Abby's GACC September 2024 Show Report
abbyme24
Posts: 173 ✭✭✭✭
Hey everyone, I wanted to share my experience at the inaugural Great American Coin & Collectibles Show in Tampa, Florida. This is a longer read than I expected it to be and as I plan on doing reports for more shows in the future, I would appreciate feedback on whether you like these types of reports or would prefer more concise ones.
This show came hot on the heels of the Long Beach Expo and I was home for barely 36 hours before I had to leave again. At least I didn’t have to spend time picking out clothes and packing – my clothes from the LB show went right from the suitcase to the washer and then back again.
I was really, really excited for this show. If you read my LB report, you will know that for my first time dealing (and at a “dying” show no less), I didn’t do half-bad sales wise. And everyone at the LB show was commenting on how slow it was, and how much better GACC would be. On top of that, you had all the hype on the forums and from the promoters. One look at the dealer list told me that this was a must-attend show as a dealer, tight turnaround be damned.
Tuesday, September 10th
I was scheduled to fly in to Tampa Tuesday evening, as dealer setup wasn’t until Wednesday morning (the same day as the show opened to the public). However, a few days before, I received an e-mail from Shepard Expo Services (not to be confused with Shepherd Expos, the show runners, but good luck). This e-mail said that dealer setup was actually going to be open from 3PM-8PM on Tuesday. Fantastic! I wasn’t looking forward to having to do setup the morning of the show, as setup can be hectic. So after seeing that e-mail, I decided to change my flight so I could land earlier and do setup that day.
With my flight rescheduled, I got my day started earlier than expected. As I had to fly out of Dulles in order to go direct to Tampa, that meant a long drive from my home in Baltimore to northern Virginia.
The flight was short but sweet, and just a few hours later I landed at TPA. I love how efficient Tampa’s airport is – the monorail from the terminal to baggage claim runs frequently and the ride itself is only a few minutes.
After a short wait for my bags, I walked out of the terminal and into the blast furnace. Humidity is no stranger to us Baltimoreans, but it still hits me like a brick wall whenever I come here. Luckily I have family in Tampa, and my Aunt was gracious enough to pick me up at the airport. With hair sufficiently frizzed, we loaded up and headed to the Tampa Convention Center.
We arrived at the convention center a short time later and headed straight to dealer registration. This process was generally smooth, although there was some confusion. One list showed that I was only allowed one dealer badge, and another showed that I was allowed four. Neither were correct, as single table holders like myself were permitted two by default unless we paid extra.
After we received our badges we headed to the bourse entrance, where we were promptly and politely stopped by security who explained that dealers were not allowed to enter until tomorrow morning. At first I thought maybe I misread the e-mail, but I double checked and it definitely said Tuesday 3PM-8PM. I talked to one of the people running registration and she was very surprised and asked to see the email. I showed it to her, which was complete with logos for GACC and Shepard Expo, and she said that e-mail wasn’t sent from them and that the information was wrong. (This is when I learned that Shepard Expo Services and Shepherd Expos are two separate entities).
With bags loaded back in the car, we headed to my Aunt’s house and watched the debate before calling it a night – with setup early in the morning, we had a long day ahead of us.
Wednesday, September 11th
Wednesday was an early start, as we wanted to be there right when setup opened and had to account for traffic. It’s been a while since I’ve spent time in downtown Tampa, and it’s nice to see that the city seems bustling, with lots of newer buildings and other evidence of growth. Being downtown and on the water, traffic can be bad and parking is pricey, but the location is great with some incredible views.
My aunt and I made our way over to our table, which was in the “world” section. I put that in quotes because it turns out the world section never materialized, I assume due to a lack of dealers. So effectively this meant I ended up being in the budget section at the back of the hall, along with some dealers who only paid a small fraction of what I paid. They were placed here as well because the budget annex tables never materialized either, so those that signed up for that were given tables on the main bourse, but still only paid their original deep-discounted price.
Had I known this, I absolutely would not have asked for a table in the world section. There were a lot of world coin dealers with nice selections much closer to the front, and since one of my goals is just getting my name out there, it would have benefited me to be in a more ideal location.
