Discussing whether people would travel to shows in the future (e.g. to Boston 2026), people's dollars (pounds, euros, etc.) today don't go even as far as they did three years ago. I assume it will even less a distance in another three years.
Food bank usage is up 400% in my city. It's not my intention to make political or economic discussion in general, however where people are struggling to pay for food and shelter, they don't have money for hobbies, and certainly not for international travel for the sake of said hobby. And where economic difficulty and unaffordable homeownership affects younger people more (30s and under), we have to expect that demograhpic will prioritize other expenditures and activities.
Yep! Food is sooo expensive right now - same with rents! :)
Hi,
I would absolutely agree. The hobby itself already demands some expenditures and if you consider that together with travels to shows (especially where you would have to fly and stay in a hotel for a few days) then I believe most philatelists will be happy to stay at home (with the prices what they are today). There are - luckily - always exceptions to this, but normal earners with many other things ongoing in life (like an apartment, a family etc) will cut corners on philately. Rightfully so, IMHO. Now, that said: local shows are a different story. If I were living in London for example I would of course always visit Stampex and SG etc. I do so in Switzerland, where I am stationed. A few hours drive for a great day or two (even driving back and forth) may very well be worth it. I always attend the very small local dealer events which luckily the Swiss associations organise and have traveling from town to town twice a year.
With this in mind the internet is of course wonderful for all of us. We can (see this forum and others :-) ) stay in contact and even enjoy very well organized virtual events like this Stampex. Absolutely marvelous - and for me this works exceedingly well to make contact with other collectors and the dealers. This event would not work, were it not active, with roundtables (VERY good format, I think ! Absolutely marvelous ... 30mins or 1h ... a decent discussion about an interesting subject under the lead of an experienced chairman - excellent format in my opinion !) and presentation and chat possibilities at the booths. If Stampex were just a main webpage with links to others, it would not work. But seeing and meeting (albeit virtually via the net) and talking / chatting to people makes it work very well. Plus of course, the worldwide audience it reaches ! It is not a local event or a British event - it is a worldwide event ... that works for all of us.
I very much hope that such event formats will be firmly established, next to the classical physical exhibition and dealer fairs. It would really bring philately forward. The APS for example should organize something like this from the US or the BdPH could make it happen in Germany. I see that the PTS does some real pioneering work here and speaking for myself, I am certainly very greatful for their work ! Well done, PTS !