London Expo
#196
Re: London Expo
Well, it's pretty quiet right now: just took a look at the queue before sitting down here in Starbucks to pass the time until my slot at 11:30 and there can't have been more than twenty people hanging around outside Australia House in a vague sort of line. And we Brits are usually so good at queueing too... Maybe it's just early, or it's a hum of activity inside. I'll find out in fifteen minutes or so.
#198
Re: London Expo
Sounds really good! Not the huge rush the website indicated !!
Hubby going tomorrow. 11am slot. Wants to go to SA and WA seminar but may not make both if only got 2 hours.
Anyone worth talking to there re: engineering?
Keep smiling
Hubby going tomorrow. 11am slot. Wants to go to SA and WA seminar but may not make both if only got 2 hours.
Anyone worth talking to there re: engineering?
Keep smiling
#201
Re: London Expo
Ok, a little post-show report from the train home, by mobile, so forgive the dodgy formatting, etc.
The queueing outside, and the whole process of actually getting checked and admitted was pretty well organised. They were shooing away people who'd turned up more than an hour early for their slot, so if you are early, go and get a coffee. They actively managed the queue so that you didn't miss your entry time. Oh, and they're serious about "no backpacks or large bags.
Next point worth noting: the seminar tickets were disappearing fast. When I got in at 11:35, the 12:00 WA one was long since full. Get your tickets first before hitting the booths.
Not that hitting is the right word; in contrast to the great management of the outside queue, the inside was chaos. Most of the booths had long queues which overlapped and got confused... People kept asking others in line which booth they were waiting for, and finding they were in the wrong queue, or the person they were asking was. The booths were pretty close together, and had maybe three people on each, so there wasn't nearly the capacity to meet the demand.
So: what I'd suggest is:
* If the exhibitor you want to see has a website where you can make enquiries, you're probably going to do better using that.
* Don't expect to be able to speak to anyone for more than a couple of minutes, unless you're really good at ignoring a line of thirty people standing immediately behind you impatiently.
* Expect to be able to see no more than three exhibitors before you run out of time or stamina. Especially if one of them is a state (i.e. the Govt of WA).
* Adopt a Zen-like attitude of calm: you're going to spend a lot of time queuing.
From my point of view, it might have been very useful... or little more than an experience. If you're a civil engineer, or in construction, you'll probably find more interest: very little for we software engineers.
Anyway, time to go home and have a beer.
B
The queueing outside, and the whole process of actually getting checked and admitted was pretty well organised. They were shooing away people who'd turned up more than an hour early for their slot, so if you are early, go and get a coffee. They actively managed the queue so that you didn't miss your entry time. Oh, and they're serious about "no backpacks or large bags.
Next point worth noting: the seminar tickets were disappearing fast. When I got in at 11:35, the 12:00 WA one was long since full. Get your tickets first before hitting the booths.
Not that hitting is the right word; in contrast to the great management of the outside queue, the inside was chaos. Most of the booths had long queues which overlapped and got confused... People kept asking others in line which booth they were waiting for, and finding they were in the wrong queue, or the person they were asking was. The booths were pretty close together, and had maybe three people on each, so there wasn't nearly the capacity to meet the demand.
So: what I'd suggest is:
* If the exhibitor you want to see has a website where you can make enquiries, you're probably going to do better using that.
* Don't expect to be able to speak to anyone for more than a couple of minutes, unless you're really good at ignoring a line of thirty people standing immediately behind you impatiently.
* Expect to be able to see no more than three exhibitors before you run out of time or stamina. Especially if one of them is a state (i.e. the Govt of WA).
* Adopt a Zen-like attitude of calm: you're going to spend a lot of time queuing.
From my point of view, it might have been very useful... or little more than an experience. If you're a civil engineer, or in construction, you'll probably find more interest: very little for we software engineers.
Anyway, time to go home and have a beer.
B
#203
Forum Regular
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 54
Re: London Expo
I've just got back from the expo, and can only agree with everything that benlast said - for someone in I.T, there was very little to be gained. The only potential interest would have been some of the official State stands, but given the queues and lack of time, I decided not to hang around.
I don't want to sound like I'm knocking it - all the exhibitors seemed very friendly and helpful. If you're only just starting to look into the whole emigration thing, or seriously interested in one of the companies attending, then it's probably worthwhile.
But it would be much better if they had separate events for different professions - e.g. one for healthcare, one for construction, one for I.T., etc. By trying to fit in everything into a small space, they're left with a weird cross-section of exhibitors (I'm guessing that Catholic teachers and panel-beaters don't have much in common)
I don't want to sound like I'm knocking it - all the exhibitors seemed very friendly and helpful. If you're only just starting to look into the whole emigration thing, or seriously interested in one of the companies attending, then it's probably worthwhile.
But it would be much better if they had separate events for different professions - e.g. one for healthcare, one for construction, one for I.T., etc. By trying to fit in everything into a small space, they're left with a weird cross-section of exhibitors (I'm guessing that Catholic teachers and panel-beaters don't have much in common)
#205
Re: London Expo
My OH and I made the trip up today. Not to far from where we live so no great pains to get there and a day out too!
