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Indy Reptile Expo comments....

M

mmfrankford

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Well the first Indy reptile expo has come and gone. I was curious what everyone thought. I was there on Saturday for about an hour or so. Anyway the hall they were in was pretty roomy and the variety of vendors wasn't too bad. It wasn't as great as say the Chicago NARBC, but to be fair that's been around awhile. I did notice quite a few vendors didn't show on Saturday that I was hoping to check out. I talked with one of the vendors I know from the Columbus show, she mentioned that the table prices were pretty steep for a new show. Still curious after they paid for tables why the no show.
I was looking for corn snakes. For me even though there were lots to see at the show, I felt like I was seeing mostly the late season leftovers and tons of leopard geckos. Well one vendor did have some really nice corns, but his prices were ridiculously high. (he was near the back wall of the expo) I did see some baby red ackie monitors I so wish I could have afforded that day.
I'm wondering what the vendors and any attendees thought? Would you go again? I'm not sure if I will. Sure it's much closer for me to attend, but other expos just have more.
 
I was there Saturday and Sunday and was a little disappointed in the turnout. It seemed like there was a steady crowd but definitely was not packed nor was there any sense of excitement in the air like the NARBC in Tinley Park, IL.

I was told that there was told there was little or no local advertising which if true was a mistake. I first found out about the NARBC show years ago by reading an article in the paper about the show. It is a grewat way to bring new families into the hobby.

All in all, it was not bad for a first time show. I hope the vendors show patience and give the show another year because Indianapolis is truly a great city and with proximity to Chicago, Cincinatti, and Louisville, it is a great location for a show.
 
Was that the show affiliated with the Midwest Reptile Symposium? If so, that "show" moves each year to the host city for the symposium. Last year it was here in Minneapolis, MN. We don't have an annual reptile show here, just the Symposium and its show, which lands here every 6 years, or so.
 
The show is not affiliated with the symposium. It was put on by Brian Hahn, who does the monthly Indy shows.

We went Saturday to look around and had a good time. I was happy with the variety that I saw there. We went expecting to not buy anything and came home with 4 new pets! I agree that it wasn't very busy. That was great from a shopper's perspective because we were able to look at everything without having to fight through the crowds. It's not very good news for the vendors, though.

We had a good time would definitely go again to shop, but not to sell. I hope that the show happens again, but I'm not holding my breath.
 
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I was there Saturday around 11 am. I thought the layout and roominess of the show was outstanding. I thought the quality of vendors was outstanding as well. All in all, I will definately say I will be back. I did find it extremely amusing that the sponsors would hire 4 guys to dress up in all black, put wierd make up on, and put what was probably the worlds largest collection of hair gel on. I don't know who they were with but it was amusing to say the least!

Griz
 
The Reptile Depot crew was there in thier Sha Na Na suits!
We had a good time down there, sold enough to pay for the tables with some left over and met some good people.
The show was not as big as expected, and some of the vendors were "no-shows" which did not help, but the venue was nice and downtown Indy is great! Lots to do and good places to eat.
 
Casey Hulse said:
downtown Indy is great! Lots to do and good places to eat.
Click to expand...

It is a very nice city. Until I was driving through it, I never noticed it was bigger than my state's capitol Columbus. If any of you do go through Indy again I do recommend the Indy Zoo and Children's museum. Both are top notch.
And actually now the more I think about it. It probably isn't fair of me to condemn the first show. I'll check it out again. :yesnod:
(sigh...this will show my "geek" side :rolleyes: ) I was at the gaming expo (Gencon) a couple years back at the Indy Expo center. That expo actually uses the whole convention center! Both floors! Now that is nuts.
 
The venue was excellent and I know Brian put forth a lot of effort, but I was disappointed with the turn out both in vendor no-shows and numbers through the door. Having said that, my end result was about the same as my first year at NARBC Tinley Park, so I can't complain. I'll be there next year to give it a second shot and see if it will grow. There was a party on Saturday night I would have loved to have attended, but seeing as I drove straight through and arrived on Saturday morning in time to set up for the show, I didn't have much left by the end of the day and was asleep by about 8 PM. I'm getting old.
 
For the most part, it was a slow show. Mostly "newbies" walking around, asking to touch or hold animals. With some minor improvments, I think this can be a very nice yearly show. There needs to be a honest attempt to have this one as far advanced or away from other shows. Having a Weekend show the week before, or a major show like Tinley just a few weeks before, does not help with attendance or "expendable income" of the buying public.
I liked the venue, and the support staff. I think Brian did a wonderful job with set up, promotion and general attention to detail. I wish him all the best, and will be the first to sign up for next year.
It's nice to have a "trade show" in the area, but I do like to travel to California and Florida every year!
 
Ron Billingsley said:
Having a Weekend show the week before, or a major show like Tinley just a few weeks before, does not help with attendance or "expendable income" of the buying public.
Click to expand...

I agree on the timing. I was unable to attend due to finances. It's also getting close to winter holidays, so a November show may not do as well due to that.
 
Botar, you are not old, so shut up. :raspberry

I agree, more advertising would have probably helped quite a bit. We sold only one of our own animals because most of the people that showed up couldn't tell the difference between a Pastel and a normal BCI *sigh*

To quote Donnie, "You can take Indy out of the Fairgrounds..."

The show has great potential. Brian worked very hard to put it together and it showed. We will be there again next year hoping for a better turnout.
 
I feel that Brian did his best to put on a great show. I was dissapointed by the vendors who decided not to come at the last minute. Their spaces could have been filled with vendors who would actually show up. Especially when their names are used in the advertising, it is rude not to show up. We decided to go at the last minute due to the high booth cost and were going to share a space, luckily we got to spread out since some people didn't show up.

The low attendance was probabaly due to a number of things. There have been a lot of reptile shows in the last 2 months in the vicinity and people may be shopped out. I think a late winter/spring time show around Feb. or March would been a better time so it is not so close to Tinley Park. Also people are trying to save money for the holidays right now and may not be willing to spend as much money on pets.

We did surprisingly well especially considering the competition. Alot of the attendees were new people who have never been to a reptile show, but we also had alot of repeat customers. We made enough to cover our expenses and to buy a few new pets, so we were happy. I think with some minor changes this could be a good replacement for the breeder expo. We had a great time hanging out with our fellow reptile geeks.
 
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