ABSTRACT
The success of the Country Week (CW) Expos largely depends on who goes to the shows, what they gain from them and how they respond. While the number of visitors has scarcely grown over the years, many individual stall holders were anxious to emphasise 'quality rather than quantity', and that visitors had become more committed to moving, and more evidently asking realistic questions, that hinted at mobility rather than accumulating showbags. The apparent loss of community and neighbourliness was a constant refrain, with numerous people referring to the need to 'get back' to a time or place where a sense of community still existed. While most visitors were pragmatic in their necessary focus on housing and employment, and an adequate range of accessible services, they also sought a reasonable quality of life in a pleasant environment. The Expos offered a 'sampling plate' that tended to inundate visitors with information rather than clarify initial ideas and perceptions.
