OKCA Show

Joss said:
I'm not going either. I've felt the quality stuff was rare and far between - in short, the show is too diluted for me.
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Ya know, I read this before I left.. and thinking back on the last year's show, I could sort'a see that... and maybe hoping that it wouldn't be that way this year... Alas... I was hoping to see more of the local talent that we have come to look forward to seeing in these shows...

While there were several well known makers in attendance again, the bright side is that we had several new makers show up... from as far away as Finland (or Sweden or Norway? my aplogies as there were two tables with some of the nicest Puukkos and other Scandinavian style knives ranging from plain to fancy with one of the makers sitting there and doing the wire inlay in the handle as we watched!) as well as several from South Africa, Japan and Hawaii (it's a differnt country, isn't it?)...

And collectors from Maine, Virginia and Tennesse... not to mention makers from Texas, Arizona, Florida, Montana, Wyoming (a great showing by the Wyoming crew BTW - Ed Fowler, Audra and Mike Draper and two others from the Fowler School (sorry, I can't remember everyones name without my crib notes! LOL!!! ,)etc... And of course, the Oregon makers made a nice showing...Raymond Richard leading the way with his forging demo and Eric Berglund giving the Scandinavians a run for their money! ... All in all, it was still a trip worth my time just to get reaquainted with so many of the people I've grown fond of seeing over the last several years...

Yeah, each of the last five years I've watched the slow exodus from the OKCA show... and it was a bummer not being able to watch Ed give everyone another run for their money in a cutting contest...

But, I can always hope for a better show next year... :D
 
The lack of a cutting competition was a real bummer. I always enjoy the drama of that event.

But Crucible Steel's presentation on steel alloys and how steel is made and what actually happens in heat treatment was outstanding.
 
I'm glad you didn't enjoy meeting me Chuck! :mad:

HaHaHa!!! Just kidding! :D

Joe... when did you get there? I got some certificates for you, I thought we'd run into each other as I was there all day Friday. :eek:

BTW- several people have asked me about the food at the Roadhouse. Last year we ate there and I thought it sucked. This year, it was most excellent, really... so go figure.

-Nick-
 
I enjoyed meeting you too. There's just so many people, I can't name 'em all.
 
I always enjoy the Oregon Show; I don't always sell well there. I have benefitted from many relationships that started at the show. I have a deep respect for the community that puts the show together. The show has very low barriers to entry, and every attempt has been made to make this show affordable and functional for the vendors. The more knifemakers that participate the more customers that will be in the room. The less that knifemakers participate the more room there is for the micsellaneous knife stuff. As knife makers we have a wonderful venue; it is up to us to support that venue if we want it to succeed. OKCA has an very mature, well known show. With proper support it will grow that direction..
 
Ed Schempp said:
...I have benefitted from many relationships that started at the show... The more knifemakers that participate the more customers that will be in the room. The less that knifemakers participate the more room there is for the micsellaneous knife stuff. As knife makers we have a wonderful venue; it is up to us to support that venue if we want it to succeed. OKCA has an very mature, well known show. With proper support it will grow that direction..
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Ed... I first met you the first year you won the cutting competition, oh, what, 2 girlfriends ago and three jobs and I don't remember how many years... And I've stopped by your table every time I've been, and you've been there. Things like that are part of why I go - you guys are the ones who've stirred my interest in bladeware and y'all are the ones who keep my interest "whetted!"

Nick - I was there from 2 till around 5 on Friday and am suprised I didn't run into you!

Gollnick, sorry, man, I looked for you several times but either didn't recognize you or missed ya - Next year or Bladewest for sure!

And to all those that were there and haven't been mentioned... y'all are why I keep going back...even if I can't afford one from each of you!... (yet!!!) :D
 
Look you guys, you are the makers, and I am not, but I hope you will not allow the "junk" at the show to stop you from bringing your own quality work. I drove five hours from the Seattle area to go to the show, and met many other Washintonians there who had done the same thing. It is the best show in the Northwest, and people really appreciate and enjoy it, and it will be less if you stop coming because some people there are selling crap. Rather than boycotting the show, maybe a suggestion to the OKCA about being more selective would be better. Look at it this way: if you stop coming, then you have given up, and crap wins. Is that what you want? It is certainly not what the attendees want.

