International Astronomy Show 2022

[AstroGS]

Myself and my family attended yesterday later in the afternoon and by the time we arrived some exhibitors did start to pack up - this was our first one and did not expect much. It was lovely speaking to @FLO and Chris. Finally i had the chance to see the Stellamira 125ED Triplet and get some advice from Chris re my new purchase Stellamira 90 ED Triplet + flatteners + ZWO AM5.

 

It was also lovely to speak with the Pegasus guys - what an exceptional opportunity to see their products first hand and discuss with them about their future plans. Pegasus new harmonic mount (on both RA & DEC), i am sure will be a huge hit and that it will get the attention that it deserves. Cannot wait to start seeing people discussing about this and reviewing it. 

 

My wife and kids bought some dust from Mars 🙂 , a mug and a T-shirt so, they remained entertained during our 1hrs stay at the expo. This was a 2-hrs drive for us both ways and it definitely kept our interest and will aim to join the next ones too. Also, having invested some money to FLO over the past 12-18 months it was great to put a face AND a voice behind the names.

[Mr Spock]

27 minutes ago, F15Rules said:

I didn't actually know it was on until I saw it mentioned on SGL..surely it could be better advertised?

Agreed. I only saw it a few days before. Luckily I was available to go.

[FLO]

Visitor numbers were lower than usual but this was expected due to cost of living crisis and political uncertainty. 

Fortunately lower visitor numbers provided us more opportunity for discussion and networking. We had fun 🙂

Exhibitor numbers were also lower, probably due to predicted lower visitor numbers and perhaps some belt tightening. This was unfortunate but provided more space for those exhibitors who did attend, which was nice. 

59 minutes ago, F15Rules said:

... I didn't actually know it was on until I saw it mentioned on SGL..surely it could be better advertised?

I agree. Though to be fair, exhibitors are partly responsible for spreading the word and there were less exhibitors this year. 

59 minutes ago, F15Rules said:

Also, I think 3 days just seems too long for what is a fairly niche hobby area..better to spread the exhibition and talks over say a day and a half, with some exhibition/talk activity also overlapping into the evening?🤔

It was two days (Fri & Sat) but we agree here too. Considering the current economic and political circumstances a single day event would have been better. But hindsight is a wonderful thing. If the circumstances are same next year(!) then perhaps IAS will be a shorter more focused event. 

We do however believe IAS was well organised so want to sincerely thank Graham & Martin for providing us this opportunity 

Thank-you too to everyone who visited our stall at IAS. It was wonderful to meet you and to hear your enthusiasm, suggestions and feedback 🤗 

Steve

 

[RobertI]

I spent a total of five hours there, an hour of which was in a lecture, so somehow I managed to spend four hours walking, talking and looking. I do like to talk to the stall holders (why not take advantage of their knowledge!) so that absorbed a lot of time. To be honest I could have done with another hour or two to ‘tick off’ everything on my list. My only negative observation would be that there didn’t seem to be many stalls displaying accessories, but a minor niggle. So, was it worth the 7 hour drive there and back? Absolutely, without a doubt. I have precious little opportunity to look at new kit, talk to experts and mingle with like minded enthusiasts, so for me it was a treat. Kudos to all the guys at @FLO - your enthusiasm shone through and it was a pleasure to spend some time with you. 👍 

[Whirlwind]

6 hours ago, icpn said:

I think as one of the vendors there I can say that the turnout was very poor. Friday was almost dead, certainly the afternoon. Saturday was better but  the number of vendors was down and the turnout from people attending was well down on previous years which was disappointing given the three year break. Whether this is due to the economic situation or the lingering issues with Covid I don't know. Certainly given this I doubt we would attend next year if it occurs. At least compared to PAS which was entirely an imaging event there was a wider range of kit to see.

Yes, it was quiet compared to when I was last there in 2019, though I did spend more this time as I'm about to move to the Highlands and wanted to get a grab and go set up as it won't be until next year until I have a property I can put an observatory down in.

However, I'm not sure PAS2023 will be any better as I tend to think the quietness is largely down to the economic circumstances we find ourselves in.  Even those with more money to spare (and astronomy favours those with deeper pockets) then they are going to be having to consider mortgage increases, energy bills etc.  And this is before considering everything has increased in price and there are less discounts on offer etc.

There are some fundamental issues I feel though in that:-

It was held a week or two before half term.  Holding something on Friday when most families will be banking holidays for the following week(s) doesn't make sense - this then only encourages older people to turn up.  Even though I was there on Saturday midday'ish  until early afternoon, I barely saw anyone younger than me not on a store (there were a few).  Hence, I don't think that helped attendance.

I think there should be an effort to make it more 'family friendly' in terms of getting more activities that younger people can engage with - That might mean engaging with universities and the like to try and do outreach activities.  Although I appreciate RVO want a full room - I think this could be better set up for this area.  The talks could also link to these outreach activities as well.  Also because you would have mini-speakers it might become more interactive.  For example perhaps holding a spectroscopy event (which might then make people think about doing some of their own).

Hold it earlier in the summer - by mid October I have pretty much sorted out my set up for the winter season - I'm less likely to be looking for things in October.  This would also potentially allow outdoor activities (weather dependent) - e.g, solar observing, moon observing if linked to first quarter etc.  I recognise FLO tried this partially with remote viewing but it was tucked away in a corner as well (really could understand this at PAS - might encourage people to buy a solar scope.

I don't think paying for the talks separately is a good idea for a niche hobby - to go to all talks would cost nearly £40 each.  In my view it would be better if the talks were included - so even if you brought the family it wouldn't be prohibitively expensive (especially if you have kids 16+ that might be interested).  Personally, I'd prefer to pay a bit more and have free talks (even stream them for a small cost).

The site is easier to get to though, so that is a positive.

Just my thoughts.

 

[F15Rules]

46 minutes ago, Whirlwind said:

Just my thoughts.

..and some good common sense and constructive ideas too👍

Dave

[Ouroboros]

I too would like to thank Graham and Martin for organising IAS. It must be a lot of work. I hope this year’s slightly fewer  attendees doesn't put them off for future years.  
 

As for some of the points made …. I think it would be a pity to reduce the show to one day, or even a day and a half.   I suspect there would be too many attendees on one day, especially if numbers increase next year.  Frankly there’s no point in attending a show where you can’t get near the stands to look at items and talk with sales people. That would put me and probably others off attending if it were only one day, especially a Saturday.  The roads are often busier with weekend shoppers for a start.  Oh, and I’d rather go on a day when there aren’t kids around. Another reason why I choose to go on the Friday. I’m sure lots of others feel the same.  Also suppliers are probably well aware that it’s often us oldies who have some disposable income to spend.  For me being able to pay for talks singly and separately from the entrance fee is ideal. Though obviously I’d have no objection to a reduced block booking for those that want it. I agree that holding IAS in the summer  would be better.  In fact I seem to recall that it used to be held at least nearer the summer at one time.  

[tonyowens_uk]

Graeme if you are still interested contact me off list to discuss or speak with Grant or Rob at FLO about the EQ8 modernisation service. It’s not a kit BTW. The service is collect and return as the modifications require a tool room or R&D lab to perform properly.

Tony Owens