Edit: some of the info above is incorrect. The annex tables were 4-5 rows away from mine, and while they paid less they didn’t get things like lamps, cases, etc. Also I was not able to be placed with other dealers because I signed up late.
Anyway, once at the table we immediately started setting up. This process was a bit smoother than my first go around, as I picked up the things I ended up having to borrow last time and was also a bit more efficient with the way I packed my coins and price labels. Just like at Long Beach, we had barely started putting coins in the display before other dealers started scoping out what I had. A young vest pocket dealer made me a good offer on 4x MS63-64 Meiji Yen, and another dealer bought a gold Koban for his personal collection. I was thrilled, as the profit from those two sales alone paid for my table fees and half of my flight.
With such a strong start to the show, I was riding high as opening time approached, and was anxiously waiting to see how many people were going to stream through the doors. 11:00 came and from the far opposite end of the floor I could see people starting to enter, but the stream quickly dried to a trickle. It was a disappointing sight to say the least, but it was a Wednesday and so a lot of dealers were rationalizing that not many people would want to take the day off. Here is what the bourse looked like shortly after open from my perspective:
While the amount of people was disheartening, the absolute opposite was true for the quality of people I met. I had a nice discussion with a collector of Japanese coins who wanted some specific coins in specific condition. None that I had on hand, but since I am going to Japan for a coin show in a few weeks, I jotted down his contact info and his want list and told him I would let him know what I found.
Not long after that, Ken @Copperindian stopped by the table. He allowed me the opportunity to teach him about some of the Japanese coins I had on display, and then shared with me his IHC pickups from earlier in the day. I was always in awe of the coins he would post in the NEWP/IHC threads, so seeing some of them in person was a real treat.
The initial surge of patrons died down pretty quickly, so I took some time to walk around the bourse. I was surprised by the number of empty tables – not only those unsold, but those that had dealer signs but with nobody having arrived to setup. Not only that, they had a massive number of tables smack dab in the middle of the bourse for JL collections, but there was nothing of note on display and nobody manning the tables, so it just looked like a big empty section as you can see here:
After snapping that photo I looked over at the Rarity7 table and saw that Dan @PeakRarities had arrived and started setting up. I watched as he darted from dealer to dealer working on some wholesale deals, and after he got settled I stopped by with my toned Koban. He felt like it was a good fit for his budding Koban collection and so we were able to make a deal.
As I continued to walk the bourse, I was able to chat with other dealers and get their thoughts on things – this is only my second show after all and so it’s been difficult to find a good frame of reference for how a good show should be. Many of the ones I talked to remarked that they weren’t too surprised at the lack of foot traffic – it was a Wednesday after all - and expressed hope for the rest of the show.
By this time close was approaching and some had started packing up. Overall, despite the lack of public attendance, I was satisfied with how the day went. My total for Day 1 was 10 coins sold for $6,085.
Thursday, September 12th
Day two began with little fanfare. From my perspective, far from the entrance, it appeared to be about the same amount of people coming in as day one – that is to say not very many.
Another world coin dealer named Jeff stopped by and looked intently at what I had to offer. Although our conversation quickly steered from coins to cars as when he pulled out his loupe I saw that we both drove the same brand of car. After the brief detour, he decided to buy 3 mid MS graded minor coins and a raw Koban. The raw Koban I bought at Long Beach and intended to get graded, but Jeff was willing to pay a price that made it worth doing the quick flip rather than waiting for a grade.
Things started to pick up a bit around lunch, and I was getting fairly steady foot traffic for the first time. I met a father-daughter dealer duo from Okinawa and we had a long chat about Japan and Japanese coins. They gave me their card and told me to seek them out at the next big annual Tokyo coin show.
A few minutes later a gentlemen came by looking for a high grade (MS-65 or better) Meiji-era silver Yen. For those of you that don’t know, the Yen of this period are numerous in choice BU but population falls off a cliff at gem and above so they bring a significant premium. Alas, I did not have one available – I recently sold my only common date MS65, and the only one I did have was a key date that was a few grand too expensive. He wasn’t interested in the nicer 64s I had, but while I didn’t make a sale, I did get his contact info for the next time I have one available.
