This is a dedicated thread for discussing article: The Barbel Show Weekend from a Personal Perspective.
So seeing as Fishing Magic has invited discussions of the above article, this is my contribution.
Steve Pope said;
“I managed to keep to my time slot and as I finished I introduced to the stage my good friend and colleague Howard Cooke. If my talk was all about the past, then Howards was about the future. His fifteen minute slot explained the thinking behind the project we have labelled '2020 Vision' which will, hopefully, pave the way for the next two decades.”
Interesting that the mere 4 lines above covered the much trumped up 2020 Vision from a personal perspective? I personally would have expected to have read more about this “visionary” concept.
Steve Pope said;
“ I was hugely impressed with Claire. She would be welcome on the BS committee at any time and all I would say is heaven help those who like having a pop!”
So would that be yet another unelected person co-opted onto the BS committee if she was welcomed onto the BS committee? Indeed was the new treasurer elected by a membership ballot? And the “heaven help those who like having a pop” comment was not surprising at all seeing as this is what I come to expect from the BS bully boys who jump on anyone who criticises how the BS is being run.
Steve Pope said;
“There were well over two hundred people who came through the entrance door; add those who were helping or manning the stands and three hundred would not have been far from the total number of attendees.”
Really? So if these figures are correct, one third of the attendees were people manning the trade stands? 100 people on the trade stands. Were there a lot of trade stands? And if the 200 through the door is correct, which is surely a low turnout for this type of event in any case, did 200 through the door actually cover the events costs? I have had it on the authority from people who were actually there at the show there were around 150 people in attendance apart from the trade people presumably. Even so, 150 or 200 this is really a poor turnout for such an event in my opinion. It also begs the question that given the BS membership is in demise, will there actually be enough members next year to hold any type of show at all?? Given this years poor turnout will there actually be enough people interested next year??
Interesting to read that Steve Pope says the members of the hierarchy have their fingers on the pulse. Is that the same pulse involved in the magazine going out extremely late and the fact that an ex committee man had to ask several times about the late magazine before he got an answer on the BS FB page? Have there also been complaints about people not getting BS merchandise or not receiving suitable responses from the BS in regard to this?
I have noticed that on other angling forums the BS hierarchy are pushing the Barbel Society “Research and Conservation” fund raising initiatives. Can Steve Pope or any of his hierarchy tell us if Research and Conservation funds are being used for any other purposes? Can Steve Pope or members of the BS hierarchy tell us if Research and Conservation funds are going to be used as a financial crutch to guard against the inevitable loss of revenue from a falling membership?
Regards,
BK.