National Snow Show NEC Birm 15 16 Oct 2022 - free tickets!

A snowHead

If the free code stops working and anybody would like my tickets (2 adults and 2 under 16s) send me a PM - we won’t be able to make it and somebody might as well get the use of them!

A snowHead

I also have spare tickets, which I will give away for free.
Whatsapp me on 07586 344 780

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Wrong… 07576 344 780

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Probably Saturday for us too.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I've got a load of free tickets that keep arriving ..
I may be a bit late in the show as I'll be standing near the ticket desk selling a few at half price wink

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Heading down from the North West Saturday, planning to be fairly early and do most of the day without staying to the bitter end. ive got 4x weekend tickets that my daughter will be using on Sunday but I'm flying solo on Saturday if anyone needs a lift down. PM me if you do, Blackburn based....

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I have bunch of free tickets as well - drop me a PM - and I can send them your way.

Anyone driving up from London on Saturday - would be happy to split fuel.

After all it is free

Interactive floorplan now available: https://nationalsnowshow.com/interactive-floorplan

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For anyone driving I believe the m42 will be closed j5 to 6 all weekend for HS2 work

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'SNOWSHOW' still working. Not 100% sure I'll go yet, but I don't think I've got any plans so I might pop along.

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I'm not sure there are any actual paid tickets this year! Very Happy

. I was really disappointed last year as it was only half the hall and lots of stalls not really skiing related at all which I get with the old COVID and everything but I don't think I've been since it was the old daily mail ski show so comparison is pretty unfair. looks like they are having a good stab at resurrecting it with the free tickets....now get some half price parking and definitely worth a trip up.

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Anyone wondering where to park - use the car park at Birmingham International train station & walk through to the NEC. We’ve always found it cheaper than the NEC & you don’t get stuck in any queues leaving.

A snowHead

So has anyone actually paid to go to this thing?

A snowHead

@Richard_Sideways, yeah, the exhibitors!

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Had a nice time at the Snow Show today and walked away with a few freebies (choc, sweets, pens, stickers, buffs, magazines) and some Xmas pressures sorted. And lots of competitions entered, plus hot chocolate and half price session at Tamworth dome for me wink

The only snowhead I saw was Spyder Jon (and it was actually him who spotted me!), but i did enjoy the Ski podcast on the main stage by @iainm, with @Mike Pow and other guests. It's got me thinking about some different destinations now Smile

The Warren Smith talk also got me thinking I really should start on some exercises again Razz

Def recommended if he does it again tomorrow!

No major kit purchases for me, as I have more than enough (though I was very tempted by lots of lovely skis on display, and some reasonable offers...) - but got lots of useful information and spoke to lots of very nice people. Good value for a free ticket Toofy Grin

I hope anyone going tomorrow has a great day!

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I've got 3 free tickets if anyone needs one?

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We went yesterday. Overall was a good day out. Good to get in the mood for winter. Good range of stands. Felt like they could have made a bit more of the space space they had although appreciate its a balance between spreading stuff out so it feels empty vs too close it feels too busy. Comparing it to the last show we attended in London a few years ago it was a shame there was a bit more catering which was fairly limited, the lack of any ski display which was always a good bit of fun.

Kids enjoyed being able to give snowboarding a go although think they will be sticking to skiing thankfully.

Parking worked fine in the end, only a couple minutes in the bus and we were at the hall. Just a shame about the M42 which meant bit of a local road run in (thankfully Waze knew about it being shut, google just kept saying we should go up the closed road rolling eyes

)

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Thanks for the comments. Just had two excellent, if tiring, days at the show in Bham. From my point of view, the two presentations went well and I caught up with a lot of people, saw a few new business ideas, learned plenty. It's hard to know what other people would have thought of the show - for me it's a networking event, i'm less interested in the 'info'. It did seem to be reasonably busy though (starting and finishing earlier on saturday then sunday - peak was probably sat midday and sun 2pm. Mixed feedback from exhibitors: Ski Mojo were fitting mojos non-stop, Planks told me that they had no downtime, the stand was so busy. Some retailers less enthusiastic, but ain't that always the way.

Big news from the organisers as they confirmed there will be a London Show next year, at the Excel the week following Birmingham.

After all it is free

We had a great time at the show. Very disappointed with Planks though. Went to their stand three times for tshirts, sweaters and some outerwear and the staff were either unwilling or unable to help with sizing. I like their gear and bought lots from them but maybe invest in some training for the staff.

Ditto all that re The Ski Podcast main stage chat on Saturday (and vibrant show). Never gave Uzbekistan or Albania much thought, but now firmly on the list thanks to Iain, Mike, Sophie and co. I am sure plenty of people giving the talks think is it worth the time and aggravation, but it definitely is. There is no substitute for hearing about things in person rather than ploughing through Powderhounds etc.

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A good time at the NEC today. We watched the fun Question of Snow quiz, hosted by the witty Tim Warwood and featuring (amongst others) Chemmy Alcott and Jenny Jones; watched the Eddie Edwards interview; caught Warren Smith's technical talk on hip rotation and more; and spoke to (& got photos with) Chemmy A, Eddie E, Jenny J and Graham Bell too. All nice people to talk to.

