CHRISTMAS 2008 NEWSLETTER
Christmas Greetings to everyone!
It’s hard to believe that 2008 has
come and gone so quickly. It’s that time of year again when we catch
up on all the news of the last 12 months, and most importantly – the 2009 application pack. For those
of you who received 2 copies, the 2nd one is to pass on to anyone
who might be interested in exhibiting with us (write your name in
the First Timer section on the Application Form to claim the
Introducer Rebate). Please note you can apply online through our
website
www.craftshows.co.nz. Alternatively you can print out the form and post it in.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
2008 News
* The last year has been a bit of a roller coaster for us. Firstly
we
were shocked by the news on July 1st that our roadie, Barry Bain,
had
been killed in an accident in England. Barry was part of the Dunkley
crew
for more than 5 years as our second-in-charge roadie, and worked
alongside his good friend, Craig Wilson. Barry’s death is a huge
loss
to us all, both as a friend and also as an invaluable member of the
management team.
Barry at the Queenstown show – April 2008.
And then on November 15th, we sadly lost our brother Toby, after a 4 year battle with cancer. Toby co-founded Dunkleys Limited with Fiona, way back in 1983 and worked with us until the end of 1997. Not only was he central to the development of the Craft Shows, but also to our other shows – Gardenz, the Hobby Show and Pet Expo. He was an enthusiastic and passionate person who fought many battles “out there”, on behalf of the shows and the exhibitors.
Toby in 1984. This photo was taken by the NZ Herald just prior
to our first show in Auckland.
* As always our chief roadie, Craig Wilson, put in a sterling effort
at every show. There is a rumour however that he may be moving to
Australia in 2009, after working with us for nearly 9 years. We wish
him the best for the future, but hope that he’ll miss us so much
that he’ll be back soon!
* When Barry left for his overseas trip in May he was replaced by
Mark McGregor, a previous exhibitor who has helped out at many
shows, with the stand set up and break down. Over the years he has
also become a good friend of Craig’s so we were delighted to have
him on board. He did a great job and was a pleasure to work with.
* Peter Marshall has continued working as our chief ticket seller -
a clockwork operation that we are very grateful for.
* Colleen Roil also came back for 2008, resuming her role as chief
car parking attendant, ticket collector and general go-fer. During
the year she was taken under Peter’s wing and is now his assistant
ticket seller. All year Colleen also worked alongside the lads on
set-up and breakdown, making us pleased to promote her from junior
to senior roadie.
* 2008 was a mixture of good and not so good shows, with some being
adversely affected by weather (who can forget the downpours in
Palmerston North and Whangarei? They were incredible!), while
Christchurch on the other hand was bigger and better than ever.
* The Wellington
Christmas show, while being excellent sales-wise for the exhibitors,
was not so good for us, with an unprecedented 25 cancellations. We
have therefore decided to give the capital its first break since
1984, and will not be back there until 2010. The good news is that we are
returning next year to all the best performing shows. More
information about them below.
* We cannot end 2008 without mentioning the drama that occurred one
October night in Christchurch. A well-known exhibitor who does all
of our shows, young Jamie Dunn from the Emuology site, was
celebrating his 39 birthday at a party he had at the Arts Centre. He was having such a great time that he
started dancing and leaping off a low stage into the people below. This worked
ok the first couple of times, but it was a case of “third time
un-lucky”. With a snap he had broken his right leg in two places,
plus another hairline fracture and a few torn tendons. It was not
pretty! Poor Jamie was carted off to hospital by ambulance and had a
big operation a day later, fixing all his bones back together with
steel plates and pins. Talk about going off with a bang - and it certainly wasn't boring!
Jamie being carted off to hospital.
The Shows for 2009
* For 2009 we have decided to cut back on a few of the smaller
shows. You will see on the schedule that there are only 9, when in
previous years there have been 15 or 16. We have decided that it
makes more sense for us to work on the bigger shows, and with more
time available we’ll be able to produce a better event, which will
be good for all of us.
* After many requests from exhibitors and the public, we have
brought back the Auckland Greenlane show. It will be 5 years since
we were last there, so it should be good!
* We have also re-positioned the North Shore show to take advantage
of the Christmas market.
*New Plymouth is once again a 4 day show over Queen’s Birthday
weekend and has been coupled with Napier, making it worthwhile for
South Islanders to cross Cook Strait for 2 shows instead of one.
* Likewise Hamilton and Tauranga have been matched up for July.
These shows are geographically close so that will cut down on travel
expenses and greenhouse gases!
* The Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill shows remain in their
September position, launching those early Christmas shoppers into
gift buying mode.
* New to our 2009 schedule is the return of PET EXPO – a show we
held from 1998 through to 2001 in Auckland, Hamilton, Hastings,
Wellington and Christchurch. We have decided the time is right to
bring it back so we will be holding it in Christchurch on
August 1st & 2nd, at good old Addington Raceway. The show is open to
anyone within the pet industry or who has a pet related product, so
if you know of anyone who may be interested, please let us know.
General information for 2009
* Please note that there are some new boxes to tick on the 2009
application form regarding payment options. You can now pay more
easily by internet banking. See details on the form.
* If you wish to pay by electronic banking, please remember to include your name and the show you
are paying for!
* Remember to include your POST CODE.
* Regretfully we must remind everyone 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 overrun with
the one craft and this is unfair all round.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Well that’s it for another year.
We’re taking our usual summer break over Christmas and will close up
on Friday 19th December and re-open on Monday 26th January. During
this time we will
be coming in on a regular basis to clear our emails, messages, faxes and post office
box, so please feel free to contact us.
Merry Christmas and a happy new year from us all at Dunkleys Shows -
Fiona and Kim Dunkley, Deb Balloch, Tania McLachlan, Craig Wilson,
Mark McGregor, Peter Marshall and Colleen Roil.
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