The discussions remind me somewhat of that saying: "You don't know what you don't know." Sounds odd? When you go to a product fair (like The Woodworking Show) the vendors have the challenge of explaining to you what you don't know. That may be to explain to you a technique - or it may be to explain to you their product, that you have never seen before, and show you that it will "work for you" - so you buy it. Up to that point you did not know about the product, nor how to use it or how it would "solve a challenge" for you. Hence, you did not know what you didn't know - and the vendor/sales person/demonstrator changed all that. Wow. That my friends is the VALUE of attending a product fair/trade show - and I hope that they do not go the way of the TV repairman.
Mac +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ On Saturday, January 5, 2013 8:23:37 PM UTC-5, Curtis wrote: > > You know what's funny here Roger. I total agree with your assessment, > But when I was reading you reply I was thinking of Norm Abrams, and the > Yankee work shop TV show. The power of the media can get people moving in > directions that are not even see until much latter. Much like the Martial > arts, when Hollywood makes a hit movie the MA school all do well. but when > there is a loll , people loose interest. > JOE PUBLIC is One Flickered Dude! ;-) But don't feel bad, What comes > around will eventually comes back, (the big question is , will it happen > again with-in our life time.) > I'm reading a book by John Jacob Hotzapffel Now. He made the world move, > and take a second look at woodworking back in 1780.Which I am now starting > to understand. So it happened before, and It will happen again. ;-) > > Thinking of Norm Abrams and John Hotzapffel in the same context. Makes my > mind spin. > I think Its time for me to go to bed NOW. ;-) > Have a Good night. > C.A.G. > +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > ----- Original Message ----- > *From:* Roger H Phebey <javascript:> > *To:* legacy-orna...@googlegroups.com <javascript:> > *Sent:* Saturday, January 05, 2013 6:16 PM > *Subject:* RE: The Woodworking Shows > > Hi guys > > As Bill noted down in Australia they have lost their show so they are left > with one of poor quality and crap products. Over here we now have three > shows that I would say are along the lines of your shows and because I sell > tools I invest my money in supporting them and having a booth. For these > shows to succeed you need to look at a fundamental problem and that is that > three groups of people have to participate and they each have different > objectives and to be satisfied with what they take away from the show be it > orders, profit, knowledge or even a bargain. > > So you start with the organiser needing to cover his costs and having an > array of interesting demonstrations and presentations to entice both the > exhibitors and visitors. He also needs to make a profit and build a base > for the next year. > > Then you come to the exhibitor, he pays for booth space, hotels, wages, > living costs and trucking costs. He also wants to make a profit or at > least see that he will get a return on his investment. > > Finally you have Joe public, they are looking for bargains or at least a > deal, and also to see what is new and to have the opportunity to increase > their knowledge. > > In my opinion the shows of 12 to 15 years ago were the glory days and > they will never come back for a number of reasons. > > · The first and, I believe, the largest problem is getting Joe > public’s interest. If you don’t stimulate that whilst they are young you > will not get them wanting to go to shows and if your education system is > like ours craft skills haves been down played in favour of academic skills > which is all well and good but we are not all academic material. > > · The next major problem is that none of the groups listed above > controls the cost associated with the hiring the venue; and that is the > first and probably the biggest problem because that is where the show > organiser has to start his costing’s from and he has to pay what the venue > owner thinks is fair. > > · Now I believe the internet has not only transformed how we get > our knowledge and how we buy but it has also impacted the show circuit. > Just look at the interchange of knowledge of this small group and I think > that proves the point on where we get knowledge from compared to 20 years > ago. Because we buy off the internet we have lost our local shops where we > could get the products and helpful knowledge but we thought paid too much. > How do these internet suppliers work, they basically sell on price so that > the manufacturers have to give them the margin they demand, just like the > big out of town warehouse stores they are killing the small reseller of > yester year. > > · So when it comes to shows there is little or no margin left to > give to Joe public unless they are a company that sells basically direct. > So I think the way it will go is that Joe public will go to the show to > learn, but I am afraid he will not save money. Further thought, over here > we reckon that wood turners have deep pockets and short arms so that does > not encourage potential exhibitors to take part. > > · I do not know whether you have local retail stores running > their own shows, this again has impacted the national shows. Again these > are about selling product and very little about showing and education. > > As for DIY shows I cannot see what you are going to gain other than how to > clean carpets and ovens. The couple of DIY shows I have been to were > staffed by showman demonstrators, their job was to sell the kit! They had > zilch interest in educating the potential customers. One company was > selling kitchen oven cleaner, we saw them painting the grease and grime on > the ovens they were going to clean when we came into the show before the > public came in, bunch of crooks! > > So folks go support what you have because otherwise you will not have even > those shows! > > Regards > Roger > > > ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > > *From:* > legacy-ornamental-mills+bncbdcyhnod5ukbbluoukdqkgqemwhs...