Inquiry REPTICON Show Series Exclusive Sponsorship Agreement with FL Chams

[Lunar Gecko]

Now, again, they're a private business, and they can run their shows however they want to. I however, will take my money elsewhere.

^ what he said.

 

[skinwrappedbox]

How utterly disappointing.

I had been considering the Atlanta show this month, and I was really excited about the Repticon in Birmingham this summer. Looks like I'll be nixing both plans.

Whats really a shame is the Sandboamorphs.com folks were at the Dixie Reptile Show I attended last month. They have beautiful animals- but how disappointing they've decided to take this route.

I wish I could more strongly dislike what is going on.

 

[Snake-Queen]

Its sad to limit competition especially at the small shows. At the Anderson SC Repticon back in Dec, they had to ask vendors to spread out over multiple tables due to not filling the space and lots of last minute vendor cancellations.

I went to that show as a visitor and not a vendor. It was very sad.
I would have been vending if I had not sold out in Columbia, and I would have been very upset at the turn out for the show. You cannot have a successful show with no vendors.

 

[ballpython584]

We have a small local show by me every month that I have been a vendor at many times offering beardies and more recently ball pythons.

Well for a while now I find myself with an overabundance of live mice and rats. Decided to do the show this month so called to reserve a table. Now I know one of the people who put on the show (females not personally) and explained about the rodents. Reason being there are three regular live rodent vendors who do the show and I wanted to make sure they didn't have an exclusive deal.

I was told they did not, however I was asked if I would be selling anything else which I am, a couple of ball pythons and a handful of hairless rats for pets of course.

Should be quite the time.

 

[ballpython584]

That should be just " not personally ".

 

[Black Bart]

Wow, guess I'm done with Fl Chams & Repticon!!! The people defending this BS, are most likely supplying him with his Chams, if you guys haven't figured it out yet..............They'll defend him to the end, because they're the ones supplying the Chameleons and benefitting from the move...........I would boycott any animals from them as well!!!

 

[Black Bart]

Wow, guess I'm done with Fl Chams & Repticon!!! The people defending this BS, are most likely supplying him with his Chams, if you guys haven't figured it out yet..............They'll defend him to the end, because they're the ones supplying the Chameleons and benefitting from the move...........I would boycott any animals from them as well!!!

 

[leftycrane]

this stinks! I just bought a sand boa at the orlando repticon event last month and NOT from sandboamorphs. I will not be purchasing from anyone that is "exclusive" just for the point of it. Their sand boas were not any nicer or cheaper than the "little guys"

 

[Leland]

http://www.sandboamorphs.com/

Way to spit on other vendors faces, buddy.

If you look at their prices, it becomes obvious why the need this !

 

[Bruce Lowder]

Addressing Mr. Anderson:

You are dead wrong about White Plains/Long Island. We do NOT give exclusive rights to ANY vendor for ANY animal species or product!

It is certainly hard for NEW vendors to get tables at those shows. Most of our current vendors have been with us for many years, and they do get first right to renew their tables year to year. Our vendors usually do well at our shows, and want to renew their tables! Is that so bad? Should I bump out someone who has been with me for 15 years and helped grow the show just because a new vendor wants tables? My first vendor loyalty is to the guys who have supported my over the years and helped grow the show. I could not have done it without them!

We do try to work in new vendors when we receive last minute cancellations- several were able to get tables at the show in White Plains. Some get pissy with me when I cannot guarantee that they can renew it for the next show- I suppose just because a long-time vendor has a child in the hospital or their car dies the night before and has to cancel I should permanently kick them out of their table???? Those are the reasons why some tables became free just before the last show...

Despite many offers over the years, I charge the SAME price to all vendors at the show regardless of location or seniority, and do NO exclusive rights to anything.

I try to be as fair as possible to my vendors, and I resent it when someone like Mr. Anderson who obviously does not know what he is talking about bashes me for it.

