mulletman 0 Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 Back at the beginning of December the yearly International FlightSim Convention was held in Birmingham. I was there, as were many, many others. It was an excellent weekend, and great to meet the people behind the scenes and usernames. I took the opportunity to write about it. And my photos and report are now available at Mutleys Hangar. http://www.mutleyshangar.com Just follow the link form the homepage, or you can go in via Features>Mulletworld. On the site you will also find many other interesting things to do, download and read. I hope you enjoy this article. I certainly enjoyed the weekend, and cannot wait until the next show in Birmingham on the 7th and 8th December. If you would like any more information feel free to contact me. My thanks also go to Mutley, for giving me the opportunity to write on his website. Peace and Love, Fred 'mulletman' Clark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaders 97 Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 Hi Fred, You Actually enjoyed it?? Kel and I Went on the sunday and paid £12 each for the privalage of trotting around a handfull of stands and seeing nothing new. The only stand that caught my attention was the Butt kicker one as I actually got the chance to try out what is realy quite a good (and under rated) product. Did you go next door to the sports aviation show?? Only £6 entry and twice the stands!! This is the second year i've been to the IFC and am afraid to say it will probably be my last. I think the organisers of the show need to concentrate more on making it good value for visitors and less on making themselves out to be the saviours of flight simming. In '05 He even tried to convince my wife he'd arranged the blackpool airshow to coincide with the IFC!! Not the other way round. I for one am thinking Lelystad will be the show I go to in '07. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulletman 0 Posted January 7, 2007 Author Share Posted January 7, 2007 You Actually enjoyed it?? Kel and I Went on the Sunday and paid £12 each for the privilege of trotting around a handful of stands and seeing nothing new. The only stand that caught my attention was the Butt kicker one as I actually got the chance to try out what is really quite a good (and under rated) product. What I really enjoyed about it was not the fact that there was anything new, but the opportunity to meet the people behind Flight Sim, and its add-ons. I know what you mean about nothing new, but we did get the opportunity to get our hands on it. The VFR sceneries form Horizon and Just Flight in particular, along with the (as you say, under rated) Buttkicker. As well as that there was lots of hardware to play around with. I don’t think they make themselves out to be the saviours, although they do provide a unique opportunity, and one of only a handful in the UK, where everyone with the same hobby can congregate in a single location. That said, I didn’t go to 2005. I for one am thinking Lelystad will be the show I go to in '07. Haven’t herd about this one (or I have, but don’t recall it), have you got any more information? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mutley 7 Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 I agree with Fred here, it was a great chance to meet people with the same hobby and passion for flight simulation as myself. FS is quite a lonely hobby in some ways, flying for VA's and VATSIM etc is ok you know there are people out there, but actually meeting them for real was worth the entrance fee . Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mutley 7 Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 Fred, Lelystad 2007, there is a website to keep an eye on http://www.fsweekend.com/ I expect once there's more info this site will be updated. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ei6265 0 Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 I was more interested in the Fashion show this year Although on a serious note, I agree with the above, although the show may not be extremely interesting, its great to meet old friends who you dont usually get to see. Unfortunately my flight home was cancelled on the Sunday due to awful storms at Dublin so had to stay an extra night. Not sure if Ill go next year - its getting way too commercialised I think. Nice report Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaders 97 Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 Hi Gents, I fully understand about the putting faces to forum names bit. I'm a member of the long running EFFC and at the Blackpool show quite a few of us stayed the whole weekend and It was good to meet and have a couple of beers with them all. However this year because of the change on date/venue we all decided not to bother going. Seeing as I was in Birmingham on that weekend I thought I'd go to the show on the Sunday. Now in my opinion a show should offer good value judged on the stands/entertainment offered even after you've stripped away the community side of it. I personaly don't believe that in '06 the IFC did. The fact is that many of the visitors to IFC could be new to the hobby and not as active on the various forums as we are, and if these newcomers leave the show feeling ripped off then the hobby as a whole will suffer. I'm glad the pair of you thought the IFC was good value, Its just that IMO I didn't get a lot for the £24 it cost my wife and I. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightowl 0 Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 It is just what you're expecting of the event. When you expect a lot of new software, hardware and other developments, you can't blame the organisation it is not there. The organisation has brought the exhibitors together, and it is up to the exhibitors what they're showing. There is no influence of the organisation on what is being exhibited. If you expect a lot of user groups and VA's, IFC is not the place to be, you've to go to Lelystad for that kind of event. I like both events. IFC's goal of the convention is to bring people together, exhibitors and visitors and I think this goal has been reached very well. 2611 people came through the door. Comparing to the sports aviation show is not fair I think, as this is a very wide ranged show, and flightsimming group is a very small group of people. To cover for the costs you need to make a calculation: costs devided by visitors. This makes the price you pay at the door. The sports show has many more visitors so the price could be less then the IFC show. I think the IFC NEC show was a very good one, all the big players within the flightsimulation where present, and visitors where able to meet and greet the people behind the companies. I will be going to the 2007 edition again, and also go to Lelystad again this year. It is a different kind of show. The focus of FSWeekend is a show for and by flightsimmers. It is unique in the world, there is no such show anywhere else in the world. Just my two cents, Tino Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aerosoft Aerosoft Team [Inactive Account] 51558 Posted January 8, 2007 Aerosoft Share Posted January 8, 2007 It is just what you're expecting of the event. When you expect a lot of new software, hardware and other developments, you can't blame the organisation it is not there. The organisation has brought the exhibitors together, and it is up to the exhibitors what they're showing. There is no influence of the organisation on what is being exhibited. If you expect a lot of user groups and VA's, IFC is not the place to be, you've to go to Lelystad for that kind of event. I like both