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FRIAT renewal 25

Post information relating to the Royal International Air Tattoo here.
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iainpeden
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Joined: Fri Sep 09, 2011 7:20 pm

FRIAT renewal 25

Post by iainpeden » Fri Aug 09, 2024 3:06 pm

This just popped up.

"Dear FRIAT member,
We hope you enjoyed the show this year. Last week, we sent out a survey to the lead FRIAT bookers for RIAT24 asking for feedback regarding this year's show and the proposed changes for RIAT25.

We are now reviewing the feedback from this survey which will help us send you as much detail as possible regarding next year's FRIAT offer before you make your decision on your renewal(s).

The renewal email along with RIAT25 information will be sent out to you mid/late September.

Kind regards,

The FRIAT team"

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Gary
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Re: FRIAT renewal 25

Post by Gary » Wed Sep 25, 2024 3:22 pm

From the latest email
FRIAT 2025 - important information

Dear FRIAT member,

We're getting in touch with you to confirm some important information about next year's event and re-booking your FRIAT tickets for RIAT25.

Firstly, we'd like to thank everybody in the FRIAT community who took the time to share their thoughts on this year's event. In particular the constructive feedback regarding the enclosure move and the things that most concern you. We have now reviewed all comments and are able to provide in more detail the enclosure offer for 2025.

FRIAT Enclosure

You will see changes for 2025 in the accompanying plan of the showground.

The FRIAT Grandstand will be moving 175 metres west and 45 metres south from its previous location and will be inline with the Viewing Village Grandstand

Both grandstands will have the same elevation from the front, with the platform for the first row of seating being approx. 2.2 metres high. This means the FRIAT Grandstand will be approx. 1 metre higher than in previous years
Members with mobility issues who cannot access the grandstand will still have the ‘Row X’ seats, at the very front of the FRIAT crowd line

A new FRIAT garden will be positioned in front of the grandstand to the left hand side. This will be staffed and managed throughout the event

All fencing in front of the grandstand will be low level (1.10 metres) with higher fencing used to secure the rest of the enclosure behind

Low level speakers will be installed directly in front of the FRIAT grandstand, the FRIAT crowd line and FRIAT garden
The marquee, facilities, secure storage and refreshments will be positioned immediately behind the grandstand. We will be making improvements to the catering offer for 2025 having reviewed your feedback. We will bring you more details on this in due course.

The picnic benches have been relocated to the FRIAT garden. Please be aware that if you purchase a grandstand seat, but like to also sit on the grass area in front, you will be able to do this if you bring your own chair with you.


Renewal information

A renewal email will be sent to the 2024 lead booker confirming the FRIAT25 package and offering the exact same seats that were booked this year. If you are planning to come back in 2025 please do nothing with this first email. However, if you know you are no longer able to attend next year’s show there will be an option in the email for you to cancel the renewal – please only use this option if you wish to cancel your whole booking otherwise wait for the next step of the renewals.



By the 7th October you will be sent a link to the FRIAT grandstand seating plan which will show any seats that have been released. It is at this point that you will be able to contact us for a two-week period and make any changes to your current booking. This could be changing the number of people in your booking or changing the seats you have reserved.



You will then have up until 2nd December to complete your purchase via the payment link we will send you. Only tickets booked via this renewal process will be eligible for the loyalty discount of £30 off the full price. Once tickets go on sale via the website, tickets will be sold at the full price. We will not be able to offer the loyalty discounted price after the cut off point.



We hope all the above is clear but if there are any questions please do get in touch. We are really looking forward to welcoming you back to RIAT25 as a FRIAT member and want to thank you again for your support and engagement with us throughout this process.



Best regards,



The FRIAT Team

Harkins
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Re: FRIAT renewal 25

Post by Harkins » Wed Sep 25, 2024 4:25 pm

So all the invites to make comment were a complete waste of time because they’ve amended absolutely nothing (if anything push us further back still) apart from some crap about improving the bacon butties.

It’s an appalling action, but one they know 100% they can get away with because it’ll sell out to disgruntled but loyal/addicted enthusiasts. They’re like drug dealers.

So the viewing village get a huge area ahead of them and FRIAT at over 300 quid get a narrow strip of land after a walking a narrow corridor past a public enclosure.

The only winners here are 600mm lens retailers.

Harkins
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Re: FRIAT renewal 25

Post by Harkins » Wed Sep 25, 2024 4:29 pm

Maybe they can open up the Viewing Village to FRIAT on Monday for extra space. Probably not.

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Nighthawke
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Re: FRIAT renewal 25

Post by Nighthawke » Wed Sep 25, 2024 7:08 pm

Sounds like a need for rehab. Next year will be my 30th RIAT-free year. :D

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RedsSnapper
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Re: FRIAT renewal 25

Post by RedsSnapper » Thu Sep 26, 2024 6:45 pm

That they are prioritising general public closer to the fenceline than the FRIAT grandstand just feels to me like RIAT now trying to get rid of the whole FRIAT idea. There can’t realistically be anything else behind it - can there?

red leader
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Re: FRIAT renewal 25

Post by red leader » Fri Sep 27, 2024 8:37 am

It's a massive downgrading of FRIAT. Moving further west will mean that tbe aircraft will be much higher omby the time they reach you. Moving further back makes it even worse. Both ways you lose quality of shots and will need a more powerful zoom lens! And then there's all the people in front of the stand. Runway shots will be very difficult. And so far no rational explanation has been given. It sounds like it's financially motivated.

iainpeden
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Re: FRIAT renewal 25

Post by iainpeden » Fri Sep 27, 2024 12:25 pm

The average football pitch is c.100m by c.70m - 7000 sq m give or take.

