NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2006 & JANUARY 2007
Past, present & future
The last twelve months have been very busy with 16 shows from April till December. Fortunately we have a great staff and we work together as a team. And of course, our wonderful craftspeople – we wouldn’t have a show without you!
2006 was on the whole a good year for us, but as always we are looking to improve our game. We have updated our newspaper advertisement, with a very smart look and new slogan. This concept is now reflected in our 2007 application pack and will also be used for our new television advertisement.
We have a new staff member who joined us in an unofficial capacity at the beginning of the year. Peter Marshall, who attends almost all the shows with his partner, Kie Yaacob, is now “front of house” selling the public admission tickets, processing paperwork, manning the Information Desk and generally running around. Many thanks Peter. You’re marvellous!We would like to thank many of our regular exhibitors for welcoming on board the new exhibitors. A lot of positive comments have come back to us about your helpfulness and friendliness to the first timers - they have very much appreciated your warm welcome.
For the 2nd year running we enjoyed a fabulous smorgasbord dinner at the Christchurch Casino in September, all arranged by Kie Yaacob. This was the best turn out ever with 60 people and a good time had by all, including a wee flutter on the pokies.
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Kie & Peter with their new toy they picked up in Dunedin with their proceeds of the Christchurch show, and not the casino, or so they say.
Don’t forget when you fill out your Application Form that you must include your POST CODE. From 2008 this is compulsory for all mail so we need to update our database.
Remember if you want to introduce any new products to your range you must send pictures/samples to get approval. It has come to our attention that several exhibitors have been putting jewellery out on their stands that has NOT been pre-approved. As you are aware we have maximums in each craft medium, and once these have been reached we have a waiting list. You must ONLY exhibit products that have been approved and anything new must be approved prior to adding to your stand. If we see unapproved items with your other crafts, we will be forced to remove them from your stand prior to commencement of the show. We implemented this system as a safeguard to exhibitors and the public, otherwise the shows become overrun with the one craft and this is unfair all round.
The shows for 2007
As always our schedule of shows changes from year to year. We return annually to some cities but others are left to rest for a year or two. The shows we are repeating from 2006 are New Plymouth, North Shore, Whangarei, Wellington, Hamilton, Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill, and Napier.
New shows we are adding are Porirua, Wanganui, Blenheim, Nelson, Queenstown, Hastings, Taupo and Whakatane. This will be our very first time in Porirua and Whakatane, and our 2nd time in Queenstown (it’s been 13 years, plus it’s a new venue). All other cities are repeats from previous years.
If you’re wondering what has happened to the Auckland show for 2007, unfortunately we were unable to get a booking at Auckland Showgrounds in Greenlane, so have decided to rest it for a year and re-introduce it in June 2008, where we already have a booking.
We start the new year with a brand new show in PORIRUA. The venue is the Porirua Recreation Centre, a purpose built facility with excellent public parking. While we will be covering the whole of the Wellington district with our newspaper and radio advertising, we will be focusing our street sign campaign on The Hutt Valley and Kapiti Coast. The population is massive through these areas, with so many people commuting to Wellington for work. (We held a Pet Expo in neighbouring Trentham a few years ago and it was one of the biggest public attendances we’ve ever had). Please note that the Porirua venue is not huge, so make sure you get your site booking in early!
The following weekend we’re back in WANGANUI for the first time since 2004. We feel a 3 year break has given the show a good rest, so we’re keen to go back!
BLENHEIM & NELSON – we’re returning to the top of the South Island after a 2 year gap. These two shows are located quite close together (a 2 hour road trip between the 2 centres) so that’s convenient for everyone. They also team up with QUEENSTOWN, a new show for us, at the Queenstown Events Centre.
All the talk we hear about Queenstown is very favourable. A colleague in the advertising industry recently gave us a glowing report about the entire district. From her experience in the advertising world, she says that Queenstown, Wanaka and Arrowtown draw on a population that has a good amount of disposable income. Please note that exhibition space is limited at this venue so book in quick. We’ve also been advised that you need to book your accommodation early!
We are returning as always over Queen’s Birthday to NEW PLYMOUTH. It’s a 4 day event, closing at 4 pm on the Monday. We will be launching our new television campaign at this show.
NORTH SHORE, once again follows directly after New Plymouth. Consistently a good show for everyone. Good attendances, good spending and all that lovely free parking - a rarity in Auckland.
2006 was another good show in WHANGAREI, with the standard of craftsmanship being the very best. Many thanks to Sue Forward from The Quarry Art Centre for co-ordinating her craftspeople and the demonstrations. (The Whangarei venue also has without doubt the best cafŽ, with a lovely outdoor seating area that looks over Kensington Park. Their coffees and cooked breakfasts are legendary!)Now that we have included HASTINGS in our schedule (for the 1st time since 2000), we have moved NAPIER to the first weekend in November, just in time for Christmas.
There are a couple of small changes for our next HAMILTON show. Previously we have held it in the West Wing and half of the Main Hall. Next time the entire show will be in the Main Hall. We have also re-positioned it for August, giving us a good couple of months distance from Fieldays. Please note, those of you who stay in buses and campervans – the Claudelands Events Centre no longer allows you to stay in the venue grounds, so you will have to make alternative arrangements. Sorry about that.
WELLINGTON is always a good show – lots of public and lots of spending. Please note that the venue, previously called The Events Centre Wellington (and prior to that the Queens Wharf Events Centre), has changed its name again. It is now the TSB Bank Arena.
For 2007 the CHRISTCHURCH, DUNEDIN and INVERCARGILL shows are scheduled for a week earlier than usual. This means that we won’t get hit with Daylight Saving at Invercargill, which is good.
We finish off the year with a 3 show package – Taupo, Whakatane and Napier. TAUPO is being held at the Great Lake Centre, downtown by the lake. As it runs over Labour Weekend, the show days are Saturday, Sunday and Monday. This is quickly followed by a 2 day show in WHAKATANE on the Saturday and Sunday. We’ve heard good reports about Whakatane as it draws on a large catchment area, including Opotiki, Edgecombe and all of the eastern Bay of Plenty. We’re back in NAPIER the following Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with our final show of the year.
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Our office will be officially closed from Friday 22nd December till Monday 29th January but we will be coming in from time to time to clear our emails, messages and post office box, so please feel free to contact us during this time. Merry Christmas and a happy new year from us all at Dunkleys Shows Ltd - Fiona and Kim Dunkley, Deb Balloch, Tania McLachlan, Craig Wilson & Barry Bain.Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas
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