Here are some articles with pictures about the show

http://dorka.de/Allgemein/Messe/messe.php?dat=BEE/bee04_08.htm

[FONT='Calibri','sans-serif']http://www.waranwelt.de/b_show.php?b_id=83[/font]



regards
alex

The pictures make it look pitifully quiet... did it actually get busy or was that it?

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No internet at home for a few weeks, may take a while to respond. Should be back to normal in Sept.

What can I say apart from ...mmmmmmmm

We left Brighton at 9 pm on friday night and headed toward the tunnel.

Arriving early at the tunnel we had a coffee at the terminal before boarding.

Just as we were driving on, one of my head lights blew (which , unlike here in the UK, is a big thing in EU) so the first stop in France was to replace the bulb with one I had.

Duty free stop went well in Belguim, esp as I now know how to find the place !.

After a long drive we arrived at the A2forum at around 8.30 am on the Saturday and drove right on into the main carpark, no more than 100 meters from the door.

First impression was it was pretty quite !

We made our way in, paying the 8 euro entrance fee and found ourself in a large pleasent foyer area.

There was already open a cafe, selling food and drinks, and an internal smoking area !

The toilets were huge and clean, no long ques here !

We ventured outside to see what was going on, and had a stamp placed on our hand so we could re enter.

I must say, there were loads of yellow shirted 'service' agents around to help with any questions, and they done a great job. It was only later in the day when talking to the organiser, Lutz, that we discovered many of these guys had only come together for the first time on the day of the show !

So, the magic hour arrived, and 10 am sharp the main doors opened. At that time there was a que, prob around 150 -200 but it took a matter of seconds to enter.

First Impression was, wow, loads of space and no crush !

There was two large halls with eqipment and livestock, and the offerings were varied. Prices were pretty good, although for me the offerings were limited.

It was easy to move around, with none of the 3 or 4 deep ques at the tables.

We did notice many empty tables however !

We left around 3pm.

So, in conclusion, yes, it was very quite there, I would have liked to see more exhibitors.

The Venue I think was great, but do wonder if it would have quite as plesant if more visitors had turned up !

It would have nice to see more sellers, but since this was the first ever show here, its no real suprise.

Although the show was bigger than any in the UK, I think it was a little dissapointing considering the long distance, a total of 850 miles return for us.

Its difficult, Hamm is established, has a wealth of sellers, loads of big names and is tried and tested. The ques and the crush are a worry from a H&S viewpoint, but now the organisers are willing to work with us we have already seen improvements in the queing times for our passengers, and they are willing to work further with us.

Rheda is undoubtedly a more pleasent venue, and if the two unused halls are the same size, then the foor space is roughly the same. It needs to attract more sellers and more buyers, and I personally feel it will take a few years for this to happen.

September will be interesting, with each show just 1 week apart, how many sellers or buyers will do both?

So , is it worth going?

Based on what I saw, there was nothing there that could not be got at hamm, the choice was somewhat limited due to numbers. If the show was in Holland, I would say YES, go there. Its not, its a long way away. The enviroment was plesant, the building great, the service and help and advice super (esp the little blonde stamping hands at the exit !)

Again, is it worth going?

I am undecided. I think I will try again in september, but other than that, the jury is still out from my point of view.

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Looks like tony covered everything played mate

I actually enjoyed it more so because of the space and being a brand new show. There was alot on offer considering the amount of traders that where there. Over all will go again in September to see if theres more traders there.

Was a good drive though playing Steve up most of the way lol