The public area in front of our stand is 3,182.5 sq m.

So they have gained approximately half a football pitch. If each person has a 2m by 2m spot (4 sq m) that makes space for 795.625 people.

So they're content to really annoy 2000 continuously loyal "friends" for the sake of c.800 (maximum) others.

hmmm - bad business apart from anything else

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James Cutting
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Re: FRIAT renewal 25

Post by James Cutting » Fri Sep 27, 2024 1:10 pm

Originally, I wasn't going to put a comment, as I won't be going, but I did reply to the Customer Services email last night. I'm not renewing out of spite - just now having a family I would rather spend the money going away. Though if I was going, I wouldn't renew...

Why bother asking members to spend time filling in a lengthy questionnaire, to say "We've listened to you" and change absolutely nothing? The whole part of FRIAT is "Friends". Yet, they've completely taken away that part of it. Thousands of loyal members have, quite frankly - been shafted!

They remove key features - a dedicated lane, a closer grandstand (which I am sure on UKAR someone said had been there 30+ years!) to be pushed further away, and adequate food stalls, yet keep the price high! Surely removing features would bring the cost down...

They have then allowed General Admission (who are possibly not as 'hardcore' as FRIATers - spotters etc*) to fill in the ground space that used to be accessible to FRIAT - Why?! It was fine as a FRIAT space, the Viewing Village & Garden doesn't have that space.

Importantly, people must vote with their wallet, and not renew. And anyone who attends the FRIAT Forum, make sure you speak out on it.




(*While I know lots on here do GA, I have before - the point is most people aren't as interested in it as those that pay the hundreds to be in FRIAT)
"Grim Reapers Supporter"

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/99536938@N06/

iainpeden
Posts: 1167
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Re: FRIAT renewal 25

Post by iainpeden » Tue Oct 29, 2024 3:56 pm

Email about renewal received. Check your spam boxes.

Bilvo
Posts: 242
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Location: Mobile

Re: FRIAT renewal 25

Post by Bilvo » Thu Oct 31, 2024 3:18 pm

James Cutting wrote:
Fri Sep 27, 2024 1:10 pm
Originally, I wasn't going to put a comment, as I won't be going, but I did reply to the Customer Services email last night. I'm not renewing out of spite - just now having a family I would rather spend the money going away. Though if I was going, I wouldn't renew...

Why bother asking members to spend time filling in a lengthy questionnaire, to say "We've listened to you" and change absolutely nothing? The whole part of FRIAT is "Friends". Yet, they've completely taken away that part of it. Thousands of loyal members have, quite frankly - been shafted!

They remove key features - a dedicated lane, a closer grandstand (which I am sure on UKAR someone said had been there 30+ years!) to be pushed further away, and adequate food stalls, yet keep the price high! Surely removing features would bring the cost down...

They have then allowed General Admission (who are possibly not as 'hardcore' as FRIATers - spotters etc*) to fill in the ground space that used to be accessible to FRIAT - Why?! It was fine as a FRIAT space, the Viewing Village & Garden doesn't have that space.

Importantly, people must vote with their wallet, and not renew. And anyone who attends the FRIAT Forum, make sure you speak out on it.




(*While I know lots on here do GA, I have before - the point is most people aren't as interested in it as those that pay the hundreds to be in FRIAT)
(F)RIAT has been in serious decline for years, I was a regulary attendee from the mid 80's until 2009 when I stopped going. Don't miss it one little bit, I've never looked back and saved a wedge of cash :thumb: If you're seriously into military avaiation then save the cash you would spend on RIAT and do anything else BUT attend RIAT, its dead.
Survival of the Fittest.

slogen51
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Re: FRIAT renewal 25

Post by slogen51 » Thu Oct 31, 2024 8:52 pm

I have been spotting since the 70s and I still make between 40 and 50 at RIAT which is more than at any other show or exercise in Europe including Iniochos or Anatolian Eagle.

RIAT can be hard work but it is a must do. I don't do FRIAT mainly because I don't need more than one day at RIAT.

Weazel69
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Location: North Norfolk

Re: FRIAT renewal 25

Post by Weazel69 » Fri Nov 01, 2024 5:44 am

slogen51 wrote:
Thu Oct 31, 2024 8:52 pm
I have been spotting since the 70s and I still make between 40 and 50 at RIAT which is more than at any other show or exercise in Europe including Iniochos or Anatolian Eagle.

RIAT can be hard work but it is a must do. I don't do FRIAT mainly because I don't need more than one day at RIAT.
Do You remember when the 1st IAT's Started?? Personally I Cannot, but I don't recall any in the Mid 60's when I started. In actual fact thing's were so much different then and our main Bread & Butter was COLTISHALL's B.o.B's
forewarned is forearmed

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plmc135
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Re: FRIAT renewal 25

Post by plmc135 » Fri Nov 01, 2024 6:35 am

First IAT was at North Weald in 1971.

Weazel69
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Location: North Norfolk

Re: FRIAT renewal 25

Post by Weazel69 » Fri Nov 01, 2024 8:07 am

plmc135 wrote:
Fri Nov 01, 2024 6:35 am
First IAT was at North Weald in 1971.
Thanks for That info :thumbs:
forewarned is forearmed

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Gary
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Location: South Lincolnshire

Re: FRIAT renewal 25

Post by Gary » Fri Nov 01, 2024 10:38 am

Despite the reservation about the new location. I've just renewed. Very easy process this time. etickets already in my wallet :O

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