Went to Geneva yesterday
Discussion
Hi all! My partner and I popped over to Geneva yesterday. First time I have been, and boy was I impressed! Firstly top marks to Easyjet. I know lots of people knock them but both flights were on time and organised brilliantly. They sure know how to turn planes around quickly on the ground. All in price for 2 of us return was £90. Flight time less than travelling to NEC from Surrey. The show was 16CHF to get in. An absolute bargain compared to the price you had to pay in UK when we had a motor show. The show itself was fantastic with highlights being (in no particular order) the new Lambo, Pagani, Koenigseg and Spyker. I thought the new FF Ferrari actually looked worse in the flesh than in pictures but that is just my opinion. Apparently they have sold out so some people must like it! The new 3 wheeler Morgan was getting lots of attention as were the crazy cocepts and styling demos. Finally food and drink were at reasonable prices with no rip off of captive customers. Plus everybody spoke impeccable English. The sad thing is I am old enough to remember when we did a decent motor show in the UK. How come we are so awful at organising events like this? The last one I went to at Excel was poorly organised, expensive and with not many decent manufacturers there. Only omission at Geneva was McClaren but I guess as they have alresdy launched they did not deem it worthwhile. Overall an awesome experience and easily do-able in a day. Roll on next year. Already in the diary!!
iandc said:
Finally food and drink were at reasonable prices with no rip off of captive customers.
Seriously. Just got back a few hours ago. I am surprised they were not wearing masks with the prices they were asking. 4.50CHF for a can of Coke; 14 CHF for some chips and nuggets. 3.50CHF for the smallest donut you can imagine.Thank goodness for the freeby water and coffe at Mercedes.
Otherwise a brilliant show
XB70 said:
Seriously. Just got back a few hours ago. I am surprised they were not wearing masks with the prices they were asking. 4.50CHF for a can of Coke; 14 CHF for some chips and nuggets. 3.50CHF for the smallest donut you can imagine.
Thank goodness for the freeby water and coffe at Mercedes.
Otherwise a brilliant show
Thank goodness for the freeby water and coffe at Mercedes.
Otherwise a brilliant show
Got to agree with this really. I've just got back from two days in Geneva. Geneva must be one of the most expensive places I've been too.
Show was great though, but jeez, it was bloody hot in there!!
It was roasting - and very dry air too. Talking to a few people on the stands and they said that we having to guzzle water down but then others (Mitsubishi) had a cool air vent just above them so nice to hang out there for a while.
It was a great show but agree completely that it is a very expensive place.
It was a great show but agree completely that it is a very expensive place.
XB70 said:
It was roasting - and very dry air too. Talking to a few people on the stands and they said that we having to guzzle water down but then others (Mitsubishi) had a cool air vent just above them so nice to hang out there for a while.
It was a great show but agree completely that it is a very expensive place.
verageIt was a great show but agree completely that it is a very expensive place.
Yup. We watched the Arsenal/Barcelona game in a bar in Geneva; the prices were mindboggling e.g £20 for a burger and chips
It's never been cheap to eat in Geneva/Switzerland (regularly at the top of the Econmist's BigMac index) but with only CHF 1.50 to the Pound you will feel the pain. A few years ago you would have got 50% more for your Steling - circa CHF 2.25.
It always hot under those lights too but there are sevral cloakrooms and that is the only way to do it.
The entry has always been reasonable though and this year they've even made it half-price CHF8 / GBP5.30 if you go after 4pm (it closes at 8pm during the week).
It always hot under those lights too but there are sevral cloakrooms and that is the only way to do it.
The entry has always been reasonable though and this year they've even made it half-price CHF8 / GBP5.30 if you go after 4pm (it closes at 8pm during the week).
Edited by MogulBoy on Thursday 10th March 08:33
I never said it was cheap! The point I was making was that the prices inside reflected the "normal" prices of eating out in Switzerland. I paid £2 for a bottle of coke in W H Smiths at Gatwick so £3 inside the exhibition was about the same as eating out anywhere in Switzerland. Just a bit different to the UK where you get ripped off once you are in a venue compared to outside prices. Agree it was hor especially around lunch time when it got really crowded. The organisation was good though but the hall dedicated to tyre changing equipment and garage lifts baffled me a bit. I guess they want to attract the trade as weell as Joe Public. Overall a great experience and the travel there and back makes it affordable and practical from the UK where we seemed to have abandoned the car buying public.
I live in Zurich and yes whenever we have visitors come over from the UK (or indeed the Eurozone) they are shocked by the prices of eating drinking out. When we were in Geneva last weekend I didn't notice the prices, which tells me that they were neither cheap nor over the top. I agree it's good for the organisers not to take the piss...
My mate and I were wondering about that in terms of what the prices were like compared to generally.
The entry price was a bargain and easily the best motor show I have been to.
Don't get me wrong - well worth it but could have ate like a king if I stuffed the backpack with some M&S supplies like a few seemed to have done.
Was very tempted to ask the nice person on the Lexus stand for an orange from their fruit bowl but within a few hours, contemplated nicking water out of a flower arrangement near Tata
The entry price was a bargain and easily the best motor show I have been to.
Don't get me wrong - well worth it but could have ate like a king if I stuffed the backpack with some M&S supplies like a few seemed to have done.
Was very tempted to ask the nice person on the Lexus stand for an orange from their fruit bowl but within a few hours, contemplated nicking water out of a flower arrangement near Tata
I had a single black label and the mrs had a single brandy in the hotel I then got a diet coke to take up to the room
. it was £32
yes food at the expo was expensive compared to our high street but I'm not complaining.
We got free travel from airport to hotel/hotel to expo. Hotel gave us free tickets for the buses in zone 10 they were excellent. I worked them out in minutes and used them a lot. Can't even do that in this country (work out time tables not that I would ever use them unless in an emergency).
To get into the car show was cheap and the guide was free. IIRC the last time I went to the NEC you had to pay extra for a guide.
Glad I went will probably go again next.
. it was £32
yes food at the expo was expensive compared to our high street but I'm not complaining.
We got free travel from airport to hotel/hotel to expo. Hotel gave us free tickets for the buses in zone 10 they were excellent. I worked them out in minutes and used them a lot. Can't even do that in this country (work out time tables not that I would ever use them unless in an emergency).
To get into the car show was cheap and the guide was free. IIRC the last time I went to the NEC you had to pay extra for a guide.
Glad I went will probably go again next.
Tuvra said:
AndrewD said:
Sit down lunch free at the Starling Hotel next to the exhibition, courtesy of Ferrari
Im not surprised looking at your garage! 
I dont fancy my chances at blagging the same tomorrow
Enjoy yourself. Remember it gets very hot in the halls with so many people and all the bright lights
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