Kohai999
Second Degree Cutter
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2003
- Messages
- 12,554
Guys,
I'll be brief and to the point.
I thought this show sucked balls! Arguably the worst show that I have EVER attended. Sadly, this is not due to the quality of the makers, there were some true greats in the room; Jerome Anders, Pat & Wes Crawford, Steve Fecas, Grant and Gavin Hawk, W.C. Johnson, Simon Lytton, Devin Thomas, Art Washburn, the list goes on.
I attended with Matt Diskin and Anthony Marfione Jr. of Microtech on Saturday, between 1:00 and 3:00 pm.
The hours were the same as the SHOT show.
Strike 1-There are MAJOR buyers at a show, in town for a specific reason, with the financial interest and ability to buy, but they are there for the SHOT show, not the other show. Having the hours of say 10 or 11 am until 8:00 pm would have put more interested buyers in the knife/antique showroom, I guarantee that most SHOT attendees did not venture over to Mandalay Bay. It took over 1 1/2 hours to get from the front door of the SHOT show to the front door of the Antique Arms show and back(combined), that is without even going into the show.
Strike 2-The show was in the BACK of the hotel, it must have been a 1/4 mile walk just to get there from the front door. Security wanted you to check knives that you were bringing in with you, marking them with a sticker or something, for some stupid reason. Screw a pile of that, I just walked through the door. My name tag said Joe Maima, I wanted to see who actually knew my name/face.
Strike 3- The lighting was adequate, but the overall feel of the show was neither elegant, nor folksy. It was like a high-end flea market.
Sorry, Mr. Beinfield, but yer out!
I won't go back, neither will many makers that I know. It just seemed like a big waste of time and money.
I'll tell you all a kicker, that does not work for me.
John Young whose work I like and own, had about 6 pieces for sale, and was definitely a sought after maker at this show. He was getting hit on hard by purveyors and collectors the night before the show, wanting to buy everything he had. My buddy Adam made sure that John's table was the first one that he visited when the show opened, and was then informed that the knives were to be raffled off, Horn/Emerson/Onion style. Dan Delavan drew 2 of the knives. That is 30% of the possibility.
Coincidence? I think not. I like John Young, and I also like Dan Delavan, but I think this situation does not pass the smell test!
What solution do I offer? The same one that Dan Farr has employed, successfully at the last two shows that I have attended where he has been. No pre-sales, not to anyone. First ones to the table get choice of the knives, but only after the show has opened, VIP or not. Ethically, this is MUCH more fair than what happened at Las Vegas. I am interested to see what happens at the Evening of the Cutlery Arts in Huntington Beach this year. I'll keep you all posted.
Best Regards,
Steven Garsson
I'll be brief and to the point.
I thought this show sucked balls! Arguably the worst show that I have EVER attended. Sadly, this is not due to the quality of the makers, there were some true greats in the room; Jerome Anders, Pat & Wes Crawford, Steve Fecas, Grant and Gavin Hawk, W.C. Johnson, Simon Lytton, Devin Thomas, Art Washburn, the list goes on.
I attended with Matt Diskin and Anthony Marfione Jr. of Microtech on Saturday, between 1:00 and 3:00 pm.
The hours were the same as the SHOT show.
Strike 1-There are MAJOR buyers at a show, in town for a specific reason, with the financial interest and ability to buy, but they are there for the SHOT show, not the other show. Having the hours of say 10 or 11 am until 8:00 pm would have put more interested buyers in the knife/antique showroom, I guarantee that most SHOT attendees did not venture over to Mandalay Bay. It took over 1 1/2 hours to get from the front door of the SHOT show to the front door of the Antique Arms show and back(combined), that is without even going into the show.
Strike 2-The show was in the BACK of the hotel, it must have been a 1/4 mile walk just to get there from the front door. Security wanted you to check knives that you were bringing in with you, marking them with a sticker or something, for some stupid reason. Screw a pile of that, I just walked through the door. My name tag said Joe Maima, I wanted to see who actually knew my name/face.
Strike 3- The lighting was adequate, but the overall feel of the show was neither elegant, nor folksy. It was like a high-end flea market.
Sorry, Mr. Beinfield, but yer out!
I won't go back, neither will many makers that I know. It just seemed like a big waste of time and money.
I'll tell you all a kicker, that does not work for me.
John Young whose work I like and own, had about 6 pieces for sale, and was definitely a sought after maker at this show. He was getting hit on hard by purveyors and collectors the night before the show, wanting to buy everything he had. My buddy Adam made sure that John's table was the first one that he visited when the show opened, and was then informed that the knives were to be raffled off, Horn/Emerson/Onion style. Dan Delavan drew 2 of the knives. That is 30% of the possibility.
Coincidence? I think not. I like John Young, and I also like Dan Delavan, but I think this situation does not pass the smell test!
What solution do I offer? The same one that Dan Farr has employed, successfully at the last two shows that I have attended where he has been. No pre-sales, not to anyone. First ones to the table get choice of the knives, but only after the show has opened, VIP or not. Ethically, this is MUCH more fair than what happened at Las Vegas. I am interested to see what happens at the Evening of the Cutlery Arts in Huntington Beach this year. I'll keep you all posted.
Best Regards,
Steven Garsson
