What would you like in a show?

Thanks Jonathan. Some of us never do sleep, eh?

It would be just about impossible to give full refunds to people buying, while it is good for vendors, the show promoter has so many costs incurred (if they advertise and have a nice facility) that the promoter would lose an enormous amount of money even after tables are paid for. Typically, table monies cover the rental of the building and some or all other costs. The door, or part of it, is usually the only return that a promoter gets.

Last year I lost money doing the show, but it was the first one and I felt that charging only $5 at the door and giving vendors extra display space free of charge, were things that I needed to do to try to establish an annual show. This year I would like to try to be profitable. We'll have to see what happens.

If anybody wants to see what the show looked like last year I threw a couple pics on the site at www.micbexpo.com. The hotel is just a great place. Evan

While people should not be allowed to simply bring a tub of lizards and peddle them in the show, prearranged sales or trades should be provided for.

If you want say $6 for an adult as the ticket price, then charge say $16 at the door. Any purchase at the show would entitle them to $10 back on the admission charge.

I could see how "sight seeing" could be a problem, BUT, many people (my girlfriend and I included) are impulse buyers. And if the admission is not over inflated we will go to "browse" and will more often than not, come home with something. I know inpulse buying is totally lame, but sometimes it is hard to pass up something you have been considering buying for a while, and even harder to pass up when it is sitting before you.

Just a comment on the food issue...
I would only do food if there is a place set aside for eating. Not to be a party pooper, but I do believe that shows should be clean and set an example for the proper handling and keeping of herps. Mixing eating and looking/handling herps is iffy in my opinion and would probably make the Health Board go crazy. With the HSUS's fuss about salmonella, food and reptiles should probably be kept separate.

Another thing I like at shows--sticking to the outlined rules. If it is advertised as captive bred only, then make sure it is. Having someone to go around and remove all the half dead or dying animals off tables is a good idea too. A nasty look or word to those who have those kinds of animals for sale to the public is an additional bonus.

I dont mind the sightseers too much--just see them as future potential customers : ) But the refund idea is pretty neat.
Dana

Good food at the show don't care, If I'm a seller I would bring my own, if I'm a buyer I eat before or after. If it means lower prices for a table or addmision I can do without (might even do me some good if you know what I mean) Although from a promoter standpoint, and even to a lesser degree a vendor standpoint, the longer you can keep people there the better chance they will buy something. Not having to run out to BK would perhaps keep people there longer

Nice, clean facility A must

Larger variety in animals at show Would be nice but hard to control. How many times do you think I would try to sell at your show if the first time you told me "oh sorry, we already have 3 leopard gecko breeders and we want more variety." cross your name off my list and I might not even attend as a patron.

Reasonable price to get in reasonable is a relative term Ive been to shows that were inexpensive to get in that were very good, and I have been to shows that were expensive and been disappointments. Maybe the cost of admission had something to do with that dsappointment (if it had only been half as much it wouldn't have been so bad type of thing) to me anything over 5.00 per day better give me something special. By special I don't mean lots of fluff an glitter. A decent selection, quality animals polite staff and vendors, room to move around etc. Stuf a promoter should be striving for anyway. if it is an annual show I could see $10.00 or maybe $15.00 but thats getting a bit steep. (what is daytona) for a two day show to charge $15.00 but you can get in both days on that is BS. I didn't go to Tinley this year because of that. Well that, and the 1.5 hour drive and the fact that the year before I had to force myself to buy something. Charge $10.00 for 1 day, $15.00 for two.

Reasonable price for tables I am not a seller yet but this goes hand in hand with cheap admission. I had a friend who used to Lee's swap a while back. He had moved to the midwest from california and he told me that whenever he was contacted to be a vendor at a show one of his first questions was, What did you spend on advertising, and where did you advertise. If I am going to pay $50.00 (a fair price IMO) for a table you had better be promoting the heck out of this show to get people through the door. I like the idea of the half tables though maybe at $35.00 a pop. I just don't think I would have enough to fill a full one.


Ample parking Nice, it would be nice to have a parking lot and it would be nice for the vendors to have a spot close by.

Contests, lectures, presentations, etc. Nice but not if they add to the cost of either a table or admission. I go for the reptiles not the shows. I'm not saying I wouldn't take one in but if the choice was 5 bucks to get in and no bwanna bill wild reptile show or 10 bucks and free amission to the bwanna bill wild reptile show I'd go with the 5 buck admission in a heartbeat. Same goes for adding to the cost of a table. Although again, as a promoter or a vendor I can see where this might help draw people in.