It was nice to peruse all the ski gear and kit and to try the toffee vodka and Beaufort cheese. We also got some good info on the pros and cons of fat skis that we are considering buying. In terms of possiblefuture trips, we watched a great video on skiing in Georgia and were impressed by the scale and variety of the Ikon Pass. Finally, we bought some very decent waterproof socks from a small Sheffield company (Otter).

All in all, a great day out for a freebie.

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Spent a few hours there on Saturday afternoon, no trouble with google maps getting around the road closure.

Got there at lunchtime, but appalling food options (i.e. very few and rubbish). A few outlets were closed in the hall, bizarre given the size of the show, and crap in the "piazza". The show seemed pretty busy, and this was made the case as the stands packed into one half with the other half empty, again odd.

We did buy a few things, a cute A-Z skiing book for kids by Kimberly Kay, a hoodie, some of those Otter waterproof socks, and some decent cider. Also had a chat with Dan Egan and the Norway home of skiing stand, which I thought when I first came in was only just setting up as it had nothing bar a few brochures but the person there said it had been stripped that morning by the hoards even though they had brought the same volume of stuff as last year (goodness knows what they did on Sunday).

All in all, I wouldnt be rushing up there again, although it was a little bigger it was samey as last year and still no big ski brands bothering to attend so nothing new to see. Not really worth the time to get there, half a tank of petrol and parking, despite the free tickets , its an uninspiring venue. It might be ok if you had a clear purpose (boots/skis and wanted to see a few in one place). We only went this year as we also manage to visit friends not far away.

I heard a few days before that it might be back in London, who knows, easier for us to get there (and much better food).

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You know it makes sense.

Since I moved to Switzerland, and despite the mountains being on my doorstep, strangely I quite miss the old London ski shows as they really got me in the mood for the approaching season and it was nice to check out some brands, resorts and gadgets that you don't normally see.

If its back in London next year I may well pop in on one of my regular trips back to see the family & football.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

As I understand it, London show is not yet confirmed. And I worry it will affect Birmingham, which appears to be building quite nicely. I attended the NEC 30 years ago (bunking off school) and it's rather nice to be back. Excellent atmosphere this year, and what a load of tosh about the Planks stand - Jim and loads of his staff there all day as far as I could see, making it the most vibrant stop around. Adlington by the end was looking a little like Hunter S. Thompson in full gonzo mode; hope they sold plenty of gear, they deserved to.

A snowHead

A snowHead

I think if it comes back to London it will bring back the bigger players with bigger displays as they can plan for 4 or 5 days of exhibiting rather than 2.

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London Snow Show is going to be at the Excel the weekend after the one at the NEC on the 22 October 2023 and it’s being organised by the same people behind the National Snow Show.

I’ve been to the Excel myself, it is easier to get to by train than the previous location.

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I attended on Saturday and enjoyed it, though it does need to keep growing.

I feel obligated to visit to support the event, and so made the journey from Manchester and paid for parking on the basis that even though it can be done in 90 minutes, we should all probably attend and support the event. I think this is a matter of principle. I would pay a tenner for mysen next year, but probably not pay for the family, yet.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Well as much confirmation as you can get on a London show:

"Raccoon Media Group, the company behind The National Snow Show Birmingham, is launching National Snow Week and The London Snow Show in partnership with Evening Standard Live in 2023, further extending its operations within the UK snowsport industry.

The joint venture will see Raccoon Media Group working in partnership with Evening Standard Live, the events division of the Evening Standard, to bring the existing Birmingham event plus the two new offerings to the UK Snowsports calendar, bolstering the UK’s standing in the European snowsports market.

National Snow Week will begin with the third edition of National Snow Show Birmingham which will take place at the NEC, Birmingham on 14-15th October 2023, with key trade and consumer satellite events, involving other snow related companies including dry slopes, snow centres, retailers and brands, leading up to the newly launched London Snow Show at the Excel, London on 21st – 22nd October 2023. The week will create an opportunity for brands, resorts, tour operators and associations to come face-to-face with over 25,000 snowsport enthusiasts at its two consumer events and attend strategic, high-level trade events during the same timeframe, truly galvanising the industry to extend the reach of the snowsports industry in the UK.

The National Snow Show Birmingham has attracted more than 23,000 visitors over the last two years, increasing its floor space by over 5000sqm year-on-year. The London Snow Show will mirror the Birmingham event, covering approximately 9,000sqm and will bring a mix of retail, content and interactive features to snowsports enthusiasts in London and the surrounding counties. The events will continue to work hand-in-hand with industry media partners including InTheSnow, Snow Magazine, Skier & Snowboarder, Fall Line Skiing, chillfactor and Planet Ski are already onboard to work alongside the team."

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Excel-ent

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I think having a London show will encourage more brands, retailers and tour operators etc to participate on both weekends and far better than having 2 events compete with each other.

I saw good progress from last year but as @userscott says more is needed and this is the way to go.

After all it is free

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Luckily there is also the Elizabeth line too now - or even (appropriately for a snow show) the bubble lift across the Thames

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National Snow Show NEC Birm 15 16 Oct 2022 - free tickets!

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