If some of you can't continue to come because you can't recover your expenses, that is regrettable, but understandable. Please don't stay away because of the low end, though - your presence makes the show worthwhile.
 
I had a good time and sold 3 out of 4. One was a giveaway just for gas money but took some orders. I agree its not the show it use to be but with all the big makers dropping out what do we expect? A show is only as good as we make it. I think the Blade Show West will be where the big boys go here in our area and I hope to get a table there.

Raymond Richards did an outstanding job forging a tomahawk head by hand. He has a huge right arm!

The Crucible seminar was really interesting. I even bought some S 30V from Chuck Bybee

I cant go to every show but the OKCA is easy, affordable and fun. Im going back, who knows I may be the only MS there.
 
Do you think it would help to sort of separate the show a bit, to maybe set aside an area of tables for custom makers? Certainly, that would make it easier to interact with your peers. How about closing the aforementioned area completely for a couple of hours each day coinciding with the technical presentations which are of greater interest to custom makers?
 
I'll probably regret this post later...

While I think Dennis has the best of intentions, the "bigger is better" idea has not proven to work very well... at least not for custom makers. It may be working fabulously for the guys selling other stuff.

Many people have suggested that the show be divided up like the Blade show... where you have an ABS section, Guild Section, Handmade section, and Factory/other sales section.

It wouldn't even have to be so many categories... it could just be customs on this side, and other stuff on that side.

This very issue was discussed by Dennis in an OKCA newsletter last year, where he wrote, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

I really don't understand why he feels that way, especially when looking at the number of custom makers who have dropped the show. But again, maybe custom makers are an insignifcant factor in the big picture?

I can't blame you guys for wishing more makers would go, when you're putting 5 hours of driving each way and expenses to go... But you have to keep this in mind---

As a maker, I have to have AT LEAST one month to get ready. More like 6-8 weeks to get ready. That's 6-8 weeks away from orders. Plus you ALWAYS get burned out and lose about a week recovering. Factor in all the travel expenses, and the costs of doing a show are HUGE.

If you attend a show for 4 years in a row without sales... yet sell out at the other shows you go to... it makes it really hard to justify going and having a table.

I would LOVE it if some agreements could be drawn up to improve the venue as far as custom makers. It's only a 3 hour drive from here... so the least expensive show for me by far.

Again, I am NOT dissing Dennis or the show. I think Dennis works his butt off for the show and I doubt anyone would disagree.

But when this is your livelihood, you have to be very rational about what will work and what won't.

-Nick-
 
I have to get 6 days vacation from work(1/2 of what I get annually). I have to fly from San Diego to Seattle. I have to load knives(3 Rubbermaid bins)I have to drive 5.5 hours from Everett to Eugene. I have to spend Thursday night polishing brass.........
We have knives by Benchmade, Spyderco, Beretta, Buck, Gerber........
We have knives by Gaston, Crawford, Vallotton, Chappel, Corby, Lee, Sigman........................................

For the 10 years before this I had done the show. For the last 7 I had to make the trek from SD, which I gladly did. For the last 4, this included shlepping up Japanese Sword gear to give a seminar on Saturdays, again gladly.

In years past, sales approached 5 figures. The last 3 years, meager at best. Last year, total sales were in the hundreds of dollars. I just can't swing that. I have been asked if I will attend next year, and I just don't yet have an answer for that. I may attend as a table holder, I may attend as many have, go down on Friday and leave town, or I may not go at all. I just don't know. What I have been reading from you guys so far has pained me some, and Dennis's stubborness is not helping.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
I must say im one who loves to go to this show until this year . i have not gone to this show expecting big sales beacuse i know that won't happen . ive talked to many a maker who have done horribly at this show and are considering dropping it from their show list i may do the same . too much flea market type stuff . i havent seen too much as far as reaching out for maker's to attend this show from Dennis or others in the club . if they keep loosing makers to other show's it may be time to follow them out . ive done this show for 5 years now and this past show was the worst ive ever seen . by the head count of Brenda Bybee only 101 makers out of the claimed 451 tables is not very good .
 
