8x57
Distinguished Member
No you got me looking and all I could find was a mention in the website of Surrey rifle association/club and some old postings about the financial shenanigans of the company that was involved with the event.
Deerstalking Fair, Kelso 28th & 29th March 2015
- Thread starter jamross65
- Start date
No you got me looking and all I could find was a mention in the website of Surrey rifle association/club and some old postings about the financial shenanigans of the company that was involved with the event.
jamross65
Well-Known Member
Kelso is chosen as a venue for several reasons. We have complete control over things like parking, catering and the staff there are fantastic to work with. The costs are reasonable meaning we in turn can charge reasonable entry fees. If the fair were to move to a larger venue and costs double or treble, then so does the entry fee. You won't be able to get a Highland Game venison burger and chips for £5 and there won't be a coffee or tea for £1 either if a venue supplies their own. Parking will also have to be paid for or we buy out the parking and again have to add that onto entry fees. If it moved and the audience numbers didn't increase, we end up operating at a loss. Kelso is manageable just now. That does not mean we have discounted any changes in the future...
The fair has the clear potential to grow but that brings its own issues. How many traders do you want selling Harkila, or Meindl's? Its easy to make it bigger, but with perhaps a lot of repetition. It's currently displaying almost every item you can think of related to stalking if not every brand name. This is the point we've made before, it would be easy to just duplicate that on a bigger scale but bring nothing new.
We would love to see hundreds of rifles in the fair, displayed on racks for demo purposes. But this does not make that exhibitor money. We have spoken to all the major distributors, several times! Edgar, Viking....the list goes on. They are committed to other fairs they obviously see as being more worthwhile than the Deerstalking Fair. I guess they base that on footfall instead of relevant audience, because some of the traders do more business at Kelso than the Midland or CLA! That's because if they sell stalking products they have the relevant visitors at Kelso. We get a lot of great feedback from the traders, including why they are now coming to Kelso and pulling out of other events. That tells us we are doing something right for the majority of them.
I'm personally disappointed, in fact it was also commented on by some of the other exhibitors, that one or two of the bigger names in the stalking world don't see fit to attend this fair and support the stalking industry in Scotland, and in turn their customers. They must feel its just not big enough for them to bother. On the other hand the fair seems to be doing okay without them.
Having an opportunity at a venue to 'test fire' rifles just won't happen. Firstly, where is there a venue in Scotland that has exhibition facilities and a certified range next to it? The insurance and marshalling costs would be huge. The organisation in itself would probably be more stressful than the fair! Any exhibitor showing firearms then has to supply a member of staff who's on their RFD to leave with a customer to try out the demo rifle. And they also have to shell out for a demo rifle!
Our idea of having a fair that offers a wee bit more than just the opportunity to 'buy', has been the driving factor. Free to enter prize draws, seminars, demos, the list will hopefully grow.
No-where else in the UK have the German dog tracking societies supported an event, ever. We had them at Kelso last year and now the UKSHA support us too.
Callum Ferguson takes time out his chaotic schedule to impart some of his wealth of knowledge to the audiences attending his seminar. He does not do that anywhere else. Plus the other demos like butchery, John Snowdens skinning demo (he's doing it next year too,he's just not been told yet!), must surely make the tenner entry fee a worthwhile expense before visitors even get to the trade stands?
We look at all the comments made, whether constructive, sarcastic or even rude! Lol. The relevant ones are discussed and our group of 'helpers' pitch in too with ideas. It will evolve and grow, may just take time to make sure it grows in the right direction...
The fair has the clear potential to grow but that brings its own issues. How many traders do you want selling Harkila, or Meindl's? Its easy to make it bigger, but with perhaps a lot of repetition. It's currently displaying almost every item you can think of related to stalking if not every brand name. This is the point we've made before, it would be easy to just duplicate that on a bigger scale but bring nothing new.
We would love to see hundreds of rifles in the fair, displayed on racks for demo purposes. But this does not make that exhibitor money. We have spoken to all the major distributors, several times! Edgar, Viking....the list goes on. They are committed to other fairs they obviously see as being more worthwhile than the Deerstalking Fair. I guess they base that on footfall instead of relevant audience, because some of the traders do more business at Kelso than the Midland or CLA! That's because if they sell stalking products they have the relevant visitors at Kelso. We get a lot of great feedback from the traders, including why they are now coming to Kelso and pulling out of other events. That tells us we are doing something right for the majority of them.
