From the standholders and the visitors we recieved quite some comments about this years Tilburg fair. The most important room of the fair - the entrance hall - was mostly filled with PC's. On the second floor the MRC got a booth where it was impossible to do the beamer-presentations we announced (and had phoned about with the organisation several times), several visitors didn't even know there were people standing on the third floor, while there was a lot of action going on there.

If you visited Tilburg (or if you had a stand) we'd like to know how you feel about this fair and what you think should change.

My personal feelings: The CGV has no bindings with MSX no more. This year was the first time the meeting was called 'Big computer meeting', previous years it had been 'The 20th PC & MSX meeting' etc. etc. etc.

Furthermore they had no idea who the people behind the stand were. When I entered the room I heard the men behind the counter ask for the organisation (MRC?? TNI??? Never heard of them....)

Last but not least is the publicity & announcements. In february we posted a bit of news about the fair, but we weren't even sure if the fair was held that year, because we did not receive any information yet (not even after asking by e-mail). Forms for reservating a booth were sent out only a month before the fair, only to people who had a stand last year. The organization did no attempts to contact new developers or user groups...

well
I could go on, but frankly I want to know what YOU think. And don't be afraid if you liked the fair, we had a great time seeing those familiar faces again and enjoyed seeing many new products released & in far stages of development.

I think it's a total lack of respect for hard working groups like TNI, the OpenMSX developers, Michiel from Meridian and many others to put them in little dark rooms without fresh air and space for demonstrations. The CGV just doesn't connect to the current MSX scene at all anymore. They just care about the bucks they get from the standholders and visitors. In my opinion they just be be fair and open to the community and admit that they just can't organize it as they did several years go.
It has been fun guys from CGV, but you just don't have it anymore.

Tilburg has always been great. Though that has always been thanks to the visitors and boothholders. The organisation has done a great job organizing the fair for many years, but the last few fairs it seems they don't really care about MSX anymore.
Now I think it's time to move on. Maybe it's time for someone else to organise this biggest MSX fair of the year. Someone who's willing to promote the fair. Give the boothholders and visitors what they've asked for etc. And also, somewhere a little bit more in the north of the country, so I don't have to travel that much

The most important thing that should change is that they must realize MSX is still very much alive. I think this fair proved it even more than last years. On last years fair the first signs of disinterest were already noticable, but the way the fair was 'organised' this year is beyond words.

I actually found out only after a few hours that there was a 3rd floor at all! The abscence of a simple MAP at the entrance or in the 'fair book' (which was just their regular magazine with an announcement included) is the cause of many people not finding their way.

And that's not all.. They could have used the 'large hall' on the 1st floor (like in previous years) to place a lot of standholders, in stead of cramming them up in tiny rooms seperated between floors!
Several standholders were all alone in one room, that way recieving a lot less visitors, and you had to go on some kind of adventure quest to find new dungeons with more MSX holyness!

And, on the 2nd floor there was a room where people were getting massages! I mean, hello?!

Actually I feel insulted.

maybe id for next we all boycot the tilburg fair because this is not the way to be.

and make a better fair on the same date


but i did not like it how i went because late responce of then and lack of good planing. MRC should got the place where sunrise was but it happend. i think next year will be worst.

I think the poor info thing about this year's fair is due to the URL change of the site. Of course this is lack of information flow people who want to go (whether with or without a booth) from the CGV side. We had to find out they moved the site to another server (hence, a whole new domain) all by ourselves. Like snout I think the CGV has no real connection with MSX anymore. It's a pity such a group of people who have organised this international MSX meeting/fair for so many years has reduced their MSX-activities to a minimum or even to zero in such a fast pace, I have to admit I think this one was the last meeting in Tilburg.

I don't know the reason why this year's fair was so badly organised. Maybe this way they say they don't want to organise it anymore. Personally, I don't think this is a good way to submit such news.

What can we do? For one thing, someone can find out if they still want to organise it and if they don't, a new similar fair should continue in their place.

