"WARFARE 2016 - Feedback Request - Car Parking" Topic

Hi all,

The rivermead centre introduced a new parking system this year that is quite complicated and requires you to put your car registration number into their system to be able to pay for a ticket. If you are not familiar with these machines it can take a while.

We were so concerned this would cause queues and annoy you the public that we bribed the centre at considerable cost to shut off the parking machines for the weekend.

We did not publicise this as we did not want people not visiting the show to take advantage of free parking and do their Xmas shopping in Reading!

Now the feedback…

Do you think it was a good or bad idea? If we do it again next year we will probably put the entrance fee up from £5.00 GBP to £6.00 GBP

If we do it again more people might hear and the parking problems might get even worse as more people try to park there for free.

If we don't do it you have to pay for parking and possibly stand in a long line as there are only 2 machines at the centre entrance for the entire car park?

We could in theory move to another nearby location but have been unable to find any other location that is large enough to be able to host a show as large as Warfare…

So please send us your constructive suggestions as to whether what we did this year was a good idea or a bad idea.

I am deeply sorry for anyone that did struggle to park over the weekend, the vast majority of you did find parking but I do know at the busiest time of day it was difficult to find anywhere to park.

Yours

Andy Watkins
Wargames association of reading

It was great. The carpark was at capacity all weekend but it made attendance so painless.

I had to park on the grass on Saturday but… so what

Put the entry fee up next time.

John T

Great show, and a grand idea, but signs on all the machines next time please. I walked – with the aid of a stick – from the far end to the doors before I found a sign explaining what was going on. Then I had to walk back to get my game kit.

Telling the driver of a car (me) he should have read the sign by the front gate wasn't helpful. That car park is a minefield of random pedestrians between 9 & 10 and I'd rather concentrate on them and finding a place to park than read all the signs I go past.

Guthroth,
I am sorry if it caused an inconvenience. My understanding is that there are only 2 machines and they are both at the front door? We totally covered those two machines with signs saying parking was free. There are no other machines, the old ones have been removed or covered up?

Could you explain where you would like the signs put up? It sounds like we missed something?

Andy

The Leisure Centre is in bad need of some overspill parking capacity.

Badgers – I can't argue with that :)

Enjoyed the show, and the free parking, although I did make a contribution to the Sue Ryder appeal in lieu of the parking fee.

Steve J

I'm with John – put the fee up next year!! I wasted 20 minutes trying to work out how to pay by walking from machine to machine before I saw the sign!!!

Don

£6.00 GBP-00 entry for Warfare is reasonable to offset the parking costs.

I parked near one of the old machines, which said to pay at the main entrance. However I was lucky, in that I was able to ask a fellow gamer who was returning from the main entrance, about the new machines who told me it was free parking. I normally come on a Sunday which previously was cheaper parking and then got a rebate on entering the Rivermead centre. Please do not move to another place, as it is easy to get from the M4, and I am willing to pay the extra quid.

I was slightly miffed this morning in the rain trying to understand what to do re the parking. I had parked at the far end and did not see the sign until I neared the sport's centre.

Then I had to walk back to car to grab bag and kit. So it was a bit of a pain.

Now you have explained why it was not mentioned i can understand your fear that the free parking would be abused.

In answer to your question raising the price to £6.00 GBP seems a fair compromise.

I do fear by having it free it will be abused by locals in the know. With Facebook it soon gets out… Best to try it and see…

We worked it out , paying the extra quid would be no problem as the show is the pre xmas gaming spending spree . The entrance fee is well worth the money !!

I hadn't realised the old machines were still there with a sign saying pay at the centre. We should have put messages on those as well.

Sorry about that

Yes, I was a bit confused at first, but it worked out!

In answer to your question, I think your idea is a good one and I'd be happy to pay the extra £1.00 GBP

Good day out.

John, I walked around the car park and past at least one (possibly two) pay stations with those green box wrap arounds that had no information on them.

It was only when I got near the centre that I saw a sign on the machines just outside the door.

It's a great plan, yes an extra £ or 2 to cover the cost is more than acceptable, and not publicising it is likewise understood, it's just that the notices need to be on all the machines please.

John, I walked around the car park and past at least one (possibly two) pay stations with those green box wrap arounds that had no information on them.

Not me Guthroth!!!!!

John

Again apologies. Whilst congratulating oursleves on how clever we had been we did not think of the old machines.

Damnation and Balderdash! Will do better next year

second the overspill comment – ended up parking in the Toby on Sat morning as there was absolutely nowhere to park closer.
Adding the £ wouldn't change anything for me.

Sorry John. Getting confused. I was also happy to make a contribution instead of paying, as well as buying the usual two strips of raffle tickets.

For next year, when parking is included in the cost of the show ticket, can a parking ticket be issued to all those who want one in lieu of a ticket from the machine? That way the parking can be as expensive to non show attendees as usual but discounted, or free, for attendees.

Cambria5622, afraid not. We did ask, the only option is machine on or machine off.

Unless they come up with a better option by next year of course….

It is a comic con event there this coming weekend, could be pretty tricky getting parked then…

That's a shame. I was trying to think how to keep parking free but discourage people from taking advantage who aren't attending the show or otherwise using the sports centre.

CptKremmen

Thank you for the Free parking we saw a sign halfway down the carpark, we assumed that it was free due to the change over of parking systems. So thank you for turning it off it has been a pain finding change in the past.

Happily put money in the Sue ruder box, maybe would have put more in had I known you had the machines turned off. Also I would be be very happy paying extra, I think most people come in pairs so £1.00 GBP per ticket is still cheaper than parking

We arrived at 09.30 and managed to get one of the last slots. I suspect that much of the carpark was taken up by Tournament players who appeared to be in earlier than the 10am start (might be wrong)

If that is the case the system is flawed as many of those would have been there all day. Perhaps it is better to have a £5.00 GBP charity charge for the tourney players *do they pay entrance fees) and £2.00 GBP levy after say 09.30.

Apologies if tournament players arrive at 10am and they already pay.

CptKremmen

why not allow charges to be made but refund the parking on entrance to the show? Just a thought… if no double ticket a simple pic on phone of ticket?

Ah I think you are missing the reason we paid for the parking

Our concern was that there were only 2 difficult to use ticket machines where you had to put your registration in, our concern was that people could end up queuing for 30 minutes or more just to get a parking ticket.

We felt that if that happened people would be so annoyed they would not come back next year.

We were not trying to save parkers money, we were trying to save them a possible huge queue. we like many people hate queuing for a long time when there are toys to be bought.

I have for example arrived at Salute before and been in a queue that appeared to be a mile long and in fact took 40 minutes just to get in. By the time I got in I was furious and vowed never to go again :)

Andy