Wargaming Shows - do they have a future?

 I have been visiting such shows since the mid seventies.  Depending upon where I was living at the time I have been to London, Glasgow, Devizes, Leeds, Wrexham, Leiden, Paris, Sheffield, Newark, York, Manchester & Penarth (plus a few more that I have probably forgotten about).  So I have seen the changes and the deterioration.

Take one example - Octogon @ Sheffield.  This show was on multiple levels with dozens of traders.  Tons to see and buy.  It moved to the National Sports Centre and is now extinct.  

Clustering - Newark has 3 shows a year at the same venue.  Leeds has 2 in close temporal and physical proximity.

Only 2 big shows survive - Salute (London) and Vapnartak (York). [Don't know about the continental ones].

(1)  What can you buy?
 
(a) Figures (esp 15mm) - we have lost so many manufacturers and some of those that do survive no longer tour the shows (e.g. Essex).  IMHO only the bigger shows are worth looking at.

(b)  Rule books - a recent trend is the difficulty in finding mainstream rules (e.g DBA).  

(c)  Non-rule books - tend to be old Ospreys or an eclectic mix of other titles.

(d) Bring & Buy stalls seem to be dominated by WW2 and Fantasy.  [Maybe I'm biased because neither interest me].

(2)  So why else would you go to a show?  

(e)  Demonstration/Participation games - always great to see well painted figures in serried ranks.  Getting the public involved is essential to the survival of our hobby.

(f)  Meeting like-minded enthusiasts.  A chance to catch up with old friends maybe.

(3)  What has brought us to this point?

(a) Commuting - Brits spend more unproductive time travelling (often in slow-moving traffic) than any other European nation.  More cars means more worker flexibility and unsocial hours.  

(b)  Covid epidemic - broke routines and turned us all into (hopefully temporary) couch potatoes.  More time is now spent watching on-demand tv than on traditional hobbies. Many clubs have shrunk or closed down.

(c)  Cost of living - people are looking at everything they spend (including hobbies).  When your mind, and finances, are concentrated on heating, housing & eating there isn't much to spare for anything non-essential.

(4)  What can be done?  - See Part II