On the fair itself I already discussed a bit with standholders. Despite the fact I had a great day, the thought that things could have been much better crossed (and crosses) my mind all the time. Besides, I had quite some personal disappointment because all the preparation I did in order to get some active MSXers to do some interesting lectures were almost all for nothing. Thanks to Sunrise we were still capable of doing two small lectures....

The MRC will indeed try to do something to improve the situations. MSX Fairs are important, if not essential for the MSX community and the activity of developers. I will probably wait a week or so and then adjust a letter to all the stand holders of this years Tilburg fair. I think it's best to act together on this one and frankly ask if they still want to go on organizing this MSX fair, or to change completely to a (smaller) PC meeting.

If things go like I think they will be going, it will be up to them if they allow a team to help them with the organization (e.g. Sunrise and MRC) or if they let go of their legendary past in MSX. If the latter is true, another team (e.g. MRC, Sunrise or a combination, or some other people, or...) can start organizing a completely new MSX event.

The MRC has done a lot to promote this years MSX fair in Tilburg, and if nothing changes we cannot promote next years fair as much as we used to do. Furthermore we will have to consider if we still want to go or not.

... add to that... I received the confirmation we actually had a stand only two days before the fair itself!

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I think the poor info thing about this year's fair is due to the URL change of the site.

The whole world doesn't revolve around the internet ^^;

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Of course this is lack of information flow people who want to go (whether with or without a booth) from the CGV side.

It's simple, there was close to NO communication at all. None of the standholders actually got confirmation until 3 days before the fair (used to be 3 WEEKS).

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What can we do? For one thing, someone can find out if they still want to organise it and if they don't, a new similar fair should continue in their place.

Right, like Xcite says, boycotting sounds good

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>>I think the poor info thing about this year's fair is due to the URL change of the site.<<The whole world doesn't revolve around the internet ^^;

Well, the MSX Resource Center revolves very much around then internet

we do, but alot of other standholders don't. This is not about the MRC. This is about the community deserving a better fair then the one we had yesterday.

I won't be in tilburg next year. I'm not going to drive for 2,5 hours just to see wonderful MSX initiatives being treated like garbage. We don't deserve that!

Btw, the big hall downstairs was supposed to be in use for a ping pong competition. But saturday morning the CGV was informed that it didn't take place after all. Then the CGV didn't want to move stuff around as they got a nice deal. They got the whole building for 40 euro's...... What did u pay for your booth?

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They got the whole building for 40 euro's...... What did u pay for your booth?

o.O
O.o
... ...

Hmmm. that made the fair almost profitable with the MRC-stands alone. Sweet deal.

As a group and as a person I felt astonished about what happened at the fair , before, during and at end.
As group we had the wrong spot, advertisement was not placed in the magazine, the total neglectance of the INTERNATIONAL character the fair always had.
MRC e.g. showed Daniel Kim the way and we did it with Rafael and Ivan of MSX Power replay.
As a person it was a pleasant day in general, bought even myself a cat and mouse game and the CD of Wolf, enjoyed the talkings with more people than ever and disagree with people who say only three stands that had something to offer.
I have seen more than ever that can/might lead to a good future. The breakthrough will be when we and bitwise have effected the hardware that is on stake.
At end of the fair however almost my pleasure was turned into angry
The organazation felt it necessary to smash with the table when we were busy to pack the stuff. When I wanted to take the last two things. Monitor and Turbo-r they turned those tables so roughly that almost everything was on the ground .
Thanks to Richard Foersom I stopped what I was intend to do ( you may guess ....)
So, Snout I hope you will make soon that letter.
If CGV is not open for critism ,improvements and or refuse help than we have to consider careful a next step. Boycot IS ONLY THE ULTIMATE MEASURE. First they must have a chance to react and give there explanation !

I agree on that Rob. Let's not talk about other fairs, boycotting, ect. YET. Let's first see what CGV has to say for themselves. Afterall the name "Tilbeurs" itself attracts many visitors who are not directly into the scene.