events. To cover for the costs you need to make a calculation: costs devided by visitors. This makes the price you pay at the door. The sports show has many more visitors so the price could be less then the IFC show. Tino While I fully agree with your comments in Lelystad (in my view it is the best show every year, relaxed, not too commercial etc) I would like to make two comments. I do think the organizers have a pretty strong influence in what is shown. I have organized several shows (and I still claim the second one I did was the biggest ever with 5000+ visitors) so I feel I speak with some confidence. You need to know the people, know what they are working on and you got to be very flexible. In many cases you got to convince them showing something there and then is the best way to handle things. Tricky to do and ever harder. Of course getting the right companies at your show also means a lot, I am known to have paid companies to come and not ask them money for being able to be there. This 'might' work in with my second comment, although I got to be careful here as I am not sure of my facts. IFC is a commercial show as far as I am aware. A totally respectable point of view, just different. Where as the Aerosoft show is partly paid for by Aerosoft and the show at Lelystad is partly paid for by the organizers (believe me not even counting the hundreds of hours invested without any payment they actually invest private money in these shows), the IFC shows are paid by the visitors. In the 6 years I organized shows I always counted on loosing at least $1500 of personal money on these shows. Unpaid bar bills always were a major part of it funny enough. Again, and with vigor, this is no negative comment on IFC, I applaud their effort and think they do a remarkable job. It is just a different starting point and explains why Lelystad has a different audience and a different representation of exhibitors. In the end for 90% of visitors the distance to the event determines if they go there. For people in the UK that means the are limited. If you live in Belgium you would have at least 5 major shows within 3 hours driving. If you life in Manchester (the UK kind) that just is not true. If you happen to life in Manchester (the USA kind) you probably never will be able to see a major FS show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Pickering 14 Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 That was always a big problem in the UK In the end for 90% of visitors the distance to the event determines if they go there. For people in the UK that means the are limited Do a show in Blackpool and nobody comes from the south do a show in Bristol nobody comes from the north. As we have an international hobby it is worth the time and money to visit shows in other countrys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick C 110 Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 I'm afraid if I'm going to go to a show, I want many companies to be present. The social aspect is nice but I'm primarily there to see products and meet the developers, this includes overseas companies. What Mark and the team are doing is great, but not enough to draw me to the event I'm afraid, yet. I'd travel to Lelystad but I can't justify the cost of an air fair and hotel for a hobby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
João Pinto 23 Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 I can understand the feeling of someone who paid a considerable amount of money to see something and end up believing they wasted their money. But from someone like me who only has 1 virtual airshow every two years and lives in a country with scarce aeronautical events, that show must have been awesome. Oh, well... can't have Le Bougets or AVSIM Conf. all over Europe, can you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinFlyer 8 Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 I'd travel to Lelystad but I can't justify the cost of an air fair and hotel for a hobby. It's not that far from Amsterdam. You could combine it with a weekend at Amsterdam, doing some spotting at Schiphol, make a nice weekend out of it Plus the show is in a museum, so you'll also get to see some nice planes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick C 110 Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 Nice idea Vin, but if you ever find me flying to Amsterdam to go spotting, well ...... lets just say that I can think of better things to do 8) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francois Dumas 1 Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 Oh, well... can't have AVSIM Conf. all over Europe, can you? No, fortunately we can't !!!! :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francois Dumas 1 Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 Nice idea Vin, but if you ever find me flying to Amsterdam to go spotting, well ...... lets just say that I can think of better things to do 8) Well who knows, one day you might be invited to take part of a publisher's stand :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinFlyer 8 Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 Nice idea Vin, but if you ever find me flying to Amsterdam to go spotting, well ...... lets just say that I can think of better things to do 8) True, i can think of much better things to do in Amsterdam, but let's not publish that here in this decent forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaders 97 Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 I'd travel to Lelystad but I can't justify the cost of an air fair and hotel for a hobby. Nick if you change your mind give me a shout. I'm trying to convince kell it would make a nice weekend away . I reckon Pitt would be up for it too. If not Darren (Pitt) and I were concidering going back to Blackpool for the airshow and a bit of a Social weekend. We did however discuss this while he was at the Chrismas party kell and I had and may just have been to full of Stella to argue against it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skydvdan 2 Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 True, i can think of much better things to do in Amsterdam... Hmmm... LMAO!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick C 110 Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 @ Francois: I only travel first class! :wink: @ Vin: Shall we open a new forum? We could also discuss a new Aerosoft product that's close to release, but without political correctness. 8) http://www.forum.aerosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=10063 @ Rich: I need to find your number again! @ Dan: You laughing at my hat?? :twisted: @ Everyone else: Sorry for getting a little off topic :roll: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulletman 0 Posted January 10, 2007 Author Share Posted January 10, 2007 @ Everyone else: Sorry for getting a little off topic :roll: Ha! tis fine. what else are forums for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skydvdan 2 Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 @ Vin: Shall we open a new forum? We could also discuss a new Aerosoft product that's close to release, but without political correctness. 8) http://www.forum.aerosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=10063 Amen brother!! I throw up a joke like Mathjis asked for and immediately get slammed by the PC police. I assume too much when I think we're all adults here I guess. Someone is always offended. :? @ Dan: You laughing at my hat?? :twisted: No, as long as you're not laughing at my bandana. :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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