A short time later Karl @knovak1976 stopped by to introduce himself. We had a nice talk about coins and he showed me some of the ones he brought, including a really nice Proof 68 cam Barber Quarter. Classic US proofs are some of the only coins that I collect, so it was really cool to see such a great example.
Not long after meeting one forum member, another, @P0CKETCHANGE , stopped by. He talked about his recent trip to Japan, which after hearing the itinerary of there was no surprise that he didn’t have time for any coin detours. He decided he wanted to add a Japanese coin to his collection and picked out a nicely toned 50 Sen coin.
The stream of forumites continued as Ken @Copperindian returned to my table. The day before he mentioned he wanted to buy some Japanese coins for his grandchildren, and together we picked out a set of three Meiji minor coins, trying to be as equitable as possible for each grandchild. After he settled on coins for his grandchildren, he said he wanted to pick one out for himself. We moved over to the Koban case and while he was interested in purchasing one of them, I told him to hold off for one with really nice toning that was at PCGS.
The foot traffic was decently steady, probably the most consistent of the whole show, for a few hours. But by 3 PM, the bourse was mostly dead again. Jeff took this opportunity to stop by my table one more time, where he bought a couple of the popular 1870 dragon/sunburst Yen in AU58 and MS63.
The rest of the day went by with little activity, but I was happy to have sold a decent amount for the day. My total for Day 2 was 10 coins sold for $4,280.
Friday, September 13th
The penultimate day of the show started out SAD. No, I am not doing a (poor) Trump impression, but that’s what I have decided to call these Slow Ass Days. Foot traffic in the morning was the worst of the show up to this point. The predictions that many dealers had about Friday being the first good day were not looking to be accurate.
With virtually nobody in the bourse, there was no issue with me spending some time away from my table. I stopped by Enterprise Coin’s table and chatted with Jeff at length about our Genesises (Genesii?) and how much we loved the brand.
I did another walking tour of the bourse and was surprised to see that many dealers had packed up permanently on Thursday. One of which was Doug Winter, a sponsor of the show. I think it says a lot when a show sponsor was dissatisfied enough to leave early. Here is how the bourse looked mid-day Friday:
I spent the remaining time chatting with a man named Cristian with Nusmimatic Rarity. He was excited to show my a few really rare Japanese coins that he had in his personal collection, including the one pictured below: a “fantasy” Koban issue that I had never seen in person. He expressed disappointment with how the show had gone, but planned to stick it out in case Saturday was an unexpected boom. He pointed out that the show runners not only got his company name wrong on the booth sign but also misspelled the city name (Baco Raton 
)
I opened a case at my table exactly once the entire day. There were no more wholesale deals to be made at this point and with not much public attendance I was not surprised that the day went so poorly. My total for Day 3 was 0 coins sold for $0.
Saturday, September 14th
Morale was low among dealers when the final day began. I should specify among the dealers that remained, because by close of Friday a huge portion of the dealers packed up for good. The bourse was so sparse that some dealers moved from all the way in the back to right near the front (unclear if this was sanctioned or not, but it would have been nice to officially tell dealers they could do so if it was).
By mid-morning foot traffic picked up nicely and the bourse was the most active it was the whole time. Granted, a lot of these weren’t serious collectors and many probably had zero intention of buying a single coin, but my opinion is that the more people the better, as you never know who you might come across or what might spark interest in somebody.
I had more than one collector express to me their disappointment that the coins that were being advertised as on exhibit were no longer there. GreatCollections packed up Friday night so things like the 1913 Liberty Nickel were not on display. One collector said he drove several hours one way just to see this coin that he may not have a chance to see again. I know that the show runners advertised to dealers that they could leave early, but I think if it’s a company that is doing an exhibition being advertised to the public, they should be required to stay for the whole show.
The foot traffic died down pretty quickly, as one could thoroughly check out every remaining table in a pretty short time. About a half hour before closing I decided to start packing up, and by this time the bourse was already 95% empty. My total for Day 4 was 2 coins sold for $140.
