Why Are Tickets So Expensive??

[Lesley Jay]

The question is in the title - just why are the tickets for RHS gardening shows so expensive? My sons mother in law is in the country and we want to take her to some of the shows this summer but Tatton Parks show is £20 each for admission so with the car park it will cost £104 just to get in. Then there is everything else to buy once you are there. Do they set their prices high to stop a lot of people going?

[smallblueplanet]

I also wonder why it costs so much - but 'supply & demand' no doubt. The one thing that makes me feel slightly better about not being able to afford to go is that I hate crowds and whenever they show pictures of these places they are always packed!

[noshed]

They obviously want to make as much money as possible so they cater for the Daily Telegraph end of the market, rather than the pound shop. Gets quite annoying when this attitude infests Gardeners World as well "This only cost £3 million". Pity noone as good as Geoff Hamilton has come along.

[sewer rat]

The simple answer is Greed !

[Jaxom]

The RHS show here in Cardiff was £8 a ticket and £10 on the day.
I have looked at the prices for a number of RHS shows and they range in cost.
It seems as though Cardiff’s was cheep due to the fact it was the second year holding the show here and also the first show in the RHS calendar year.

[Shortie]

Thing is that the prices are of putting aren't they LJ? I'm the pnly one who wants to go to them other than my sister (but she lives in Ireland so timing can be a bit of an issue!) and although my OH would go with me to kep me company, I know he'd be bored in an hour or so, then I'd feel like I ought to be kind and go home early, and all for 2 expensive tickets plus parking/travelling fees and expensive, naff food when you're in there.

Sorry, that was pretty 'bah humbug' of me wasn't it?

In all honesty if I felt like going on my own one year I would probably not think it seemed as expensive etc...

[Lesley Jay]

But you can't go on your own Shortie can you? You need someone to talk to - well I do otherwise I would end up talking to myself and getting funny looks!!

[andrewo]

Tatton is also £14 during the week. I did ask someone why tickets got more expensive at weekends, they told me it was about projected capacity and the need for stewards, security and cover from fire, ambulance and police (the fore and latter charge for attendance at private events). As the crowds can double and sometime treble at the weekends, they have to bounce the tickets up to cover extra stewards, catering etc. Bigger the show gets, the more expensive it gets because of crowd control.

[Lesley Jay]

The ticket prices at Tatton Park for the RHS show have just gone up in price! They are now £21 each. If you book in advance and take a chance that it's not raining on the day your tickets are issued for, you get a £2 reduction. If you are a member of the RHS at a cost of £42 for a year you can get a reduction on the price to £16 - but only if you book in advance. I think that the limit is two tickets.

We go to many shows at Tatton Park. The car shows are usually packed out and are always on at weekends.They have stewards, security, fire cover, first aid and police and the cost of admission? Just £5!

[GardenFan]

Greed is the answer. When you look at Malven spring show it was around 13 pound per person. That show is massive (bigger than Tatton) and has the same costs for crowd control but yet costs a lot less. Maybe Malven has its own stewards and thus costs less but if that's that's the case then how about holding the show some place that emulate that. Being close to my kneck of the wood's I would have given Tatton a go but costing that much money I'll leave it to the Toffs.

[Shortie]

But you can't go on your own Shortie can you? You need someone to talk to - well I do otherwise I would end up talking to myself and getting funny looks!!

Hee hee... I 'd probably hum or sing to myself (I often realise I'm singing to myself at work when I see people 'trying not to look at me'). It'd soon get round the event that I was the day's nutter and wonder why I was getting wide berth

But no I agree, thy are the kind of thing you go to in pairs aren't they..

[SueA]

The only times I've been to any of the big shows is when I've won tickets because otherwise they are just not worth the money. I have an O.H. who just sulks all the way round the shows as I have to 'persuade' him to accompany me like you do Shortie, he also refuses to buy anything to eat as even the icecreams are twice the price of anywhere else!

[Shortie]

Yes, mine's not too happy being dragged round, but quite happily goes to the food and drick places... probably to escape the show itself!

[Birdie Wife]

The Gardening Scotland show (2nd-4th June) is £14 on Friday and £12 on Saturday and Sunday, with a £2 reduction on any day for pre-booking. Free parking too. Good value from the sounds of it ! Hopefully I'll be there on the Saturday, I'll be the one attempting to fit a jungle into the back of the Mondeo estate !

[nick the grief]

Hee hee... I 'd probably hum or sing to myself (I often realise I'm singing to myself at work when I see people 'trying not to look at me'). It'd soon get round the event that I was the day's nutter and wonder why I was getting wide berth

But no I agree, thy are the kind of thing you go to in pairs aren't they..

I suppose it's better than Breaking wind Shortie & LJ Anything that has the involvement of the RHS seem to be expensive. I suspect that you've got to cover the cost of Flunkies as well. Plus when are most people going to go ... the weekend so more profit.

I don't go to any of these I'm afraid as 1) I'm a tight git & 2) they don't really hold much interest for me. I'd sooner spend the £20 on some plants or something for the garden.

The Open Garden scheme is different as this at least goes to charity