And so, another year, another REVIVAL has been and gone..... though not really.... I don't think I am alone in thinking that REVIVAL: The Rivals 2017 is quite possibly the very best event we have ever done!
Only returning to full scale last year after a change in organisation the year before proved tough, and last year with a new venue, limited budget and late start in production made for a good, but not great, retro event. However we persevered, threw all our eggs in the basket, streamlined our operation, pulled out all the stops and called in all our favours for 2017 - and we think it really paid off. From the timing and run up to the advertising and content, we have a full grip of the reigns now and used our increasing resources and previous feedback to bring you all the kind of event we know you expect from us at our best and where everyone could once again find tons to see, tons to do, tons to take your interest, and so much atmosphere it would be hard NOT to enjoy yourself! Attendance this year was a massive 50% higher than last year and so far the comments, messages and reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, with many reporting the highlight of the event once again being mixing up the layout, increasing the number of exhibits, traders and things to do and most of all, a vibe that no one can really put their finger on and that no other event can match!
The best parts: the arcades and pins were as well received as ever, and played nice with us all weekend (for the most part!) - thanks be to Steve Pagett, Mike Lees, Roger Cantor, Martin Lawes, Dave and Rich for providing and maintaining these beasts of the golden age. The guests were the perfect choice, fully immersed themselves in the unmatched REVIVAL atmosphere and Retro Asylum did a superb job with the new talks arena, pulling around 200 visitors per session for each of the superb guest Q+A's - huge thanks to our special guests Dave Perry, Jim Bagley Kev Bayliss, Chris Marlow, Shawn Pile, Rich Stevenson, Mike Lister, Paul Rose, Rob Hewson and Jon Stoodley for the good times they shared and presence they brought to the show, and to the guys doing the interviewing Paul Davies, Dean Swain, Steve Eriksson, Chris O'Regan, Mark Hardisty and Gareth Gargette. Competitions were massively popular, in particular the stage action and Craigmaster challenges. Huge thanks to guest exhibitor Stephen Smith and Richard Firth and of course our comperes The Retro Lords Lawrence Quayle and Bobby Dixon. The multiplayer setups and fantastic console collections that made up the 'rivals' theme this year couldn't happen without Simon Hardy, Gareth and Graeme Kennerley, Duncan Woodward, Paul Little, Duncan Hawken, Arron Davis, Jenny Friel, Spencer Guest, Vinny Patel and Rich Spowart. Things also wouldn't keep flowing without my family for support, as well as the efforts of Ryan Cotterell, Blake Brett, Kevin Moss, Steven Day and Beau Romeo Jay, and huge thanks got to the venue staff, our main sponsors Nick Browne, Chris Wilkins and Stuart Williams, and contributory efforts of Richard Tewkesbury, Dave Rowland, Chris Parsons, Vic Marland, Harry Bolt and our fantastic traders for the excellent goods they had on sale all weekend.
Last of all we would like to thank YOU for spreading the word and continuing to attend and support our events. REVIVAL is independently funded and organised by a team of dedicated enthusiasts and as long as you continue to support our efforts, we will continue to bring you the biggest and best DEDICATED retro event in the UK, with new guests, new machines and new content every time!
We are taking a little while off now to unwind and look at the feedback, so be sure to share your photos and footage on our event page if you have them. We will post anything we find and soon enough, we will get gears turning and if you want it, start planning for new events later this year into 2018 and beyond!
Keep it retro
Craig Turner and all the team at RRE.
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