New Blade Show Management...do they even care?

Ed Caffrey

Ed Caffrey

Joined
Jul 23, 1999
Messages
1,409
A while back I learned that Mary Lutz was no longer in charge of the Blade Show, or Blade Show West. When I learned of this, I was concerned, because Mary has always done an outstanding job of managing the shows.

Well, I'm starting to realize those concerns. I've attended the Blade Show and Blade West for a number of years. With each successive table renewal at the Blade Show, I have asked to be moved closer to the front of the ABS section. I have learned through the grapevine, that a number of makers who normally inhabit those rows closest to the front will not be attending this year, and upon hearing that, tried to contact the new show management to determine if I would finally get a table closer to the front. It took me 2 phone messages, and three emails before I got a response....and then the response was "I'll forward your email for action." The email I got after that was short and trite saying "I don't think we can move you up in the show, but please be patient." WHAT!? We are two months away from the show, and I need to advertise to my customers where they can find me.
I think what angers me the most is that I have had a couple of individuals who are not even rated ABS members, contact me and tell me that they now have tables closer to the front than mine. Getting the brush off is one thing, but having attended the show for the number of years I have, and then getting slapped in the face like that........:grumpy:
I don't blame those who got moved up, but am angry that the new Blade Show management seems to be indifferent about it...and are too busy with "other shows" to take care of paying customers.
If the new show management is going to treat long time attendees in this manner, then it might just be time to think twice about attending their show(s).
Has anyone else had similar experiences with the new Blade Show staff...or is it just me?
 
Ed, that really blows! :mad: I'm just barely an apprentice but I truly believe it is in the best interest of the ABS to have those with a long history of attendance and the highest skills near the front. Especially those individuals that have helped promote the forged blade. It seems the new mismanagement at BLADE should have asked for a list from the ABS for members to move up first when they received the cancellations. At the least they should give first rights to those with longest attendance records.
 
I had to be VERY proactive in trying to contact them about getting a table this year.

I've been on the "list" for several years and would usually e-mail Mary around January just to see where I stood. When I e-mailed her this year she responded promptly with a polite message stating that she was no longer involved in the Blade show. I got the new contact information from her and immediately sent a message to the new contact, several weeks and successive calls/emails later I finally talked to someone who had NO idea who I was, and I got the distinct impression that there is no longer a "list"


concerning to say the least
 
ironbikemike said:
Ed, that really blows! :mad: I'm just barely an apprentice but I truly believe it is in the best interest of the ABS to have those with a long history of attendance and the highest skills near the front. Especially those individuals that have helped promote the forged blade. It seems the new mismanagement at BLADE should have asked for a list from the ABS for members to move up first when they received the cancellations. At the least they should give first rights to those with longest attendance records.
Click to expand...

To be very clear, the ABS has NO involvement with the planning and coordination of the Blade show, the is all on FW Publications
 
My understanding is that our tables went up $25 each this year -after- we paid the 50% deposit to hold them last year. I thought that was kinda low.
 
Will..... Eric knows who I am. I contacted him shortly after I learned of the change in show management, introduced myself, and restated my "move up" request that was written on the table application. At that time he informed me that he has managed a number of antique type shows, and that the was learning about the "knife" shows.

While writing this post, I got a phone call from a friend, who said he had just spoken to one of the Krause staff members.....now I'm more confused than ever. It seems that the actual table assignments have not even been made yet. And most of the information I got from that call, makes it sound like the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. Hopefully it will all come out in the wash, but here we are, two months from the biggest knife show of the year, and I can't even tell my customers what my table number will be....at least with any certainty.
Part of this situation MIGHT be that Mary Lutz was very much in tune with Knifemakers, and understood their needs, where as it seems the new management team is just lumping us in with all the other "shows". The more I learn about it, the more I think Krause made a mistake by removing Mary Lutz as show manager.
 