I'm personally disappointed, in fact it was also commented on by some of the other exhibitors, that one or two of the bigger names in the stalking world don't see fit to attend this fair and support the stalking industry in Scotland, and in turn their customers. They must feel its just not big enough for them to bother. On the other hand the fair seems to be doing okay without them.
Having an opportunity at a venue to 'test fire' rifles just won't happen. Firstly, where is there a venue in Scotland that has exhibition facilities and a certified range next to it? The insurance and marshalling costs would be huge. The organisation in itself would probably be more stressful than the fair! Any exhibitor showing firearms then has to supply a member of staff who's on their RFD to leave with a customer to try out the demo rifle. And they also have to shell out for a demo rifle!
Our idea of having a fair that offers a wee bit more than just the opportunity to 'buy', has been the driving factor. Free to enter prize draws, seminars, demos, the list will hopefully grow.
No-where else in the UK have the German dog tracking societies supported an event, ever. We had them at Kelso last year and now the UKSHA support us too.
Callum Ferguson takes time out his chaotic schedule to impart some of his wealth of knowledge to the audiences attending his seminar. He does not do that anywhere else. Plus the other demos like butchery, John Snowdens skinning demo (he's doing it next year too,he's just not been told yet!), must surely make the tenner entry fee a worthwhile expense before visitors even get to the trade stands?
We look at all the comments made, whether constructive, sarcastic or even rude! Lol. The relevant ones are discussed and our group of 'helpers' pitch in too with ideas. It will evolve and grow, may just take time to make sure it grows in the right direction...
That’s why I banked my NRA pay cheque at 09:30hrs sharp on the Monday!
Its a pity as notwithstanding the challenges posed by the requirements of the Home Office in terms of shooter registration etc. the opportunity for Bisley to host a rifle enthusiast fair with the opportunity to tryout a particular make/model is a pretty unique one that could and should be made more of.
Combine that with trade stands for those with an allied deerstalking and varmint hunting interest as per Kelso and you have a winner in the South of England at my reading.
Assuming that is admission can be kept sensibly priced.
K
Trufflehunting
Well-Known Member
jamross65; How many traders do you want selling Harkila said:
Big is not necessarily better, I really hope it never grows into just another Game Fair, and I am pretty sure Brian and his team will never allow that to happen.
The organisers decided right from the start that it would be a Stalking Fair not a Game Fair, nothing but stalking related items, as such it will never be in competition with Scone, Moy etc which in my opinion is a good think
after all most of us North of the border and quite a few from South of it go to one or the other of these Fairs as well as the Fair it Kelso.
I go to Scone every year and Moy if and when I can manage though Moy is more difficult as I am usually tied up with clients as it lands right in the middle of the Roe rut.
Now I enjoy both of these but Scone in particular is more family orientated which is fine, my wife enjoys Scone
the Food hall,and the Craft Fair in particular and I am happy to indulge her, but for me and I know it sounds selfish
Kelso is a me day.
For me the mix is about right at Kelso, enough trade stands covering most things, do you really need twenty stands selling the same stuff, seminars and demonstrations in which most stalkers should find something that interests them , reasonable priced food , compare the price of a burger at Kelso with one at Scone !
A very reasonable entrance fee which includes a prize draw, what other Fair can compare.
I think Brian and his team have done a fantastic job, long may it continue.
Ah now the criticism and it's just a small thing, signs would it be possible to get some signs directing traffic to the site, I know most have Sat Nav these days but still think a few sign would help , the site is not easily found if you are not familiar with Kelso.
The organisers decided right from the start that it would be a Stalking Fair not a Game Fair, nothing but stalking related items, as such it will never be in competition with Scone, Moy etc which in my opinion is a good think
after all most of us North of the border and quite a few from South of it go to one or the other of these Fairs as well as the Fair it Kelso.
I go to Scone every year and Moy if and when I can manage though Moy is more difficult as I am usually tied up with clients as it lands right in the middle of the Roe rut.
Now I enjoy both of these but Scone in particular is more family orientated which is fine, my wife enjoys Scone
the Food hall,and the Craft Fair in particular and I am happy to indulge her, but for me and I know it sounds selfish
Kelso is a me day.
