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Metalworking (rec.crafts.metalworking) Discuss various aspects of working with metal, such as machining, welding, metal joining, screwing, casting, hardening/tempering, blacksmithing/forging, spinning and hammer work, sheet metal work. |
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Men, Metal & Machines - Visalia Show Report
I just got back from the show a couple of hours ago. Yes, it is
Monday evening and I left home Friday morning at 5:00AM and live only 250 miles from Visalia. This was my first model engineering show ever, and I was sure pleasantly surprised. The little small block Chevrolet and flat head V-8 Ford running models are incredible. They even sound right. I was on the out on the floor during the whole show and heard only one complaint. A vistor told me the management should reduce the vendor fees and raise the admission fee ($7.00) so more exhibitors would attend. He wasn't complaining about a lack of vendors but though more whould make the show more interesting. If you are really into hobby metal working and didn't attend the show you made a big mistake. The Convention Center was literally attached to the host hotel. Rooms rates were quite modest ($79.00) for a very nice room and there were no parking fees or even problem parking. I didn't see a single glitch or hear a raised voice during the whole show and after having done many bigger trade shows it was a pleasant change. I took some fairly large machines for resale and the staff unloaded my trailer quickly with no fuss and Gary gave me a spot right by the back door so I had a very short distance to move the machines. I would have to rate this as a great new experience and I am already planning for next year. If you didn't make it this year you should be planning to go next year and I am sure that 99% of those that did attend this year will be back. Great people, good location and fascinating models on display. Leigh@MarMachine |
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Men, Metal & Machines - Visalia Show Report
"Leigh Knudson" wrote in message
m... I just got back from the show a couple of hours ago. Yes, it is Monday evening and I left home Friday morning at 5:00AM and live only 250 miles from Visalia. This was my first model engineering show ever, and I was sure pleasantly surprised. The little small block Chevrolet and flat head V-8 Ford running models are incredible. They even sound right. I was on the out on the floor during the whole show and heard only one complaint. A vistor told me the management should reduce the vendor fees and raise the admission fee ($7.00) so more exhibitors would attend. He wasn't complaining about a lack of vendors but though more whould make the show more interesting. If you are really into hobby metal working and didn't attend the show you made a big mistake. The Convention Center was literally attached to the host hotel. Rooms rates were quite modest ($79.00) for a very nice room and there were no parking fees or even problem parking. I didn't see a single glitch or hear a raised voice during the whole show and after having done many bigger trade shows it was a pleasant change. I took some fairly large machines for resale and the staff unloaded my trailer quickly with no fuss and Gary gave me a spot right by the back door so I had a very short distance to move the machines. I would have to rate this as a great new experience and I am already planning for next year. If you didn't make it this year you should be planning to go next year and I am sure that 99% of those that did attend this year will be back. Great people, good location and fascinating models on display. Leigh@MarMachine I too had never been to a model engineering show and was completely amazed at the "works of art" on display. When I first heard about the show last summer I was concerned a few dozen people might show up. After all, I live in the Central Valley and the number of people there who are into model engineering seemed too low to bother counting. Luckily the organizers had much more faith than I, because they filled a good-sized exhibit hall with people from all over California and the West. It was so refreshing to go to a public event where everyone was polite and friendly. Even better was that the organizers and vendors did not act like their patrons were unruly children or even criminals-in-waiting. I arrived when the doors opened Saturday and left when they closed. It took two trips around to see everything and get a chance to talk to many of the builders and vendors, including a number of the rcm "living legends". Where else can you bring along a few shop items you shouldn't have ever bought, consign them to the organizers to sell, and by the end of the day have made enough to pay for all your miscellaneous impulse buys from the vendors. I felt like I had gone to Las Vegas and actually come out ahead! Carl Joplin |
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Men, Metal & Machines - Visalia Show Report
