The end of the National

[Richard Fairhurst]

From https://www.waterways.org.uk/news/view?id=24&x[0]=news/list :

 

"...in the light of the poor financial outturn of the 2013 National Festival at Watford the Association has decided against planning festivals of this type for the foreseeable future, as the financial risks for the Association are too great."

[Leo No2]

I am not surprised in the least. I am sorry but the losses I think were unsustainable judging by my experiences of Burton-on-Trent and Watford.

 

Watford certainly wasn't aimed at the boater but I am not sure who it was aimed at. Sadly, I didn't find Watford in the least enjoyable.

 

The ones that seem to have done well are those that have been held at Beale Park on the Thames - 2003 and 2010.

[alan_fincher]

Based on the Cassiobury Park event, (which seemed like an almost deliberate attempt at self destruction!), I'm not at all surprised.

One can only guess at how much they must have lost, but it would be amazing if it had not been a very substantial amount indeed.

 

I felt very sorry for the many traders with almost no sign of anybody interested in the fact they were there.

[tafelberg]

Well there's allways the Rickmansworth festival. :-)

[Wanted]

Well there's allways the Rickmansworth festival. :-)

Best boaty event going! I so plan to get the boat there one day, it's not that far for me but time is always against us!

I'm not surprised by the national, I think that they way the IWA have seemingly jumped into bed with the trust hasn't curied favour with many boaters.

[J R ALSOP]

Perhaps we can get back to the old days, just turn, up have a great time without all the razzmatazz of the trade, and officialdom. Have it where the most good could be done to high light problem areas. answers on a post card.

[Tuscan]

Perhaps we can get back to the old days, just turn, up have a great time without all the razzmatazz of the trade, and officialdom. Have it where the most good could be done to high light problem areas. answers on a post card.

Have very fond memories of the Wendover festivals of old.

[carlt]

Considering the nationals were originally supposed to be campaigning events I'm not surprised they can't make them pay.

 

Perhaps they can now become co-sponsors of Crick, with their new BFF.

[churchward]

From https://www.waterways.org.uk/news/view?id=24&x[0]=news/list :

 

"...in the light of the poor financial outturn of the 2013 National Festival at Watford the Association has decided against planning festivals of this type for the foreseeable future, as the financial risks for the Association are too great."

At least there are other events the IWA support that will be happening in 2014. The national does seem to have gone down hill as an event so I am not surprised at the announcement. This does go along with trends seen in other enthusiast/interest groups such as Car clubs and Heritage Railways. In the car world for instance the old style turn up in a field and show off your restoration is becoming old hat and less of an interest for people.

[LEO]

Have very fond memories of the Wendover festivals of old.

 

Hi,

 

Cheerfully agree! everybody had fun and profits were excellent, sadly the striving for huge profits ruined it. Lots of work involved in setting it up though.

 

L

[Skeg]

Well there's allways the Rickmansworth festival. :-)

 

 

Agreed, although many boats and boaters attended, which was good, at this years event, the first I've attended, there were too many stalls selling stupid purple top hats, those daft wooly hats with the ear-flaps and general tat you can find on many markets. More boating related traders would have been good. The music was good, loved the gigs by Batchworth Lock. I don't want boat builders nd their boats, Crick can have them, just want Ricky to be a bit more boaty.

[churchward]

Considering the nationals were originally supposed to be campaigning events I'm not surprised they can't make them pay.

 

Perhaps they can now become co-sponsors of Crick, with their new BFF.

True and there will be a "IWA National Campaign Rally" in 2014 at Chester.

[alan_fincher]

I'm not surprised by the national, I think that they way the IWA have seemingly jumped into bed with the trust hasn't curied favour with many boaters.

 

I'm not convinced that difficulties with this year's National were too tightly linked to peoples' maybe attitudes to the IWA, (although there is no doubt that they have lost some friends - I'm seeing a lot of "why I'm not renewing my membership" style posts, obviously unrelated t the event).

 

I think most people just think it was the wrong event, at the wrong place, and probably even the wrong time.

