Small Events In The LEGO Community

What makes a small community LEGO show special? There are two shows during the year that are highlights for me in the LEGO community. They both excel at appealing to exhibitors, traders, volunteers, and most importantly, visitors. There is a positive vibe that I feel at some shows. It’s hard for me to describe or explain, but I hope that by sharing the perspectives of the organisers of the shows and the opinions of other AFOLs involved, I can convey that amazing vibe to you.

The two shows are the Black Country Brick show, which took place on the 1st and 2nd of April near West Bromwich in the UK; and Ware’s the Bricks, which took place on the 15th and 16th of April in a small town called Ware, in Hertfordshire UK. The Black Country Brick show raised an astounding £10,163, which was divided between Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Fairy Bricks. Wares the Bricks raised an impressive £6,500 for the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance.

Both of these fantastic shows were fortunate to have visitors from the 501st UK Garrison, one of the foremost Star Wars costuming groups in the UK. Visitors at both shows were lucky to meet some of their favourite Star Wars characters and get some excellent photographs!

Black Country Brick Show

Black Country Brick show began in 2018 in a different venue to where it currently resides at the Phoenix Collegiate. The organisers work tirelessly to ensure that everyone is happy. They not only want their visitors to have the best possible experience, but they also go above and beyond for their exhibitors, traders and volunteers. I was at the very first event back in 2018 as a volunteer, very much still in awe of the amazing creations people had built, and so I was very excited to display my creations at the 2022 and 2023 shows.

I spoke with the show’s organisers Paul Clark and Ian Kimpton:

Kate: What was your motivation behind organising the show?

Paul and Ian: Motivation started way back in 2018 after being inspired by other shows I’d been to and the amazing work carried out by the community to use LEGO to inspire and put on a positive community event that at the same time raises money.

Kate: How do you think the local community responded to the show?

Paul and Ian: Very enthusiastically! We put the visitor first, making them feel welcome and letting them know we are fans like them. We hope to work more with our visitors to improve the show every year. The number of return visitors and comments we get says it all.

Kate: What was the high point for you at this year’s event?

Paul and Ian: The fact that the displayers said that they enjoyed it and, of course, the money raised is amazing, but the high point will always be the smiles and great comments when people leave the event. In particular, the highlight this year was that we did the event over two days and also that we introduced the quiet hour- we had a lot of positive feedback from the attendees that attended at this time.

Being the show of choice in the Midlands for AFOLs to display is also a high point, and being oversubscribed is a nice, but challenging problem to have.

Kate: What do you think is key to making a successful community event?

Paul and Ian: Making sure that it’s worth the ticket money and people’s time, but also making sure we involve people in the promotion and the buzz and ensuring we consulted with community groups and events. Next year we would like to work more with museums, art galleries and schools.

For a show to be successful, you need to ensure that both the displayers and the visitors are engaged. Black Country Brick show was developed on the ethos that any displayer or volunteer needed to feel welcome, involved and part of the show. The show is designed for AFOLs to enjoy as much as the public.

Here’s what some of the attendees had to say about Black Country Brick show:

“For us, it ticked all the boxes that we aim to tick in our own events. We came down from Glasgow to display, so we were relative outsiders, and we were made very welcome by everyone. It had a great community feel that was open and inclusive, the atmosphere was relaxed yet fun and the visitors were very interested and engaged.” - Graeme Wells

“For me, the biggest positive thing is the LGBTQ+ and especially the Trans representation at Black Country Brick Show.” - Toni Lynam

“It was a great show, well organised and so much thought put into it.” - Kevin Copas

“Friendly, well organised and fun.” - Fiona Wilmot

Ware’s the Bricks

Ware’s the Bricks started as a small event in 2018 at the stunning riverside Ware Priory. The venue had so many visitors that people were queueing to get in for 2.5 hours. I was in this queue myself. I had not yet started making my own MOCs and did not have many friends in the LEGO world, so I bravely joined the queue. Since then, I have exhibited at the event in 2019, 2022, and 2023, and it holds a special place in my heart, as it was the first show where I was brave enough to share my creations. It has a great family feel about it.

I spoke with Darren Neely, the event organiser:

Kate: What was your motivation behind organising the show?

Darren: My first event was in April 2018; I’d been to a few shows in 2017 and there were none in my local area. I thought that an event around here would be a good and popular way to raise money for the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance, which is a great charity.

Kate: How do you think the local community responded to the show?

Darren: My plan was to do a small local show. I booked a hall at Ware Priory. The first year I didn’t do advanced tickets- I was sure we’d get enough people to cover costs by people turning up and paying at the door. The day of the event came and it was a beautiful day, people started queueing before we opened the doors and continued to queue all day. The queue went right across the grounds with people queuing for 2.5 hours to get in. Safe to say that the community responded well to the event, and it was great to hear that shops on the high street had a great day too as visitors to the show also visited the town. Following the success of the first year, the event has continued to grow both in size and popularity.

Kate: What was the high point for you at this year’s event?

Darren: We have now established some workshops and we are the only UK show to run GBC workshops (something which some of the big USA shows do) and this year we had a new module designed exclusively for us by Huw Millington. I am also really proud of the fact that the displayers and traders really enjoy coming to the show and some say it’s a highlight of the year for them.

Kate: What do you think is key to making a successful community event?

Darren: For me, location is important; I’ve looked at different venues as Ware’s the Bricks is limited in its growth due to our venue, but I like the fact that we are right on the High Street and the Priory buildings and grounds are really nice- people enjoy coming there.

I also try to include different parts of the community; all of our catering is done by 5th Ware Scouts as a big part of their annual fundraising. We also coordinate with a local Autism charity called SPACE in offering a quiet hour on Sunday morning at half capacity for those visitors who need more space and a quieter time.

I try to include local people and displayers and traders too; this year, we had a display by local school children. A number of our displayers and traders for whom Ware’s the Bricks for their first event are going on to join other community events.

Here’s what some of the attendees had to say about Ware’s the Bricks:

Matt Kelly said that he enjoyed the trail of builds around town advertising the show- particularly spotting the build he and his family had created.

Sabrina Kelly thought that it was an amazing GBC display, and the fact that visitors could build their own GBC modules. She also commented on how well everyone was looked after by the Scouts and their fantastic catering.

To Sum It All Up

In summary, there are lots of elements that marry together to create a successful event in the community, but all in all, it is about the groups of people involved who gel together to create memories and experiences.

Have you ever been to a small, local event? Or one that had Imperial Stormtroopers as private security? Let us know in the comments below!

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