Well what did you think

[tuffnell glass]

Hi all,
          Flame Off 2014 is over and the torches and hoses are all being put away for the year , remember there is only 51 weeks to go until Flame Off 2015.

So what did you all think ? We need to know . From the comments over the weekend the venue was liked much more than Silverstone and some liked it more than Towcester. The catering worked well and we had fantastic comments about the artists and the demos but let us know your views please as we want to make it better for 2015.

Positive or negative ...fire away please .

Martin
Tuffnell Glass

[Essex Girl]

I thought it was great, I had a wonderful time.  Having the campsite was a big bonus for me.  My only small worry was the lack of people that came to the Bead fair on Sunday, from what they were saying, I am not sure that you will get the stallholders next year.

[Maja]

Venue
Good venue for us who were visiting, nice and quiet, easy to get decent accommodation, nice area. The actual space seemed well spaced out so that it didn't feel crowded. Good to have a separate demo room again!
What do the stall holders think of it?
Advertising
Did you get walk ins/local folk who don't do lampwork/beading already? I chatted to people in my hotel/sauna, all local, nobody knew it was on or what it was, but they all knew of the venue.
I am sure you already do lots of advertising, off the top of my head I would suggest all the various craft forums, and then in local colleges, community centres, doctors surgeries, libraries, gyms, spas, local papers, local radio stations, nothing too expensive, for a few weeks beforehand might help spread the word locally?
Demos
I loved the choice of artists, very good variation in their techniques. Very talented and skilled, and generous with their knowledge.
For people who visit for two days it would be great if each artist who is doing two demos did different beads/techniques, as two ladies did, but two did the same beads on both days.
How about bringing "Lampworking 101" in, two demonstrators, one on a minor, one on a hothead, side by side, working to a script, going through basics, safety at home, mandrel dipping, how to hold it, flame structure, etc and then making one basic bead and one pressed bead. I would do it a couple of times each day, say lunchtime and at the end of the day as the new visitors could be told to go and see this and you could sell your starter kits on a table there.
It would have been easier to see if there were more points to see the detail of the artist working, it was only up on one large display right next to the artist, maybe TV displays could capture the detail next year? And a camera from behind/above the artists shoulder would allow us to see the demo from the correct position (filming from the front of the torch obviously turns it all around).
It might help the bead show if they utilised the space on Sunday and arranged their own demos?
Thank you
I had such an amazing time, my head is still full of impressions! I think you all worked very hard to give us a great weekend to motivate and encourage us all until the next lesson we might take or the next event we hopefully might visit!
Maja

[tuffnell glass]

Hi Maja,
               Thanks for your comments. I checked with sally in the office and she contacted 20+ local papers and radio stations in the 4 week build up to Flame Off. As for local collages, universities and polys I contacted over 20 in a 50 mile radius every week from January until Flame Off week, not 1 reply.

I have made a note of the artists 2 different beads suggestion , this has been mentioned before and the over the shoulder camera shot which has also been mentioned before and will be sorted for next year. We are also making a map for next year with traders on and demo areas to be given to everybody as they enter.

The 101 suggestion sounds good but this is an idea that we can not man ourselves as Tuffnell Glass ,the show has now grown to a size that we have run out of staff to do everything we want to do safely and effectively .This is why volunteers like Colette have kindly taken over the Flame bench volunteer's rotas as we can not do everything. We are open to more ideas but there will become a point were more people will need to step forward to help in a big way.
Best wishes ,
martin

[Blue Box Studio]

I had a great time but only came Saturday.  Someone warned me in advance that the food was 'dire' their word not mine so I came with lunch - but having then eaten that and still hungry  moseyed on over at 1pm to find there was only biscuits/crisps on offer?  Perhaps I was in the wrong place at the wrong time (not unusual) especially as you've said 'the catering worked well' but would have hoped there would have been something more than a snack food on offer.

I loved that everywhere was more spaced apart, Towcester always seemed crowded to me (and I don't like being in crowds).  Parking was easy, access was easy, getting there (sat nav deviation ignored) was easy so (if we can't persuade you down to the south west) it's as good place as any for me to get to.

Enjoyed the demos, but found the main screen a bit coloured so lost the definition of what the artist was doing, but think that is because it's a roll down screen as much as anything.  I appreciate you're not the BBC so multi camera angles might be harder to organise for us who want so see exactly what is going on.  There was a blind spot right behind the camera man though, so perhaps that needs to be addressed when seating planned?

[Corinne Lacy]

The demo's were great but if you sat on the right hand side the large kiln, for 4 beads (?) blocked the view of the artist.....better if it had its back to the wall!

