REPTICON Show Series Exclusive Sponsorship Agreement with FL Chams

The disagreement is with the Chameleon Kingdom and Repticon. Florida Chams should not have been mentioned IMO and I believe the OP owes them an apology. If the roles were reversed and Repticon had offer C.Kingdom an exclusive would they have said. "No way, we think all chameleon breeders should be represented". I doubt it.

Your right about this being between Repticon and Chameleon Kingdom. Fla Chameleons should never have been brought into this. But with regard to putting the shoe on the other foot, why be afraid of competition.. If you limit your exposure to only 1 vendor, it will become obvious that theres more to this than meets the eye... to the paying public. Who expects to see what is called VARIETY !!

It would seem to be more advantageous to allow for comparisons, and to provide the end user or buyer with options that may benefit Fla Chameleons in the end.

So if the option was offered to Chameleon Kingdom, I would suspect and hope that he would NOT want ,nor need the protection for the continuous purchase of tables as guiding force to attract customers being the only chameleon vendor..

If the quality is there, vendors should appreciate each others ability to produce the very best for the purchasing public and not worry about eliminating other vendors which does no one any good and only reflects badly on the vendor and the show promoter... In the end, it will not last. Its just a question of time....as it is not a good deal for the vendor as there is ZERO guarantee that vendor would sell more being the only chameleon provider. If anything , it could have an adverse effect if the buying public found out that other vendors were prohibited from selling there chameleons...

Originally Posted by sipos624

It's pretty funny you guys are acting as if you are trying to beat the "system" by creating different animal scenarios at the shows but the truth of the matter is that Repticon is a (great) smaller easily controlled show with limited amount of tables. They can tell if your a chameleon breeder or vendor, trust me. How do many of you know how this show is with a lot of people posting here that are from NY, OH, CA, DE, NV and NJ? It is truly an asset to have great chameleon breeder at EVERY repticon show because he is "exclusive" whether it may be unfavorable to some.

That argument about people posting from all over just don't fly.

You will see us at shows in Hamm, Germany and all over the U S. we as herp fanatics travel great distances to attend shows.

Don't you think that the customer suffers higher prices with only one chameleon breeders table to step up to at a show?

I don't disagree totally Jerry but we exist is a highly competitive atmosphere at shows. Many breeders are selling virtually the same thing. Also I think that most people that put time, money and effort into breeding their own genuinely think they have as good, if not better, quality than the next guy. I don't think it makes someone less honorable, or anything close to it, if he worked out a deal that he would be the only representative of a certain product at the show. There's all kinds of examples, many business groups have only one representative from a profession, Petco purchases reptiles from only one supplier, malls often times only allow one of a type of specialty shop.

I agree it is not a good practice for Repticon and for those that attend their shows. On the flip side though it may be a way to get more diversity. If most of the tables aren't filled with ball pythons then vendors have to bring something else.

for the reply. Many times as a buyer I may need to address the vendor more then the product.. It has happened on more then one occasion that I have paid a higher price because of an intuitive feeling that has to be taken into consideration when making a purchase.. I am sure you can uderstand that.. With no options available, and my ability to make an intellegent dispensability I would be very reluctant to deal with a 1 vendor arrangement.. I just would not enjoy that... I think we both can agree ,

dry goods may have some exclusivity, as well as some feeder vendors. Needless to say, I am sensitive to that as a feeder vendor... From good experience with 11 years at the Fla Expo. But,

when it comes to herps, I dont mind paying extra if I feel more comfortable with the answers I get in determining whether I buy or not.. This is why it does not matter if there are 10 chameleon vendors. The underlying features are based on the quality of the production... To some extent the overall business atmosphere, photos and a whole range of information to provide the buyer with enough information to make a decision...

If you take that away and are left with one vendor, the emphasis does not bode well for the vendor and certainly leaves a bad taste in buyers mouths on the promoters.. Its there show, but people dont forget. Especially vendors who are willing to sit for 8 hours , sometimes make little or no monies, and are willing to make whatever sacrifices are necessary to show the public how husbandry does make a difference... Take that away and the show looses credibility... Thats just the way I see it.. JERRY

