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

Man, this thread is discouraging. I'm a long way from getting a table there, but I can understand the frustration you folks are expressing. Thank goodness for the internet and local shows, I guess.
 
I didn't get to deal with Mary a lot so I guess I don't realize what I am missing. I will be there this year and since I got off the list I'm happy. I will probably be back in the nosebleed section along with Joe the rest that just got off the list. Maybe we should all make knives with Bloodwood scales and market them as "Nosebleed Specials!"
See ya there, Kevin
 
kdcknives said:
I didn't get to deal with Mary a lot so I guess I don't realize what I am missing. I will be there this year and since I got off the list I'm happy. I will probably be back in the nosebleed section along with Joe the rest that just got off the list. Maybe we should all make knives with Bloodwood scales and market them as "Nosebleed Specials!"
See ya there, Kevin
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I plan on using the "CHEEP AZZZZZZZ NIFES" sales pitch this year.:D
 
I think your right on the spot Will. Its easy to be "nice" when times are good...but the gloves usually come off when things get a little tougher.

I've pretty much said what was on my mind, and now will wait to see if anyone with the show gets back to me in a reasonable amount of time. From what I've heard, the show staff has "other shows" to attend to over the next couple of weekends, and will not devote their full attention to the Blade Show until the end of this month....personally I consider that too late for any advertising decisions, and/or any mailings about the show to clients. That leaves emails and blog posts to inform folks of what table you'll have at the show and other important details....nothing like going into the biggest show of the year in that kind of shape :barf:
 
They definitely don't seem to care.
I collaborating with Mikkel Willumsen on a bunch of knives this year, so we decided to try and share a booth.
Spoke them about this 6 months ago, and several times since.
No dice...
Now, talking with a friend of mine recently, he's being offered a booth, I don't even think he asked!
Barring this, we'd like 2 tables together. We are both table holders...
Can't get a response...

I miss Mary.
 
They told Charlie yesterday that they were working on the table assignments when he called. He told them he had an advertising deadline and needed the number. They gave it to him. Kind of stunk that we didn't get moved up any, but anyway they said that the table assignments would be available today. You might give them a call to see what you got.

After Ed Fowler's article in the Blade magazine about the Blade staff not liking all those table holders cutting out early last year, I thought all those guys would be on the back row and we would all get moved up to fill their places. :cool: No such luck. They had indicated that they were going to take steps to stop the leaving early..... wonder what they are?
 
Mary was a good hand at the helm of Blade Show, no question she will be missed!
Still lets give the new man a chance, he sounds dedicated and a like a good guy, we were all new at one time and should be able to remember that first show.
 
This dosent have to do with the blade show but, I talked to Mary last Friday afternoon and she wasn't any more impressed with that decision than anyone else in fact she told me she was going to do as many closer shows as she could just to say hi to folks.
Ken
 
Well, the last contact I had with the new Blade show management was over two weeks ago. At that time I was told that there would be a meeting "tomorrow" and that I would be contacted within "a couple of days" with my table info. Now that the deadline for advertising has come and gone, its too late anyway. I've given these new people plenty of consideration and time....and they've given me ZERO customer service in return. At this point, they would have to do something pretty spectacular for me to have a favorable opinion of how they're handling the show.
 
I may be wrong, but it seems like these two new people were hired not just to run Blade and Blade West, but a bunch of other shows for Krause/F&W too. I tried to call today and got a voice message that said that Karen was attending some show called the Atlantique Show, whihc I am guessing is some type of antique event. I still don't know which table I have or if I even managed to get into the ABS section. less than 2 months to go and the exhibitor list isn't posted on the Blade website yet.
 
Its funny that this came back up.... today I got a phone call from another member of the Krause Publications company, one who isn't in any way in charge of the Show. It only further confirmed to me that those who are suppose to be running the show are a bunch of slackers. This individual was doing me a personal favor by calling and checking if I'd heard anything on my inquiries about my table. (which I've not) The advertising deadlines have past for most of the knife publications, and most of use still do not have an idea of where our tables will be.

I also learned that Krause combined all their shows (knife and otherwise) under one division, and because they haven't yet wrapped up everything with that antique show, we're all still waiting for customer service/information.

Even though Mary Lutz is a tough act to follow, it would be nice if the new folks would put forth at least a minimal effort.....so far they have been a BIG disappointment.
 
Ed- Sorry to hear you keep getting such a run-around.

Ya' know, the Blade Show has been THE SHOW for such a long time now, it has seemed sort of indestructible. With Mary running things for us table holders, she only reassured that notion.

