Old fashioned exhibitions

The Model Engineering shows are quaint. As an example, the photos shows a little A5 certificate I received to show that a model I had built had been exhibited last weekend. The yellow badge is a nicely etched brass plaque for me to attach to the model in some way to commemorate it's appearance.

Looking at some of the exhibits, it was clear from the number of badges on the stands that they had been shown off many times. We get a similar thing for model railway layouts, where the layout will get a badge, but not a certificate.

This isn't a big thing as far as I am concerned but the effort require to produce all the bits of paper, each with the exhibitors name on, must be quite considerable. After all this I bet there is someone out there who gets upset because their name has been mis-spelt !

All of this harks back to a gentler age of exhibiting. When gentlemen we pleased to show off the results of their years labouring in the workshop. The owners probably dressed up for their visit to the show and to actually have a model on display really was something to be proud of.

Talking of visiting, these are also the only shows I know of where significant numbers of the visitors have come by coach. Try and organise a trip in our club and all you are met with is incredulity that anyone of the members would want to meet up and travel in a bus to anything. Why do this when they can do it in their own cars ? Of course you don't get the fun of going in a group and discussing Whitworth threads on the way, but then you don't have to wait while the transport makes it's way to several pick-up points, or wait at a motorway services for a small group who insist on having a full meal when everyone else agreed on a toilet break. Personally I like not having to drive but then I've always been a bit old-fashioned !