Ed & Jerry,

You seem to be missing the big picture. A number of Repticon's shows did not have a chameleon vendor, just as it has been brought up that many do not have a dart frog vendor. While this particular show that they host appears to have the ability to have more then one, this is not typical and most others that do have a chameleon vendor only have one (FL Chams). By entering into this agreement, Repticon has actually increased the diversity of animals offered to the public overall by ensuring that there will be a chameleon vendor at every show they do, even if that means at one show that would have otherwise had two or three only one. The big picture is that their show series as a whole now has a stronger vendor list and product diversity list overall then they would have otherwise. This is a smart move for them. As Billy stated, they aren't banning chameleons from being on other tables either. Other people can bring chameleons to sell, they just can't be an exclusively chameleon vendor. Billy also indicated that this isn't something they do frequently and based on the goal of the deal for them, it would never happen with a leopard gecko or ball python breeder. They are always going to have those breeders at every show (its just a factor of how many of those breeders there are) so there is no reason for them to enter into an exclusive deal with any of them. As a visitor to this particular show, you may be disappointed that you won't have the diversity in chameleons but visitors to more shows are going to be pleased that they have a higher diversity then they otherwise would have. Its a trade off they had to make to increase the show series quality overall.

You also seem to misunderstand that shows are a business. The promoters put on shows to make money and will stock their show with a vendor list they think is best for them overall to make money with. The comments in this thread about exclusive deals being un-American sound like ridiculous cold war era anti-communist rhetoric but the truth is, these are very common in business. When you go to a McDonalds, you aren't going to be able to buy Pepsi products, only Coke products. Some people may prefer pepsi products and I'm sure a lot of people would like to have the choice but McDonalds has an agreement with Coke to exclusively sell their products. These shows are effectively Repticon's store and the vendors are the products that Repticon has agreed to market. While the customer might not have as much of a choice in this case, overall, the show series has improved in this case.

I agree that Nic owe's FL Chams an apology for bringing up the company name at all in this thread. It should have never happened and should have been limited to Nic's issue with Repticon. Considering the belligerence shown by Nic in the email exchange that he conveniently did not post himself for us to see, I somehow doubt this will happen, although I'd love to be proven wrong. I'm also still expecting to see proof about the accusations Nic has made about Billy changing his terms on him.

Chris

Originally Posted by Chris Anderson

Ed & Jerry,

You seem to be missing the big picture.

No Chris I have missed nothing here.

What I see is someone having a monopoly at this show, it does not matter who the players are. it does not matter if they are trying to control all the chameleon, leopard gecko or bearded dragon sales at this show.
its a monopoly plain and simple.

Why do you think our government breaks up big business monopolies?

am I reading this correctly "As Billy stated, they aren't banning chameleons from being on other tables either. Other people can bring chameleons to sell, they just can't be an exclusively chameleon vendor" So if I am a chameleon breeder as well as geckos and fruitflies, I can sell chameleons on my table? If that is the case, then I would be interested in knowing the guide lines as to whether there would be a potential problem. If I changed my name instead of Chameleon Fancys to Pets a Plenty, would that allow me to sell chameleons ?

More importantly, I realize fully well that these promoters are in business to make money. Everyone is ! but not bad publicity for the sake of insuring some exclusive dealings on herps.. The bottom line which I am sure you will agree and I understand the business aspect, many vendors are one hit wonders. They are in it for the short haul. Maybe one or two shows then they are gone. I understand fully well the value of a constant attending vendor who wants to solidify there presence.. There may be some value in working out an arrangement between vendors and management which in the long run will benefit the show, but there is a grey area and it can get uncomfortable.. If the current vendor is a loyal customer, then it should not matter whether other vendors companies decide to enter the arena.

Its just that I get the feeling that Repticon is not doing well and is trying to use an alternative method for guaranteeing the small amount of loyal vendors it currently has. Otherwise, the shows will not do well.... when you have to rely on the whimsies of vendors who at the last minute bow out or decide herping is not for them any more ! The issue is well understood... Lets see what happens...

On their rules page it specifically states

Are there any restrictions on the products or animals that can be sold at Repticon?

All animals must be healthy and legal to sell within the state. Lucky Lure Crickets is the exclusive feeder insect vendor at the show.

If there was a rule in place from the deal with FL Chams - why is there no similar statement or mention for chameleons? Why not mention it on the application that they are not accepting applications for feeder insects and chameleons?

By entering into this agreement, Repticon has actually increased the diversity of animals offered to the public overall by ensuring that there will be a chameleon vendor at every show they do, even if that means at one show that would have otherwise had two or three only one. The big picture is that their show series as a whole now has a stronger vendor list and product diversity list overall then they would have otherwise.

Chris, this does make business sense. It is unfortunate to be in the OPs shoes. I can see this from both sides of the coin as I have had several business related courses. Its an unfortunate place to be. I still say he should go speak with him and see what he has to say.