Summary
It probably won’t come as a surprise that overall I was pretty disappointed in the show. I was lucky to do a lot of wholesale deals and a couple of bigger collector sales early on so overall it was a profitable show, just not anywhere near as active as people were hyping the show up to be. At Long Beach last week I had lost count of how many dealers told me to not worry about the low foot traffic because GACC next week was going to be incredible. It turns out that foot traffic was better on all three Long Beach days than any of the GACC ones. The show runners sure did an excellent job at getting dealers on board, but if they can’t get the collectors to come then what’s the point? We don’t need a big expensive show like this to do wholesale deals with eachother.
There are definitely things I could nitpick and go on about, but I can forgive all of those as being bumps in the road for a new show. But I can’t help but feel a bit bamboozled at what I was sold.
In the same way that all the dealers at LB were telling me “just wait until GACC!”, all the dealers at GACC were telling me “just wait until winter FUN!” While I haven’t been before as either a collector or a dealer, I do know that it is an established show with consistently good attendance, so barring some major shift in the economy between now and then, I am inclined to let myself be cautiously optimistic.
And while up to this point I would understand if you thought my take away from this experience was pretty negative, it actually is the opposite. While sales could have been better and foot traffic was abysmal, I did meet some incredible people – both collectors and dealers – that I look forward to working with over the long term. And ultimately this show created another notch in my belt from an experience standpoint which you can’t really put a value on.
Will I go to the next one? If I dealt in U.S. coins, I would probably give it another shot. But with several other shows during the year that will likely be much better for my little niche, I don’t think so unless I start to see it turn into the kind of show it was billed to be from the start.
Comments
Enjoyed the report! Keep doing it as it was a great read.
It was wonderful to meet you @abbyme24 —I’m very happy with the 50 Sen! Thanks for the comprehensive show report and great photos. You seem to strike a great balance of being collector-focused with the pragmatism needed to operate as a dealer. Looking forward to seeing you at more shows in the future, and you are definitely my go-to for Japanese coins.
Nothing is as expensive as free money.
Great report! I like the long form read, keep it up if it's not too much work.
Great report, thank you for posting it!
The January FUN show is one of the two best shows of the year, the other being ANA. However, in 2025, the ANA will be in Oklahoma City and it is uncertain how many collectors will decide to attend there. When I was a full-time dealer, I set up at January FUN every year from 2007 through 2018 and was never disappointed.
An authorized PCGS dealer, and a contributor to the Red Book.
Abby - absolutely awesome post/report! My vote (if I have one) is to keep ‘em coming! It was both an easy & interesting read! Great perspective too.
It was a pleasure to meet & spend time chatting with you. Plus, I think we made a good start to doing future biz! Look forward to seeing you @ FUN (& for getting that Koban back).
“The thrill of the hunt never gets old”
PCGS Registry: Screaming Eagles
Copperindian
Retired sets: Soaring Eagles
Copperindian
Threads like this one makes this board beyond worth it to read.
I hope you continue with your adventures and report here.
peacockcoins
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If, as I understand it, you paid extra for a table in the “World” section, but for whatever reason, ended up in the budget section, I’d ask for a partial refund.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Very good report.
I attended on Thursday. I will be very blunt on my perspective as a patron, the show was terrible and a waste of time.
I met with a few dealers I knew to talk to, and your report is similar with what I heard from them.
And them announcing 2 shows next year is ambitious.
I won’t attend the show in 2025 in Ft Lauderdale, drive distance for me like Tampa was.
The winter and summer fun shows are excellent experiences.
So nice to see you again Abby, I’m so glad your experience as a dealer is working out the way we had talked about. I appreciate you offering me this lovely toned Koban, and now I need your services to help me finish what I’ve started! 😂
This new one is a perfect match for the little one I already had, I get so much enjoyment out of these for the price.
All in all, I don’t think I lost too much money working this show, but I always try to look at the positives. The coins I purchased should bring a profit in the future, and you never know if meeting 1 new client at a show will lead to a stream of good business. Someone walked up to my table at the end of the day on Friday and tested me with a couple theoreticals. He said that he appreciated the way I was gracious with my time and didn’t act like he was bothering me, and then he pulled out a box with some MONSTER coins (ranging from 20k to 150k) that he said he might be looking to part with, all because he said I was friendly and welcoming in comparison to some other dealers. We exchanged info and hopefully we can do some business, but sometimes that’s all it takes to set yourself apart from the curmudgeon dealers.
