Scott S. Logan wrote:
On Fri, 7 Oct 2005 10:09:29 -0500, "Robert Swinney"
wrote:


Chuck sez: " It would be nice to hear from a vendor (are you out there
scott)

as to the what the cost difference really is and will it
affect vendor attendance."

Hey, if it's not good enough for Scott Logan, it's not good enough for me.
AFAIC, the attendance of Scott at any such doin's is a great qualifier of
the show's worth.


Well, I appreciate the vote of confidence, but perhaps you place too
much faith in my opinion?

Here are some of my thoughts. Call them ramblings, and perhaps other
folks will add further comments. My comments are meant to be
constructive, and if any show organizers read these, either here or as
forwarded messages, please do not take this as anything else.

Communication. I have felt for some time that communication from
organizers of these shows could be better. I have offered in the past
to assist in setting up email lists for
organizers/vendors/volunteers/interested parties, but have never been
taken up on the offer. Several years ago, the NAMES expo moved from
one venue to another in the same vicinity. The web site was not
updated, and I was afraid that visitors might not know about the
change. In that case, the move was only a couple of miles, so I
suppose a note taped to the door would have been sufficient, if
perhaps a bit unprofessional.

In addition, I can't remember the last time we saw anything posted to
this group in the way of "official" comments from organizers of any of
the shows. I have posted notices fairly regularly, but I am NOT one
of the organizers of any of the shows. Just a vendor, who wants to
insure the biggest possible turnout, as it would correlate to bigger
profits for me. Yeah, that's right, I'm a stinking capitalist.

Arena. The Southgate Civic Center was a bit nicer than Yack Arena,
but I and others had some complaints. Probably the biggest was the
ice. For those who have not been there, the show was held in a pair
of ice skating arenas. One was always melted, but the other was
always still frozen, and covered by floor boards. This helped a bit,
but the hall was still cold. Strangely, last April, the side without
ice was actually colder, due to the weather outside and lack of
effective heating. By the time I left Sunday evening, I was feeling
miserable, and so was Abi.

From what I am seeing, the new venue in Toledo would seem much like
the venue in Visalia CA. This is a convention center, with *TWO*
attached hotels. I thought that was a wonderful benefit in CA, since
I did not have to have a car for anything during the weekend if I did
not want. In fact, last year at Visalia, I did not use my car at all
after arriving Thursday evening, until it was time to pack up Sunday
evening. Even that was just driving from one end of the lot to the
other, loading, then moving back, until we left the next morning. We
were even able to walk to dinner, and some really nice places, within
a mile or less.

Regarding those two hotels, I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who has
personal experience. I was leaning towards staying at the Hotel
Seagate, but saw some reviews that scared the cr@p out of me. The
other hotel is the Radisson, which happens to be the same chain as at
the Visalia show.

I was at the Radisson in Apr. for the model airplane show. It's an old
hotel the room was livable and clean but well used. You can get a motel
for much less if you want to drive about 10 miles across town. The
Seagate is about 10-12 dollars less.




Yes, it is going to more expensive for me, as a vendor. For the same
arrangement as I had last year, it will probably cost 30-50% more than
before, and that is NOT including the extra cost of gas these days. As
noted, the cost for an electric outlet is 4 times as high, and it
specifically says for ONE outlet. Also, this is the first show I've
been to where we will have to pay for parking. Probably
understandable, since it is in the "City Center", but basically, it
means that a "couple" is paying $10.50 each for admission. A single
person is paying $13.00, nearly twice what it cost in the past.

OTOH, this may be the only show left that I can afford to attend,
based mostly on time spent away from the office. It has been
heartening to hear from folks who attended the January and August
shows who said they missed seeing me there. Thank you.

I don't know anything about the plans for Bowling Green, but I was a
little reticent about holding the show in a shopping center. My
understanding was that the location was built to be an "Anchor Store"
in a large shopping center, but no one moved in. After trying to fill
it, the center's owners/managers decided to make it into a convention
hall.

Will I attend NAMES 2006? Probably. Part of my decision rests on the
response, if any, I get from the vendor contact, whom I emailed a week
ago with some questions. The fact that I have not heard anything in a
week is not encouraging.

Part of my decision also is based on the availability of Abi. Some of
you remember her from a lot of years ago. Believe it or not, she is
now a Senior in High School, and her time is far more filled now than
before. Also, the following weekend in Prom, so she may be busy
getting her makeup/hair/dress ready even that weekend before.

Finally, part of the decision will be based on comments here and
elsewhere from potential attendees.

So, let's hear it! Speak up.