Winston Hills Exhibition

Once again this year I journeyed out to Winston Hills for the Rotary Club's exhibition. This is a small local exhibition and seems to get good support from the locals. It is held in the Public School with the main hall and several classrooms used. There were 15 displays plus a couple of trade stands, a white elephant stall and a couple of craft stalls. Also there were Thomas rides and a jumping castle which both seemed in want of customers.

This year did not appear as well organised as previous years. There were fewer layouts and they were spread out across too many rooms. The main hall only had exhibits around the walls which left a big gap in the centre. In one of the rooms the layout was just inside the door with the empty room behind. It would seem a better idea to use less rooms and put more layouts in the main hall. When you walk into a half empty room it leaves an impression of how few layouts there were.

The other unusual thing I noted was the "Ticket Office" where you paid your entry was in the middle it would have been possible to bypass it and get in for free. In fact there were 2 tables where you could pay but both were in strange positions. One good thing was there were flyers for 2 coming events which promise to be better, Blacktown and Hawkesbury, I would suggest the organisors of this event visit both and make plenty of notes.

One of the problems with using facilities not designed for shows is the lack of facilities. Just a couple of examples, the "Refreshment Room" was in a classroom with a BBQ outside the door supplying the food and the parking was inadequate.

There is a small parking area but it is easy to miss the entrance and it was full most of the time I was there. Most visitors parked on the street and as it is a narrow and busy road that is not the best.

The food available, while limited in range, was quite good. There were only Steak and Sausage Sandwiches, cheese sandwiches and a variety of cakes and lollies plus tea / coffee and cool drinks. While adequate and of good quality a larger choice would have been nice. I always think the food is important as the organisors want people to stay for a while. There were few places to sit and eat too. Good food and clean toilets are the basics of any good event.

So the important question - will I go next year year? Probably not.