WIPA 2000, staged at the Vienna International Convention Centre, Austria, from 30 May to 4 June was a continental (FEPA) exhibition with Rest of World participation. The international participation from outside Europe was from those countries in the world that issued stamps before Austria or in the same year (1850). This included India, United States, Brazil and Australia. It was noteworthy that WIPA 2000 was organised by philatelists with little or no assistance from the Austrian Post Office. The success of the show was therefore highly commendable.

WIPA 2000 featured 82 dealers and postal administrations and 384 competitive entries. The attendance has been estimated at about 50,000. The hall were excellent and contained a mix of dealers, postal administrations and frames. The halls were on three different levels and were a mixture of triangles and octagonals. This led to early panic as did the fact that the frames were not numbered!  However once the layout map was in the head and the secret of using the maps in the catalogue, which showed the exhibit numbers was mastered it did work out reasonably well. Although one lesson is “never run an exhibition without numbering every frame”.

Overall the weather was a beautiful central European spring with warmth and sunshine and a tented beerhall outside the front door so that thirsts could be slaked and philatelic business done. The organisers also managed to put on an active and usually noisy display on the terraced area outside the front door with the Fire Service, the Ambulance, the Police and the Army putting on demonstrations. What with music and dancing inside the hall, I am sure that many people on the periphery of stamp collecting were attracted to the show.

As Commissioner I carried all the exhibits and since they were all eight framers except two, the total weight came to about 65kg (including a modest shirt or two). By dint of long service with airlines and a couple of smart moves only taught at the APF’s Commissioners’ Training Schools, I was able to get by without any excess baggage charges. However, it is getting more and more difficult to travel with excess baggage and I can see the day when exhibitors are going to have to pay extra for the service they get from their Commissioners. The Executive of the APF has already noted this trend and previously invited comment on the potential future use of freight forwarding. Perhaps this was my last Commissionership as we need to blood younger (and stronger) Commissioners and use such roles to get more of our keen exhibitors to understand the ramifications of exhibitions and all the wonderful people who make up the international philatelic world.

In so far as results go, Australia managed to achieve one Large Gold medal, two Golds, a Large Vermeil and two Vermeils. The National Grand Prix was a contest between an Austrian, an Italian and an Australian. The Austrian got the nod.  Australian Results were:

Australian Exhibitor Results

 [ Source:  APF News, October 2000 ]