Inquiry REPTICON Show Series Exclusive Sponsorship Agreement with FL Chams

[Suncoast Herpetological]

Oops. We posted simultaneously Gino. Just consider mine a short form synopsis of your more eloquently stated post

 

[JMExotics]

In fact, all this thread has done is let other big vendors know that there is a possibility with enough cash to be exclusive for Repticon. The bar has been set. It's also going to open the possibility for other show promoters to adopt this tactic. Welcome to the new game.

Billy will not just give people exclusives it's just not gonna happen. I guarantee you this was under some special circumstance.

There are way more ball python breeders, leopard gecko breeder, and boa breeders than chameleon breeders. Realistically there is not as big of a market for chams as balls, boas, geckos, and such. FL Chams is taking the good with the bad to ensure they have a good chance of selling their animals rather than being undercut by someone.

Fact is if Nic was offered this he would have taken it. Seems to me he is just jealous that he was not offered the chance.

 

[ToshaMc]

Fact is if Nic was offered this he would have taken it. Seems to me he is just jealous that he was not offered the chance.

Do you know that as a fact?

Seems to me that if they (Repticon) had simply stated that they weren't accepting chameleon vendors this thread probably wouldn't have started. But they took his application and his money and then refused to let him participate. Sure they returned the money but it was still a crappy thing to do.

 

[hhmoore]

Seems to me that if they (Repticon) had simply stated that they weren't accepting chameleon vendors this thread probably wouldn't have started. But they took his application and his money and then refused to let him participate. Sure they returned the money but it was still a crappy thing to do.

It isn't as if he mailed a check that was cashed & later returned - it was explained in the course of the thread that the payment was made via PayPal. From the initial post, it seems that (upon receipt of payment & recognizing the OP as a chameon specialty vendor), Repticon DID state why they couldn't give him a table.

My money went through, and shortly after, I received a refund from Billy Healy, saying "Thank you for your interest in our Columbia show, however we have entered a sponsorship agreement with FL Chams that prohibits the participation of another "chameleons only" exhibitor at our shows. We can not offer you space at this time."

 

[bareptiles]

Further Vendor Rules

- No Alcoholic beverages or Illegal Drugs are allowed in any Repticon Show

-Repticon reserves the right to make the final determination on whether any vendor or exhibitor may participate in a particular show.


To me this settles it all.

EXCLUSIVE ON NOT EXCLUSIVE

Its on the site and its been there!

 

[ToshaMc]

It isn't as if he mailed a check that was cashed & later returned - it was explained in the course of the thread that the payment was made via PayPal. From the initial post, it seems that (upon receipt of payment & recognizing the OP as a chameon specialty vendor), Repticon DID state why they couldn't give him a table.

I realize that -- but it is still a crappy thing to do and could have been avoided by stating they weren't accepting chameleon vendors at the show.

That they allow some people to sell chameleons just not people that have "chameleon" in their company name is even crappier.

 

[bareptiles]

Tosha they dont have to

-Repticon reserves the right to make the final determination on whether any vendor or exhibitor may participate in a particular show.

This is enough. No matter what anyone says(once again) it is their show.

 

[Gino]

Tosha they dont have to

-Repticon reserves the right to make the final determination on whether any vendor or exhibitor may participate in a particular show.

This is enough. No matter what anyone says(once again) it is their show.

I really think you are missing the point of the thread.
I don't think anyone here is questioning Repticon's right to do any of these things. This is not a legal forum. What people are trying to express here is that they think it's a crappy way to do business.
And each time you repost your "they have a right to do what they want". You should bear in mind that we here, also have the right to point out what we think of it. And that they have the right, doesn't mean end of conversation, as you appear to continually imply. We get it. They have the right. Now, can we continue the polite conversation on if it's the "right" thing to do. The words look and sound exactly the same, so I completely understand why you can't seem to distinguish between them. I hope that helps to clarify things a little.

 

[JMExotics]

I realize that -- but it is still a crappy thing to do and could have been avoided by stating they weren't accepting chameleon vendors at the show.

That they allow some people to sell chameleons just not people that have "chameleon" in their company name is even crappier.

with all the shows and as busy as those guys stay they probably did not have time to get it up on the website before the columbia show

 

[bareptiles]

Is it really crappy? When you do shows yourself do you make sure you have certain reptiles or animals on your table.

All repticon was doing was makeing sure they had a vendor to count on for chams and a good selection of them. Maybe they did sell their soul who knows. It makes good business sense to me. Who doesnt like the forsure thing. Its alot better then maybe ill be at the next show.

 

[Gino]

Is it really crappy? When you do shows yourself do you make sure you have certain reptiles or animals on your table.

All repticon was doing was makeing sure they had a vendor to count on for chams and a good selection of them. Maybe they did sell their soul who knows. It makes good business sense to me. Who doesnt like the forsure thing. Its alot better then maybe ill be at the next show.