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Geneses.
Young Numismatist • My Toned Coins
Life is roadblocks. Don't let nothing stop you, 'cause we ain't stopping. - DJ Khaled
Thanks! That’s definitely what I’m shooting for so I appreciate that. Glad you’re enjoying the 50 Sen!
Thanks! Will do!
You’re welcome! Glad to hear more good things about winter FUN, I’m definitely looking forward to it.
Thanks, and your vote is absolutely noted! Agreed on the good start and looking forward to seeing you then as well.
Glad you enjoy them, I will definitely continue them - next one will be Whitman in November.
My wording may have been a bit poor, I didn’t actually pay extra for the world section, I just elected it as I assumed it would be an actual group of world coin dealers that would attract anyone interested in them. But that didn’t happen and the upstairs budget section didn’t happen either, so they mixed us and those dealers together in the back.
So there’s no refund since I didn’t pay extra, it was just a little annoying that I was in a less-than-ideal location and near other dealers who had paid several hundred less for their tables.
It’s interesting to me that they are trying to build up this as the new big show and touting the benefits of Tampa, but that’s going to be difficult when they weren’t able to secure the same venue until 2026. I think if they want to make this work it would be better to have the show in the same location to build up that patron base.
Dan, really appreciate all of your advice again, as well as your contributions to this forum. I’ve learned a lot from you both directly and indirectly.
I didn’t realize how good of a fit my Koban was with your existing one until seeing them side by side like that. Glad you enjoy it and I will definitely be able to help with finishing the set!
Ah thanks, that does sound better than both of my attempts
Well, you’ve piqued my interest in Japanese coins. Great report, well done.
I see - sorry for that.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Those Kobans are really cool. I can see why @PeakRarities is hooked
Successful BST with BustDMs , Pnies20, lkeigwin, pursuitofliberty, Bullsitter, felinfoel, SPalladino (CBH's - 37 Die Marriage's)
$5 Type Set https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/u-s-coins/type-sets/half-eagle-type-set-circulation-strikes-1795-1929/album/344192
CBH Set https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/everyman-collections/everyman-half-dollars/everyman-capped-bust-half-dollars-1807-1839/album/345572
Pleasure meeting you Abby, thank you for educating me on Japanese Koban!!
Collector of Capped Bust Halves, SLQ's, Commems, and random cool stuff! @davidv_numismatics on Instagram
Thanks for the show report. When I was at ANA one of the Tampa show people came by with forms to sign up for a table. They said they were nearly full and only had a small number Left. Is this what you observed? In either case I probably made the right choice to ‘wait and see’.
Best, SH
First Dan, now Abby.
Proof you can become a professional coin dealer if you have to gumption and determination and wherewithall!
Congratulations to all who decide to pursue this fine career.
peacockcoins
It was a real pleasure meeting and chatting with you Abby! Although I didn’t purchase from you, I do know if I want to purchase Japanese coins in the future you will get my business….GUARANTEED! It’s all about kindness, respect, knowledge and just being a genuinely caring person/dealer….and that is you to a tee. Hope to see you again in the near future. Regards, karl
Great report ! Trying to start a new show in a new time slot only a month after ANA is a tall order. I assume the organizers were hopeful that the FUN show's large attendance and that the tendency of East Coast dealers to skip LB the last few years would lead to a better show.
But I think we see again and again that it is really difficult to break into this field with something all new. Just look at MyCollect or even the CAC Forum and how difficult a time those forums have had even run by very good and competent people. Coin folks are traditional and creatures of habit and tend to resist change.
Not to mention that coin shows are becoming less relevant in the field in this digital age.
Anyway, thank you for taking the time to put together an excellent report.
"Look up, old boy, and see what you get." -William Bonney.
