Kidderminster 2010 - Cancelled

Bad news arrived in a letter from Wyre Forest MRC over the weekend. The Kidderminster show in 2010, which we were due to attend with Flockburgh, has had to be cancelled.

According to the letter an administrative error by the management of the Glades Leisure centre has resulted in a double booking for the weekend. Instead of honouring the booking made by a group who have been regular users of the centre for as long as I can remember, they have left the club without a venue.

Kiddermister is a reasonably large show and finding an alternative venue hasn't been possible - these sort of places simply don't grow on trees - so that's it for 2010. Changing the date at short notice isn't possible either. While many of the layouts may be OK with a move of a week or two, the trade is a different proposition. Most have back-to-back shows in the springtime and so finding a weekend when they are able to attend is probably impossible. Without trade, the show will look empty and the punters will be unhappy.

Personally, I think the behaviour of the leisure centre management is disgraceful. This isn't a one-off booking, it's a regular event. They have been good customers for many, many years. The thanks they get is being dumped in favour of someone else. I suppose DC Leisure who run the place see it as a minor and very unfashionable event in their countrywide network of centres. Just as they feel the corporate website needn't work properly, or at least it didn't when I tried it looking for someone to complain to.

I hope the Kidderminster show recovers and with John and his team all the best for the future. Hopefully they will return in 2011 and if we can be there, we will.