Baselworld 2017

[Shaky]

I have been toying with attending this event next year, possibly with Mrs Shaky.

I looked up flights and it appears to be about £150 each.

From those of you with experience of this event I have a number of questions.

1/ Is it worth it
2/ How many days do you suggest.
3/ Is £150 realistic for flights
4/ What is a realistic price for accommodation and is it obtainable at event time
5/ What's the chance of getting tickets and possibly access to evening events etc.

Any other advice/tips are appreciated

Shaky

[RedsBluesGreens]

Hi Shaky, I'll give answering them a go....


1) Yes, definitely. The ultimate experience for a watch-nerd!

2) My usual is the press day through to the following Sunday, so 4 days usually, and that is about enough for me - it equates to about 25 meetings on average.

3) Yes, that's a realistic figure. My flights this year came to a touch over that, around about £165. Another expenditure to take in to account if food whilst you're at the show, though, the stands are ridiculously expensive. I'd recommend a short walk from the Messeplatz in to the Main Street for food.

4) One word? Expensive - and nigh on impossible to get in Basel itself without a massive waiting list. I'd recommend staying outside Basel and getting the train in, it's quite easy and relatively inexpensive. I'd recommend saying somewhere outside Oulten or Aarau, about 40mins on the train.

5) Tickets are easy to get, I wouldn't worry about that. Unless you have contacts or a press pass, however, evening events are closed to the public as they're usually done on a strict guess list/invite. I can help with a few brands though, should you wish to tag along with me!

Anything else, feel free to ask.

J.

[Shaky]

Jake

Thanks for the info, it always worth asking someone in the know. All in then what would you say would be a realistic budget for the four days.

How far in advance is it wise to book ??

[RedsBluesGreens]

The four days for accommodation, food, everything? To be honest, Shaky, I'd be doing it now.

May be better to PM me with exactly what you mean as it could bore people here discussing finance!

J.

[chunkythebulldog]

I might be interested in attending. Any chance you could copy me into your PM's?

Thanks

Ian

[Oracle]

I have been going to Baselworld for over 30 years now and it still blows the socks off!

There is so much to see even if you just want a look at the watches (although the Jewellery is worth taking a look at too - the amount on show is incredible and mostly of the very highest quality)

To look at the watches alone I would say that 2 days is more than enough time although I know that Jake takes a much more in-depth look at more brands than I need to.

Accommodation in Basel is hard to find, but there are plenty of hotels within a quick commute in Switzerland, France & Germany.

Depending on which part of the country you live there are plenty of cheap direct flights to Basel.

Go for it!

[rich]

I have been going to Baselworld for over 30 years now and it still blows the socks off!

Was your first visit a school trip?

[Shaky]

Well there's four of us already haha.

Jake as chunky and probably others are interested. My question is to you and oracle, what would you both consider to be a sensible/realistic budget for 3/4 days for everything flights food accommodation and train fares etc ??

[RedsBluesGreens]

Well there's four of us already haha.

Jake as chunky and probably others are interested. My question is to you and oracle, what would you both consider to be a sensible/realistic budget for 3/4 days for everything flights food accommodation and train fares etc ??

Accommodation is such a minefield in and around Basel for Baselworld, you could spent *anything*, so I'll leave that one out. All I will say is *do not* stay in Basel if you can help it, you'll pay over the odds for anything and everything. I'd recommend somewhere like Oracle says, in France or Germany. Even 'up the road' in Aarau, Menziken, Oulten or Buchs is a lot cheaper.

For train fares and food (based on my expenditure over the last few years) I would estimate around CHF550: c.£400. The killer is train fares - as I'm there for a while, usually 4/5 days, it's cheaper to get the Baselworld all in one ticket, which gives you tram and train access for the shows duration but it is CHF182, £140. Single return tickets, however, seem to be around £30-60 a pop (dependant on peak or off peak) so a the Baselworld ticket presents a considerable saving when combined with tram fairs also!

A final consideration are show ticket costs - they can get expensive. Anything over 3 days and it is cheaper to get the ticket that lasts the show duration, and that is CHF150, compared to CHF60 for a day ticket. Disclaimer: I'm on a press (media) pass, so as I don't have to worry about that bit, those prices are taken straight off the website.

J.

[Oracle]

Was your first visit a school trip?

How observant of you Richard!! They still allow prams in today......