You need to make the stands reasonably priced, and the beers and food need to be good and fairly priced too.
 
	 
	A strong focus on the social side is essential — an evening with a bar open until very late around a big fire would be perfect.
 
	 
 
	The social aspect is what people will look forward to, remember, and come back for — something no one else really does, apart from when I ran the FRJ show.
 
	 
 
	The focus needs to be on the visitors; if you get that right, the stands will fill up naturally.
 
	But also remember, from an exhibitor’s point of view, before they even pay for the plot, they’ll already be facing costs of £2–5k or more for marquees, transport, staff, hotels, etc.
 
	 
 
	It’s going to be difficult, as you’ll need to cover costs while keeping things reasonably priced. Without the numbers, it just won’t happen.
 
	 
 
	Also, security is always an issue with theft, so that needs to be taken into account.