Of course I do. But I don't try to excise control over what someone else does. I have co-existed next to one of the biggest cornsnake guys out there for nearly 15 years. I still manage to do well (most of the time) and I have, I believe, a very good relationship with that direct competition (hello, John). Sometimes he does better than me. Hell, sometimes I do better than he does. I've never felt it was bad to be in that position. I never complained about who might be around me. If I do my job right, I'll be okay. If I'm not holding my own, that means I need to re-examine what/how I do things. It makes me stronger and provides more to the public. When I have a bad show, I don't walk around blaming John because he did well. Instead of looking at it as a bad thing, I look at it as a good thing. Maybe his display will bring someone closer to see mine. I welcome and learn to use the competition. You can't compare my choice of what to sell with the promoters pushing someone out. It's bad for the market place. It means he isn't going to be held accountable for his quality or his prices. No one should be able to walk into a public show and basically dictate the market. It's not the kind of economic system that this country was built on. That's why I think it's crappy. Of course, that's just my opinion. I respect that you disagree.

 

[bareptiles]

I respect that Gino, but from what I understand Nic was never in. Yes i dont disagree they should have posted no cham vendors as they do for crickets, but once again i wont say it lol

 

[chameleonkingdom]

Sorry I have not stayed on top of this thread, and didn't read to far back but after looking at the past couple of pages, its clear that Repticon can do whatever they want, I found out the hard way. I dont feel it is the right business choice at all, and I support the growth of the Chameleon and reptile community 150% (even if some reptiles scare the living hell out of meLOL). I tried to speak to Billy on Sunday, and wandered around the show looking for him, only to find out from a staff member that he wasn't even on the property. I spotted him on top of a ladder, taking down banners as all us visitors were leaving, so I didn't even bother. I wasn't about to scream to get him down to speak to him, Billy has family, and it was Sunday afternoon, everyone wanted to go home. Our discussion can wait. Jason Vanderwaal or Monica Elrod, I don't appreciate that you would assume I am jealous of the fact I wasn't offered exclusivity, that is so far from the truth, and If you knew anything about me, and what kind of hobbyist I am, you would realize that I am not the kind of person to pull a move like that, especially when I know other breeders plan to attend repticon events along side me some day. I have friends that are small breeders just like I am, and I know how hard and frustrating, and how many sacrifices have to be made to keep chameleons, even as a small breeder. This is NOT how I make my living, I dont have kids to feed (respect to those that do), or a mortgage to pay with this money, and If my hobby were to pay for itself, I would be completely satisfied, because believe it or not, I actually have FUN doing this, and I just feel that some people are so blinded by $$$, that they have lost sight of what reptiles are all about. I think competition is healthy in any industry and all I wanted to do was attend the show as a vendor, but because of my specific specialty, I couldn't.

-Nic

 

[fred tompson]

I agree 150% Nic, the reptile industry needs to grow and everyone needs a chance, if new reptile breeders see that they dont have a chance at selling what they produce at a show, then they wont breed anything.

Fred Tompson

 

[hhmoore]

"Fred",
You have another PM. Please address it before posting again.

 

[Tiger Lilly]

Soooo, does this mean that there will be few to zero vendors at the upcoming Tampa Repticon show? What about customers? Is everyone boycotting?
I just skimmed over the last couple of pages and I'm taking it that there are more people dissatisfied with Repticon than are satisfied. I was considering going to the Tampa show since I don't believe I've been to one there, but now I don't know. It's close enough that it wouldn't be out of the way, but I'm kinda tight with my dead presidents...
Maybe I'll just go for the feedback value; take photos of what's there?

 

[chequepoint]

This website is a classic example of the Vocal Minority. There will be just as many vendors and customers as there would be if this thread never happened.
(Not trashing the website, I think its a valuable tool. I just feel that most internet message boards are not always that representative of the market as a whole at any given time, in nearly any industry)

 

[eric adrignola]

True. The vast majority of chameleon owners(not to mention future owners) don't even know this place exists. They won't care, either.

The chameleon hobby is a small group, much smaller than snakes and such. This will not be liked by most of them, but I do not think it's going to have a huge affect on repticon attendance. What it will do is that the areas where repticon has few if any chameleon breeders, they'll have one. The areas where they'd have many, will have one. Attendance will maybe be down by a few people, probably less than 10 per show.

 

[ophidile]

One aspect that I don't think has been brought up; at the shows I go to, at least, there's a lot of buying and selling between vendors. For example, I'm just a small breeder and can't spend a lot of time at shows outside the summer - it's usually worth my while if another vendor wants to buy me out of stock I have left during the school year - I'll cut them a great deal since they're buying ALL my animals. Conversely I buy a chunk of stuff from other cornsnake breeders there... so sure other specialty breeders are theoretically "competition", but they're also probably the biggest customers, too XD

 

[Lindsay]

Repticon

As has been pointed out these kinds of arrangements are quite common-official beer of the SuperBowl, etc. I'm getting off-topic but I wish more vendors had areas that look as professional as Mike's. It upgrades the show. I'd love to see the bar raised a bit for exhibitors. Too many don't/can't give husbandry info and have no sign, no pricelist, no business cards, don't give receipts so guys like Mike get the SOS call a week later when animals purcahsed from someone else isn't doing well.

...and just to clarify, the upcoming Repticon show this month is not in Tampa it's in Palmetto/Manatee County, vaguely near Tampa Bay.

Urotopia, the self-appointed unofficial non-exclusive uromastyx supplier of the Special Olympics (I couldn't afford to sponsor the big ones)