Minerama - Glen Innes

[Amachris]

Maybe a change of name from minerama to something more gem or fossicking like would be a good starting point as the name provokes an idea of big yellow trucks and loaders with dudes wearing hard hats and fluoro clothes,rather than a family orientated fossicking gem show / celebration

[Jimnyjerry]

mineral + rama = minerama  is fine 

No hard hats yet but the guides now have to wear flouro vests 

[GLEN VIC]

Thanks Folks for the feedback. Keep the info coming.

Website that is showing is still the old site and we are aware of the cross links. They will be corrected in the new site which should be up by week's end. Apologies for the confused messages being given.

I am spending more time on Minerama with the Committee and Staff and we are all looking forward to a great Festival.

Peter

[pegatha]

I think Blashs idea a good one, we have many children involved in our club, we call them rock rats. As long as the parents are with them and agree. Sessions with people who cab and are willing to give their time with may be a competition and display of their work. 

[Findem]

Thanks Folks for the feedback. Keep the info coming.

Website that is showing is still the old site and we are aware of the cross links. They will be corrected in the new site which should be up by week's end. Apologies for the confused messages being given.

I am spending more time on Minerama with the Committee and Staff and we are all looking forward to a great Festival.

Peter

Peter - I emailed Fred with links to my You Tube and Blog sites for possible inclusion on the Minerama and VIC pages.
John

[Findem]

Maybe a change of name from minerama to something more gem or fossicking like would be a good starting point as the name provokes an idea of big yellow trucks and loaders with dudes wearing hard hats and fluoro clothes,rather than a family orientated fossicking gem show / celebration

The pronunciation is not mine-er-ama but min-er-ama. Lex Ritchie (Glen Innes Tourism Manager) and I came up with the name in 1989 and it has worked well. A Google search will show a Minerama in, I think, Belgium which must have been going for some time; however we didn't know that then.

[mick B]

Minerama is on my top 2 rock shows to visit, very well run and great selection of gems offered, I have no real interest in the field trips as a carver, what carving stones could I find ?, I live in a region that has great carving material, on there website they are calling minerama the largest show in NSW, Yes its a great show but does not compare to Lismore, but does lismore offer field trips ?, The NSW gem & lapidary council also call the Gemkhana the largest show but it seems to be dying a slow death, every year it seems smaller, Glen or Lismore would be a much better option for the state show, it may give it a huge boost in interest, but its to far from Sydney and it will most likely never happen.

[Blash]

I think another major issue is that people don't know about any of Australia's gemstone wealth, everyone knows about the mineral wealth but as our gem industry and gemstone fossicking receives little to no attention from popular media sources (at least it doesn't in SA) and as such the general public remains naive to even the existence of Australian gems. I mean we are the worlds largest producer of diamond (though only a tiny fraction gem grade) yet a lot of people don't even know we have diamonds here, we have some of the best sapphire fields in the world yet the only reason that I found out about that is because I happened to be on holiday up in that area of QLD. I think that the way to prevent the loss of our gem and lapidary knowledge and to keep the gem clubs alive is to try and make it known to the general public of what Aus actually has to offer

[Bucket]

Being basically a selfish person (ask my wife - she uses different phrases though) I'm not sure whether I'd want to many more people on the gemfields, not before I can get there anyway.  More customers for the miners there wouldn't be a bad thing though I suppose.  More fossickers just makes it harder to find what's there, but all jokes aside, in general we do need to generate more interest in the hobby so that may help.

[Lord_Thunda]

I agree with Mick. I tried to get a "Tucson style" show here for Minerama where international dealers could come & sell their rocks, minerals, gems & lapidary goods not available in Australia.It would take time to set up but with the money Tucson makes for the local community well worth the effort.
Information MUST get out to EVERY lapidary club in Australia in order to get people here. Even sending info to USA & UK would prove profitable in the long run with o/s visitors coming here for their holidays & staying in the area for a week or 2.
I ran 3 extra days of trips last year with great success. This proves that more days of trips are wanted / needed.
The cabbing idea could work if there are enough wanting to do it. I have my set up available for anyone interested.

[Jamo]

On the idea of getting kids involved. Perhaps workshops (craft classes) on making things like pet rocks or gem trees. With both of these there is no need to use machinery. All that is needed is rocks, wire, boggle eyes & glue and the kids get something fun to take home with them.

