Salute 2012. My thoughts.

[Keith]

Had a cracking day yesterday - managed to meet a fair few LAF-ers ... if only in passing sometimes. The games looked excellent this year (Jim's Samurai game being my favourite by a long way), the punters seemed on good form and there was a nice buzz about the whole thing.

I grabbed a few choice morsels when I did manage to get away from the stand ... Warlords Churchill III AVRE and Antenocettis Warthog ADV being my favourites so far.

Knackered now though ... 

[answer_is_42]

Yes, it was fun, good to see a few people again. I even managed to buy something on my shopping list, and only once heard myself ask 'Do you take cards?' 

[Inso]

I thought the show was busy...I was kept busy at the Hasslefree stand all day, at any rate.

I saw a lot of cool stuff on a brief walk round but the highlight was all the people I met and chatted with.

Watch out this year for Hawk Wargames... their 10mm stuff will possibly make your brain over heat!

WWW.hawkwargames.com

[black hat miniatures]

Had a VERY busy show - the crowds and spending seemed up to the level of a couple of years ago - which is good news from a trading point of view..

As usual saw nothing of the show at all as I managed to get away from the stand only twice for a few minutes.

Now I'm going back to sleep...

Mike

[Commander Vyper]

The Salute weekend for me ties in with a trip 'daa sarf east' so suffice to say after a 5:00am start Friday, a full on day and eve and Salute and an evening's gaming and polite conversation. After another early start and drive home this morning, suffice to say I'm shattered!!

Didn't play any games this year, missed the LAF meet, didn't take any pics at all: but like alot of people, the highlight of this year's show for me was to catch up with some familiar/usual/tired/damn right odd faces, oh and old friends, and to meet some 'tinterweb' mates in the flesh for the first time.

A few namechecks:

Col Bagshot (thanks to Ian I think I'm going to take a look at infinity this year! DAMN YOU SIR! ) and Mr Dee, (Congrats on the 2nd place monster Damien and the final placing of everything you entered in the painting comp).

Finally met with Simon (Mr Pig Iron Productions) and was nice to spend some time chatting with him and his box opening servant, (long story). And caught up with Dwartist for a good old chinwag, a spot of mini drooling and a hadnover of a set of minis that David is painting for me. Also massive thanks to David for this amazing gift:

Very lucky boy!

Very nice games being played and very nice products out there, (I have to agree with Inso, Hawk Wargames, definately one to watch for quality, and as CAD who knows, they may branch into 15mm and 28mm too ).

And the only real nagative point was that my mayan was missing his headpiece so an incomplete Salute 2012 figure grrr! 

[janner]

I spent most of the day on our VSF demo game run on behalf of Jimbibbly's Oshiro Modelterrain (I had to get the plug in somewhere).

With three of our six man team having to drop out at the last minute it meant that Malamute, Dr De'Ath and I couldn't get away much from the game, so shopping was minimal and all for items on my short list, with the exception of one figure the someone showed me and I just HAD to buy). This also meant that I had no time to take a look at any other games - a real pity, as I saw what appeared to be some great looking tables as I rushed past them to visit traders in the limited free time I had available.

You should try getting away from a popular demo game - we were too busy to even eat James' cakes, nevermind go shopping 

I'm sure you're grateful that I popped across a couple of times - if only to give you a break from Malamute inane chattering 

[artshiraz]

Greetings


please don't hit me now. I don't know if I can write this in correct understandable English. Take it as I mean it and not as it perhaps sounds, okay? 

Is the whole hype around SALUTE worth everything you hear??

Humor me please, I'm not trolling, but if I understand this correctly, Salute runs from 10:00-17:00. Seven hours in a convention center packed with traders, Wargaming clubs, Demo Games... And reading through the different 2012 Threads here, I notice that there have been more people (felt) at the Convention Center than in previous years.

I'm a bit biased perhaps, after having been on the Tactica for the first Time this year and having never been at Salute (though I plan to every year) I know how I felt after Hamburg. I saw a lot of things, processed even more in the train while returning home. I saw not even half of what I wanted or expected and missed completely other things. I noticed most of that when seeing the pictures from others (or even my own). I can relate a bit as to the length of the Show though as I arrived around 12:00 in Hamburg and had to take the return train at 18:00. So from a "customer" side I had about the same time than an average visitor of Salute.

