We have been vendors at a number of Repticon shows around Florida (and once in S.C.) over the past several years, and we always do the Ft. Myers show, since it is so close. Although a few of the various shows were very small and sparsely attended, most have had maybe 25 - 35 or more vendors (just my guess) and a fair number of attendees. I have definitely noticed that the Ft. Myers show has grown and gotten better as time goes on.
We have never done really great financially at the Repticon shows, probably because we sell mostly drygoods at the shows. But we usually cover expenses, and often make a small profit if we are able to keep the expenses down. However, some friends who sell certain live animals (especially inexpensive pet types) said they have done extremely well at the local Repticon shows. So it is a mixed bag for both vendors and attendees, depending on which show it is and how long it has been going on, and for vendors, what you sell and how expensive it is.
But I have to say that I have always found Billy, Tina, and the rest of the staff, very friendly, professional, and easy to deal with. It is probably one of the main reasons I continue to do some of the local shows, even if they are only marginally profitable for us. The staff seems to go out of their way to make things easy on the vendors, often even providing a free lunch. And they go out of their way to make it family friendly, with puppet shows and similar activities for kids. They try hard to promote local herp societies, and have attended some of our local meetings before the Ft. Myers show to answer questions. And they always provide our group with a couple of free tables to help promote us and to sign up new members, and also so we can try to raise funds selling t shirts, photos, etc.
The shows seem more geared for families getting their first pets rather than hard core herpers, but in the larger Repticon shows, there is a little bit of "hard core and more advanced" type herps available. In the past, there used to be some dealers selling some really poor looking w.c. herps. But the staff seems to have weeded out the worst offenders. I don't see too much of that anymore, at least no more than at any other show that allows w.c. animals.
So if a particular Repticon show turns out to be a dud, I wouldn't give up on all of them. Try one that has been going on for several years, like our Ft. Myers show this weekend. This is the first time it will be 2 days, and I am not sure if that will be better or worse. But it has been a very nice little one day show for the past several years.