[Aussie Sapphire]

I agree with Mick. I tried to get a "Tucson style" show here for Minerama where international dealers could come & sell their rocks, minerals, gems & lapidary goods not available in Australia.It would take time to set up but with the money Tucson makes for the local community well worth the effort.
Information MUST get out to EVERY lapidary club in Australia in order to get people here. Even sending info to USA & UK would prove profitable in the long run with o/s visitors coming here for their holidays & staying in the area for a week or 2.
I ran 3 extra days of trips last year with great success. This proves that more days of trips are wanted / needed.
The cabbing idea could work if there are enough wanting to do it. I have my set up available for anyone interested.

Bob- I know the committee is desperately in need of assistance re field trips so it would be good if you could get involved with this.  It is one of the important parts of the event but they do need help from people with local knowledge and contacts. 

They are also trying to organise some workshops but again anyone who can assist with this should contact the committee as soon as they can.  All ideas will be entertained - I think they were hoping that some of the traders might be willing to assist in this way (and perhaps boost some sales along the way) but having traded alongside this lot, I am a bit skeptical that many (any??) will put themselves out too much.  Individuals who can help in this way might be a more feasible option but over to you guys to come up with suggestions.

There will definitely be space made available on site for anyone who can assist with running a workshop and it is a great way to boost the hobby. I think it is a great idea to widen the scope and appeal of the event.

Re getting more traders?  It is an important thing but often a chicken/egg scenario where larger dealers might not be interested in coming unless they are convinced the customers will be there and visitors want to see more dealers.  Having said that, many of the existing dealers (not us) are pretty keen not to have extra traders - a bit short-sighted I feel but it is the talk among the trading tables each year.  The committee seems keen to expand the range of dealers (I cannot speak for them but it seems that way from informal discussions) but it can take time to achieve.  I know that Bob was keen to turn Minerama into another Tucson but realistically you need to get the basics under control first and grow the event organically - there is probably still some work to do there because it doesnt happen on its own.

On the other hand, if you know of a dealer that might be interested in attending, then why not invite them to apply?  Go through your contact list and see if there is anyone who might be worth sending some info to - even a couple of new dealers with interesting offerings would be warmly received by the visitors.

Re the survey results - I have a copy of this document. Peter from the VIC has given permission for this to be circulated so let me know if you want a copy.

Cheers
Leah

[Taz]

Having said that, many of the existing dealers (not us) are pretty keen not to have extra traders - a bit short-sighted I feel but it is the talk among the trading tables each year. 

A certain Central QLD gem show is perhaps a good example of restricting trader numbers to the point that there are few of them; visitor numbers go down, dealers take less money and then go away dissatisfied.  Look at gem shows that make it pleasant for traders like Redcliffe, Nambour, and Lismore as an example of just a few and then look at the crowds that they attract.  Why, because there is a good mix of dealers and traders with product prices to suit all pockets not just those that can afford dealer prices. 

I'm sure everyone would love to be able to afford some of the wonderful specimens that the dealers provide but someone who can go away with a reasonable fluorite crystal specimen that cost them $10.00 from a trader rather than the excellent $50.00 or $100.00 fluorite specimen from the dealer at least goes away satisfied that they now have that specimen in their collection.  And they can eat for the next week as well

What was not well received by traders in my circle at last year's Minerama were the traders selling stuff like vacuum cleaners, at least keep traders restricted to lapidary and associated craft lines.

[Aussie Sapphire]

What was not well received by traders in my circle at last year's Minerama were the traders selling stuff like vacuum cleaners, at least keep traders restricted to lapidary and associated craft lines.

Agreed - lots of traders but relevant to the theme is the ideal.  Just my 2c worth though as not on the committee.

cheers
Leah

[Capt. Mendoza]

I think having a workshop with kids glueing eyes on rocks ect.. is a great idea, the people running that will however need a working with children certificate/check - I believe - even if you're a volunteer....

I also really liked the popular event at the lismore show where the kids did wet sieving for semi-precious stones, much better than the current dry sand sieving at Minerama...

I'd also like to see more metal detector enthusiasts at the show... Perhaps holding prize contests, adults and kids sections...perhaps in the form of a field trip to a paddock where certain (planted) items are to be found - awards for the most unusal finds or unexpected finds - would work well perhaps with some metal detector sponsorship...