Monday, June 22, 2009

Margate's big event, how was it for you?


I'm sure for most of those of us, who visited Margate's big event, it was as good as it had been in previous years.

And it certainly seems to have proved popular with the cllr Roger Latchford, cabinet member for the economy and culture. Thanet council's latest press release informs us that 90,000 people visited the event at Palm Bay.

Councillor Latchford seems full of superlatives "90,000 people coming to Palm Bay is just wonderful" " Margate’s Big Event really puts of Thanet on the map" " a huge success" " it's fantastic to see so many new people" although not surprisingly, not a great deal of insight into the effect on the local economy, which you might have expected, as that's part of his council portfolio.

Personally I couldn't agree more with councillor Latchford, on the quality of the event, but then I'm in easily pleased, also more importantly not being part of Thanet's business community (and I don’t mean spiv developers), it would be interesting to know, whether businesses and traders in Margate felt the benefit, which having heard some comments, might not have been as good as visitor numbers suggest.

Some comments about Margate being quiet are a worry, notably from Eastcliff Richard "Margate's Big Event has had the presumably unintended consequence of dragging most of the people who would have been spending dosh on the island's towns and beaches to a windswept, roped off area of clifftop grassland" and Mark Nottingham "I suspect that the real cost of the event to the Council is well over £100,000 if properly costed" also of course Michael Child pointed out on Saturday Morning a classic in TDC communications blunder. "Quote from Thanet District Council website this morning: “Preview of two days of thrilling free entertainment - Full programme available soon.”"

As I have already mentioned, I found the event Blooming Marvellous, however local businesses, (and I don’t mean developers who seem to be looked after) particularly in Margate have suffered appallingly from the effects of Westwood Cross the failure to build the Turner Contemporary on time, and of course the derelict Dreamland site. So was there any uplift over the weekend for local traders?

15 comments:

  1. Does anyone know what the two red jets were that displayed on Sunday? Been racking my brains all day trying to figure out what aircraft they were...

    Cheers

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  2. I found it out of date, archaic, left over from the 70s. No wonder the whole place is in the doldrums.

    A complete and utter waste of money. Shoddy even in a world of shoddiness.

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  3. The Red Jets were Folland Gnats and what the Red Arrows used to fly before HAwks

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  4. Oh well done - plane spotter.
    Move on.

    Try and imagine some slightly more up to date entertainment.

    Do you think Brighton would put up with this old fashioned entertainment for grannies?

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  5. Grumbling when someone puts on a free event... what a sad bunch both anon 6:26 and 6:50 are.

    Thanks 6:47, should have thought of the Gnat but for some reason that slipped my mind... and I did read the programme as well!

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  6. Its not free it cost £100,000 (the council are hardly awash with cash).

    They might think about clearing up the rubbish and getting the sh*t out of the harbour before they put on this load of low grade left over from the days when the Battle of Britain was news.

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  7. to anonymous 06.26.00 it is people like you who have kept Thanet in the 70s. Having visited Brighton for many events in the recent past, Margates Big Event compares with anything i have seen. The entertainment both off and on the stage was superb and i trust the 5000 people i saw singing and dancing on saturday night by the stage would not share your sad view. Get a life!

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  8. I think it's a wonderful event that makes many people happy, but I wonder what percentage of the people there actually came from outside Thanet.

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  9. Peter from the traffic queues I would say a good few visited and the chat rooms on camping and motrorhome sites were busy with mentions so a fair nfew from away visited. Shame the website never had the times on it but the the councils website leaves a lot to be desired.

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  10. I don't think the traffic queues tell us much: most people wouldn't walk the couple of miles from Margate, let alone Broadstairs, Ramsgate, Minster, Birchington, etc, ALL of whom I'd regard as "local" people.

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  11. Wonderful glimpses, of the air show from coastal train window. Due to Sunday’s Southeastern line engineering works on the main line. Best train trip in ages..

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  12. Little boys in big toys.

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  13. I run a business in central Margate, trading last Saturday was bad compared to normal days. This was due to the event. And agree staging it on the outskirts of the town does not benefit local traders only the passing traders supplying burgers etc. This also seems the case in other events organised by our much loved leaders...

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  14. Anon 09:59, where in central Margate do you suggest that they put 90,000 people over 2 days? Cecil square???

    And most of the other events TDC puts on in Margate such as Thanet Pride and Motorcross ARE as near to central Margate as realistically possible.

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  15. Good event, but too far out to benefit Margate town. As per previous years visitors by train were bussed past the town, and bussed past it again on their way home.

    Wouldn't mind so much but it's rates which pay for these buses, and it's typically non-rates paying traders benefiting.

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