 

Being fenced into some kind of large compound, like zoo animals, didn't make for a very happy feeling, and the fact that a lot of people went away saying "how can you have a canal festival with no boats" says a lot. (There were boats, of course, but it seems a lot of people failed to find them.)

 

They also seem to have scored a big own goal with the "parking will be a problem so please use public transport" thing, as the options for public transport were scant, to say the least. Of course, with visitor numbers so low, it was all a scare story - it was actually easily possible to park in the near vicinity.

[ditchcrawler]

In my opinion the Nationals have not been aimed at boaters for a long time.

[MtB]

In my opinion the Nationals have not been aimed at boaters for a long time.

 

Same applies to Crick. Although I had a good day there it was definitely a case of 'spot that canal-related stall'. Most stalls could have been at any village fair or festival. Loads of clothes, hats, food, craft, novelties and genaral tat stalls, but very few boating-related stalls.

 

Ok about 500 boat-builders and engine marinisers were there but they don't count as I already have enough engines and boats

 

MtB

[carlt]

 

.... I already have enough engines and boats

 

Admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery.

[Capt Ahab]

Well there's allways the Rickmansworth festival. :-)

And thats the issue isnt it? Look at "small" events like Blisworth - effectively a village fete on steroids with a canal theme at its core - it attracts about 25,000 visitors. And thats just one - Linslade, Stove Bruene, Norbury, Middlewich, Windmill End - lie list goes on and on of local free to enter events with attendances of over 10,000. The world has moved on and the National in its present form has had its day.

[carlt]

The world has moved on and the National in its present form has had its day.

It needn't be so, though.

 

Look at the success of the Thames Traditional Boat Rally which is totally focussed on the boats and there are very few unrelated stalls.

 

The IWA National lost its way but I don't think that means there isn't a place for a big national rally that is boat and canal focussed and aimed at entertaining the public rather than selling them something.

[peterboat]

 

Same applies to Crick. Although I had a good day there it was definitely a case of 'spot that canal-related stall'. Most stalls could have been at any village fair or festival. Loads of clothes, hats, food, craft, novelties and genaral tat stalls, but very few boating-related stalls.

 

Ok about 500 boat-builders and engine marinisers were there but they don't count as I already have enough engines and boats

 

MtB

Yup couldnt agree more and what was for sale was mostly crap!!

 

Peter

[Allan(nb Albert)]

It needn't be so, though.

 

Look at the success of the Thames Traditional Boat Rally which is totally focussed on the boats and there are very few unrelated stalls.

 

The IWA National lost its way but I don't think that means there isn't a place for a big national rally that is boat and canal focussed and aimed at entertaining the public rather than selling them something.

IWA were in contact with the S-on-A organisers in early 2013 with regard to a national being held at Stratford next year.

 

I think the current announcement is pragmatic reflecting the confusion that surrounds the role of CaRT and IWA with regard to the waterways..

 

 

[churchward]

It needn't be so, though.

 

Look at the success of the Thames Traditional Boat Rally which is totally focussed on the boats and there are very few unrelated stalls.

 

The IWA National lost its way but I don't think that means there isn't a place for a big national rally that is boat and canal focussed and aimed at entertaining the public rather than selling them something.

Maybe so. Perhaps a different format could work but since actually we are blessed with quite a lot of boat related events through the summer months these are enough possibly. I am thinking of Braunston, Crick, Rickmansworth, Ashby, Stoke Bruerne and many others like the one you mention.

Edited October 18, 2013 by churchward

[MtB]

Admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery.

 

I didn't mean it. I was just playin' to the crowd...

 

 

MtB

[Chris-B]

typing as some one who is deeply involved with Ricky as an orginiser

crick iwa et al as a trader i feel that the national type events have lost their path

Ricky will never become another crick or iwa on our watch

but there is a balance between festival for the boaters and making the site pay for itself which generates funds for RWT

I DO NOT want to see lines of washer joshers paraded for the masses to oohh and ahhh over on site

but i do like to see 120+ boats on the moorings from super shiney to uber scruffy

long live individuality on the cut

chris

who should niot be posting after drinking