When the OKCA knife show was at its best, you couldnt get a table there.

They were booked, and the facility wouldnt hold any more tables.


So they expanded........everyone got in.


The rest is history. Often success brings circumstances that you cannot forsee.

I dont go there any more cause Rob was always my roommate!! :(
 
As a guy who has faithfully attended the show for the last 5 years, I completely understand that economics will drive the decision of makers about whether to attend the show or not.

Tables by makers should be separated from tables of collecters and resellers. It would be good for both customers and makers. Makers would be in closer proximity to each other and interacting amongst each other would be easier (providing you wanted to). For customers like me, I wouldn't have to trip over so many people.
 
It ain't cheap for the buyers to go to shows either. Makers drop shows from there list, so do buyers. I personally like the Eugene show. I go not just to buy knives but to see friends, make new ones and maybe put in an order or 2.
If you only go to shows to "do well" you are going for the wrong reasons. If there were more custom makers at the show and the makers didn't do well, would that be because there were too many makers ?
Greg
 
If we as custom makers cannot compete against cotton candy, we are in poor shape. The show is an absolute marvel, when it is slow, look at what is in the displays, ask about some of the antiques available, a whole world awaits those who want to see.
 
Typically, I go to a show to buy stuff - not to chat. With this in mind, the OKCA simply hasn't delivered the quality and quantity to warrant my taking a day off and driving for 4 or 5 hours.

This being said, I do enjoy discussing with makers and friends, and I also enjoy the opportunity to check out some pieces I had only seen before on a computer screen. I also like to buy some supplies. But all those are accessories, not main motivations.

I have found that my needs are more than covered by the reno show. Last time I went to OKCA was a waste of my time given my objectives.
 
No offense mckgreg, but that's kind of a ridiculous statement... to say that if we're going to do well, then we're going for the wrong reasons.

Absolutely I feel that a HUGE part of attending a show is to meet people, mingle, have a good time with friends old and new.

But what you said, would be like me telling you that when you didn't get paid for going to work for 8 weeks, that you were going to work for the wrong reasons.

Obviously knifemaking is not the way to go if you want to make a lot of money. But if you're a full-time knifemaker, it IS how you pay the BILLS.

I already do Reno, Blade, and BAKCA, so that works out to about half of my year going to show prep work. I cannot afford to do those shows and not sell my work.

Just another perspective I guess. :)
-Nick-
 
I have to admit, over the past 5 years, I have gone back more for the people than with the actual intent to score a lot of blades... I look forward to seeing the folks who I'll probably only see at a show like this. Yes, some of those folks I converse with on the net or maybe at another show, but I truly enjoy the atmosphere and the people at the OKCA show: most everyone is friendly to complete strangers (no matter which side of the table they were on,) and the environment is conducive to both comraderie and learning (talk with M. Bell about traditional Japanese steel making - and then watch Crucible Steel's demo - both worth the price of admission alone!)

And buying wasn't the sole purpose for me - I bought quite a few over the first couple of shows, but the last two it was either sell a few or trade... which basically opened the door for me to talk with people I might not have otherwise...

So, even though I agree with Joss's first statement that the show is becoming diluted, I do believe that several makers here have acknowledged that they can see what's going on and commisurate, but as long as it's no longer worth it financially to come, we can either look forward to a diminishing of the show's quality... or maybe we can encourage new makers to try the show (as eveidenced by the several new makers who did come, some from a wee bit further than a 5 hour drive!)

I like the idea proposed already of seperating the different aspects somewhat...otherwise, no clues really what to do...

So? ... I'll probably go again next year as I consider the drive, room and board as basically a sunk cost and everything else is just gravy!! :D


PS: Hey Nick!!! Where's that Certificate???? LOL!!!!!!! ;)
 
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