BLADE Exhibitor List - Am I the only one...

T

Thor I am

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Oct 20, 2005
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...who finds this year's BLADE mag exhibitor listing of the BLADE Show less than satisfying?

Even though I didn't go to the show last year, I kept the list from last year's July 2008 issue.

This year for some reason, they went away from separating each letter of the alphabet with a line (ink to expensive?). They also are using knifemaker business names instead of their real names for a fair number of listings. While I understand this if the business name is close to the real name, I find it harder to find several knifemakers. Not sure if the knifemakers wanted this or if BLADE decided to do it this way.

These guys are going but I can't find their listing at all (and have looked several times):
David Broadwell, Bertie Rieveld, and John Young.
Maybe I am partially blind or a bit stupid, but so far no luck.

So if the above guys aren't listed and I know they are going, are the guys listed below also going and I just can't find their listings either or are they not going this year? I saw them in last year's exhibitor list:
Jon Christensen, Ray Cover Jr, Edmund Davidson, Tom Ferry, John Fitch, Johan Gustafsson, and Mardi Meshejian.

Like I said, maybe it's just me.
 
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Edmund Davidson, for one, will be visiting without a table.

I guess some of the others will either be visiting too,
or plan to share a table with another maker... Makes sense too... :)

All the best,
David Darom (ddd)
 
Jon Christensen won't be there if my understanding is correct.
I also believe our listing is according to how we have registered our table.
I'm listed as Andersen Forge - not Karl B. Andersen.
The "fault" doesn't lie with Blade Magazine.
 
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The below is printed at the bottom of the first listing page. There seems to be a lot of criticism directed towards the show this year (outside Thor's post here). I for one applaud Blade's management of the BIGGEST KNIFE SHOW in the world. Is it perfect? NO. But is anything?

NOTE: At their request, some exhibitors may be listed alphabetically according to their business names, which is not necessarily their surnames, or by their names or initials.

NOTE: The listings on this and the facing page were current as BLADE was going to press (April 8). Any subsequent additions or other changes are not included.
 
Hi Thor, if a maker's not listed, it's a pretty good bet they don't have a table. But I have
noticed some with a table listed under an odd name. Never understood that! Hank
Knickmeyer and Darrel Meyer sharred a table last year, registered under some odd name,
neither of their names were listed. Few folks knew they were there.

Looking forward to seeing you in Atlanta!
 
Don Hanson III said:
Hi Thor, if a maker's not listed, it's a pretty good bet they don't have a table. But I have
noticed some with a table listed under an odd name. Never understood that! Hank
Knickmeyer and Darrel Meyer sharred a table last year, registered under some odd name,
neither of their names were listed. Few folks knew they were there.

Looking forward to seeing you in Atlanta!
Click to expand...

I never understood it either Don.
Businesses spend a lot of money on marketing or building a recognizable brand. A knife maker's (or any artist for that matter) name is his brand.

Yesterday a maker informed me his website link wasn't listed in the CKCA website maker's links page. After he gave me his web address I noticed there was no reference what so ever to any part of his name or to knives or knifemaking.
 
I have sent out more than one polite email, asking the promotors why SharpByCoop Photography was not listed ANYWHERE in the show info pages. (It is now, thankfully!)

After my first query, I found one small alphabetical listing for SBC Enterprises (my DBA) and there was, of course, not even a room number. It was fixed yesterday. (My check was written by SBC Enterprises, but my business name is SharpByCoop.)

Sigh... :) For those who might be interested, we will be next to the seminar rooms in Boardroom #1, where I have been for the past two years.

An email announcement is pending to all my past clients. :thumbup:

See you there!

Coop
 
Thor I am said:
...who finds this year's BLADE mag exhibitor listing of the BLADE Show less than satisfying?

These guys are going but I can't find their listing at all (and have looked several times):
David Broadwell, Bertie Rieveld, and John Young.
Maybe I am partially blind or a bit stupid, but so far no luck.

So if the above guys aren't listed and I know they are going, are the guys listed below also going and I just can't find their listings either or are they not going this year? I saw them in last year's exhibitor list:
Jon Christensen, Ray Cover Jr, Edmund Davidson, Tom Ferry, John Fitch, Johan Gustafsson, and Mardi Meshejian.

Like I said, maybe it's just me.
Click to expand...

It's not just you. The bone heads listed some of us by our FIRST names. (That just reaffirms to me that journalists these days don't really learn anything in school!) I'm under D for David, and my table is 27-P. Look for the others under their first name initial. You're not stupid, they are!

I do know that Ray Cover Jr. does not have a table this year, but he will be there. He better be - he's picking me up at the airport and we're rooming together! We have a collaborative piece so he'll be around my table some, and he'll be over in the engravers section. If not, we can find him easily enough.

David Broadwell
 
I have the same problem. Last year I was listed by my name Brion Tomberlin, this year for some reason it is listed as AnvilTop custom Knives. I am not really sure why, but I am at 21R, so stop by and say hello. Now back to knives.
Brion tomberlin
 
dbl-edge said:
It's not just you. The bone heads listed some of us by our FIRST names. (That just reaffirms to me that journalists these days don't really learn anything in school!) I'm under D for David, and my table is 27-P. Look for the others under their first name initial. You're not stupid, they are!

I do know that Ray Cover Jr. does not have a table this year, but he will be there. He better be - he's picking me up at the airport and we're rooming together! We have a collaborative piece so he'll be around my table some, and he'll be over in the engravers section. If not, we can find him easily enough.

David Broadwell
Click to expand...

