Strange this as someone mentioned and started a thread here on Soul Source reference a Black Music Record Fair/Meet, I say strange but this is an idea I've been working on recently having rather a lot of time on my hands since the Butty Van was stolen, I did do a small scale one several years ago and never followed it up with a second event but the idea has alway's been there.

Subject to securing a suitable venue the first step is to drum up interest and support from Record Dealers, I pretty much know everyone connected to the Northern scene so I'm pretty sure gaining support here is not going to be a problem, the venue TBC will be Manchester/North West based of a decent size and quality, the sales pitches will be based and sold on single 6ft tabel units where multiple tabels can be booked, again final stall/pitch prices have yet to be finalised but will be in line with current record fair prices and will be sold on a first come first serve basis.

There will also be decks/speakers within the venue to allow dealers to promote their records and add to the atmosphere and fun of the event.

At this stage before promotion and full details of the event are posted I would like to teast the water and see what the interest is for such an event and would like to invite and welcome ALL Black Music record dealers who may be interested in booking a pitch to get in touch with their details so I can formulate the dealer list.

There will be a small admission price on the day to the record buying public which will go towards costs, promotion,advertising, venue hire etc. So basically it's over to you please contact bicknellmark@aol.com or Via PM here if you are a dealer wishing to get involved with this.

Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Strange this as someone mentioned and started a thread here on Soul Source reference a Black Music Record Fair/Meet, I say strange but this is an idea I've been working on recently having rather a lot of time on my hands since the Butty Van was stolen, I did do a small scale one several years ago and never followed it up with a second event but the idea has alway's been there.

Subject to securing a suitable venue the first step is to drum up interest and support from Record Dealers, I pretty much know everyone connected to the Northern scene so I'm pretty sure gaining support here is not going to be a problem, the venue TBC will be Manchester/North West based of a decent size and quality, the sales pitches will be based and sold on single 6ft tabel units where multiple tabels can be booked, again final stall/pitch prices have yet to be finalised but will be in line with current record fair prices and will be sold on a first come first serve basis.

There will also be decks/speakers within the venue to allow dealers to promote their records and add to the atmosphere and fun of the event.

At this stage before promotion and full details of the event are posted I would like to teast the water and see what the interest is for such an event and would like to invite and welcome ALL Black Music record dealers who may be interested in booking a pitch to get in touch with their details so I can formulate the dealer list.

There will be a small admission price on the day to the record buying public which will go towards costs, promotion,advertising, venue hire etc. So basically it's over to you please contact bicknellmark@aol.com or Via PM here if you are a dealer wishing to get involved with this.

Regards - Mark Bicknell.

I d go ,always liked record fairs,especially if i find something nice, maybe take a few sales as well,,, cliff,,,

I d go ,always liked record fairs,especially if i find something nice, maybe take a few sales as well,,, cliff,,,

The event would be very much getting back to basics Cliff, people wheeling, dealing, buying, selling, swapping, trading, talking records, playing records on a one to one,under one roof up close and personal something that perhaps has been lost in modern times with the internet etc.

Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Mark, you should talk to Roger Banks - he did the same sort of thing with Sam Moore just outside of Nottingham a few months back.

He put a lot of effort into it pushing the event on here, local radio, and putting out flyers at soul nights / all nighters across the country.

Lots of dealers (Andy Dyson, Steve Plumb, Henry Atkinson etc) but to be honest he didn't get a lot of people through the doors which surprised me seeing as he had promoted it so well

Perhaps it was down to the location although it was on the edge of the M1 so fairly central for everyone

I think John Pugh did a couple of these in Wolverhampton a long time back - was living down south at the time so no idea how they went.

Great idea though, good location too Mark, lot of interest round your way.

Mark, you should talk to Roger Banks - he did the same sort of thing with Sam Moore just outside of Nottingham a few months back.

He put a lot of effort into it pushing the event on here, local radio, and putting out flyers at soul nights / all nighters across the country.

Lots of dealers (Andy Dyson, Steve Plumb, Henry Atkinson etc) but to be honest he didn't get a lot of people through the doors which surprised me seeing as he had promoted it so well

Perhaps it was down to the location although it was on the edge of the M1 so fairly central for everyone

Yes I was aware of Roger/Sam's event and I'm not for one minute stealing their thunder or nicking the idea lol, but I think location is all important for any record fair or convention, like I said I'm simply testing the water here and seee what happens.

Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Mark

I will come and support this if you don't charge me for a sales table, because

- You are charging to get in, so getting income that way

- If you've got any business acumen, your costs for use of a pretty redundant room on a Saturday/Sunday should be minimal, as they will make money on beverages/food

- I can set up at a guaranteed busy Allnighter for nothing

as someone has mentioned you won't get anywhere with just a Northern Soul Record fair. It would have to be at the very least a Black Music Record Fair.

as someone has mentioned you won't get anywhere with just a Northern Soul Record fair. It would have to be at the very least a Black Music Record Fair.

And that's exactly what my intention is, to pitch this to the bigger picture.

Regards - Mark Bicknell.