I hope this isn't the first sign of things unraveling to the point of makers bailing out (much like Eugene eh?).
 
NickWheeler said:
Ed- Sorry to hear you keep getting such a run-around.

Ya' know, the Blade Show has been THE SHOW for such a long time now, it has seemed sort of indestructible. With Mary running things for us table holders, she only reassured that notion.

I hope this isn't the first sign of things unraveling to the point of makers bailing out (much like Eugene eh?).
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There really isn't an alternative to Blade for us guys who can't put on our own micro show. It is one of a kind. Even the Guild show in its glory days of the early to mid '90's was probably about half the size that Blade is today. I don't think that there is another serious custom knife show anywhere in the world that is any bigger than 1/4 the size of custom section Blade and that before you add in the manufacturers booths. Scott Slobodian told me that years ago, SICAC had twice as many exhibiotrs as it does today, before the promoter went el cheapo and drove people away. But even then, it would have not had any more than 300 people. These days, any show other than Blade that has 150 custom makers and suppliers in attendance is considered to be a pretty big show.
 
I signed up for an end table, called last week to check on a table number.

Karen said that they had me down for table 20B - I said that is not an end table?
( I paid for the end table.)
She than told me the person doing the table assignment was not there, but would get back with me on Tuesday.

Any way I was suppose to get the phone call today to find out what was up?

Guess what???

NOTTA - NO phone call.........:rolleyes::(

Well I guess I will have to call them back tomorrow and see what is up??? :confused:

I hope they get it together and make the improvements needed?

We shall see?

Todd
 
That's sort'a the reason for my concern Joe. Since it is THE show, we don't have much room to stand on to get up and complain. If we don't like it, there are dozens of guys waiting in line to take our place.

Even if these new folks don't know who all the custom guys are... I bet they know that their show is THE BIGGEST and they wouldn't have to cater to the custom guys to keep it that way for a LONG, LONG time.

Ed knows what I mean about Eugene. When I first went to it at age 19, there were a couple dozen BIG NAME makers, and probably 100 guys doing really good work. The board decided that custom guys were a bunch of pretentious snobs trying to rock the proverbial boat when we started really pushing for stuff like a custom section, factory section, etc..., and WOULD NOT LISTEN to any of the concerns about the show.

Even though it was THE NORTHWEST show, after all the stuff that went down, makers started dropping out. Last time I went, there were very few custom makers at all. :(
 
I find this thread sad. As a new maker a table at Blade is a dream. It seems to me that it may be heading in a direction that many businesses go. They get so big that they can't picture it failing. With a waiting list years long.(I've been on it for 2 now). There is no dry spell in sight. If you build it they will come. Mary built it and they came. They came because it was well run and well organized. Sounds like that has changed. Blade is the #1 knife event in the USA. The Superbowl of knife shows. It deserves the best running it. Sounds like we need to get Mary back be for it becomes the pit show.
 
The same thoughts that Nick has, have crossed my mind more than once. I attended the Eugene show for 13 years, but no more. Suffice to say that its now commonly referred to among Makers as "The Eugene Flea Market."

I doubt that the Blade Show would ever sink that low, but it is a shame that the new management can't seem to handle the load they've tried to shoulder.
 
Makes me wonder if emails and letters from concerned makers and potential attendees would make a hill of beans difference. I'd be happy to shoot and email off, as I'm sure many other would. Of course, my thoughts are, if they aren't listening to the makers who MAKE this show such a good thing, why would they listen to me?

Someone needs to go over the heads of these lackies and see if higher-ups in the organization will listen to reason.

--nathan
 
Ed Caffrey said:
The same thoughts that Nick has, have crossed my mind more than once. I attended the Eugene show for 13 years, but no more. Suffice to say that its now commonly referred to among Makers as "The Eugene Flea Market."

I doubt that the Blade Show would ever sink that low, but it is a shame that the new management can't seem to handle the load they've tried to shoulder.
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I don't know about that, Ed. Did you ever attend the Guild show back in the early 90's in Orlando? They were in the biggest event space in the biggest hotel in Mouseville, the Marriot World Center. The year after I went, they were moving the show to a bigger room that had just been built. By the time they left Orlando this time around, the show was no bigger than most decent sized regional shows, around 100 tables. How the mighty have fallen.
 
I just checked my emal at lunch time and received one from Karen at Blade. Table and Booth numbers to be out on April 9th. Says you can call her or email her for yours.
 
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