Speaking of shows, I didn't hear a peep about PRIME this year (late
September, Eugene Oregon) except a rumor afterward that they aren't going to do it again. Any info? Grant Scott S. Logan wrote: On 27 Oct 2003 20:34:48 -0800, (Leigh Knudson) wrote: A vistor told me the management should reduce the vendor fees and raise the admission fee ($7.00) so more exhibitors would attend. He wasn't complaining about a lack of vendors but though more whould make the show more interesting. Well, since the admission fee is charged to exhibitors (and that is ALL they have to pay to exhibit their work), this would not help. Perhaps this is a case of mistaken terminology. There are three groups of people at these shows: Vendors, Exhibitors, and Visitors. Vendors (such as us, Meridian, MarMachine, Shooting Star etc.) pay the highest fees. Booth fees for Vendors at the various shows can run $150 to $500 and up, depending on booth size and other options. Exhibitors are those who show their work. At least with the Cabin Fever run shows, they are not allowed to sell goods. They pay nothing other than the entrance fee, and can stake out a location and show off their work. IMHO, the Exhibitors are what will make or break a show. I have been talking with Gary, and we are working on ways to make it more attractive for Exhibitors to show their work, and to stay through the whole show. These plans may include gifts, drawings, or perhaps refunds of admission fees. When these plans are worked out, it will be announced here and elsewhere. Finally, the visitors. Somewhere around 2000 attended this show, which was thought to be pretty good for a first show. Certainly better than the early Cabin Fever shows, and look at what those have grown into. I hope everyone enjoyed the show, and invite you all back next year. If you have something to show, models, tools, engines, etc., please bring them, and a friend. Get a space, show your stuff, and have the friend along so you can switch off showing off and visiting the rest of the show. Scott |
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Men, Metal & Machines - Visalia Show Report
On Fri, 31 Oct 2003 09:43:07 -0800, Grant Erwin
wrote: Speaking of shows, I didn't hear a peep about PRIME this year (late September, Eugene Oregon) except a rumor afterward that they aren't going to do it again. Any info? Grant This is the rather brief report I got from one of the vendors: "PRIME went well. Was smaller than usual. Room to west was not used (saved Ram $1800) "GEARS will be held in Portland next Sept." And, his information about GEARS: "Gas Engine Antique Reproduction Show www.oregongears.org "Sept 25 & 25, 2004 "Probably at the armory at Jansen Beach close to I5 and Marine drive by the Columbia. The bldg is ½ the size of the PRIME area" Orrin |
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Men, Metal & Machines - Visalia Show Report
A vistor told me the management should reduce the vendor
fees and raise the admission fee ($7.00) so more exhibitors would attend. He wasn't complaining about a lack of vendors but though more whould make the show more interesting. Well, since the admission fee is charged to exhibitors (and that is ALL they have to pay to exhibit their work), this would not help. Perhaps this is a case of mistaken terminology. There are three groups of people at these shows: Vendors, Exhibitors, and Visitors. Vendors (such as us, Meridian, MarMachine, Shooting Star etc.) pay the highest fees. Booth fees for Vendors at the various shows can run $150 to $500 and up, depending on booth size and other options. Exhibitors are those who show their work. At least with the Cabin Fever run shows, they are not allowed to sell goods. They pay nothing other than the entrance fee, and can stake out a location and show off their work. IMHO, the Exhibitors are what will make or break a show. I have been talking with Gary, and we are working on ways to make it more attractive for Exhibitors to show their work, and to stay through the whole show. These plans may include gifts, drawings, or perhaps refunds of admission fees. When these plans are worked out, it will be announced here and elsewhere. Finally, the visitors. Somewhere around 2000 attended this show, which was thought to be pretty good for a first show. Certainly better than the early Cabin Fever shows, and look at what those have grown into. I hope everyone enjoyed the show, and invite you all back next year. If you have something to show, models, tools, engines, etc., please bring them, and a friend. Get a space, show your stuff, and have the friend along so you can switch off showing off and visiting the rest of the show. Scott In error I slipped into my me/they vernacular. The fellow that made the "complaint" meant that it should be cheaper to sell stuff and more expensive to attend thus making the event bigger. I used exhibiter and vendor interchangably which in this case is incorrect. The most important attendees were the exhibitors, those that