monophoto
Member
I went to Totally Turning in Saratoga Springs this past weekend. As always,s the demonstrations were fabulous, and the gallery was very inspiring.
But I noticed that the number of vendors who participate has continued to shrink - some traditional vendors opted to share a booth to reduce their show costs, while others simply weren't there. I can understand that a vendor who finds that his booth doesn't generate much business might choose to not return, but it's really disappointing to pay the entry fee only to find that vendors whose booths were beehives of activity in previous years were not represented.
It's not surprising - vendors have to take a pretty steely-eyed approach to shows. There is a charge for the space which seems to increase every year, there is the cost of travel to the show, and the costs of lodging and food for the people who are there. For participation in a show, the sales volume at the show must be enough to offset those costs while leaving an acceptable margin for the business. And as businesses shift from 'brick and mortar' to low-cost on-line arrangements, it inevitably becomes more difficult to justify participation in a show.
And it's not just the woodworking shows. A month ago, I went to a Home and Garden show at the same venue, and was surprised to see that the number of empty booth spaces had increased significantly since the same show last year.
This may be a problem for which there is no solution.
But I noticed that the number of vendors who participate has continued to shrink - some traditional vendors opted to share a booth to reduce their show costs, while others simply weren't there. I can understand that a vendor who finds that his booth doesn't generate much business might choose to not return, but it's really disappointing to pay the entry fee only to find that vendors whose booths were beehives of activity in previous years were not represented.
It's not surprising - vendors have to take a pretty steely-eyed approach to shows. There is a charge for the space which seems to increase every year, there is the cost of travel to the show, and the costs of lodging and food for the people who are there. For participation in a show, the sales volume at the show must be enough to offset those costs while leaving an acceptable margin for the business. And as businesses shift from 'brick and mortar' to low-cost on-line arrangements, it inevitably becomes more difficult to justify participation in a show.
And it's not just the woodworking shows. A month ago, I went to a Home and Garden show at the same venue, and was surprised to see that the number of empty booth spaces had increased significantly since the same show last year.
This may be a problem for which there is no solution.