17/09/2023
As October approaches, more and more questions are asked as to the status of the Sydney Model Railway Exhibition. I would like to take the opportunity to set the record straight on the matter.
For those who may be unaware, the Sydney Model Railway Exhibition (also previously colloquially known as the Liverpool exhibition, or the October exhibition) is hosted by the Australian Model Railway Association NSW Branch, who bear all financial liability for the running of the exhibition every year.
In order to hold an exhibition, the required financial outlay is significant. The biggest cost for any event is the venue, which will usually require a significant downpayment well in advance of the event itself. There are also the costs paid to exhibitors, advertising costs, catering costs and many other smaller items. The offset is primarily income from commercial vendors paying for their stands, plus the takings from the door.
The 2019 exhibition held at Sydney Olympic Park, unfortunately, was a loss making activity for AMRA NSW. After many years at the Whitlam Centre in Liverpool, the venue had frankly become no longer fit for purpose - facilities were becoming dilapidated, the 2018 exhibition saw a number of toilets out of use, exhibitors spread across several small rooms, plus a number of other issues that were experienced with the venue management, most notably around venue access and security. A number of exhibitors and commercial vendors had expressed the opinion that they would not return to Liverpool had the exhibition continued to be held there.
The move to Olympic Park was broadly successful, with the primary source of negative feedback being around the parking situation (from both vendors/exhibitors and the public), which was a factor completely beyond the control of AMRA NSW as hosts. The other negative sentiment regarding using the Olympic Park site for an exhibition was the exhibition coinciding with the NRL Grand Final, concerns which ultimately were completely unfounded - our trading day concluded well before the start of the bulk of the Grand Final bump-in, and in fact we had a number of people visit the exhibition who had come in early for the Grand Final, leading to an unexpected small boost in visitor numbers for that day. There were other teething problems as you'd expect with a new venue, and all feedback was taken on board.
Ultimately, however, the exhibition did lead to a small, but not insignificant, financial loss for AMRA NSW. This was expected, and budgeted for, but even so it still stings a little.
Ultimately, however, what was not budgeted for was the COVID-19 Pandemic, and the effect it would have on AMRA NSW. Lockdowns meant that the entire primary source of income for the branch, namely our facility fees for persons using the clubrooms (our branch receives no money for membership), was taken away, while some of the general expenses of the clubrooms (such as council rates and utility bills) never went away. Combined with some other unexpected expenses, AMRA NSW suffered significant financial losses between 2019 and 2021. Since that time, our level of income from facility fees has never returned to its pre-pandemic level, with our current income being less than half what it was before the pandemic.
So what does this mean for both AMRA NSW and the Sydney Model Railway Exhibition? For AMRA NSW, the situation is simple. The branch remains financially solvent and able to continue its general activities. Unfortunately for the exhibition, the branch does not currently have the financial liquidity to hold an exhibition without risking bankrupting the organisation, particularly if there is any chance of the exhibition making a loss.
The AMRA NSW Committee has considered many options leading to this point. There has been serious consideration about moving the date of the exhibition (particularly as a number of our members are also involved with the Transport Heritage Expo which is now permanently moving to the October long weekend), reducing to a two-day exhibition, and moving to another venue with reduced overhead costs. Even with all those considerations, it still does not remain viable to hold an exhibition.
There have also been some people who have suggested that we should join forces with another organisation to mount an exhibition. While this may all seem well and good on the surface, there are a number of potential issues at play when working with another organisation - there is still significant financial outlay required from one or both organisations, there are the issues of insurance coverage, and ultimately, the biggest challenge - having people working in the background who can make the exhibition happen.
AMRA NSW has found over the last several exhibitions that the number of people willing to volunteer their time to help manage and run the exhibition has been dwindling, and the first thing needed after the substantial funds required to hold the exhibition, are the people to run it, particularly over a three day exhibition on a long weekend.
To sum up all of the above, AMRA NSW is not currently in the position to host the Sydney Model Railway Exhibition, not in 2023, not in 2024, and not for the foreseeable future. Should the financial position of the branch change in the future, the exhibition may be able to return to the agenda.
Until then, thank you for your interest in the exhibition, and for your past patronage, and we hope to see you again at some point in the future.
David Kimpton
AMRA NSW Secretary
Damien George
AMRA NSW Exhibition Manager