My one and only complaint was the padlocked gate from the railway station on Saturday. Had a very grumpy long walk ( for me ) along the main road......with the gate open it was only 5 minutes through the car park.
Missed the last demo because of leaving early for the walk back.

Can you contact East Midlands Railway to ensure the gate will be open both days next year???
Train times worked really well for me......

That's all, Corinne.

[Nammie]

I loved it but can't compare much as its the only one I've been to. I would second the station gate plea though. I'm afraid I was rebellious and found a gate I could climb (much easier on the way in without shopping but I wasn't going to be beaten) as I wasn't prepared to miss demos for the long walk.

[Les]

Can't think of anything I'd want to improve on ... fab venue ... had a brilliant weekend, thank you !

[June]

Great venue and good room to move around in, but not impressed with the food, I'm afraid! That wasn't your fault and next year I will bring sandwiches!! Thanks to all of you involved in the organisation 

[Trudi]

I loved the venue ... lots of space .. you could get to the stalls easily and they weren't crowded and bunched together, good lighting, places to sit and eat, food was served fast .. great demos, great company ...... the drive leading upto it was pretty ..what's not to love!

[jobead]

Venue was ideal in my book mainly because it is 1 1/2 hours drive (unless someone decides to shut the A50 again !)

I know there wasn't a great choice for lunch but I had a perfectly acceptable egg butty which was so big Vickie and I shared it so can't complain. I have only been to Towcester once so I can't compare the food but it all worked for me.

I agree that it is a good accessible location with plenty of reasonably priced accommodation.

Again please.

[Rascal]

I had a great day on the Friday, I thought the venue layout was great, it was nice having a larger area as Towcester appeared very cramped, but I only went 1 year and I can't compare to Silverstone. It was easy to find, parking was nearby and it seemed light and airy but still had an atmosphere. I didn't eat, but had a coffee and cookie and liked that there appeared to be plenty of space to sit. I came back and said I hope you hold it there next year so I guess I was a happy lampworker.

[helbels]

Things I liked:
- The venue overall
- The demo area, very easy to see and hear the artists
- Great demos from the artists, thought the mix was just right.
- Lots of seating upstairs
- The use of the microphone which meant you didn't miss anything
- The charity auction in the old format i.e.: live bidding rather than lots submitted in advance.  Much more fun and I think it raises more that way.
- Lots of room on the torches  !
- The raffle was fun.
- I liked the range of stalls available, and being able to get round them all easily without a scrum!

My suggestions for potential improvements:
- Signage outside and around the venue seemed lacking and numbers seemed down as a result.  I think as the venue is a bit tucked away, it will need more aggressive advertising in order to get the "passing trade" you used to get at Towcester.
- I did wonder if it may have been better to have the torch tables round in the bit that Fyrebirds/GBUK etc were all in, purely because it was darker round in that bit and would have been easier to see the flame etc.
-   I would have liked some more seating around the place, rather than it all being in the outside area by the bar - it would have been nice to have impromptu places to sit down and have a chat with people as you wandered around.  Also, some seating outside would have been nice (as it was such a lovely day, but sod's law, it will pee down next year if you did it!!)
- It would have been nice to have been able to watch the demos on the screens downstairs, but understand that there was some kind of technical hitch.
- The catering was a bit dire (but probably not much you can do about it) - I didn't personally partake but those who did said it was practically inedible!
- The bead swap could have been announced over the Tannoy, I didn't realise the timing of Day 2's had been brought forward.

Re: Your comments above around needing more people to help out if you want to do more innovative things next year - I'm sure if you came on the boards a bit in advance and asked for volunteers, folk would rally round and lend a hand if you wanted to divvy up some jobs - most of us can be easily bribed with a bit of glass


Overall, it was great though, thank you

[silkworm]

I can't compare it to previous venues as this was our first visit but I thought the venue was great, it was a long drive for us but easy to get to from the motorway and easy enough to find somewhere to stay, I liked that we did not have to pay for parking, that there was an informal feel to the place. Obviously the fact that Friday was a lovely day and that I was in glassy heaven helped! I thought the food was ok, perfectly nice sandwich, crisps and flapjack with pleasant and quick service - and we just took it out and sat on the edge of the grandstand, though I am not sure we were meant to.

[Blue Box Studio]

I know there wasn't a great choice for lunch but I had a perfectly acceptable egg butty

Was food somewhere other than the bar?  1pm Saturday, all I was offered when I asked was crisps and the like.  Would have been happy with a sandwich.  I have been in a parallel universe again, haven't I?!