Two engineering fairs for London

November 28, 2010

You might be aware there there’s two model engineering fairs comming up in the near future. They are headed up by rival magazine companies so I was amused to read in the editorial for one of them some hair splitting on the number of stalls / suppliers. Put it this way, unless you are planning to spend all three days there you will be pushed to make it to see all of the stands for either. I’ve been to both and enjoyed my visits, both are good for buying tools, equipment and materials, both have a good selection of club stands and models.

My top recommendations for a successful trip are:

If you are interested in a particular item, contact the suppliers in advance to ensure that they can bring one along for you so you can save on posting.
Bring your own lunch, exhibition food is typically expensive and outlets can be busy
Save some money by buying tickets in advance
Plan your visit, what do you really want to buy/see?
Budget and shop around

To help you make your minds (on which you want to attend) up I’ve put together a comparison. Some people will of course attend both.

Name	London Model Engineering Exhibition

Dates	21-23rd January 2010
Opening Times	10.00am – 5.30pm Friday and Saturday 10.00am – 4.00pm Sunday
Venue	Great Hall, Alexandra Palace, Alexandra Palace Way, London, N22 7AY
Venue Layout	One large hall, all on one level
Website	Meridienne Exhibitions
Price	£9.50
Advanced price	£8.50
Sponsoring Magazine	Engineering in Miniature
Working models	Yes
Clubs	Yes
Trade Stands	Yes
Competitions	No
Talks/Demos/Lectures	Model Activ Zone, 2 workshops from the British Horological Institute, demos from clubs
Nearest Station	Alexandra Palace Station (free bus to exhibition)
Parking	2000 spaces, free parking
Food	Provided by venue or bring your own

Name	Model Engineer Exhibition

Dates	10-12th December 2010
Opening Times	10.00am – 5.00pm Friday and Saturday 10.00am – 4.00pm Sunday
Venue	Sandown Park Racecourse Sandown Park, Portsmouth Road, Esher, Surrey KT10 9AJ
Venue Layout	Multiple rooms and levels, lifts and disabled access to all locations. Outdoor pool and exhibits
Website	Model engineer show
Price	£9.50
Advanced price	£8.00
Sponsoring Magazine	Model Engineer, Model Engineer’s Workshop
Working models	Yes
Clubs	Yes
Trade Stands	Yes
Competitions	Model Engineer Competition, Duke of Edinburgh Challenge Trophy
Talks/Demos/Lectures	8 Lectures a day and demos from the Society of Model & Experimental Engineers and Clubs, Cove School Robot demo
Nearest Station	Esher station (free bus to exhibition)
Parking	free parking
Food	Provided by venue or bring your own