BRICKLIVE 2018 Birmingham

SeanTheCollector

Just about to head off to the NEC in Birmingham (UK) to attend BRICKLIVE 2018:

https://bricklive.co.uk/bricklive-birmingham-2018/

I've got a couple of Day VIP passes for me and the lady which cost £38.29 each with booking fees.

Anyone else planning on attending?

Paperballpark

Not this year no. I've already displayed at BrickLive in Basel and Glasgow this year!

daniellelego82

Im visiting on saturday treated myself to VIP passes for my birthday day out (my partner is crap at organising anything so i did it myself). we went on normal tickets last year so im interested to see whats in the goody bag.

SeanTheCollector

Back from our day out at the NEC. This year's BRICKLIVE experience is totally different from previous years. As a collector I'm only really happy when I'm expanding my collection! I had hoped with Toys R Us's demise, another retailer would fill the void but no such luck this year. There is a range of small stalls and display areas and lots of brick pits for kids. It reminds me of Legoland Discovery Centre in Birmingham.

The VIP package this year is particularly disappointing. I won't spoil anyone's surprise regarding the goodie bag but don't set your hopes too high! Gone is the VIP coffee lounge as well although there are more general food and drink outlets and seating. A very noticable difference today was the VIP queue was tiny and hours later when we popped back after a visit to Resorts World for lunch at Nandos and non lego shopping, the crowds were still thin on the ground! I won't bother with a VIP pass next year assuming I go at all! I might try BRICKLIVE London for a change of scene.

I would be interested to get other people's experiences of this year's event.

Th1nDiesel

@SeanTheCollector I was at Bricklive today too, with my wife and kids. The last time we went was back in 2015 so I also noticed quite a big difference this time around. I agree that it seemed much less busy; there was plenty of space to walk between exhibits and we never felt like the kids (6 & 3) would get swallowwd by the crowd, which was nice. We also went for VIP tickets and were disappointed by the contents of the goodie bag, though I wasnt particularly wowed last time so I didnt expect too much today - still a bit surprised by the lack of decent goodies.
My wife and I both enjoyed wandering around the Brick Lane stalls and the kids loved the building areas. The Fan Zone was cool, and the models on display were excellent but I felt it would have been nice it there was a bit more to see. The smaller two much preferred the Mythical Beasts section, probably due to the sheer size of the models as well as the subject matter. 
The lack of a large retailer was noticeable especially since TRU seemed to be a big draw at the last show we attended, but I don't think it impacted on the exhibition as a whole.
Altogether, we had a great day out, if a bit on the expensive side, though I too probably wouldn't pay for VIP tickets again.

Paperballpark

The Thursday and Friday were never as busy as Saturday and Sunday.

SeanTheCollector

@Paperballpark I've always gone on Thursday so I can't say what a weekend experience was like before and will be like this time. However, parents with kids might find the new quieter experience a bit less fraught and with no Toys R Us, a bit less expensive even if the tickets and parking is as expensive as ever! :)

p.s. Remember to book your NEC parking before you go since its £12 when booked online a day before but now £16 on the day!

Hob

Myself and the family (plus friends) were there Friday.  We got VIP tickets.  Didn't really think getting them was that great a deal.  Not much in the goodie bag and getting in early didn't really benefit us either.  I did enjoy walking around and looking at the MOCs and the mythical beasts.  

Also managed to pick up some great sets from One more brick (Arcade machines and Camper van).

Also visited the Brum Discovery centre and picked up 2 of the LEGOLAND sets.  

I did enjoy the day out and will go next time but will only get the standard ticket.

There is a Brick show in Bristol this month so will also be attending that as well

Eelesy

Not sure if any one can help me but worth a shot - bought two figs from 'TheBrickTeam' store on Sunday and found on my card they overcharged me. I recall visiting their website on Sunday but cannot for the life of me find it now. I would like to get in touch  to see if they can sort out overcharging me! Thanks for reading!