More input wanted...

My thoughts exactly Jim! I have sold more than half my animals to people BEFORE the show and just delivered them there. I have also done the reverse and bought animals from people to be delivered to me at a show. It sure saves on shipping.
I understand the security thing going overboard sometimes. Some can overzealous. I still like the receipt thing but I offer receipts to all customers anyway for my tracking purposes.
I was recently at a show here in MD and I was specifically looking for milks. One vendor had many milks on their table but not one deli had a price or label on it. Guess what? I passed it by.... I hate the "How much for this?" question and then the "What do you think its worth?" answer. Tell me what you asking price is and we can go from there.

Jim mentioned the recent SC show. All the security there didn't bother me. But one thing that really sticks out is the fact that the show promoter managed to give himself a 4-6 table endcap in a prime location. Taking our money for tables & electrical, then competing against his own vendors. I don't feel that was a very professional thing to do. And someone on one of these threads has already remarked on the poor quality of animals he had. A show promoter with unhealthy animals competing against his own vendors? How many of you think that this was okay?

own animals : I don't know of any reptile society or society sponsored show that allows this in discount of tables or " free " tables or even prime location. And I also see that at these type shows the club members are fair in competition in prices. This is in thought of the society promoting and not individual or individuals. On a private party promotion show, sure. Several large mid west shows ( my opinion ) on the private party promoters have indeed what seems to have a uncanny number of tables for themselves and or prime location. Unless the show is booked before hand, I have wondered if other vendors have indeed been turned away because of this ?

I see nothing wrong with promoters selling their own animals, nor giving themselves prime spots. If anything, it makes them one of the vendors, and not just a promoter, concerned with ticket sales alone. They have a vested interest in the quality of THIS show, and not just the long term prospects of retaining vendors for the next show.

A promoter that has no animals to sell is happy with good ticket sales. A promoter with animals to sell is going to work hard to ensure that the people coming in are buying as well.

Don't you think that the animals for sale should be healthy? And not walking dead as someone posted it earlier>

Originally Posted by eric adrignola

I see nothing wrong with promoters selling their own animals, nor giving themselves prime spots. If anything, it makes them one of the vendors, and not just a promoter, concerned with ticket sales alone. They have a vested interest in the quality of THIS show, and not just the long term prospects of retaining vendors for the next show.

A promoter that has no animals to sell is happy with good ticket sales. A promoter with animals to sell is going to work hard to ensure that the people coming in are buying as well.

No offense, but I think you are way off on this one. I have done shows where the promoter set himself up for success and even went around and checked prices and lowered his to sell more. This did not go over well with the vendors and his promotion days came to a screeching halt after 2 shows. The promoter makes his/her money from ticket sales and should leave the animal selling to the vendors. the promoters attention should be on his vendors and running the show, not selling his own animals. And taking the prime positions to do it in is even worse. Just MHO from the shows I have done.....

Thank you Ronald. I agree entirely.

Originally Posted by audrypayne

Jim mentioned the recent SC show. All the security there didn't bother me.

It may not have bothered some vender's, in fact it didn't bother me a first.
But then many customers started asking questions about why there was security walking around with guns and that it was making them feel a bit uneasy.

It kind of reminded of when I was a kid and the first Rambo movie came out...there were those handful of kids thats dressed and acted like Rambo.

I think the presence of security is good, but at that show is was OVERKILL

Originally Posted by eric adrignola

I see nothing wrong with promoters selling their own animals, nor giving themselves prime spots. If anything, it makes them one of the vendors, and not just a promoter, concerned with ticket sales alone. They have a vested interest in the quality of THIS show, and not just the long term prospects of retaining vendors for the next show.

A promoter that has no animals to sell is happy with good ticket sales. A promoter with animals to sell is going to work hard to ensure that the people coming in are buying as well.

I don't see anything wrong with the promoter having tables and selling, but when that promoter is using the other vendors to get his ticket sales and then under cutting everyone else, thats wrong.
Not to mention his animals were a disgrace. Not only were they dying right there on the table but the dead stayed in there all week end.

Not to mention he didn't have any problems with the electric set up that week end. And if you were at that show and seen were his tables were placed you might be thinking differently.
The table set up at that show was horrible, getting electric at your table was a nightmare, the second day there were empty tables around me.

Some one defiantly had no clue has to what they were doing when they set that one up.

I complained to the promoter of that show, and his response the HE doesn't have to deal with this nonsense. (I guess he was referring to my complaints).
When I told to refund my money and that I would pack up and leave he changed his tune.

Of course, then the security swarmed over like it was an invasion.

There was a lot of confusion during set-up. And our power supply didn't even work, although I'd paid for electric. I had to tap into another vendors supply. Anyway, I still don't think it's right for promoters to sell unhealthy animals, and under-cut his own vendors. And the promoter is the one that should be making sure that only top quality animals are sold.