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	SMW 2009 - Buildup to breakdown Well here we go with something I've been meaning to do for years, show you all what happens during the run up to SMW before members and the public . So Friday morning at 0800, the halls as we find them, two trucks full of tables have been ushered in ready for unloading ...   Richard Kent, dressed in his new 'you can't miss me in this fleece' ... he decided that all targets (EC members) should be attired in something noticeable, we didn't realise that they would be that yellow. Anyway, back to the setup. 0900 and the tape team descend into hall 2 to ensure that the first row of tables fit the plan. Nige Simpson and Paul Hughes suitably attired and equipped ...     Measuring done, the first row of tables slot into place ...   In another hall not too far away, John Tapsell and crew with the table stack for the competition area ... ... before building up hall 2, Revell have to shoe horned into place ... ... and then the construction continues, and before you know it we have somewhere to park all those models ... ... ... into the afternoon and the halls are starting to fill nicely ... .... a little bit of a blockage ... ... one of our sponsors, The Aviation Hobby Shop (TAHS) are well on the way to being setup ... ... and they're still coming in ... ... so who can you give your hard earned cash to over the weekend? ... here's a selection ...   It's been a long day, that's it for this evening, more tomorrow, we'll see you here ... Saturday morning and it's straight into the melee' ... Nick, I need you ... ah well, all the best plans eh? So, this update is a tad late, mainly due to EC duties about the hall, mainly within the kit swap area. Alfa and his team have been busy since 0730 this morning booking kits into the kit swap area and setting them out so they're easy to view. Here's a quick view of the team ... ... and one of the stars ... Linda Sadler, our very own bag lady ...   ... apparently, the bags are not to everyone's taste, something about the colour, maybe we should put them in the competition area to compliment the cloths? Elsewhere about the halls, it was absolutely manic ... ... and once you've found that kit you've been searching for, time to relax with a sandwich and meet a few friends ... Oh, I forget to add this next shot last night, two very suspicious characters seen loitering during setup ... As you may be aware, Sunday was a blur and I didn't get the chance to update the site due to other duties within the EC. This was an experiment on how to keep folks updated with news and views as the show progressed. I've identified several problems and on the run up to SMW 2010, I should have a system in place. At the moment, I've got several flash cards to download and then I have to resize them all and get them uploaded, these include views of the competition and the presentation. So, after two days of mayhem, the clock struck 4pm on Sunday, the halls were cleared of visitors and the breakdown commenced ...   ... and within two hours, most of the 3 halls had been packed away, the traders were on their way home or back to their hotels. The tables and chairs all stacked neatly ready for the transport on Monday morning. The final job was to remove all the banners, here's last to go ... I hope this page has given you a little insight into what goes into preparing and organising a major model show. I'm sure you'll join with me in thanking the people who make this show possible, the hundreds of volunteers who give up their time so that you can enjoy your hobby. We're already preparing for next year, we'll be here on the weekend of November 13th / 14th 2010, I hope you'll come and visit us, we'll be ready for you once again.     Home | About | Membership | Branches | SIG's | Events | Members Gallery | Committee | Links Contact Webmaster