Trade shows / Tool fairs

Discussion in 'Just Talk' started by sospan, Jul 8, 2019.

  1. sospan

    sospan Screwfix Select

    I get inundated with lots of offers to attend Trade shows and Tool fairs and got this years flyer for Screwfix Live in Farnborough this morning.

    Apart from the "goody bag" does anyone see a value in attending ?

    Unless there is something specific you are interested in, I don't quite get the notion of travelling what can be quite a distance to look at tools, work boots, screws etc.

    I could understand if there was some really unbeatable offers to make up for the time and effort to get there but not seen anything previously to tempt me to attend - 10 % off show items you'd have to spend a lot to see the benefit

    Interesting to see what people get out of them
     
  2. Sparkielev

    Sparkielev Screwfix Select

    Never get the chance to go as they are always miles away generally in the South but as you say very rarely get a bargain at these shows
     
  3. sospan

    sospan Screwfix Select

    Same here, I am far into the west and Farnborough would be 350+ mile round trip and probably an overnight stay.

    A few places like Selco have demo days from a few suppliers but unless you are collecting something else its pointless going to see someone demonstrating the latest brand of roof windows or mastic.
     
  4. Pollowick

    Pollowick Screwfix Select

    SF Live can be worthwhile - if you want the chance to compare new tools side by side and speak with the manufacturers. I travel about 25 miles - so fairly close and the goody bag probably covers my petrol costs! Lissing it this year as I will be in Florida, Seattle, LA or San Diego - so will need to stock up there!

    I also go the DM Tools show at Kempton Park - and there are often extremely good deals there.

    And at least they are FREE unlike some of the exhibitions in Birmingham or Excel (London)
     
  5. peter palmer

    peter palmer Screwfix Select

    I went to an ELEX show when it was near me. Actually I didn't get to the arena bit, I got as far as the reception area and they wanted me to fill in the equivalent of war and peace on their PC in order to get a ticket, they wanted to know the ins and outs of a cats **** about me, couldn't be bothered so went back to the van. There were quite a few tradesmen coming out loaded up with Dewalt drills and such like though.
     
  6. sospan

    sospan Screwfix Select

    That's the thing, if you run a business do you need to wait for a show to come around to decide which drill to buy you either have a need a drill you don't. Taking a day out and travelling to save 10%, 15%, 20% just doesn't seem practical or logical to me. Even asking technical knowledge, how many of the people on the stands have actually used the tools in anger, in harsh conditions - e.g. fixing blown over fencing in the middle of winter when its cold and wet ?
     
    kitfit1 likes this.
  7. kitfit1

    kitfit1 Screwfix Select

    +1
    Just about the only time i ever buy a new tool is if the existing tool has "expired" :D My router for instance is over 25 years old, apart from a few sets of brushes and replacing the 30mm guide bush a few times, it's still the same router i bought. Yes it would be nice to have a shiny new one, but it would still just be doing the same job no better than the one i have that dosn't owe me a penny. As you said @sospan, hardly any of the peeps on the stands have any practical use knowledge at all.
    I will say though, when Paskins in Kidderminster was trading, they used to have a lot of car park mini trade shows. Most of them were Makita/DeWalt ect ect. But they also used to sell some very good Workshop machinery and the most interesting trade shows they used to hold were for those workshop goodies. Even though i never bought workshop stuff, i always went along to those shows. All the guys there knew there stuff, and you could talk to them for hours.
     
    CGN likes this.
  8. spinlondon

    spinlondon Screwfix Select

    I don’t go, because they are all up North.
     
  9. wiggy

    wiggy Screwfix Select

    It appears you can't say fit birds on here it must mean that one of the mods is a fat bird

    But it's ok to bad mouth SF, their staff and products.

    Go figure
     
    longboat likes this.

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