CHRISTMAS 2007 NEWSLETTER
Christmas
Greetings to everyone! 2007 is rapidly coming to an end and we have
produced 16 shows since our last Christmas newsletter.
It’s only November and we are well ahead of ourselves. Please find
enclosed the 2008 application pack, nice and early for a change! (Some
years we have posted it out just 3 days before Christmas and other years
it has been late January!).
Please note you can now apply online directly through our website.
Alternatively you can print out the application form and post it in.
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2007/ 2008 – past, present & future.
The last year has been both happy and sad for us.
As most of you know, we lost our mother, Betty, on July 10th. She had
reached the great age of almost 81 and had lived a happy and active
life. From 1983 - 1999, she “manned” the Information Desk at over 200
Craft Shows (as well as countless Pet Expos, Hobby Shows and Gardenz),
and still attended the Christchurch Craft Show and Gardenz right up
until two years ago.
The Dunkley family would like to thank everyone for all their kindness.
Many thanks for all the cards we received, the emails, phone messages
and the gorgeous bouquets of flowers, including the one that Kie Yaacob
organised on behalf of the exhibitors. They were beautiful. For several
weeks after the funeral we had all the cards and flowers at the office
and found these gestures very therapeutic.
A big thank you also to all those who attended the funeral, making it a
heart-warming and up-lifting experience for the whole family. We feel
certain that Betty would have approved!
Betty on her 70th birthday, wearing a
hand-woven
jacket made by exhibitor, Barbara Wilson.
The rest
of 2007 definitely got better.
* Many thanks to all our staff for another great year - Craig and Barry
for their tremendous work at all the shows. They put in a huge effort
and some very long hours behind the scenes! Other people you might not
meet face-to-face are Deb in accounts and Tania in sales. They are a
talented duo and keep the office ticking along like clockwork.
We are delighted to report that after a year working as a ticket seller,
Peter Marshall has proved his weight in gold, keeping everything totally
in order. For the 2007 circuit we have been very pleased to welcome
Colleen Roil on board as our chief car parking attendant, ticket
collector, general go-fer and junior roadie. She’s full of energy and
enthusiasm and we have especially enjoyed her quirky sense of humour
(and dress sense with those bow-ties!).
* This year we introduced a smart and snappy new TV advert which worked
really well, especially as we tied in all our print media (newspapers,
posters and catalogues) to the new look. We also ran the new look
newspaper ad in full colour where affordable.
* Please note that there are some new boxes to tick on the 2008
application form:
- If you want to receive the show guidelines, invoices etc by email,
just tick the box!
- You can also pay more easily by credit card.
See details on the application form.
* If you wish to pay by electronic banking the details are on the show
invoice – please remember to include your name and the show you are
paying for!
* Remember to include your POST CODE.
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* * * * *
* Regretfully we have recently had to remind exhibitors about the rules
regarding packing up their sites. Too many people are in too much of a
hurry at the end of the shows and are leaving a huge mess behind,
including staples in their stand walls. We have had to introduce a
cleaning charge of $100 + gst to those who leave a mess behind.
Instructions on stand pack up are given to all exhibitors in written
form on the last day of each show.
* If you want to introduce any new products to your range, you must send
pictures or samples to get approval. 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. If we see unapproved
items with your other crafts, we will be forced to remove them off your
stand. We implemented this system as a safeguard to exhibitors and the
public, otherwise the show becomes over run with the one craft and this
is unfair all round.
The shows for 2008:
* For 2008 we have positioned the shows closer together geographically,
hence Palmerston North and Napier being back to back, as well as
Whangarei and Hamilton, and Tauranga and Gisborne. This will cut down on
travel expenses and greenhouse gases!
As always our schedule 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 2007 are Queenstown, New Plymouth, North Shore,
Whangarei, Hamilton, Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill, Wellington
(more info below), and Whakatane.
Other shows we are adding are Greymouth, Palmerston North, Napier,
Tauranga and Gisborne. All these shows are repeats from previous years.
Our first show of the year is in GREYMOUTH at the ASB Civic Centre. This
is our first time back for a couple of years and the Coast has continued
to boom since we were last there. Long may it continue!
The following weekend we’re back in QUEENSTOWN for 3 days over Anzac
Weekend (right in the middle of the school holidays when the Lakes
District is bulging!). Anzac Day is on the Friday, which is perfect! Our
first show last year attracted some big spenders, and we were
overwhelmed by the number of locals thanking us for bringing the show
there and begging us to come back. (N.B. Book your accommodation early!)
NEW PLYMOUTH & NORTH SHORE –
We are returning to New Plymouth over Queen’s Birthday as always. It’s a
4 day show, closing at 4 pm on the Monday. Undoubtedly one of our most
popular shows, it’s a regular feature in the Taranaki calendar over the
holiday weekend.
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. Please note - this is our
only show in Auckland for 2008. We are currently working on 2009 dates
either back at Greenlane, or at Manukau. Keep an eye on our website for
details.
PALMERSTON NORTH & NAPIER. We have placed these shows in the middle of
the year when the public love to come inside and warm up at one of our
fun events. Good for the public and good for the exhibitors.
In Palmerston we are returning to Arena 3 and in Napier we are back at
the Centennial Hall.
WHANGAREI & HAMILTON. Whangarei - a very satisfactory show in 2007,
with an excellent standard of exhibitors and good numbers through the
doors, especially on the Saturday.
In 2008 it will be followed by Hamilton - a very busy and vibrant show
in 2007. Moving all the sites into the Main Hall worked really well.
Public attendances were good and the atmosphere was brilliant.
TAURANGA & GISBORNE. It’s been 2 years since we were last here and
previously both have been consistently good shows. With such a short travelling time between them it will be easy for exhibitors to
participate in both.
CHRISTCHURCH, DUNEDIN & INVERCARGILL – Christchurch was once again our
biggest show of the year with the highest number of exhibitors and
highest public attendance. In fact figures for all 3 South Island shows
were up on previous years so that makes us very happy.
WELLINGTON & WHAKATANE - the Wellington show in 2008 will be a little
different than usual. First, it has moved from its annual July/August
slot to October. Secondly we could only secure a 3-day booking, so set
up is on the Friday morning from 7 till noon. The show is open from 12
noon till 9pm, with a “late night” promotion on the Friday night.
Saturday and Sunday will close at 5 p.m. as usual.
We finish off the year in Whakatane. Our first show there this year
exceeded our expectations and we were thrilled by the fantastic response
from the public. Next year it will be a 3 day show over Labour Weekend,
but it will run from the Friday till the Sunday.
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Well that’s it for 2007. We’re looking forward to a busy schedule next
year but first of all, a restful break over Christmas. Our office will
close on Friday 14th December, re-opening Monday 28th January. We will
be coming in to clear our emails, messages, faxes 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 -
Fiona and Kim Dunkley, Deb Balloch, Tania McLachlan, Craig Wilson, Barry
Bain, Peter Marshall and Colleen Roil.
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