Rumours abound of ambitious plans to stage a ‘son of LIMS’ show – an idea that surely could only have occurred to someone who was not actually in the business when the last one collapsed even before the doors had opened. Since then, much to everyone’s chagrin, the MI industry in this country has contracted. We have been through a recession and we are now in the ‘interesting times’ of the fabled Chinese curse. Does anyone seriously believe distributors today have the manpower to handle a drum stand, a guitar stand, a keyboard stand – oh, and one for the educational stuff? Come to that does anyone seriously believe any of them has the money?
People may cast envious glances at other trades where shows are reputedly coming back to life again after the ‘downturn’ (London’s Excel is said to be packed these days – though heaven knows why) but they are filled with hip and wealthy industries and ours is neither just now (and why we aren’t hip is something I might return to someday).
Small shows, single interest shows, shows on trestle tables with lots of bargains up for grabs, all seem more suited to the reality of the MI trade in 2016 than kidding ourselves that we are flogging BMWs, pimping ‘lifestyle’ gardening or cooking shows with the BBC, or whatever else is lighting the fires.
The song insists ‘there’s no business like show business’. Call me a cynic but I’d suggest you can remove the last three words of that line and get a lot closer to the truth.