The record fair your proposing is EXACTLY the same format as the ones Adey Pierce and Chris Gwatkin ran in the centre of Manchester a few Years ago. They ended because there weren't the people coming through the door, the dealers were getting pissed off, coz they weren't covering their costs, less dealers each time, downward spiral, and I keep banging on about it, but I can get a table at an allnighter with 300 people passing through for £10, even if you charge £20 for a 6 foot table, it's TOO much.

Des

The record fair your proposing is EXACTLY the same format as the ones Adey Pierce and Chris Gwatkin ran in the centre of Manchester a few Years ago. They ended because there weren't the people coming through the door, the dealers were getting pissed off, coz they weren't covering their costs, less dealers each time, downward spiral, and I keep banging on about it, but I can get a table at an allnighter with 300 people passing through for £10, even if you charge £20 for a 6 foot table, it's TOO much.

Des

Des, can I stop you there mate, as I said from the top this is a working idea and nothing more at this stage, I take all your points on board regarding dealer charges, admissions etc. etc. what I will say is if I do go about this it will be run in a professional business like manner, well promoted, correctly advertised and reserched well in advance, room hire, advertising, printing of flyers, leg work etc. etc. all has to be covered but I would not take the piss Des, also a slightly different thing here but do the major weekend events not charge quite high pitch fee's? granted there are huge crowds at some of these events but they still charge the dealers.

Regards - Mark Bicknell.

I do think if I had a choice of a record fair mid day in Manchester, or setting up at something like your Droylsden Allnighter in the evening, The evening would win hands down, with the addition of some quality music as welll!!! Have you thought about a night, mid week in somewhere like the "Greatstone" , I'm sure they'd be glad of the business, I'd be up for something like that, and be happy to pay £5 to set up, maybe not London Victoria, but a realistic start.

Des

I do think if I had a choice of a record fair mid day in Manchester, or setting up at something like your Droylsden Allnighter in the evening, The evening would win hands down, with the addition of some quality music as welll!!! Have you thought about a night, mid week in somewhere like the "Greatstone" , I'm sure they'd be glad of the business, I'd be up for something like that, and be happy to pay £5 to set up, maybe not London Victoria, but a realistic start.

Des

didnt johhny beggs and a few others try something like this a couple of years ago basically like a swap meet with music in a decent sized room, the greatstone would be ideal now as there is the bar area and the new room where the stalls could be and then you still have the dj area and dancefloor free (if req)i know adrian would be up for this type of thing as it brings him income mid week.

mark

Mark you have the same idea as me i was thinking of doing it at the empress mexborough south yorkshire which is two minutes from a railway station. With a soul night to follow

Wonderful overall idea! Think I might cross the pond for this one...

Hi Mark

I would come if I thought there was going be a few there. However if i was to make the journey from the south west I would like the reasurance of at least a decent night out. As someone else mentioned maybe chuck a quality soul night in as well at the same venue and maybe start the music in the day inviting young djs who dont normally get a oppotunity to show what they got through the afternoon. If the likes of Des Parker are going to support, the dj line aint going to be a problem for the night and a deal can be done with those who are going to sell and dj. I think Concentrating on the record fair as much as the soul night could in my opinion create something very special.

A couple of years ago Merv did a roots of rythem day/nighter in Weston and it was a great day and night browsing through boxes of record while people were dancing and having a beer, it was a great way to spend a few hours and the place was very busy.

Good luck Darren

www.raresoul45s.co.uk

would a mid week event work now? Don't know about others but I know I can't make a mid week record fair.

Said elsewhere a solely Northern Soul record Fair wouldn't work either, you would have to incorporate all Black Music. They still have large record fairs around the country as well.

I think John Pugh did a couple of these in Wolverhampton a long time back - was living down south at the time so no idea how they went.

Great idea though, good location too Mark, lot of interest round your way.

John Pughs event was what it should be like, he put it on in Heath Town Wolves, it had one of the best atmosphers of all time. great people great records and a rotation of DJs, John is a very foreward thinker, and this type of event should happen at least 4 times a year, I will provide my sound system if any one wants to run one DAVE KIL

I think the event needs to be held at city centre hotel on a weekend day afternoon, not some scruffy pub in the suberbs on some random weeknight. It also needs to be a black music show, a northern fair wouldn't work,as DES said you might as well go to a soul night. If it was run on this kind of professional basis,at a decent venue and was well advertised I wouldn't begrudge paying 30 quid to set up. Mark, did you get my pm?

Chris

I think the event needs to be held at city centre hotel on a weekend day afternoon, not some scruffy pub in the suberbs on some random weeknight. It also needs to be a black music show, a northern fair wouldn't work,as DES said you might as well go to a soul night. If it was run on this kind of professional basis,at a decent venue and was well advertised I wouldn't begrudge paying 30 quid to set up. Mark, did you get my pm?

Chris

Yes Chris I got your PM basically work in progress on this one will be in touch, just trying to work out how we can run such an event based on not charging dealers or admissions???? I take all the points about being able to set up free of charge at a soul do or allnighter but that's not exactly true is it when you have to pay to get in, also trying to think how to do all the promotion, advertising, flyers, pay for venue, cover electric used by dealers for using portable record players, lights etc. perhaps we should have it in a field Des lol

Regards - Mark Bicknell.