And I thought it was just us new people that didn't have table numbers yet, because I know I don't have mine yet
 
I had my 1st table last year and after one phone call Mary new who I was and remembered me. Now it is like pulling teeth. I sent my deposit in by fax in the fall and then when I went to pay the balance they billed me the full fee. Upon calling they had no record of deposit so I had to scramble and recheck all of the plastic money bills to see who owed who money. Not impressed. Oh well see you in May .
Come back Mary, All is forgiven for the joke.
 
Yeah Ed, the show's kind of screwed up since Marry moved into advertising.
Hopefully things will smooth out!

I dicided a while back that I did not want to be up front! I like my table right where it is :D

See y'all there...
 
Mary is awesome.. It really sucks she is no longer handling Blade.. She always did a great job, and was very easy to work with. I hope she comes back.
 
Well, As I went from number 68 on the wait list to having a table this year, I am pretty happy. With that said, even my limited dealings with the new guys has been substandard when compared to my even more limited dealings with Mary last year at the show. I did notice on the table form that you can ask for an end table if you pony up an extra $25. Ed....my recollection is that while you weren't at the front of the room, you weren't back in the nosebleed seats where is suspect that I will be. Are you looking to move up into the second row "war zone?":D
 
Don Hanson III said:
Yeah Ed, the show's kind of screwed up since Marry moved into advertising.
Hopefully things will smooth out!

I dicided a while back that I did not want to be up front! I like my table right where it is :D

See y'all there...
Click to expand...
Yeah, yeah........you just want to be back amongst us little guys so you can have one of us watch your table while you sneak off to buy more ivory.;):D
 
Charlie just checked with the Blade staff and we have the same table we have had for the last several years...19 M in the Guild Section. We have asked to move up towards the front and let some of those that leave on Saturday have a higher number table, but haven't had any luck. To tell the truth where we are is not bad, people know where to find us and the neighbors are good people. It could be a lot worse, might get a table next to a whip cracking sword swinger with bad gas.
 
Let me pose this to you... do you think they CARE??? I'm pretty sure the answer is NO because you're not going to cancel no matter how they treat you, well it'd have to get damn bad. They don't care, they don't have to care and they're not going to care until it impacts their bottom line. There's nothing you can do because you really can't afford to lose your table and if you do cancel there about 50 people waiting to swoop in on your table.

Things are going to have to change, makers, dealers and manufacturers would have to band together to get this changed and I don't really see this happening.
 
I just sent my money in last week, this is after 3 years of being on the list. I found out that people who were not even making knives when I applied for the table got tables before I did! I'm with Ed on this, this is screwed up and probably will be so for the forseeable future. I just hope it gets better.

Brad Singley
ABS JS
 
Yea, I do want to be in "The war zone". I've watched for too many years, people starting at the front row of the ABS section, and when they get to me I hear....."I wish you had been closer to the front.....I've already spent all my money." Now that might be a cop out, but its happened too often for me to believe they are all copping out on me. My regular customers know where I'm at, and they come and buy knives, but I cannot help but believe that I could acquire a few new customers if I managed to get even on the fringes of the "war zone".

Will....your 100% right, they don't give a hoot, but I truly believe that Mary did, and worked whatever magic she could to make folks happy. At least a try on her part is better than peeing down my back and telling me its raining like the current management is doing.

I've always tried to make it a policy not to sell knives in the pit, prior to the show. I have even turned down requests from purveyors who wanted to purchase several pieces, that I knew other customers were looking forward to seeing at the show.....always trying to be fair....but that may have to change with the times.

Guess we'll see what happens and how the show goes when we get there.
Sounds like I'm not the only one who has reservations, or less than favorable contacts with the new management.
 
The sad thing is that their new "business" practices may hurt their busines by semi-forcing people into the "pit" to gain a commercial advantage. I think it's sad because it could destroy some of the friendlieness of the custom community due to economic needs. You can be Pollyanna and say it's not going to affect you but the truth is that if you need gas/hotel and food money it doesn't matter how much you like the guys around you.
 
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