That’s the option I use and it works well. That car park next door to the hotel is extortionate !
Just had my booster jab today so I may be on for the show. 
I’ve been a few times, It’s a day out mostly and an excuse to look at stuff you have an interest in. The venue and format aren’t the basis of making a serious purchase decision, I’ve never had a good demo of anything crammed in to an empty hotel bedroom with a cluster of strangers and well meaning vendor demo staff.
The main thing it’s good for is if you have something specific you know you want and will purchase and can likely get a bit cheaper at the show, factor for your travel and ticket cost in that equation of course, if you only intend buying a £20 record brush you may be better off using the more typical purchase methods!
If nothing else it’s worth going just to see Richard sat outside reception in a Bentley 
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Nah, it’s the shoe-box sized CD transport that we’ve all been calling for…
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Not that I have ever been lucky enough to go to a hifi show, but isn’t taking a train or a bus to such an event a bit, you know, risky. What if you want to buy something big and heavy. Like the demo 552.
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I am looking forward to the HiFi show in Bristol, but like others I will make the decision on attending nearer the time when the Covid situation will be clearer. The thought of being in close proximity to others in small hotel rooms does make me a little concerned. But we do have to move on and come to terms living with this virus and if that means wearing masks etc then that is what we must do.
I enjoy the shows as it allows me to hear equipment that I can only read about in the HiFi magazines. Although the conditions are not always ideal many manufacturers do try and present their products well. Rega being a good example when they gave a demo of their £1000 system and of course Naim.
The other thing I get out of attending is hearing new music as part of the demo’s, which I would not necessarily think of listening too.
This is why even hifi blokes eventually get married. Phone the wife. Sorted.
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I once phoned the wife from a boat auction and asked her to quickly measure the garage to see if the boat I was bidding on would fit!
She was not impressed.
Fortunately for my marriage, bidding for this boat got too rich for my blood.
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I already know that a 552 and PSU will fit in the same space as my 282 and 2 HCs. And best not to draw unnecessary attention to any changes too.
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Lol this 100%
Sneak it in the rack when she’s out 
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Can’t say I’m that surprised in light of recent developments.
It is a pity, but very understandable …now Naim needs to find another way to introduce the 272.2 
Makes sense. Safety first, always.
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How very disappointing - always loved the Bristol show as it’s a great chance to see and hear some great gear, to chat with manufacturers, to hear new music worth buying and to share the audiophile passion with like minded people. Frankly it’s unmissable to me and I’m surprised that some here don’t love it as much as I do - I still feel like a 10 year old at Hamleys the week before Christmas everytime I go!!!
I’m not sure about the logic of cancelling to be honest. I’m no covid deny-er, indeed before vaccinations and boosters I was very pro lockdown. Since vaccinations and boosters I have come to the conclusion that we simply can’t stop living forever because of this virus - it isn’t going away even in 2023 and 2024. I’m the guy who never stopped wearing a mask in pubs and supermarkets as I’m all for sensible precautions, but I’m also the guy who has to go to Heathrow airport everyday for work and who sits in a small flight deck everyday with a different stranger and isn’t permitted to wear a mask because it might interfere with the radio comms. I’m not sure that the risk of covid is any worse at the Bristol hi-fi show than it is walking around Heathrow or any large railway station or shopping centre and it’s almost certainly lower than the risk at any gig, theatre or cinema performance.
In the absence of clear guidelines everyone has to weigh the evidence and make their own risk assessment and the Bristol show have made theirs which is quite fair. The problem I suspect is that nobody knows where we might be by February or how bad things might get. Like everyone this Autumn I hoped that things were finally getting back to some sort of normality with gigs, friends and going out. I’m currently wrestling with what to do about our tickets for Del Amitri at Glasgow Barrowlands on 21st Dec. It’s not just the gig but the long train journey up from the South of England too. People jumping around singing and sweating clearly presents a much higher risk than the Bristol show and I am concerned about that. £280 train tickets, £50 hotel and £90 gig tickets and not sure how much if any we can get back though!! Decisions, decisions…
On a broader point though I’m now firmly of the belief that the only way to get rid of this thing once and for all is for the first world to ensure the third world get vaccinated too. Otherwise we’re going to be locked in this perpetual merry-go-round of never being able to safely come together for music, hi-fi, Wimbledon or anything else…
Jonathan
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It’s about timing. The nearer to the event you cancel the greater the financial hit. I was always going to skip this time round, I imagine the Organisers are getting the clear impression numbers will be low.
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Hmmm Omicron….uhho
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