging population as there were lots of people in wheelchairs and motorized scooters, as well as those needing canes to help get around. There were groups of chairs for people to rest at as well. A good selection of layouts, and a nice cross section of scales, hobby shops, private sellers and British as well as the expected North American stuff on display or for sale. The real only issue with the show was that it got pretty warm and stuffy inside. Overall, a well done to the organizers [bow] [tup]
I still see, unfortunately, that there are those in the hobby who do not seem very interested in encouraging those younger people who do attend. A small group but still rather sad actually as these are the hobbies future.
As for me, my one big “score” was an Atlas RS1 in Spokane International paint, mint, for $40. But the best part of the show for me was getting to see several people I had not seen for some time [:D]