REALLY excellent report. Perfect amount of detail and opinion. Please don't cut them down in the future. Anyone who lacks the patience or interest in the detail can certainly skim, but, if you self edit, the reports won't be nearly as good for those who want the detail. JMHO.
Also, I guess you are not a Southwest fan, because they have a ton of non-stops from BWI to TPA, and I vastly prefer BWI to IAD for a number of reasons aside from your drive.
Honestly, given how the show over promised and under delivered, if it was me I'd be asking for a 100% credit toward a future show. Otherwise, again if it was me, the money I paid for this show would be the last money Larry would ever see from me.
Paying full price for a World table and being thrown in the back with the Budget tables is totally unacceptable, while Budget people received an upgrade from an annex to the main room. Selling half the number of tables advertised, and then having many of them no-show or leave early, is actually a form of fraud committed against both dealers and members of the public induced to participate based on false pretenses.
I'm very glad I took a pass. I was considering making the trip because it really looked like it was going to be great. I ended up not going only because I'm not that hard core, and really couldn't justify the expense coming a month after Rosemont, with Orlando just a few short months away.
Plus, Nashville served as a cautionary tale about high expectations for new shows. And therein lies the problem now for these guys. While Ft. Lauderdale and Rosemont look like they could be winners, so did Tampa. Once burned, twice shy, etc.
Are these guys going to make good to dealers who wasted time and money this around, like Abby, or are they going to dare those who got hurt this time to stay away in the future? I guess we'll see, but, after this, I certainly wouldn't commit time or money to them, either as a collector or as a dealer, until AFTER they actually deliver what they promise.
Nashville crashed and burned, Tampa crashed and burned. Next?
Super, super report. Keep them coming.
That is a common occurrence not just here but from people that see them on the bourse for the first time. (I promise these reports were not intended to be covert advertising for my niche, but I’m certainly not complaining that they have sparked some interest
)
David, I really enjoyed our conversations and glad there was so much downtime for us to be able to talk at length. Thank you for sharing your stories about the love token/stamped research you’ve done - that’s some really incredible stuff. And thanks for the leads on the Houck’s coins!
No that is definitely not what I observed. I would say 200 occupied tables would be a pretty generous estimate. I definitely think you made the right call.
I definitely don’t have the experience or knowledge to be considered in the same way as Dan, and would hesitate to call myself a professional coin dealer, but I do really appreciate the sentiment and feel that if I stay headed in this trajectory that I can get there.
Karl, thank you so much for the kind words. I am approaching coin dealing in the same way I approached my first business: with a hyper focus on customer service and customer experience and doing my best to make sure every interaction is a pleasurable one. I am glad to hear you feel that way from our brief interaction, and if you ever decide to dip your toes into the pool of Japanese coins, I’ll be here!
You’re welcome and glad you enjoyed the read. I’m speaking with limited show experience even as a collector, but to me it just doesn’t seem there is pre-existing demand for another big show on the circuit. So that means you need to either manufacture the demand or steal it from an existing show. Neither options are easy to do, and will require much more than hype and empty promises.
That’s a good point, I definitely will stick with the more in depth format - appreciate your input!
I don’t have anything against southwest, but over the last few years as my travel has increased significantly (much of which is int’l) I wanted to stick with a legacy carrier and reap those loyalty benefits. For me it’s worth the extra drive, but people (rightfully) call me crazy for some of the things I put myself through. Like flying from IAD to SFO and then to LAX instead of direct just so I can do cross country in a Dreamliner or triple 7 😂
I’m not sure if I would go to the level of claiming it was fraud, extreme puffery sure, but I think they truly believed that all of their claims would materialize.
I guess we will see if they decide to do anything to incentivize dealers to give them another shot. At the end of the show when they were coming around trying to get commitments for FLL and Rosemont, there were not a ton of names on the list that had given a hard yes. And being where my table was, I was one of, if not the last, to be asked.
Amazing report Abby!
God bless all who believe in him. Do unto others what you expect to be done to you. Dubbed a "Committee Secret Agent" by @mr1931S on 7/23/24. Founding member of CU Anti-Troll League since 9/24/24.
