Should Mumsnet be going to Baby Show ? We need your views

[carriemumsnet]

Hi all

Reposting this here from the Baby Show volunteers thread to make sure we get widest response....

Basically we've had a great response to our appeal for help running a stall at the Baby Show. But now something has come up and, as usual, we want you to contribute to our decision. We've had an email from a mumsnetter saying that Clarion, the Baby Show organisers, also organise arms fairs and questioning whether, in that case, Mumsnet should be associated with them.

I don't think any of us are pro arms, but you could argue that Clarion aren't manufacturing or selling arms, they're just the organisers of a fair.

If we attend the Baby Show we have the chance to introduce Mumsnet (a good thing we hope you'll agree ) to several thousand mums-to-be who will then find out, for example, why lots of Mumsnetters boycott Nestle as well as the truth about fruit shoots and Greggs sausage rolls.

Or we pull out now. It's another one of those 'where do you draw the line?' discussions and we're torn. What do you think?

MNHQ

are people who go to baby shows the type of person you want on MN anyway?

"ohmyfreeeekinggod is that quinny zap in minge puce 08??!!"

tsk. Just called them. No disabled changing facilities. I'd boycott them cos of that
Probably get more publicity for MN by telling the press why you are boycottong it to be honesy.

I vote not to go. Absolutely agree that press releases should be prepared and sent. Power to the people and all that.

Agree with earlier posters that if you handle it properly you could get more publicity from boycotting the show than from attending. And do a good deed at the same time. So, don't go.

(especially given the no disabled changing!)

no disabled changing has tipped me over the edge too

truth about greggs suasage rolls - whatever do you mean?

i think you probably have a very savvy team at MN HQ with Many contacts in the media and as such i agree with other posters who have said that i am sure you can get more people and more publicity by exploiting highlighting the arms things

Reed Elsevier got a lot of good publicity from pulling out of organising the fair. Joseph Rowntree Foundation (v. respected) campaigned for three years to get them to pull out. Here

Pull out. You can get the publicity from an article about why you pulled out.

Can I just ask how MN are paying for the stand, 'cos the cheapest is lots of £'s(my Co. is going, so I know!)

stichj its part of the mn money laundering business

cash

They've been sending Big Tech out round Kings Cross in stockings and suspenders.

ewwwwwwwwwwww lemon

rowntree foundation one of their current research programmes is child poverty in the uk.

Good people for MN to ally itself with as far as i know

and parenting

i have read up on this now and i think that mumsnet should not have a stall and make the reason why known

lol i am praxctising persuading and influencing

I don't think you should go, for all the reasons stated. More publicity for pulling out (if publicity for MN is indeed the main reason for going). I'm sure we all completely appreciate you need your advertising revenue to keep going, but am I naive in thinking that press publicity would be as helpful for you in this respect? I'd certainly be much more inspired to log on/look into a parenting site that also seemed to have an identity and an opinion beyond Gregs, Fruit Shoots and a minge puce quinny LOL!

TBH, I think word of mouth from other mums who use MN is the best publicity anyway - I don't think I'd have started wasting my time contributing to stimulating and thought provoking debate on here if I'd come across you at a baby fair (not that I have ever been to one - I did a wedding fair once and that was enough to put me off anything fair-based for life).

Also, for those that think arms trading is above board, and that these guys aren't trading to mercenaries or whatever, all I can say is, did you not watch Iron Man???

Also, can someone tell me why suddenly my striking out is not working?

I think, no.

You can get a good deal of publicity by being a website that won't sell out for publicity.

Plus no disabled facilities? At a babyfair? Why the hell not.
Next you'll tell us they don't have facilities for breastfeeding (by which I mean somewhere to sit not a toilet to be shoved in)

I think claire verity got dropped by them last year did she not?

Also they are sponsored by bounty who have been shockingly removing all info about early weaning from their site as posted by MNers but allowing an 'early weaning club (some as young as 7 weeks) continue AND that daft clare byam-cook is going that poo-pooed wet nursing and the idea that formula companies undermine breastfeeding/are unethical in their approach, on This Morning.

Nah, don't associate yourselves with that kind of 'expert'.

ST, you have to do every word, not sentence.

gracias Ta

On the contrary, all the more reason for going: someone needs to counter the Bounty-viewpoints!

The lack of disabled changing is bad, but that's something to lobby the venue about.

And to the poster who talked about needing to support the type of parent whom they assumed didn't go to baby fairs, well posh chavs or whoever it is that drools about Quinnies also need weaning and breastfeed support, PND support and all the other things MN provides which can be difficult to find elsewhere.