Or maybe this show is just at the wrong time in the wrong place.
So we know three things: (1) Plenty of folks will attend knife shows - even shows which principally feature traditional ABS-style knives (per Kevin's post above); (2) people will buy ABS smith knives (per gthouse's post above); and (3) attendance at the ABS Show In January in San Antonio is not very good. What do those three things tell you?
I have not heard anyone say that promotion is a dirty word. I think many of the most successful custom / handmade makers have also been very good at promotion.
But what are folks promoting?
I am sure Jerry Busse and Mike Snody are making money hand over fist and God bless them for that. I am guessing that Victorinox and Henckels are making a ton of money, too. And to me, what they make has about as much in common with ABS forged knives as what Snody and Busse do. We already have a Swiss army knife, we already have German kitchen knives, we already have blingy so-called "tactical" knives and I really don't see why ABS makers need to go and try to compete with any of those things, any more than they need to get into the hedge fund management business and compete with hedge fund managers. Because if it is just about getting into a business where you can make as much money as possible, I think that a good hedge fund manager will make a lot more money than any knifemaker.
I am also guessing that for every hot tactical maker who is raking it in, there are probably ten other guys struggling to sell what they make. Gee, sounds like ABS makers, or Guild Members, or . . .
That sounds logical.
But I am curious. Do you know how many or what percentage of the sold out TKI show attendees were already going to be there for the SHOT show?
One thing I have NEVER seen any knife show do is to survey its own attendees. Maybe they do it and no one just ever asked
me.
But in one of my many former lives I used to be in the trade show business - we ran a major LV show with tens of thousands attendees every year from all over the world. And we surveyed the hell out of them to find out why they were coming, what they liked, what they didn't like, what they wanted more of, what they wanted less of, what would make them more or less likely to come back next year . . . because it was very important to us that they DID come back next year.
Information is your best friend.
Loved your post. Love your passion.
But when I read the points above, it sort of made me feel like you think "the problem" with the ABS Show is not enough makers, when I think "the problem" with the ABS Show is really that there not enough attendees/collectors.
That is . . . disappointing to hear.
Again, to me the issue is not getting more ABS makers to the ABS Show; it is getting more attendees/collectors to the ABS Show.
Just the ABS Master Smiths?
Why? Please forgive me, because sometimes maybe I am just too blunt.
But why have them "come to the Guild Show?" Why not have a COMBINED show on equal footing - not just a Guild show with a section for ABS MS makers?
No offense, and maybe I am just reading it wrong, but this post does not indicate to me a great interest on your organization's part to have a REAL combined custom / handmade show with the best of both worlds. So, if this is true, then IMO it is no surprise that the ABS does not want to just dump all their JS and Journeyman makers for the privilege of their MS makers being a part of "your show." Maybe the Guild feels this way because the Guild Show is doing better than the ABS Show now and so maybe the Guild feels like it doesn't really need the ABS. At least that is just the impression I am getting here. In that case . . . I guess you better hope the worm never turns, as they say. But WTH, I am just a collector like many who buys and collects knives made by Guild members, and knives made by ABS makers . . . and even some knives made by neither. But I don't go to either of your shows as it stands now. Combine them, and I'll be there with bells on, as they say, together with my meager wallet. And I bet I would have some company.
I guess I don't take that as anyone making fun of anyone's work or of the TKI's makers, but rather perhaps a gentle poke at the stereotype of the folks who tend to attend the TKI and similar shows. But maybe you had to be there to "get it."
Yeah, I can see how that would be real offputting and make someone feel unwelcomed. Damn shame, IMO.
Jerry knows how to establish a market, feed that market what they want and keep them coming back for more....himself, without anyone else doing it for him.
