Southern Exotics and Reptile Convention 5/20-5/21 Aiken,SC

Yeah, I'm interested as well. I was planning on going but I had an non-reptile animal emergency come up this weekend. Would've liked to see the herps available and chat with the vendors. Maybe next time....

Well, im the person who bought the rack from Alan at Jungle. Though the vendors didn't enjoy the show, I got some good deals....number one, an awesome rack from an awesome company. Also picked up some Eastern box turtles, one that is crazy orange....a russian tort, some colubrids, and 3 CBB balls, and yes, i think they were the only cbb balls at the show, and they were underneath someones table in a bag...go figure.

It was nice to put some names with faces...Very nice to meet Audrey of Cricket's Critters....there was a bunch of BS around the show though (not audrey's table of course).

I'm just tired of seeing 300 RES in a dish, and half of them dead with their eyes being eaten out. That just seems to be the norm at South Carolina shows to me....

Hunter Jackson

Thanks Hunter ,

After seeing you post before mine i remeber you saying abouthe wedding Glad you like the rack and thanks for the purchase lol

Anybody else with comments about the show? Maybe Cathy can provide the numbers (vendors/customers) for us?

I thought the show went okay for a first time show. Cathy had a lot of vendors with some very nice animals. Saturday, there was a steady flow of people through the door, but Sunday was slow. For a first time show in Aiken, it was all right. I think people are scared to put faith in an awesome vendors list because of all the false advertising done by a different promoter. But I think the ones that did come through the door finally got their money's worth. A building full of vendors instead of the 20 they were seeing at previous shows. Some people did not make their expenses back, and others did extremely well. This is typical of all shows on the east coast(with the exception of Hamburg & Daytona). I did not sell out, like I usually do. But I also chose not to wholesale my animals. And I still made money after expenses. I will vend Cathy's next show. I'm sure the next one will be even better.
And to you Hunter: It was really nice meeting you. I love to meet other people from the forums. Can I count on seeing you again at the next one? Maybe we'll have more time to talk.

Oops. Sorry, forgot about Alex. Gila Productions also have good shows. And I'm sure that in time, Cathy's shows will grow larger. You have to start somewhere.

Cathy & Danny are GREAT people no doubt about that , it was never questioned . But i will say i never saw that steady flow of people through the door saturday and not on sunday. I will say that MANy of the people i spoke with in regards to there utcome when i left sunday aroun 2pm had not made expenses back and many had not sold anything. Sunday shows are always the worse unless vendors dod good saturday dueto the bible belt but who are we kidding bible thumpers dont buy there kids snakes and cages lol . I will say for me the shows are just not profitable ... I was advertising cages presold to pick up at the show for three motnhs prior and none were purchased the show prices for pickup at the show were 4 ft cages $135 each as many as they wanted to buy... i took NO cages to the show to sell. Nonethe less i think the eastern shows from what i have seen in NC & SC are going down and yes because alot has to do with other promoters lying to vendors & customers.

I really dont see why promoters cant work together to promote ALL thier shows with each other by all accounts its extra advertising for the promoter and lets the customers see that promoters look out for everyone not just themselves .

I didn't say that the place was packed Saturday. But I did have someone passing by(or stopping at) my tables consistantly. Sunday was slow. But I still had a great time talking with other people. Also had a chance to really look & see what everyone else had.

I guess maybe by the time the people in the show walked around the two isles they just never saw me and a stack of racks and snakes sitting by ourself against the wall. I think total saturday & sunday we might have spoken to around 30 ppl TOTAL that were not vendors, mopst of who i spoke to at the booth were vendors that were sellingnothing at thier booths because they would be at mine ( not that there were people to sell to ) but none the less I know for me shows have come to a screeching hault The people of NC /SC/GA & Tenn just aint looking to buy cages / racks or captive bred boas at a show so for me to continue to drop $500 a show and sell nothing becuae people would rather buy a WC $10 ball or a $49 boa that has not eat yet and likely aint going to then something thats been eating two months CBB & clean. thats what kills me when a CBB show is done and 90% of the tables have WC or something people were walking through the door with because they went down the road leaving the show and come across some box turtles at the pond and then bring them to sell to a vendor for $2.50 ea .... just shows that a true CBB show will never happen in the carolinas not longs as WC can be sold for 1/10 of the price the CB cant compete.

I know what you mean. Junk dealers make it hard on the breeders. However, there are still ones that want only high quality healthy animals.