For me the mix is about right at Kelso, enough trade stands covering most things, do you really need twenty stands selling the same stuff, seminars and demonstrations in which most stalkers should find something that interests them , reasonable priced food , compare the price of a burger at Kelso with one at Scone !
A very reasonable entrance fee which includes a prize draw, what other Fair can compare.
I think Brian and his team have done a fantastic job, long may it continue.
Ah now the criticism and it's just a small thing, signs would it be possible to get some signs directing traffic to the site, I know most have Sat Nav these days but still think a few sign would help , the site is not easily found if you are not familiar with Kelso.
flyingfisherman
Well-Known Member
Jamross, CSL, JB, Mereside and the other SD members i bumped into on Sunday.. It was good to catch up and have a chat. Heres my 2p's worth FWIW.
For me, whether its the CLA, the local game fair or the stalking fair, I'm now at a point where i don't really NEED anything, so i don't really go to any of these with any underlying purpose, other than to have a look round, bump into people and support a concept which is a winner in my eyes.
I went for the day and bought a new pair of trousers, a few ammo boxes, another gambrel and had a head measured. We had a bacon roll and a coffee, so probably spent about £75 for the day.
I made exactly the same point as Jamross did, that the stalking fair is small, it doesn't take a whole day to get round but i don't have to wade through wicker basket stalls and people selling copper bracelets for joint relief! I like the fact that it is all stalking related. I also agree with other posts, that there was a bit less to look at than last year, but i think everyone is clear that it wasn't planned to be like that, just unfortunate events lead to exhibitors pulling out.
It was really good to see some venison processing stuff there, such as spices and sausage mixes, burger presses and mincers etc. I think this avenue in deer stalking is definitely trending from what i see. The deerhunter stand, i preferred to the harkila, and they had some pretty good discounts too.
Callum, as ever (IMO) is an asset to the fair. A personable and knowledgeable character. As jamross said, he doesn't actually sell anything there on the day but I'm sure he gets sales off the back of it. That must be the same for others at the fair, especially those who did bring a large selection of guns in previous years. They may have 100s of people fingering their stock and not buying on the day, but i don't have a massive amount of sympathy for them. the guns come into the UK, such as sako, tikka, remington, howa, ruger and blaser and will all have a similar, if not same price to these RFDs. how much they then decide to sell them on for is ultimately down to them. if an exhibitor brings a rake of rifles to the fair and people can get one cheaper from their own RFD for hundreds less, then so be it. If the exhibitor is competitive, then i'd go back to them and pay the RFD-RFD fee and get it from the exhibitor. Im not having a dig at exhibitors, but think theres more to it than just sales on the day.
Also im sure exhibitors are aware of this already, but if you put guns where the public can have a good look at them, you're more likely to sell them. If they're behind a counter, 10 feet away then you're less likely to bother the exhibitor for a quick look and be seen as a tyre kicker. This is absolutely down to the individual exhibitor as there are obvious drawbacks with greasy and clumsy mitts fingering your stock.
In the previous years at Kelso, there always has been a good amount of guns to look at closely, which has been great. I'd probably say that it was an interesting mix of custom rifles and high end factory stuff. If i were being super critical, i'd like to have seen more of the mid-range stuff too.
Overall, its a great fair, i'd be sad to see it fade out. it beats queuing for hours like the CLA, its reasonably priced and within a distance that makes it achievable for me to go for the day. The content is very good.
For me, whether its the CLA, the local game fair or the stalking fair, I'm now at a point where i don't really NEED anything, so i don't really go to any of these with any underlying purpose, other than to have a look round, bump into people and support a concept which is a winner in my eyes.
I went for the day and bought a new pair of trousers, a few ammo boxes, another gambrel and had a head measured. We had a bacon roll and a coffee, so probably spent about £75 for the day.
I made exactly the same point as Jamross did, that the stalking fair is small, it doesn't take a whole day to get round but i don't have to wade through wicker basket stalls and people selling copper bracelets for joint relief! I like the fact that it is all stalking related. I also agree with other posts, that there was a bit less to look at than last year, but i think everyone is clear that it wasn't planned to be like that, just unfortunate events lead to exhibitors pulling out.