It's my understanding that Blade management listed names as communicated/requested by tableholders.
Some being listed by first name, some by last name and some by business name would seem to support this.
I'm curious, how did you communicate to print your name?

If this information was not made available, they may just have printed the name as it appeared on the check or Paypal payment. I guess they could have phoned or sent out a request form to every table holder. However, if they had they would probably only heard back from 40-50%.

If I were a maker, paying for a table, I would have made sure as to how I was to be identified beforehand, rather than calling someone stupid after the fact.
 
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I have to chime in on this one..... of all things they listed me as "Montana Bladesmith, The"....what the heck is that!?? I have never sent them anything like that, and even my table registration paperwork says "Ed Caffery, ABS Mastersmith". Do these folk go to a different school than the rest of us? I've sent them emails asking it to be corrected, but haven't gotten any response.

Thats a pretty significant mistake, since many show patrons will be looking for names in the most commonly used format.

UPDATE: I just checked my email and did get a response, then went online and checked....they corrected it! Whew! I withdraw my previous complaint. :)
 
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Ed Caffrey said:
I have to chime in on this one..... of all things they listed me as "Montana Bladesmith, The"....what the heck is that!?? I have never sent them anything like that, and even my table registration paperwork says "Ed Caffery, ABS Mastersmith". Do these folk go to a different school than the rest of us? I've sent them emails asking it to be corrected, but haven't gotten any response.

Thats a pretty significant mistake, since many show patrons will be looking for names in the most commonly used format.

UPDATE: I just checked my email and did get a response, then went online and checked....they corrected it! Whew! I withdraw my previous complaint. :)
Click to expand...

Not saying that's it's logical, but obviously they thought from your tag (signature line) that "Montana Bladesmith" is your business name.
 
I agree Kevin.... I'm sure they just took the business name and ran with it. What messed me up was the way they had it previously...."Montana Bladesmith, (comma) The". I just couldn't figure out how that made sense. When I wrote them, I asked them to please put my name there, rather than my business. I keep having to remind myself that these folks are working from the known, into the unknown concerning running a show, to cut them some slack, and not be so critical. I just get wrapped around the axle sometimes and have to slap the man in the mirror. :)
 
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Kevin Jones said:
It's my understanding that Blade management listed names as communicated/requested by tableholders.
Some being listed by first name, some by last name and some by business name would seem to support this.
I'm curious, how did you communicate to print your name?

If this information was not made available, they may just have printed the name as it appeared on the check or Paypal payment. I guess they could have phoned or sent out a request form to every table holder. However, if they had they would probably only heard back from 40-50%.

If I were a maker, paying for a table, I would have made sure as to how I was to be identified beforehand, rather than calling someone stupid after the fact.
Click to expand...

Kevin,

My paperwork listed my name as "David Broadwell" and identified me as a "Knifemaker", much like Ed. That's the name I've used for a little over 55 years and has been so on all knife related lists since 1981, including the Knives annuals, the Guild (when I was in it), and every show I've attended. Back when I was a kid in elementary school I learned to make alphabetical lists by a person's last name, not his first, and that is the proper way to organize a list when a person's name is used. Maybe I should not have assumed that the Blade Show staff knew the proper way to list people, but it was a logical assumption that they knew how to do it. They did get a foreign name, Bertie Rietvelt, correctly listed by his last name, but couldn't figure out that a common name like David was a first name? As you can see from other posts on this thread, they did make some rather stupid mistakes. "Montana Bladesmith, The"? We don't put our email and forum tag lines on our paperwork. I think my wording was appropriate under the circumstances.

David Broadwell
 
My "CONTRACT" had my business name "Robertson's Custom Cutlery".

While my check has my corporate name "Edgewise Enterprises Inc."

I pointed out to the good folks at Blade that they should use the name on the "CONTRACT"...not the check.

About 10 days later (after a couple of emails) it was fixed.

I suspect this will be a "lesson learned" for the show next year.
 
I will be there at table 20C.I share a table with my friend Jake Ellenbass whose name the table is listed under.Please come by and let me know who you are.THANKS Butch Ball of Ball Custom Knives
 
dbl-edge said:
Kevin,

My paperwork listed my name as "David Broadwell" and identified me as a "Knifemaker", much like Ed. That's the name I've used for a little over 55 years and has been so on all knife related lists since 1981, including the Knives annuals, the Guild (when I was in it), and every show I've attended. Back when I was a kid in elementary school I learned to make alphabetical lists by a person's last name, not his first, and that is the proper way to organize a list when a person's name is used. Maybe I should not have assumed that the Blade Show staff knew the proper way to list people, but it was a logical assumption that they knew how to do it. They did get a foreign name, Bertie Rietvelt, correctly listed by his last name, but couldn't figure out that a common name like David was a first name? As you can see from other posts on this thread, they did make some rather stupid mistakes. "Montana Bladesmith, The"? We don't put our email and forum tag lines on our paperwork. I think my wording was appropriate under the circumstances.

David Broadwell
Click to expand...

I defiantly see your point David.
I just look at the overall Blade Show as a HUGE project. And with my experience managing huge projects and knowing what can go wrong even when everyone performs, I'm just glad they do so many things right and put on a great show.
 
Many of these errors likely would not have happened if Mary Lutz was still organizing the Blade Show. She was fantastic and replaced at the bewilderment of all, including many of the "higher-ups" at Blade. She new almost every maker on a first name basis and would have solved many of these issues before they became an issue.

This speaks to a larger problem in society of large organizations replacing good people for corporate reasons.

I have no doubt the people organizing the Blade Show now are great and will learn fast but Mary had it nailed already.

Just my .02.
 
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