The Wakefield RISC OS User Group, which organises the Wakefield Show, has been informed by the show’s venue that it will be unavailable for 23rd April, the date of the 2022 event. This is because the hotel is undergoing a major refurbishment, and it will not be completed by that date.
The group have therefore negotiated a new date for the show – which, whenever it goes ahead, will be the 26th show – and more significantly, the 25th physical one. That date is a month later, on Saturday, 21st May.
They are currently contacting those exhibitors who have already booked (many of whom had originally booked for the 2020 show, which had to be cancelled due to the pandemic) to confirm that they will be able to attend on the new date. Given that it’s possible large numbers could say no, I guess that new date should be considered provisional – but hopefully there will be no problems, and the show will go ahead then.
It’s worth noting, given the ever-mutating problem of the pandemic (see what I did there?), that the date in May will likely be notably warmer than the original April date, and that’s often surprisingly warm at the show – probably because of the crowded rooms.
That means it should be easily warm enough for the windows to be open, improving ventilation in the show rooms. Considering the general age distribution of RISC OS users, and the ongoing situation, the hotel’s refurbishment schedule and the resulting change of date might actually be something of a blessing in disguise if it naturally lends itself to improved safety.
