Back from the Guild Show

Darrel-
Some said sales were way off...affect you the same? Think it might have been the location (libations and gastronomical delites;-) )?
 
Harry
Well I dont look at shows as to how many people come through the door. I look at shows at to how well I did as a knife maker. I did well and have not one complaint except it was hot. The guild did a great job IMHO.
The members voted to move the show. Now I feel they should support the guild for the great job and extra effort it takes to take on this overwhelming task. If a member had a bad show I feel that they may have wanted to do there homework on what is selling and forget the good old days when the the world was flying into the shows to buy knives.
The knife making industry has changed in the last five years and is going to continue to change.
I feel the board of directors did what they were told to do.
I dont think the town venue is going to make the show better one way or another. Its the guild show. I think that Las Vegas proved this also.
When the wheel isnt broken dont fix it. Moving the guild show around just created a circus comming to town type atmosphere.
I feel that the Orlando, and or a New york venue are the best choices for this show.
The show should stay in one place for 5 years at a time to build clientel. 2 years just dont do it.
More makers need to inform there clients of the show and of what they will be showing there. Its there job!

soapbox off



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Darrell,

do you think most of the sales were to collectors who traveled to New Orleans for the show, or mostly to folks who live in the NO area and decided to stop by?

I wonder how many people make an "impulse buy" when it's a knife that costs over $100 or so. I spoke to a friend of mine who was at the show and he felt most of his customers were NOT from the NO area.

I just wondered what your impression was...

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www.wilkins-knives.com


 
Kevin
Most of the folks who bought knives were from far away places. Fla, mich, ect.
As for the NO traffic hum . I dont remember ever selling a knife in the last 7 years to anyone who lived in NO . So I didnt expect local folks to be there buying. Most of the knives that I sell go to 1. NY NJ area,2.Florida,3. Cal... and then it thins into several states and around the world.
So with that in mind I felt there would be folks who would fly into the show.
I do think the locals will come in time. But as in advertizing it takes at least three time for folks to get the message into there brain... So .. moving the show from town to town in a two year time frame dosent give the
locals a chance to get it into there head that there is a knife show in the area once a year.
All in all it was a good show. :]

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Web Site At www.infinet.com/~browzer/bldesmth.html
Take a look!!!




 
Thanks Darrel!
A LOT of gr8 advice in your answer to my query!
Heck, someone will blame the heat, rain, economy, Holidays,the show started on an odd numbered day, etc. for having a bad show, but there's only so much $$$ to go around, and to be successful, a maker better identify and cater to their clientele.
As for me, I make good inexpensive working knives.....leastwise it keeps me in belts!
;-)
Harry Jensen
Fresno, CA
 
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