We welcome your feedback on the recent SHOWBUS at Long Marston. We have had several responses already with 2:1 in favour of the new venue and some of these are quoted below. The reasons for the move and some of the problems around staging the show are listed below to help you put any feedback in context.
In recent years SHOWBUS at Duxford has been loosing money. This is primarily because the costs of staging the event have been increasing and revenue (primarily from our loyal band of stallholders) has been diminished. Sponsorship from EFE had been falling too, hence the move to new and more numerous sponsors to help bridge that funding gap.
We have been searching for a new site, where we might reverse the finances by taking a portion of the gate revenue. Long Marston is one of the few sites we have found to enable that. The figures are not finalised, but it looks like we might have a profit from which we can afford to stage SHOWBUS at Duxford next year - had we not managed this, next year's SHOWBUS would have been the last. This may be the way forward, alternating between Duxford and Long Marston year on year.
We welcome suggestions for alternative sites, but they do have to be within striking distance of South Bucks where most of the team are based. Nice though it would be to hold the event in a different part of the country from time to time, the distance from "home" is a factor as well as the enormous amount of work involved in planning the large event at a new site. The site also has to offer more than just a bus gathering. Duxford of course has its Air Museum, and Long Marston the nearby attractions of Stratford-upon-Avon.
While the attendance was down at Long Marston, particularly from those "south of Watford", the diverse nature of the entry and the number of new entrants from the north and west certainly made the case for staging the event in the Midlands another time.
The new site offered a number of new attractions not possible at Duxford which proved popular. The overnight camping option, site tours not only giving the opportunity to ride, but to photograph, an increased display area allowing better spacing of entries for photographers. It was also cheaper! Certainly from some correspondence we have had folk were expecting the same standard of facilities that you get at Europe's premier air museum.
Long Marston has some obvious drawbacks and if we return to the site we would need to address those which we can. It is doubtful that we can do anything to improve the undulating surfaces around the site, but we can ensure there are more portaloo toilets, better catering and at least one large marquee for stallholders and the opportunity for somewhere to go in the event of rain. On site signposting would be improved too. Now we have a measure for the demand of the shuttle bus to Stratford we could allow time to bring it closer in to the site, after the morning congestion. Catering, with the exception of the Routemonster, was provided by the site owners. Feedback on both separately would be helpful.
Email us at rally @ showbus.com
Some early feedback by email:
Hello,
I wished to say that I had a great time at your Showbus event on Long Marston on September 22nd. There appeared to be a wide variety of exhibits and sales stalls. The layout was very good for photography as was the entrance area for buses.
Well done all!
I was not impress by showbus this year it was not very well put together, It was not disable friendly it was very ruff under foot as I found out trying to find our number to park the bus L have the cuts and bruises to prove it. The numbers could not be seen by the road. I be glad next yr when we are back at Duxford. I am not the only person who wasnt happy with the site by listening to other people on the day so if you are not going to use duxford after next yr please think off somewhere better than there. and a few more marshals wouldn't go a miss
Just a quick email to say I found the Showbus show on Sunday very good. It is the first time I have attended as Duxford is a bit far for me to travel. It would be great if this location could be shared with Duxford in the future.
Firstly let me say that as a location Long Marston was considered by those on our bus and those whom we spoke with, to be a good location, and we need not have worried about spacing as there was more than adequate parking and spacing. The day was extremely enjoyable and on behalf of our breed I must say a big thank you to you and all who helped in the planning and organisation. It did pay off I assure you.
I am aware that you will be at Duxford in 2014, I suggest that is where Showbus should stay, it has other areas of the site to keep the public interested for a day out and of course better amenities.
We got home in daylight the buses were spaced out better than Duxford.
The food & drinks were cheaper.
There were more 'older generation' vehicles present.
A lot of people wanted to visit Stratford (the buses should have come on site)
The site shuttles were super!
Yes, the site looks dawdy and the loos are 3/10 (though this is not a National Museum site)
I enjoyed the day overall.
Just like to thank you for Showbus this year.I think the move to Long Marston was a good move.The venue had lots more space than Duxford so vehicles could be photographed more easily.The free on site bus rides up the runway was a good idea also.It was also good having the car near by so if you wanted to buy something off a stall You didn't have to walk miles back to the car.The site also emptied quicker & I got some nice video footage of vehicles moving instead of just stood still in a queue.The venue being central was good also it use to take ages to get to Duxford.It took under an hour to get home to Selly Oak in Birmingham.I hope the move to Long Marston is permanent .It was fab!!.
Unfortunately, I feel that yesterday's location didn't reflect the premier event that Showbus has grown into. I noticed quite a number of regular displays were not there, no major display from First and nothing from any of the London "red bus" companies. They must have their reasons. Travelling from Huddersfield, Long Marston was closer for us than Duxford but I still feel Duxford has far more to offer as a host for a large event. I know Showbus is at Duxford again next year and we are looking forward to attending. My only request would be, please, please let the event remain at Duxford.
I just wanted to say thank you for an excellent event yesterday. As a non-driving Londoner I was doubtful at first but took the plunge, staying the night before in Stratford and using the shuttle bus. It was a nice change to go back to a less 'commercial' venue, and for me it was great to see a number of different vehicles from the usual fare. Perhaps the way forward is to alternate between two venues? One suggestion, and I don't know if it is practical (if you do go back there), is whether the shuttle service can go further into the site rather than just the entrance/exit. It was a fair walk on top of the amount of walking needed on the site. All in all though a great day - well done to all concerned
Thanks for all your efforts in putting on another large and varied Showbus. Whilst the space between buses at Long Marston enabled easier photography, as did the apparent reduced level of public attendance, the site itself can only be described as a tatty dump. Road surfaces were littered with debris and some of the grass areas had serious safety hazards with unmarked deep holes. Poor refreshment facilities, poor toilets and those by the clubhouse shut out of order, whilst the layout of the vehicles certainly seemed a disorganised mess when you looked around the site. I appreciate the efforts that all the organisers went to, so it was very disappointing to see the end product today.
I would just like to say what a wonderful day Showbus 2013 has been. Having gone to Showbus since its days at Woburn Abbey, this site at Long Marston has to be the best from a photographers angle and the whole set up has just been absolutely wonderful with a very good range of stalls. What was most pleasing was the fact that there were a number of 'new' vehicles to Showbus this year (the owners of which I presume find Duxford a little too far). Normally e-mails are sent to complain - well this one is to congratulate you all - it must be a mammoth task to organise and one that is appreciated. I know it will be back at Duxford next year but I hope that this year will not be the last at Long Marston.
For the first time ever I had the chance to go along to Showbus this year.
I must say I was very impressed at such a great event that is put on that is also great value for money.
The impression I got from talking with people on Sunday was that they welcomed the change of vehicles there - and were hugely grateful for the absence of the usual surfeit of Routemasters - but didn't much like the venue itself, especially the lack of shelter had it rained. But - and this is the big question that the audience needs to address - they get what they pay for and they might have to pay a bigger gate fee to get superior facilities
