Not to be a downer, but let’s make sure the thread adheres to the topic.
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I remember that orange smelling glue too. Wasn’t it non-toxic but didn’t work as well as the red tubed glue.
Getting back on topic…
Would I go to an exhibition only show? Depends. What’s in it for me? Will there be a vendor area to buy stuff? A raffle area where kits are raffled off? Seminars? Any other activities? The more activities there are, the less I’ll feel bored being at the event.
@WhatIfRebel I go to the shows to look at the amazing work that others have done, to share their work with my kids, and to check out the vendors’ tables. I usually only spend time on Saturday morning at the show. I can imagine being able to accomplish all of these at an exhibit.
This weekend I have been watching all of the Indiana Jones movies while working on my Ju88. Appropriate given that Indy deals with Nazis in most of those movies.
Half the fun of shows is hanging out with your friends and meeting new ones. I’m looking forward to AMPS Nationals in Camp Hill next month for that very reason…
I didn’t realize there were people who were chasing trophies as Tim mentioned. That takes a lot of the fun out of it all…
My preference would be just to exhibit my work and mingle with everyone. Maybe have a people choice award for specific categories.
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I agree with you about using shows & contests as a way to connect with old friends in the hobby and to make new friends too.
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Trohpy chasers are a thing in the contest circuit. Whether or not I agree with that kind of mindset is irrelevant. They do what they do, and they are free to do so.
Personally, I have found contest builds to be much less enjoyable than a carefree build. But doing a contest model does provide practice in disciplining yourself to do things the “right way”. To each his own.
I mainly go to see the models. 
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Building models just to win awards only is not model building. It’s petty attention seeking, which is something I don’t want or need or do.
The same thing can be said for almost any contest/competition. Just fill in the blanks: → “Doing ________ just to win awards only is not ________. It’s just petty attention seeking.”
I have whatever awards I won stuffed into a paper bag in a cabinet. I had considered hanging them up but decided that I didn’t want more nail holes in my wall.
I would feel bad throwing them away, so I am now thinking about repurposing them into diorama bases. 
All my awards are in a large plastic tub in my bedroom closet. I don’t have the space anywhere in my apt. to display any of them.
I’m not a builder that builds for trophies. Could I? Absolutely. But to me that is too much stress for a hobby that is supposed to relieve stress. In my almost 50 years of building I’ve entered one contest, I was really proud of the kit I entered. While looking around I thought I was out of my league. Come to find out I won two trophies that day. To answer the question, yes I would enter a, display only, show.
Contests vs exhibits?
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There’s a question no one has asked, and this is, how willing would you be to pay to display your models in an exhibition, without any kind of competition?
From the promoter’s perspective-and that promoter is usually a club, much less frequently a commercial sponsor-you will likely need to charge an entry fee to cover the cost of the venue. That’s even if the event includes a dealer mart. The price of the spaces isn’t too likely to cover the cost of any but the cheapest of venues. How many of you are willing to pay an exhibition fee to participate, without getting any other reward than the admiration of your fellow modelers? Some of you might, but most probably expect something more for the price of admission. That’s probably why you don’t see more staged events that are just exhibitions, as judged contests.
I wasn’t kidding when I posted at the beginning of this thread that you’re talking about a club meeting. That’s probably the most common venue to display your work without judging and awards. I belong to 2 IPMS clubs, and every meeting includes displaying our models, viewing them, and discussing the builds specifically and other things modeling generally. At the one club, we do hold 2 competitions, too. But the exhibit is always part of the meeting. At the other club, we only exhibit, but we don’t collect dues, either. We’d have to collect some money, if we wanted to give out awards in the usual sense.
So, I’m not saying exhibiting is a bad idea, or shouldn’t happen. Just offering some reasons why we don’t see more pure exhibit events, where there is no judging at all, just showing.
Well the reality is that even in a small competition the vast majority of the entrants know perfectly well they are NOT going to win anything and just want to show off their work.
You have a show where there are several thousand models entered and maybe 30 or so prizes then well over 99% did indeed pay without any chance of winning.
But it doesn’t have to be only fellow modelers. Last year at the ND state fair (unfortunately I couldn’t make it), a modeling club piggy-backed onto a car club show for an exhibit open to the public. That’s a cool idea. I’d love to see more of that around me. Like a model airplane show at an air museum. I would love to both attend and display in a show like that (and pay for the ability to do so).
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Yes. I would pay. And most shows charge people to put models on the tables, even if they are exhibition.
The reason I would pay is because it is a small fee. And that fee gets you all those positive things we have been discussing. You get to study other peoples builds to learn and and inspire you to try things and build better. You get to talk with fellow modelers. And there is almost always a swap meet where you can buy more things you don’t need.
So yes, paying for an exhibition show is totally fine.
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I pay to go look at the models others are displaying at the IPMS competition here locally. It’s like $5 to get in to the show. I’m happy to pay it as it helps pay for the venue and allows me the opportunity to see the work done by others. I also get to buy kits and supplies from vendors. If they were to charge me an additional $5 or $10 to enter a model for display and constructive critique, I could see myself doing that.
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I would definitely HAVE to pay to get someone to display my work. Ha!
Yes, I would pay, well depending on the entrance fee.