I have something similiar,,,,,,,
Japan (2021) Gold Oban One Ounce Commemorative Restrike
Great report Abby. I enjoyed the read. I appreciate the bourse images for attendance perspective. You will not be disappointed with the Winter FUN show. They have a very long history of excellent attendance and professionally run shows. Both Nashville and GACC were put together by individuals and companies that have been involved in numismatics for many decades. If they can't pull it off, it would be difficult for anyone to do it. As a collector I like to attend 2-3 major shows a year.
Enjoyed the read. So much so that I never considered it's length noticeable. Well constructed. By all means continue.
The organizers of last week’s Great American Coin and Collectibles Show held last week in Tampa would appreciate any input about the show, especially from those that actually attended the show. It is most helpful to send input directly.
If you are a collector, please send your input to collectorinput@gmail.com.
If you are a dealer, please send your input to dealerinput@gmail.com. Further, if you are a dealer, it is particularly helpful to describe your business model and its reliance on Public at a show. For example, is your business model wholesale dealer-to-dealer, retail to Public, or a combination of both? If the latter, what are the approximate percentages of each? Also, do shows in various locations offer you opportunities to meet in person with key clients?
Isn't it customary to do your market research BEFORE you hold the show?
It's starting to feel like those 1950s movies, "Let's go up to Connecticut and put on a show. And then after opening night, everybody sits around saying 'I wonder if anybody will show up tomorrow?'"
ANA 50 year/Life Member (now "Emeritus")
Well I guess if Long Beach show is dying (the hype) then by comparison GACC by her and other accounts
GACC never came alive AKA was dead to coustomers/foot traffic.
The California Buena Park show one week after long Beach was packed. Lines to get in-- Tough to walk down the asles for the mobs.
Found more there than at LongBeach. One of best up and growing shows in southern Califirnia. Soon the room will be too small. California is a large state and is starved for good shows.
I saw pictures on Facebook of the Buena Park show, and it was PACKED. I was amazed at the attendance, and it gave me hope that we weren’t headed into a slump after all. I would post the pictures here, but I don’t want to get my wrists slapped
.
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@SethChandler You seem like just the guy to start a SF/Peninsula/South Bay show. I would love to drive to a big regional show in Burlingame...
Agreed. Also seems a bit odd that someone who has been in the space forever needs to set up a gmail account to gather feedback on this one show, as though the sound of zero hands clapping from the public is not all they need know from collectors who actually attended the show. 🤣
With respect to dealers and their business models, seems as though that would be valuable, proprietary information that no one would willingly go to the trouble to share with a rando with a gmail account doing market research. Actual, serious business people pay a lot for that sort of market intelligence, and very few who possess it just give it away for the asking.
There are already plenty of shows that meet and exceed everyone's needs and expectations. Seems a little unreasonable to expect anyone to spoon feed information to someone with decades of experience who wants to build yet another for-profit show. If Larry doesn't already know what dealers expect to get out of a show, all he had to do was approach everyone as they were packing up early and ask them, rather than setting up a gmail account after the show, and then waiting for the information to fall into his lap.
I was asked to correct some misinformation in my post:
1) I was not in the same section as those relocated from the annex. They were in the back of rows 14-15 while I was in the back of row 10.
2) While those relocated from the annex did pay less than everyone else, they did not receive things like lamps, cases, signs, etc. And they were specifically put in the least desirable location of the bourse
3) The other world dealers signed up early so it was not possible to put me in a world section or near them
Buena park show was packed .found more there than at long beach show.
Had 34 U.S.Philippine coins raw and slabbed priced at 1/2 or less than retail. Showd three dealers they all passed as if they were dreck. At lunch I showd them to several Philippine collectors who gobbled them up like they were famished as nothing like that on the Bourse floor let alone at those prices. Great way to dispose of my seconds. Cash immediately in hand and coins gone. With not alot of time spent. Most Bought long ago and minimal loses.
Happy campers all around!
First offense is the wrist.
Second time?
You don't want to know. . .
peacockcoins
Check out the report that Doug Winter posted about the Tampa show.
https://raregoldcoins.com/blog/2024/9/16/tampa-gacc-show-recap to make it easy for anyone who wants to read.