I wasn't complaining at people wanting to get away in the rain, more than this is not made clear on the website. If people wish to sell at a particular event, then their calculations on when to get up and so on is their business, and not the punter's concern.
I imagined (accurately it seems) that the pricier entrance early doors is for the dealers and those desparate for the chance of a Garrard 301, but if the organisers want to encourage a wider range of clientele then having a clear finish time as well as a start would be good. I think the RetroTech approach is ideal from a generalist's point of view - If I'm paying for entry to a hall of interesting things, then to find them all heading home is not so exciting. I can imagine Dennis had a say this year, but perhaps the organisers could have foreseen that and sorted something out.
I wasn't interested in hoovering up bargains, it just surprised me that arriving at midday meant a rush to the finish, and a bit peeved it still cost six quid to do so, on top of the train fare.
OK, it's not an 'expo' but model engineering/model railway shows are mostly stalls with items for sale so making 'stay till 4' a requirement wouldn't be too onerous for the owners who have presumably paid for the halls for the day. I've done a few car boot sales, with the early start that entails, and for what bills itself as the premier secondhand audio fair in Europe I would have thought two long days per year would be a reasonable tradeoff for sellers if they get enough punters in on their end of the bargain.
I got a PSU, which is excellent news, I just wonder if the organisation could be more transparent for those of us who are not dealers, and if they're interested in the next generation getting the bug (no Jim, not Star Trek.)
