I had a very enjoyable time at the Goulburn Model Expo last Saturday (29th August). The exhibition had three pavilions full of traders and exhibits to entertain and inform all who turned up over the weekend. But rather than do my "normal" exhibition report as I have done for many years now (and which there are now many others doing both static and video reports), I am going to look at something quite specific: the presentation of information about layouts. In this first part, I will take just a few examples from the recent Goulburn exhibition. I will offer other examples from other sources, including home layouts, in following blog posts.
Let's start with the exhibition program that all model railway exhibitions provide one way or another. You can click on the image to make it open larger for better viewing.
And depending on the exhibition and how the organisers put their program together, you will find information about the layouts and traders at the exhibition; often with a site map, and a short paragraph about each layout. A good example was provided at the Goulburn Model Expo.
Moving on to the layouts, there is a variety of information and signage options. Let's start with some examples from the Goulburn Model Expo where a layout displays just its name and number.
They all look very neat and clean in their presentation. Let's add a tiny bit more information.
The following layouts provided even more information.
As you can see, there is quite a difference in what information is presented on and around a layout.
Some other interesting examples include the following from the large Free-Mo layout on display from the Illawarra Model Railway Club.
There are two more layouts with examples of different types of information that one often sees. The first example is to engage the public (usually children) in a bit of "scenic discovery", and the second is the ubiquitous example of exhibition plaques, of which Yendys is a shining example.