But the thing is.... Tactica runs a whole weekend. Traders arrive Friday and return Sunday Evening (Monday in some cases I was told). There where more than a couple of traders at Tactica but the official count on the Warlords Salute page says 139 Traders .. for a seven hours presence. So is it worth it?

What drives Salute? What makes it the biggest (wrong that .. again) why is it the biggest event in the UK, the most acclaimed everywhere? Seeing as it is not only a "pure" tradershow, but a lot of Clubs taking the time to prepare something. What is so compelling for so short a time?

In other words perhaps ... what makes Salute so special ?


Going a step further.  Why not extend -if possible- the show, making it a weekend show? Giving traders, clubs and audience some breathing time and not rushing from booth to booth and having fear of missing something.
Even the "Spiel" at Essen takes a few days. Now, okay, that is first a tradershow and then only opened for customers. But seeing as Salute is what I call a "Show from fans (friends) for fans (friends). Right?

(Okay, I run now and duck. But the subject is/was "My thoughts" .. and these are my thoughts, my questions).


Have a nice day all
Jo

[Captain Blood]

It's the biggest show because it's one of the longest-running shows in the UK (40 years) and the UK is the centre of the miniature wargames industry. It's just grown and grown over 4 decades.
The UK, for some reason, has no great tradition of 2 day shows - there are a few, but most of them are one day only. So this just happens to be a huge one day show.

No you can't possibly get around the whole thing in any detail. Most people are there to buy and suck up eye candy display games. Some people are there to take part in particiaption games and try things out, but there isn't really enough time to do that to any great extent. It depends what you want.

My impression is that most European and US shows are much more about playing games - which takes longer, and so they extend over two or three days. Salute, and most UK shows, are primarily about shopping, window shopping, looking at lovely displays, and catching up with friends old and new. It's not planned that way, it's just a cultural difference and the way things have grown up here since the wargames boom of the 1970s.

Yes, it's definitely worth a visit and justifies the hype. Aladdin's cave and wargames nirvana all in one place for one thrilling day.

[Mister Rab]

Aladdin's cave and wargames nirvana all in one place for one thrilling day.

Well, with a tag-line like that, how can I possibly not go next year? 

[Bugsda]

Is the whole hype around SALUTE worth everything you hear??

I only go for the strippers 

[Dr DeAth]

I only go for the strippers 

Bitterly disappointed by the strippers to be honest.

Went to their booth expecting some 'entertainment', but instead I came away with all the paint removed from my figures!   

 

[dampfpanzerwagon]

I would expect to have three or four posts relating to Salute 2012 over the next week. The first concentrated on some fine terrain boards, the next on a couple of beautiful single buildings.

My impression, and this was from a first time in over 20 years visitor. was a very well run show with loads to see. My only criticise, and it's a small one was the lighting in the main hall was very poor.

For details see my Blog.

Tony
http://dampfpanzerwagon.blogspot.co.uk/

[OSHIROmodels]

I would expect to have three or four posts relating to Salute 2012 over the next week. The first concentrated on some fine terrain boards, the next on a couple of beautiful single buildings.

My impression, and this was from a first time in over 20 years visitor. was a very well run show with loads to see. My only criticise, and it's a small one was the lighting in the main hall was very poor.

For details see my Blog.

Tony
http://dampfpanzerwagon.blogspot.co.uk/

Just as a heads up Tony, the pictures you have of the samurai board are of the one I made for Wayland games. The link in your blog post is to my own samurai table at the other end of the hall 

cheers

James

[black hat miniatures]

From a Trader point of view, two-day shows are a pain rather than a relaxation.  The problem is the sheer cost of doing a show - add an extra day at Salute and it would become a lot more expensive for the stand, hotels for those that need them (I don't), van hire, diesel, etc.

My experience is that at two-day shows you don't take any more money it is just spread over two days...

Mike