Dore prizes, raffles, give aways... Again, nice if they don't add to the cost of my ticket. If you have to rely on gimicks like this to draw people in you are in trouble from the start


My swap experiences have been rather limited to date I have only attended the following shows

Lee Watsons
great lakes in gurnee (the first one)
chedderhead show in New berlin
sewerfest in racine (actually sold at those)
Tinley park

Lee watsons I only get there 3 or 4 times a year because of my work schedule It is about 2.5 hour (RT) drive for me but if I could arrange it I would go more often. The bad thing is I can be in and out in a half hour because there is rarely anything different. And I don't buy WC stuff. I guess thats the problem with a bimonthly show.

Great lakes expo went to the first one, the animals were nice but I wasn't impressed with a few other aspects of the show itself (I suppose I will get another nasty email from the promoter about voicing my opinions again) they may have addressed those issues I don't know.

Chedderhead show It was small (new show and all) and I didn't have a lot of time (work issues again) but I enjoyed them. I don't know how much Kevin would like me to reveal but I'll just say that he allowed special accomodations for me and other retailers. If he has them again I will attend, and if I have more success breeding this year I may even set up.

Sewerfest 20 minute drive nice location, reasonable table fees couldn't resist setting up. Had a good time made some money, will probably do it again if they have another.

Tinley park is a large show compared to the others (and pretty good sized in general from what I understand) but I was disappointed. I didn't like the $15.00 bucks for admission on Saturday, and if I didn't see anything I liked then why would I make a 3 hour round trip to see if there was anything new on sunday. If it had only been a 15 minute drive I might have gone back late sunday to possibly get some deals but then again maybe not. The variety was very good and the quality was good (except I could swear it was supposed to be a CB only show)

The fact that I am a reatiler and I may be looking for animals for resale in no way affects my opinion of the show itself. I form my opinions of a show from the standpoint of many of you. I am looking for an animal or animals for a pet or for a personal collection. I understand that these vendors are not wholesalers (although many are willing to give breaks to retailers) and that is not the purpose of these shows. If I can convince a vendor to give me a break great, if not, I may still buy, and I may not. I won't hold that against the show however.

Evan, I applaud your efforts to provide a better show.

Steve Schindler

Hey Steve. Thanks very much. I am trying.

Just to clarify some other posts, at my show, which is in a Hilton hotel, there is no food served at the show itself. In the hotel there are two spectacular restaurants. So you can leave the show, stop in the lobby, wash up, get some food and then go back to the show or go home or whatever. I am a reptile breeder, not a caterer or chef and have no desire to deal with any troubles involved with food service. It is just really nice to have the good food there. If you want it, great. If you don't, it is still there if you change your mind. Evan

Evan,
What i would really like to see at shows are free snakes given to guys named Ken Actaully I missed your show last November, son had tonsils out. I was pretty bumed about it to, but hey what can you do? Anyway i am fairly new to the herp hobby, I have been to the Novi show and found it pretty bare, IMHO. After all being in Flint it is about an hour drive to there. Your show is fairly closer and not to far from Bass Pro Shops (yet another plus!). I plan on being there this year! Although I often wonder why all the herp shows are in southern MI? How come us "upstate" don't have anything. I see quite a few of us "michiganders" on here. Maybe there should be one big state wide show. Maybe a central location within the state, hey just ideas. Also if you have flyers printed send some up here and I'll drop them around some local shops. or better yet if you have a flyer on a floppy, send that and I can use the work printer (free ink and paper!)...Just some ideas...

Hey Ken, good to hear from you. I have three main reasons for doing a show down here in the Detroit metro area:

1) This is where I live and I am tired of driving all over the country to do shows

2) There is a much higher population density down here, more big cities, more pet shops, more people.

3) This is where I live and I REALLY tired of driving all over the country to do shows

It has something to do with pride and respect too. It is nice to try to have a cool show that you can be proud of where you are from and show the local trade some love in the process. It helps establish you with local media as well. Just thoughts.

How are your animals? I hope you can make it to this years show. It is going to be a good one. Evan

Evan,
Those sound like pretty good reasons to me! It almost sounds like you don't want to drive all over to do shows... The Nelsons are doing great!!, I got a couple of non-related females for them, so in 04 I should have babies of my own. Oh yeah I do plan on being at the show this year. I'll put in for a vacation day to make sure I can be there! But the offer is outstanding if you do have fliers I would be more than happy to pass them out for you at the local shops here in town. I wish I had enough stuff to get a table at your show, but maybe in a few years when all my babies get big enough..Oh yeah it's like 4am don't you ever sleep???

Ken, thanks for the generous offer and I will take you up on that in the fall. As for sleep, I sleep all the time. At least 1-3 hours every 2-3 days, need it or not. My doctor used to tell me that he met very few people that could go 5 days without sleep and that slept as little as I did, but that I would develop a more normal pattern when I got older. Well, I turn 32 next week and still don't sleep. What do doctors know? I tell you this is the right thing to do for a living when you are an insomniac though. I can clean ball pythons from 1-8 am without the phone ringing once! Evan

Evan
All points I voted for, I believe all should be considered
Yeah I know short and to the point...never could mince words too well