brought an engine or other to display. Without them there wouldn't be much reason to attend. The second most important group were the attendees that paid the princely sum of $7.00 for a solid day of great entertainment. The lowly souls at this event were the peddlers like Scott and myself. Scott has done other shows like this and I now know that my presentation has to be adjusted as this is a different group then I am used to dealing with at the auto swapmeets. I'd rate this group as pretty upscale and defintely on the very intelligent side. To sum it up I'd have to call it a great experience and one that I want to repeat frequently. BTW Totally unrelated to this show, my sales of machines took off this week leaving me in in a very upbeat mood. Leigh@MarMachine |
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Men, Metal & Machines - Visalia Show Report
Prime was fun as always, but clearly the decline of the show was
evident. Less vendors, less exhibitors, less attendance. Ram was going to cancel the show this year but decided to continue one more year - the clubs were going to take over the PRIME name but he wanted money for it so they decided to break completely with the past and get a new name. The GEARS show will be in Portland next year. (This is all 2nd hand info so forgive me if I got any details wrong) The failure of PRIME had two main reasons. 1) People don't take the time to exhibit their models and projects. Without exhibitors there is no show. If GEARS is to stand a chance in hell of continuing the tradition of a NW show, people need to get off their asses and display! 2) Ram and Patrick, who deserve praise for starting the show, really let it wither on the vine. You need more promotion than a text ad in HSM, and a website that only gets update every couple of years. The difference between the advertising for the Visalia show and PRIME was stunning. You also need more involvement from the different clubs, but I think that there were problems in that interface. Oh and a guy cut his pinkie off in a vee belt on Saturday. On Fri, 31 Oct 2003 09:43:07 -0800, Grant Erwin wrote: Speaking of shows, I didn't hear a peep about PRIME this year (late September, Eugene Oregon) except a rumor afterward that they aren't going to do it again. Any info? Grant Scott S. Logan wrote: On 27 Oct 2003 20:34:48 -0800, (Leigh Knudson) wrote: A vistor told me the management should reduce the vendor fees and raise the admission fee ($7.00) so more exhibitors would attend. He wasn't complaining about a lack of vendors but though more whould make the show more interesting. Well, since the admission fee is charged to exhibitors (and that is ALL they have to pay to exhibit their work), this would not help. Perhaps this is a case of mistaken terminology. There are three groups of people at these shows: Vendors, Exhibitors, and Visitors. Vendors (such as us, Meridian, MarMachine, Shooting Star etc.) pay the highest fees. Booth fees for Vendors at the various shows can run $150 to $500 and up, depending on booth size and other options. Exhibitors are those who show their work. At least with the Cabin Fever run shows, they are not allowed to sell goods. They pay nothing other than the entrance fee, and can stake out a location and show off their work. IMHO, the Exhibitors are what will make or break a show. I have been talking with Gary, and we are working on ways to make it more attractive for Exhibitors to show their work, and to stay through the whole show. These plans may include gifts, drawings, or perhaps refunds of admission fees. When these plans are worked out, it will be announced here and elsewhere. Finally, the visitors. Somewhere around 2000 attended this show, which was thought to be pretty good for a first show. Certainly better than the early Cabin Fever shows, and look at what those have grown into. I hope everyone enjoyed the show, and invite you all back next year. If you have something to show, models, tools, engines, etc., please bring them, and a friend. Get a space, show your stuff, and have the friend along so you can switch off showing off and visiting the rest of the show. Scott |
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Men, Metal & Machines - Visalia Show Report
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Men, Metal & Machines - Visalia Show Report
--I'd add a third reason: seminars. Not sure if there were any at
these other shows but it was great to catch the tail end of one on patternmaking at the MM&M show. I'd vote for more of same and repeats of well-attended ones, so's as many as possible could have a chance to learn from those who talk. A plainly visible list in many conspicuous places of what is being talked about and when would also help; don't recall seeing one such in Visalia. -- "Steamboat Ed" Haas : Just another Fart in Hacking the Trailing Edge! : the Elevator of Life... http://www.nmpproducts.com/intro.htm ---Decks a-wash in a sea of words--- |
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