Atlanta Blade Show 2021?

not2sharp

not2sharp

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Is anyone planning to go up this year?

As I post this we are just 78 days away from the big event. But, Covid is still around and chances are good that they will not be able to pull this off. The logistics for the show are always complicated, and with just 2 1/2 months to go, exhibitors have either made a commitment or have written it off as a lost cause.

What’s the word this year?

n2s
 
I'm skipping Atlanta and hitting BLADE West instead, I'm hoping the extra few months for things to settle down will pay off.
 
I'm not going. As much as I want to, it is a 12 hour hike for me and the possibility for it to be canceled or have very few vendors show up, is high. I think I'm going to hit NYCKS for the first time instead.
 
They are still saying that it's on. But, I noticed there are no refunds on advanced ticket purchase, or exhibitor Space after February 21, and I am not hearing much of a buzz.

Link
https://bladeshow.com/

n2s
 
Never been to one.
Is it worth it? One day good enough?
Maybe some folks won't show this year and hit up next year?
 
I've never been to any of the shows, but this was going to be the year I went before all the coronavirus stuff hit. Personally, I'm still avoiding most all of that sort of stuff until I get my shots. IMHO, too much of a victory lap is being taken before we cross the finish line, and we are SO close. Anyway, in my line of work, all of the trade shows have either been scrapped or have been made virtual, which would suck anyway. The 3 or 4 shows that were due to be this month were unceremonially cancelled via email with a short blurb of "all deposits and reservations will be rolled toward next year's show" without any obvious and easy way to get your money back.

My guess is that most any show related to anything at all is going to be either a ghost town or potentially unsafe. I'm just writing off 2021 as a hangover to 2020 and will hit up Blade in 2022. It would be a lot more fun to be able to handle things, shake hands, and grab a beer or three with folks.
 
jideta said:
Never been to one.
Is it worth it? One day good enough?
Maybe some folks won't show this year and hit up next year?
Click to expand...

It is worth it for a couple reasons. A lot of inventory if you’re looking for something specific, and you can handle a bunch of knives that you probably don’t have access to back home (assuming you don’t live near a major retailer like BHQ, GPK, PVK, etc.). One day can be good enough if you only go to meet maybe a small handful of custom makers, but in general, the show is huge. It would be tight to take the entire show in within a day, factoring in that there are certain events that happen during show hours like cutting competitions and educational stuff.

It’s a two day thing for most knife guys at least, I’d say. Get there on day one with a list of stuff you want to buy and makers you want to visit. Then on day two you can just relax and stroll through the rest of it.
 
If you don't mind, can I take this post as a chance to ask: Any idea about a blade show in Canada? Where to get related info? Thanks
 
The Blade Show in Atlanta was a one of a kind annual event. It was Mecca for knife nuts from around the globe and it really would take a couple of days just to walk through the exhibition space and there were a constant stream of seminars and demonstrations on a wide range of knife related topics. I hope they can find a way to bring that all back, but it is doubtful they can pull it off this year.

n2s
 
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Planning to go if they have it. I usually just go all day Saturday. It is a grueling 30 min drive for me! I used to work in the mall across the street when I was 14
 
I live 30-45 minutes from The Galleria/Cumberland Mall area where the Blade Show is held, and I am planning on going all three days, but as of right now, I'm not planning on doing an early bird ticket on Friday.

The good news is, here locally, the COVID numbers are trending down quickly. Georgia as a whole had a VERY disorganized vaccine plan to start with, but it seems to be rolling out a bit better now. Fingers crossed things will be looking up by June, but if I was in a high risk group, I'd probably sit this one out just to be on the safe side.

Side note: The Braves are at home the same weekend of The Blade Show (for those that may not know, the new Braves Stadium is right across the interstate from the Galleria/Cobb Convention Center where Blade is held), so traffic Friday and Saturday afternoon/evening is gonna be a mother. Sunday hopefully won't be as bad.
 
Fort Payne's Finest said:
I live 30-45 minutes from The Galleria/Cumberland Mall area where the Blade Show is held, and I am planning on going all three days, but as of right now, I'm not planning on doing an early bird ticket on Friday.

The good news is, here locally, the COVID numbers are trending down quickly. Georgia as a whole had a VERY disorganized vaccine plan to start with, but it seems to be rolling out a bit better now. Fingers crossed things will be looking up by June, but if I was in a high risk group, I'd probably sit this one out just to be on the safe side.

Side note: The Braves are at home the same weekend of The Blade Show (for those that may not know, the new Braves Stadium is right across the interstate from the Galleria/Cobb Convention Center where Blade is held), so traffic Friday and Saturday afternoon/evening is gonna be a mother. Sunday hopefully won't be as bad.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that heads up!
 
I will go if they have it. My guess is that they will still have it but in say November...
 
not2sharp said:
They are still saying that it's on. But, I noticed there are no refunds on advanced ticket purchase, or exhibitor Space after February 21, and I am not hearing much of a buzz.

Link
https://bladeshow.com/

n2s
Click to expand...

Wanted to let folks know that as soon as I saw this, I emailed them. The response was pretty quick. They said:

"Obviously if the show was cancelled then tickets will be refunded; however, there are no plans at all to cancel the Show. We are actually hosting a show in Texas next week so we are moving forward with all our shows in 2021.

Thanks!

BLADE Show Team
blade@bladeshow.com -EMAIL ADDRESS"

So, that's what they've said. I am considering going myself, but have not bought tickets yet. It may very well be that I decide to sit this one out this year myself.

 
I wish they would move it to another week. The last time they did this during a Braves game the traffic was horrible and there was zero parking available near the venue. I ended up having to bribe a security guard to allow me to park somewhere. Not fun after driving 12 hours to get there.

n2s
 
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