It would certainly be nice to have all the space in the world available at our facilities to add new vendors. We turn away 30-50 potential vendors every show due to lack of space- I could certainly use the money if I could fit them! The reality is that at both current facilities we are using all of the possible table locations that we can use without violating the fire code. I have researched many times for other possible location options close to the the current locations, and for a variety of reasons there are none that would work.

I would suggest that Mr. Anderson gets his facts straight before publicly bashing a business online.

Bruce Lowder
ReptileExpo.com
NY Metro Reptile Expo/Long Island Reptile Expo

 

[lauraleellbp]

IMO this policy is bad for the industry as a whole, and will eventually shoot Repticon in its own foot. Especially in this economy.

I just sent this email:

Subject:
Repticon Exclusivity Agreements
From:
<[email protected]> (Add as Preferred Sender)
Date: Fri, Jan 13, 2012 11:59 am
To: [email protected]
Dear Bonnie,

Repticon might be interested in the talk that's going around the the online reptile community about exclusivity agreements:

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=129608&page=5

http://www.iherp.com/Public/Blog/Detail.aspx?UID=96946


From my own standpoint, it becomes useless for me to go to expos when I know I won't see any new vendors or decent numbers of the animals I'm interested in. I stay home and buy online when I need new blood. These days, shipping is cheaper than gas.

Several of my breeder friends have decided they will be boycotting Repticons now based on their awareness of this policy.

Variety is the life of an expo, and I am sad to hear that Repticon has adopted policies that discourage that variety. IMO it cannot be good for your business in the long run, and especially not in this economy.

Thank you,

Laura Lee
www.GeckosinTails.com

 

[leaveittoweaver]

Great e-mail Laura, well put. It would be nice to see what they have to say for themselves.

-Rachel Weaver

 

[Lunar Gecko]

Bruce Lowder - I'm have only heard good things about your shows though I have to admit it would be nice if people putting on shows went by a first come first serve situation. Maybe when you fill up for the next show offer table space to the little guys or the ones the were turned away from the last show first? A waiting list maybe? I am in OR personally so I have never done any of the NY shows but the way I do my two shows, I get my table space directly after the last show with any funds I made from the one I just did. I think this key with shows and if they are always the same people may end up skipping shows. Pay 100% up front and first come first serve. Thats the way it should be IMHO.

I don't run shows so I admit I don't know everything about how its done. It could be that you have a reason for doing it the way you said you did. The above was just my .02 on it from an unexperienced standpoint.

 

[shane159]

I was planning on attending the Atlanta show to purchase some caging, and take my children with a few of their friends, but after reading through this I will take my business elsewhere. I own a small business myself, and I hate to see people treated this way. I do see keeping a certain integrity to your show, but this is not the way to do it. Greed is a horrible thing.

 

[Bruce Lowder]

Hi Sarah

I do appreciate your feedback. Our current vendors renew for the year, and at the end of the show drop off their payment for the next show, or mail it within 7 days. If we don't receive the payment, the table will generally become available to new vendors off of the wait list (as some vendors have learned the hard way over the years!!). We do 5 shows a year in White Plains, though, and most vendors are not going to be able to pay 5 shows worth of table fees up front at the beginning of the year (especially small-scale/hobbyist breeders!). That is why I only require them to pay ahead by one show at a time.

As stated on the vendor wait list application, open spots are not necessarily filled first come first served. The first thing I look at is what are we loosing from the cancellation? If it is one of the few breeders who, for example, breed chameleons (not that many out there!), I am first going to be looking to try to fill that "gap" at the show, rather than bring in a vendor who is selling the same species that 10 other breeders already have there.

Most cancellations, though, do tend to come in during the 24 hours leading up to the show, when unexpected things like sickness, car problems, etc. come up. With more than 200 tables at our show, it is pretty common for this to happen.

