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MNHQ

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

3 replies

carriemumsnet · 02/10/2008 14:22

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

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MNHQ

GeraldineMumsnet · 03/10/2008 11:29

Hi, we got in touch with Clarion after we had the original email from the mum querying why MN was thinking of going to the Baby Show. Here's their response:

Dear Carolyn

I wanted to write to you since you recently received a misleading and inflammatory email with regard to our business. I am concerned that this may have alarmed you, and wanted to take this opportunity to personally set the record straight and allay the concerns you have expressed.

As part of Clarion Events? ongoing development, we publicly announced the acquisition of three defence and security exhibitions in May and the acquisition of a further two last month. The email you received inaccurately describes these as ?arms fairs?; in fact, these are trade exhibitions which enjoy full UK and international Government support and which serve only the legitimate global defence industry. Exhibitors, including many leading British companies, must adhere to the highest regulatory standards, not just complying with, but also exceeding domestic and international law.

The email you received implies that the legitimate defence industry contributes to the illegal trade in weapons and human rights around the world - this is not the case. The UK places the strictest controls on the export of defence equipment and services and has led the way in the adoption of the EU Code of Conduct on arms exports.

Clarion Events has been creating and developing high quality exhibitions and events in a wide range of diverse sectors for more than 30 years, from retail to cars and from fine art to energy. Doing so in a well regulated, world class environment is our primary aim and we apply the same very high standards, rigour, experience, skill and care to organising all of our events.

We do not believe that public opinion is opposed to the defence and security industry. Whilst we respect everyone?s right to an opinion we, as you would expect, considered our decision to run events for this sector very carefully and we remain entirely secure with this.

We do believe that visitors and exhibitors at The Baby Show will continue to judge us on the standard of the event and the significant benefits everyone receives as a result of participating. Visitor bookings for the Earls Court show are already ahead of last year. We are looking forward to another very successful event.

I hope my letter answers any concerns you might have and hope that we will work together at this upcoming Baby Show and in the future.

If you do have any further questions however, please feel free to contact me.

Yours sincerely

Matt Miller
Show Manager
The Baby Shows

MNHQ

JustineMumsnet · 05/10/2008 22:24

Thanks for all the many responses so far - they've been very helpful.

Just to answer a few questions that have come up more than once:

Why do we want to go? - mainly to spread the word to potential users rather than advertisers.

Are babyshow goers the type of people we want on MN? - well yes, as they are mostly prospective and new mums and mums are squarely in our target market (we try not to distinguish too much between tasteful mums/ pushchair obsessed mums etc as it strikes us as that would be a bit of a generalisation. And in any case folks discover pretty quickly if MN's a place they're comfortable with or not.

How essential is it for us to be there? - Not particularly essential but one of our aims is to reach as many mums as we can and there are quite a few of them at the Babyshow so we think so it's an obvious place to market the site.

How are we paying/ would the money be better spent elsewhere? - we would offer reciprocal advertising so in fact no or little cash would need to be handed over.

Couldn't we get some press and therefore attract an equal number users from a boycott? - possibly (though quite unlikely I'd say) (Though we love the pass it on idea 3kids1cat )

Having said all that we'd like to think we will come to a decision on whether to attend this event based on a reasoned moral, rather than just a pragmatic, perspective.

We are keen to be consistent and I suppose one reservation we have about this is where do you draw the line? It's nigh on impossible to be completely moral and to pay all the bills - and there's an argument which goes along the lines of all advertising is essentially misleading/overly commercial/ultimately wasteful so we shouldn't really have any at all but tbh I don't think there's an alternative way of generating the cash we need to run the site.

We hope this gives a bit more flesh to our dilemma. Please do post your thoughts if you haven't already - we'll be taking a decision in the next few days.

Many thanks!

MNHQ

JustineMumsnet · 13/10/2008 12:26

Hello all,
Sorry for delay in getting back on this, it's been a busy few days.

Well we've cogitated, ruminated and whatever else that annoying Canadian bloke does, and we've decided not to go.

In truth we are still a bit in two minds about this - as it seems the Mumsnet community is - but we feel we need to do a bit more research/ thinking on it and generally think that it's best to err on the side of caution.

Obviously we think nasty weapons sales to evil regimes is bad - that's an easy one. Whether Clarion (the events organiser) and by extension the Baby Show should be held responsible for organising a legal event however is slightly more tricky in our minds at least. And something we'd like to think about a little more before we start banging a campaign drum about it.

Thanks to all for your input - please do continue to add your thoughts/perspective as it's very helpful for us and sorry to all those who offered to represent us at the Baby Show and who will be disappointed not to go there. We appreciate the offer of your time and hopefully they'll be other events.

Best,
MNHQ

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