@googlegroups.com<javascript:>[mailto: > legacy-ornamental-mills+bncbdcyhnod5ukbbluoukdqkgqemwhs...@googlegroups.com<javascript:>] > > *On Behalf Of *Louis Brown > *Sent:* 05 January 2013 20:04 > *To:* legacy-orna...@googlegroups.com <javascript:> > *Subject:* Re: The Woodworking Shows > > Hello, > > Everything you say makes sense. I'm still new to this, and the one last > year in Fredericksburg was my first. My workload does not allow me to take > a half-day trip this weekend, but I wish I could make it to Baltimore. > > I thought the entry price was low, but I guess they believe that raising > prices would keep people away. From talking to vendors last year, I also > learned that the growth lies in general home improvement rather than > woodworking. > > You would think that the home improvement DIY movement would lead to > people wanting more tools, but every time I go into Lowe, Home Depot, and > Sears, I see fewer kinds of models and cheap ones too boot. > > I don't know what any of it means, but let's hope it gets better. > > Begat > > > +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > > On Sat, Jan 5, 2013 at 2:25 PM, Va Oak > > The Woodworking Shows has begun their 2013 "Tour" - starting in Baltimore, > MD. > > If anyone in the Group has been to it, please provide us with feedback and > photos (if you took any) - especially of what Legacy presented there. I > was told by Legacy that the Denver Show will be the first where they will > have the Evo*lution*. > > Besides Legacy, what other booths, presentations, or products did you find > noteworthy? > > Since I live in the DC area (N. VA.) I am bummed out that The WWS folks > cut out the DC Show. > They usually held the show here in March each year - either in Chantilly > or Fredericksburg, VA. > I have attended the DC area shows for the past 8+ years - and every year I > got a mailing from them promoting the event - both the Baltimore one as > well as the DC one. This year, I received an email, which was in my > Suspect email/Spam folder - no mailings at all. I heard that the 2012 show > in Fred'burg was not that well attended. For that one, I think they > "missed the boat" by not advertising in Richmond - since F'burg is half way > between DC and Richmond. > I really don't want The WWSs to fail/have to cease operations because they > provide a conduit for companies like Legacy, Kreg, DeWalt, Apollo, etc. to > get their products in front of potential owners at an event that > concentrates companies and venders for those of us interested in > woodworking. It seems to be a Win-Win proposition - we get a bunch of > woodworking focused manufacturers wanting to demonstrate and sell their > products and they get an audience that consists of folks wanting to learn > about/buy what they have to sell. > > Let's all hope that "IF" our US economy ever turns around, that the WWS is > able to add MORE venues and venders and that more of us will attend and buy. > > In case someone says this is a chicken & egg situation - my reply is more > like "The Field of Dreams" - "Build it and they will come". Over the years > I have noticed that the numbers of booths/venders and demos has been > getting fewer - although the number of seminars seem to have remained the > same. Unfortunately, the one vender that seemed to have been getting > bigger was a guy with a eclectic mix of "stuff" that seemed to me to belong > in a flea market rather than the WWS. I know one vender that has a > business that sells production machinery (table saws - SawStop & others, > band saws, lathes, etc.) and he said that based on what it cost him to > participate (registration, trucking his equip. to & fro, and paying > employees involved in transport & manning the booth) compared to sales, he > lost considerable money and is unlikely to participate again anytime soon > unless the show makes changes. Can't say as I blame him. > > I don't know about others, but I feel the cost of "admission" ($10) is * > very* low if you factor in that it grants you access for all 3 days and > that you can attend so many VERY WORTHWHILE seminars. (And you could win > one of the "Give-a -ways" they conduct at each show or The Big One at the > end of the Show's year.) If The WWS raised the ticket price by a few > dollars (like $10 for one day or $15 for all three), Expanded back out to > the cities they used to go to, AND brought in a Show like they used to be > (LOTS of venders & products) I would not complain. > > Thanks for sharing. <https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out> > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Legacy Ornamental Mills" group. To post to this group, send email to legacy-ornamental-mills@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to legacy-ornamental-mills+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/legacy-ornamental-mills?hl=en. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
