The 'original' Warley Show was held at the Harry Mitchell Leisure Centre in Smethwick, for many years, but had outgrown that venue by 1992. Parking was a nightmare, it was overcrowded, so after someone took seriously an off-the-cuff remark "we should use the NEC", sure enough the next year that's where it was held.
At one time, pre-internet, it was my "must go" Show, even if it was getting more expensive & overcrowded, but the final straw for me was one year (2005-ish) when the pre-paid "early entry tickets" queue stretched right up some stairs & along a corridor some way from the entrance. Some bright spark from the Club had the idea to sell programs at the top of said stairs, from where we couldn't see the Show entrance. This held the queue up so much that we didn't get to the - by now totally clear - entrance until 20 minutes or more after normal opening time!! Not a Happy Bunny, and I never went again....
With my switch to American O Scale & the purchase of a computer, Warley was no longer my 'one stop shop' anyway, and I took to visiting my local model shop on that same weekend to spend the money I saved by not going. That has since changed hands, and focus, so I don't go there any more either!!
Hopefully some sort of 'scaled down' Warley Show at a new venue (with plenty of parking!!) might be attractive again.
With this announcement and Hatton's thunderbolt this week, looks like 2024 will see some seismic changes for certain aspects of the hobby!!
To cap off quite a week, Hornby have announced their Playtrains range is being
discontinued..!!!! : That'll be the talk of Western Thunder!!! ....or maybe not....