It was really good to see some venison processing stuff there, such as spices and sausage mixes, burger presses and mincers etc. I think this avenue in deer stalking is definitely trending from what i see. The deerhunter stand, i preferred to the harkila, and they had some pretty good discounts too.
Callum, as ever (IMO) is an asset to the fair. A personable and knowledgeable character. As jamross said, he doesn't actually sell anything there on the day but I'm sure he gets sales off the back of it. That must be the same for others at the fair, especially those who did bring a large selection of guns in previous years. They may have 100s of people fingering their stock and not buying on the day, but i don't have a massive amount of sympathy for them. the guns come into the UK, such as sako, tikka, remington, howa, ruger and blaser and will all have a similar, if not same price to these RFDs. how much they then decide to sell them on for is ultimately down to them. if an exhibitor brings a rake of rifles to the fair and people can get one cheaper from their own RFD for hundreds less, then so be it. If the exhibitor is competitive, then i'd go back to them and pay the RFD-RFD fee and get it from the exhibitor. Im not having a dig at exhibitors, but think theres more to it than just sales on the day.
Also im sure exhibitors are aware of this already, but if you put guns where the public can have a good look at them, you're more likely to sell them. If they're behind a counter, 10 feet away then you're less likely to bother the exhibitor for a quick look and be seen as a tyre kicker. This is absolutely down to the individual exhibitor as there are obvious drawbacks with greasy and clumsy mitts fingering your stock.
In the previous years at Kelso, there always has been a good amount of guns to look at closely, which has been great. I'd probably say that it was an interesting mix of custom rifles and high end factory stuff. If i were being super critical, i'd like to have seen more of the mid-range stuff too.
Overall, its a great fair, i'd be sad to see it fade out. it beats queuing for hours like the CLA, its reasonably priced and within a distance that makes it achievable for me to go for the day. The content is very good.
csl
Administrator
Finally got home yesterday evening after a 6 1/2 hour drive to find gale force winds in progress in Somerset which went on all night so still working on a severe sleep defecit this morning! 
Anyway, it was a pleasure meeting all the members who took the trouble to check in and thanks again to Brian, Stevie, Kev and the team for all their hard work. It's always a bit different for us to measure success from our point of view because we are there to show a presence and more for the meeting and greeting rather than selling so to speak, but we had a steady footfall and most traders I spoke to seemed happy... and at least a couple seemed delighted!
Having been next door to Andy and John at Moray Outfitting all weekend and observing the relentless interest in their wares, particularly the binos, both JAYB and myself can probably recite the Vortex sales patter off by heart now
Well done to NickM who won the Roe Sack raffle which was kindly donated towards our bursary scheme by Roe Sacks UK. Hopefully you'll get to christen it with a buck soon!
all the best,
Alex
Anyway, it was a pleasure meeting all the members who took the trouble to check in and thanks again to Brian, Stevie, Kev and the team for all their hard work. It's always a bit different for us to measure success from our point of view because we are there to show a presence and more for the meeting and greeting rather than selling so to speak, but we had a steady footfall and most traders I spoke to seemed happy... and at least a couple seemed delighted!
Having been next door to Andy and John at Moray Outfitting all weekend and observing the relentless interest in their wares, particularly the binos, both JAYB and myself can probably recite the Vortex sales patter off by heart now
Well done to NickM who won the Roe Sack raffle which was kindly donated towards our bursary scheme by Roe Sacks UK. Hopefully you'll get to christen it with a buck soon!
all the best,
Alex
Aye min bit it wisna me a wis referrin tae.
Seriously it was something I heard quite a few mention.
Moray Outfitting
Well-Known Member
Bogtrotter can probably clear up the 'where were all the tweed/ mossy oak etc clad professionals' query; his 'lot' ( professional beyond question I genuinely add ) seemed geared up to take in a disco on the way home
jamross65
Well-Known Member
One of our exhibitors (who will not be named!) has just contacted us to tell us their takings at the fair over the weekend were up 49% on last years event!
I know they were delighted with business at the first two they attended, so a huge thanks to all the visitors who came and spent money!
I know they were delighted with business at the first two they attended, so a huge thanks to all the visitors who came and spent money!
barry that was me you were talking to ha-ha ! I done the first aid course in West Calder with you last year
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