Agree that the outside queue was well managed. My OH actually got in 15 minutes earlier than his scheduled time of 10:15. They were running ahead of schedule apparently. But OH's feed back was disappointing. He went straight to get a seminar ticket for the QLD and WA seminars and couldn't get any at just past 10 o'clock. He went to talk to the exhibitors but just like other posts, the queues were horrific. He grabbed as much info as he could and chatted to as many of the relevant stands to him (not many for an Electrician who wants to move to Perth or Brisbane - the WA government and QLD government ones, and the DIAC stand) and then headed for the door.
I had settled in for the long hall in Cafe Nero with my book and he turned up 45 minutes later!!!
I think this one was more specifically aimed at people who have done no research as we didn't find out anything we didn't already know.
Still it was an experience and we made the effort. So if they ever checked their records to see who attended their expo's (committed to the process and all of that jazz.....) maybe we'll get brownie points?
Anyway, hope other people had a good experience!
Agree that the outside queue was well managed. My OH actually got in 15 minutes earlier than his scheduled time of 10:15. They were running ahead of schedule apparently. But OH's feed back was disappointing. He went straight to get a seminar ticket for the QLD and WA seminars and couldn't get any at just past 10 o'clock. He went to talk to the exhibitors but just like other posts, the queues were horrific. He grabbed as much info as he could and chatted to as many of the relevant stands to him (not many for an Electrician who wants to move to Perth or Brisbane - the WA government and QLD government ones, and the DIAC stand) and then headed for the door.
I had settled in for the long hall in Cafe Nero with my book and he turned up 45 minutes later!!!
I think this one was more specifically aimed at people who have done no research as we didn't find out anything we didn't already know.
Still it was an experience and we made the effort. So if they ever checked their records to see who attended their expo's (committed to the process and all of that jazz.....) maybe we'll get brownie points?
Anyway, hope other people had a good experience!
Last edited by Janna and Nick; Mar 15th 2008 at 7:21 pm.
#206
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 537
Re: London Expo
My OH went today and echos all you have all said (especially the brownie points!!) He finally got to the SA stand and they didn't even know what pathway D was she said she only dealt with the sponsorshio applications, OH said that he thought that he needed the skills assessment before he could apply for sponsorship, she said ' oh yeah, you do need that but i've no idea how you go about it' Luckily we do - been there, didn't get the T-shirt because of pathway D
He also got speaking to a guy who wasn't even on the sol list who applied to see if he got an invite - and he did, so i'm guessing not many people were rejected.
He also got speaking to a guy who wasn't even on the sol list who applied to see if he got an invite - and he did, so i'm guessing not many people were rejected.
#207
Re: London Expo
What a horrible mess of an expo.
Unless you are one of the very few types of people you see mentioned in the exhibitors list I suggest not wasting the train fare. Every stand you might want to talk to people on had a huge slow moving queue snaking around the hall (I queued for over 1 hour to talk to the ONE person on the NSW stand, no joke). Once you do get to talk to them there is little to be learnt that you couldn't find out on a website or via email.
Badly organised, excepting the outside queuing, and with little to recommend it. You would do MUCH better going to the expo in London in April - a better range of employers and no extreme queuing (a new olympic sport for 2012 maybe?)
Do the maths, 300 people per hour, 1 or two people on a stand. Each chat on average 3-5 mins. Be generous and its a max of 40 people per hour per stand. 40 into 300 means most people don't get the time to talk to people on most stands they might wish to encounter, particularly state and DIAC. Its designed to create huge purposeless queues.
Unless you are one of the very few types of people you see mentioned in the exhibitors list I suggest not wasting the train fare. Every stand you might want to talk to people on had a huge slow moving queue snaking around the hall (I queued for over 1 hour to talk to the ONE person on the NSW stand, no joke). Once you do get to talk to them there is little to be learnt that you couldn't find out on a website or via email.
Badly organised, excepting the outside queuing, and with little to recommend it. You would do MUCH better going to the expo in London in April - a better range of employers and no extreme queuing (a new olympic sport for 2012 maybe?)
Do the maths, 300 people per hour, 1 or two people on a stand. Each chat on average 3-5 mins. Be generous and its a max of 40 people per hour per stand. 40 into 300 means most people don't get the time to talk to people on most stands they might wish to encounter, particularly state and DIAC. Its designed to create huge purposeless queues.
#208
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 646
Re: London Expo
i agree with the above comments , in at 10.25 out at 12.00, no ticket for qld seminar, no companies looking for plumbing/general tradies a couple of agencies that i found very secretive and only really interested if you had all paperwork in place, spent more time getting through the que for each stand that when i got to the front i felt obliged to ask a question and move on. dont get me wrong certain jobs were well represented and i saw a stand for teachers acvtivelly looking for people, and vehicle mechanics were saught after, and also medical people, just not very basic trade oriantated stands and i have spoke to so many tradies going, shame but never mind.
#209
Re: London Expo
Hi can I ask was there any hairdressers invited to the expo or anyone there looking for hairdressers?
I did start to fill in the form but it was longer than the visa application so get fed up and didn't bother to finish it just wanted to know if I had done the right thing?
Cheers
Tina x
I did start to fill in the form but it was longer than the visa application so get fed up and didn't bother to finish it just wanted to know if I had done the right thing?
Cheers
Tina x
#210
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 646
Re: London Expo
no hairdressing stands im afraid,,,,,,,,,,,, or plumbing now you have me moaning again,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, look what youv done