I don't do shows anymore myself, not as a vendor. I may again someday, but I have no plans of it. I grew disenchanted with the whole marketplace mentality.
There is a couple of things that I've never seen implemented though, that would be useful. I'd like to see maybe 5 or 10 tables set aside to be sold as half tables. This is mainly just to level the field a bit for the smaller breeders who have a harder time justifying the purchase of a full table when they can never fill it. I prefer to purchase from such people, or at least directly from a breeder. I've gotten tired of the prevelance of large dealers who purchase 5 or 6 tables for all their WC stock and the stuff they've picked up over the last two weeks.
Breeders have my respect and buisness, but high volume dealers who only buy and sell normally get little more than a cursory glance as I walk by. I'm probably in the minority here, but that's my viewpoint.
Another thing I would like to see is a trade/private sale room set up for shows that do not allow outside reptiles to be brought in. I understand not letting people bring in animals to sell, and from the vendor perspective I agree with the rule.
There are times though that someone arranges for delivery of an animal at a show to avoid shipping.
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. I know there have been several shows I had no need to go to but did because someone asked if I could bring their snake to them there. The show provides a fine excuse to make the drive.
While I haven't done it myself, I have been with people who took animals with the hope of negotiating a trade with a vendor.
In these cases, it would be simply a nice convenience if the activity was provided for. Difficult to implement perhaps.
A large variety of animals is always a great plus, although it may not be very much in the control of the promoter. I've been to several shows that were saturated with CH balls and leopard geckos. Buyers easily get tired of seeing the same thing, especially when they have no real interest in them. Without variety, the show will eventually go under.
As far as door prizes and all, I can take them or leave them. Honestly I don't even listen to the announcements, so I may have won in the past an never knew it. Basically they have no bearing on my enjoyment of the show.
One other idea I have had, which may be totally unfeasible, is to change the admission policy. One of the largest problems at many shows are the sight seers. People who often have no interest in reptiles, but make it sort of a family day at the zoo so to speak and bring the kids out to see all the weird creatures.
I'm sure you've been to shows where the attendance was 5000, but the vendors report low sales.
This is also a big aggravation for the attendees who are there to make purchases. They find themselves unable to get to the table for all the casual onlookers who are marveling over the alien like reptiles but have no idea what they are looking at, many cringing or having mock convulsions (i.e. the willies) because "snakes are creepy".
This problem is especially severe at a show I go to regularly. On the same grounds there's normally either a dog or horse show and a gun show the same weekend. Many people visiting these other events drop by the herp show while they are there. This causes attendance to break 8000, but only a fraction of those are there to buy, or are able to for the crowd.
I'm all for introducing new people to the hobby, but it's in everyone's best interest if the people standing in front of the table has at least a possibility of buying something.
As an alternative, I would propose a different method of charging admission. 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. The vendor they purchase from could sign or stamp the back of their ticket stub for verification.
Ideally it would be valid for any purchase at all. At the very least, the dry goods vendors selling $1.99 water bowls would make alot of sales.
While this may possibly lower admission revenue by discouraging the people who come only for the novelty of seeing animals they otherwise care little about. It would, in the end, raise the quality of the shows. The people who have no intent of buying anything at all are only good for the $6 admission anyway. Beyond that they only serve to waste the time of the vendors, and get in the way of those who are there to spend money.
As I said, this may be completely rediculous, but from the standpoint of someone who has never organized a show, it seems like an idea that might be workable.
