Stampex 2023, London

Do the first day attendees receive something that is not available to the others (apart from the first look at dealer material)?

Thanks for posting, Chris (cjoprey), I hope you will have a good experience at the show.  I wish I was in England myself so that I could meet up with you for that cuppa!  That would be fun.  Ah well, hopefully another time!

I just wanted to mention that if you get the chance to hear George James of SG speak, or better yet get the chance to meet him, I hope you will take it.  I am a big fan of his, as he helped me by granting me a personal interview with him at the SG offices in London in Jun-2022, and it was info I got from him that made it possible for me to write my article about the 4-Pence De La Rue Cape Triangles.  I owe him big time, because without his help, there would have been much less to say, and very little of it with any authority.

Enjoy the show!

It is a sad reflection of the times,  There used to be 3 or 4 Postal Agencies at a Stampex , Faroes , Gibraltar, Channel Islands.................
 
Back in 2010 the queue at Royal Mail was up to 45 minutes to get special issues and cancels and at least 2 Post and Go machines. When I was there in 2022 No queue at all  Now no RM presence at all.

The Exhibits meant there was something extra to view once you had (over)spent all your budget on the first few hours of a visit. Coming from Aberdeen a 900 mile round trip meant we always went for 3 or 4 days City break in London. So I always went for two and a half or even three days while my wife did galleries , British Museum and lunches with friends and family. 

Day 1 try  half a dozen dealers for my wants list  ( maybe find some friends from out of town to share coffee or a beer )   look at a few rummage stands
Day 2 More Rummaging, more socialising more time at the exhibits .
Day 3 Saturday morning at Charing Cross Market then back to Stampex for a final rummage before dinner with friends and the Caledonian Sleeper Train home 

Met another dealer today who has stopped going to Stampex. They made a loss there rather than a profit at regional shows like Salisbury or York. As for the exhibition, the organisers, the PTE, have priced it too high to make it viable.

They need to move to a cheaper venue maybe on the outskirts of London.

As an Exhibition die-hard I found the first pictures and report from 'Stampex 2023' a little sad.
For an opening day it was extremely quiet early on and not even a queue to see the (ugly) One Cent Magenta, as it is now called (by the PTS & Stampex).
The Gallery bays lie dark and unused and a quick glance of the floor plan tells of the decline.

I hope for better things in the future but I fear for that. A number of dealers no longer attend and one I spoke to a few days ago said it is like throwing money away. He was there in 2022.  As michael suggested, the other shows in the South of England maybe a better option, especially as far as dealers are concerned. I was at the South of England show a few years ago and it was very good.

I used to make holiday plans to coincide with Stampex but that is now a thing of the past. And that makes me feel a little sad.

But hope all who attend will enjoy it and find items for their collections.

Londonbus1

Oh dear oh dear! What a sad looking stamp fair. I won’t grace it with the title” Stamp Show” . Stampex used to mean Stamp Exhibition, this is like a Church bazar. Long way down hill from the glory days of the many years I have made it a 4day buying hunt and exhibit participation and perusing.

It looks not worth getting out of bed for , let alone a 450 mile trip to London over 3 days. It has little to offer which is not available in York , Midpex, and other regional events .

And they charge £10 entry fee on day 1 ?