I make a point of telling prospective new vendors that if they do have last minute flexibility to fill these sort of openings to remind me of this a few days before the show. It can be hard to fill these last minute cancellations the night before the show while we are setting up tables, but I do try to do so, both a courtesy to our current vendor to receive a credit for the table, as well as to give somebody new a chance at the show. While I certainly understand that not everyone does have last-minute flexibility to do a show last minute like this, I do like to try give those who can a shot at it.

I have been offered substantial amounts of money for exclusive rights to sell certain products or animals, as well as new vendors offering to pay a "premium" over the regular table price just to get a table. I have always refused, as I do not feel right doing this. Two big factors that brings attendees to an expo, in my opinion, is the chance to see and purchase a wide assortment of herps and supplies, and to buy at discounted prices. Competition is going to drive down pricing, which benefits our attendees. We are constrained enough by the restrictive NY reptile regulations that were passed a few years ago- the last thing I want to do is to lessen even more the diversity of what is available at the show!

Sorry for my rant, but in my own way I really do try to be as fair to my vendors as possible, even when it potentially costs me money, and it really irks me when a disgruntled former potential vendor accuses me of doing something that I bend over backwards NOT to do.

Thanks for listening!

 

[houseofscales]

I am finally glad too see that more people are seeing the stupidity in exclusive deals for venders. I am Ted Williams and am the owner/operator of House of Scales and Raging Rodents. I was a vender at the Repticon shows for over 4 years until recently. My issues began when at a show it was brought to my attention in my home state, that Mouse Direct was the exclusive vender for mice at all repticon shows except those shows in SC. I thought that seemed strange and was told to not sell any more mice. I did continue to sell rats until the Atlanta show in November of 2011 where I was called by the show owner and told that for that particular show no other vender would be allowed to bring in freezers due to an issue that they had had at the show the previous weekend in Maryland. It appears one of my no longer employees got into an argument with the show promoter about how ridiculous the exclusive deal with mouse direct was. I told the show owner that I was very displeased with his decision as I had booked the show 6months in advance and paid for my hotel rooms. He gave me my tables and allowed me to bring presells due to my inconvenience and told me that the next show and the ones that followed would be open to do bus as usual. It was that next week as I was preparing for the show contacting my regular customers and going down the vender list that I realized I was not listed as a vender for that show. I also had prebooked 6 months in advance this show and it being the last show in SC I stood to do real well. I made a call and was told I was ban from selling any frozen feeders at any repticon show as Mouse Direct had since atlanta signed an all exclusive frozen feeder deal with repticon and I was sol. O wait I was told I could still buy a table If I wanted to sell animals o and Live rodents. I dont make money on reptiles at repticon shows never have, and live rodents I won't subject the other venders to the smell that the 1000 plus rats and mice will produce over a weekend. Ok enough wining. This is the deal, we are built on an open market policy. We are all small businesses in an open forum trying make a living. We have created a community that for the most part works together to give the customer an opportunity to get the best deal for his or her dollar, as well as getting the best information for that same dollar so they can give the animal the best care possible. By giving one company all the marbles you are screwing not only other venders but the customers at the show. So now that I have been polite here is the reality of the situation. I was the only vender that presented MD with competition, with me gone they have none. Knowledge of reptiles, price and customer service they didnt stand a chance, I promise I am not conceded just right. O well I never comment on threads here in fauna but just couldnt help myself, Too all that give a rats rear end have a great day.

 

[clsutt29]

Stuff like this really makes me wish there were other shows in the area other than Repticon. I have vended a couple of them but am seriously considering not doing any more.

 

[houseofscales]

only an idea but, but the best one to date!

I have an idea, how about a show owned by the venders put on by the venders aimed at creating a show for the customers. If the result of the show is profitable, then the venders that invested reap the rewards only after they have taken the proceedes of said show and have paid for the next.
A co op of sorts. Put that to thought. Love from me american style. Oh by the way does your shirt have buttons?

 

[AbsoluteApril]

Ted, maybe you can start a thread in the discussion forums?
This BOI is about Repticon
thanks

 

[paulWTAMU]

And I'm certainly not going to Repticon shows now...too many damn exclusives.