If that’s where you choose to watch it – which may depend on the device you use (and the weather)
The next Wakefield Acorn & RISC OS Computer Show will take place on Saturday, 24th April, 2021 – almost exactly one month from today – and like last year’s London Show, it will take place online using the Zoom video conferencing system, and simultaneously streamed on the Wakefield RISC OS Computer Club (WROCC) YouTube channel.
The event will follow a similar format to the 2020 London Show, with a series of half hour and one hour slots given over to RISC OS developers and companies to tell you about their products and services, and to take any questions you may have. The provisional schedule can be found on the Show website, and currently consists mainly of the companies that either regularly, occasionally, or has been known to speak in the show theatres when physical events take place – the likes of R-Comp, CJE Micro’s, RISC OS Open Ltd, and so on – and a small number who are usually just exhibitors, such as Soft Rock Software and RISCOSbits.
There could still be room for more, so if you have something you could demonstrate or talk about, please get in touch with the organisers. If you keep a careful eye on the schedule, you’ll be able to see if any new speakers book in – and you’ll have some idea of when you need to ‘drop in’ on the event if you only want to see particular talks. Keep an eye on the Show website as a whole, as well, to keep up with other show news.
The first of these talks begins at 10:30am, but the event will be open for people to join on Zoom from 10:00am, and the final slot is set for 5:00pm, with the official closing time for the show at 6:00pm. The Zoom session, however, will remain open for people to chat after that time, so if you can rustle up a bite to eat and a drink, it’ll be just like the after-show meal and evening in the bar that some exhibitors attend at the physical events, but with exceptionally effective social distancing!
The event is completely free to watch via the YouTube channel, but if you want to participate by asking an exhibitor a question after their talk, you’ll need to join via Zoom – that’s also free, but you will need to register in advance to get the necessary log-in details; see the Show contact details page again for that.
The decision to hold the show online has come as a result of the ongoing pandemic, which previously resulted in the 2020 Wakefield show being cancelled – although as the 25th show, it was merely postponed; the next show that takes place will be the 25th show. Technically, that will be this show – but the next Wakefield Show that happens whereby users and exhibitors can meet up in person will also be able to lay claim to being the 25th; it will be the 25th physical Wakefield Show. To that end, the show’s organisers are monitoring the ongoing situation, with a view to welcoming the RISC OS community back to Yorkshire in person. Hopefully that’ll be around the usual time but in 2022 – and they’ll have a red carpet laid out for each of us, I’m sure – but do bear in mind that the venue is very likely to have a backlog of other bookings to get through, such as weddings, so this may have an effect on when a show booking can be made.
