Dealers Leaving Early from coins shows? So what!

UncleWiggly

Bullseye hit a Bullseye in the thread by mrcommen. PROMOTERS. I blame the whole upset attitude of collectors showing up at shows when dealers have left early on YOU! Start promoting the shows as they are in reality. This isn't just happening in one area, it's all over the country for regional, second tier, 3-day shows in the well known category. Worse for any 2-3 day local show.

Why don't you flat out ask the dealers when they sign up what days they will attend? Then advertise which dealers will be there all 3 days, which will be there 2 days, 1 day. Put it up on your websites! This isn't finger pointing or trying to embarrass dealers. This isn't meant to be negative at all! With a little tweeking and HELP from attending dealers, it could be a positive. At least people won't be showing up late the second day or third to find the brouse area 3/4 empty.

HELP from attending dealers? How about some up front honesty. Some of you already know before showing up at a 3-day show you will be leaving early. Advertise as such on your websites! Nothing wrong with it. If it's a 3-day show and you know you're leaving the afternoon of the 2nd day....PUT that on your websites! Which looks better? "Please stop by our table. We will be there on Friday and Saturday only" Or,
"We will be attending Joe's Coin Show Fri through Sun." And then leaving Saturday afternoon.

This doesn't have to change but it needs to.



Jerry

ChuckC

What if dealers don't have websites (esp. with all the old school dealers at the local show in Cleveland that I attend)?

UncleWiggly

<< <i>What if dealers don't have websites (esp. with all the old school dealers at the local show in Cleveland that I attend)? >>



There's nowhere to go with this question. Dealers without websites can't put anything on their website. If they leave early some collectors may get upset. If they stay to the end some collectors may be happy. That's just how it is with them.



Jerry

Sequitur

Why don't you flat out ask the dealers when they sign up what days they will attend? Then advertise which dealers will be there all 3 days, which will be there 2 days, 1 day.

Great -- an advertisement with an absolutely crazed schedule of who will be where and when. It's a coin show, not a schedule of Manhattan's subway system.

Dealer responsibility to attend on the designated show days, not the other way 'round.

UncleWiggly

<< <i>Why don't you flat out ask the dealers when they sign up what days they will attend? Then advertise which dealers will be there all 3 days, which will be there 2 days, 1 day.

Great -- an advertisement with an absolutely crazed schedule of who will be where and when. It's a coin show, not a schedule of Manhattan's subway system.

Dealer responsibility to attend on the designated show days, not the other way 'round. >>




Well, that's how I feel too. But that's not how it is. Dealers leaving shows early is NOT the problem. It's the norm. It's just how it is. Period. No way around it. And if that's how it is then shows should be promoted as such. It doesn't have to be a crazed, schedule, type advertisement resembling the Manhattan subway system. It's not something put together in an hour and then distributed.



Jerry

RYK

Dealers Leaving Early from coins shows? So what!

That's what I say: "So what."

Some of the dealers at the SLNA show were set up at a table with very little or no inventory. Clearly, they were there for the wholesale business. Why they even bothered to take a table I do not know. Maybe just to let other dealers know where they will be for their wholesale trade. US Coin had a table on Friday, they were there on Friday, and they did not have a single coin on display. Not one. The Spectrum table was empty on Friday--no people, no coins. Just some jackets and suitcases. John Hamrick was already packing up ( a rather large and relatively high quality inventory) on Friday around noon.

We all know too that there was quite a bit of inventory behind the table that I was not going to get to see. If you are going to keep the good stuff in the back away from the public and the garbage in the cases, as far as I am concerned, you might was well leave early. Begone!

I still think the best solution is to allow the abandoned tables to be occupied by locals, vest pocket dealers, and collectors on Sunday, free of charge, on a first come, first serve basis. It will certainly make the show appear more lively and interesting.

darktone

I also think the promoters should ask for a head count of who will be there on Sunday and put the amount in thier ads of how many will be there.

keets

this seems to be a discussion about shows heading to a point of either inclusion or exclusion.

as it now stands, the show promoters make an attempt to have as many dealers and as many collectors attending their shows as possible, that generates more money for them. they certainly make the lions share from the dealer side of the equation. dealers bring in collectors and a well attended show brings in more dealers for the next one which brings in more collectors which.............................you get the idea, simple really.

let's look at this from a collector point of view. if i attend a show of any size and their is nothing to hold my interest................i leave. i don't hang around out of some misguided sense of obligation. the same standard should be extended to dealers. if they have no reason to remain at a show, should they really be compelled to stay?? any sort of disciplinary action probably won't cause dealers to be enthusiastic about attending any future shows and with the dealer community being a close knit group, i assume they hold sway over the promoters and show attendees. why try to exclude any dealers to any degree?

it's all simple, attend the shows early if you know the dealers will be leaving before the final day. if you can't attend early and can only attend the final day, that's not really the dealers' fault.

change.

al h.

Longacre

Unfortunately, it is a business, and if the dealer feels that he can work more efficiently if he leaves early rather than staying, then that is his perogative. I think most of the dealers are at a show for the wholesale business, as well as the auctions, if any. In my opinion, I don't think they make the majority of their income selling at a local show (I could be wrong on that point, though). I don't have any really strong opinions on the ones that leave early. I have attend many conferences for my profession, and countless times I've had to take phone calls, attend meetings, etc. during the conference, and I did not feel in the least bit "bad" about leaving the conference early or otherwise not attending certain parts of it. My business/work is more than just that conference and I had to make a judgment call as to what was the best use of my time.

I like the idea of having locals or vest pocket dealers (or even collectors) set up on the last day of the show free of charge. The grass roots people are what keep the hobby going (can you guess my political affiliation?)

Barry

A show promoter advertising, for example, 800 dealers, Thursday through Sunday 10 AM to 4 PM, should require, by contract, all 800 of the dealers to be present for those show hours. If the dealer doesn't like the terms, he shouldn't have a table at the show. If a significant number of the dealers don't like the terms/hours, then it should be addressed with the promoter and changed, as some shows have done by eliminating Sundays.

A dealer with a table at a show is a retailer. A retailer in a shopping mall signs a contract to be open when the mall is open. He is subject to fines if he's not open. This should be no different.

keets

apples and oranges, the comparison goes on...........................................

al h.

mr1931S

"I still think the best solution is to allow the abandoned tables to be occupied by locals, vest pocket dealers, and collectors on Sunday, free of charge, on a first come, first serve basis. It will certainly make the show appear more lively and interesting."

This is a great idea but I think there are a lot of sticky little and not-so-little details that would have to be worked out with the show promoter before it could actually happen.

I too, say "so what?" if dealer wants to leave show early. They pay high price for their table(s) in the first place, and travel, food and lodging is not inexpensive, etc. so who dares to suggest that they "have to" stay on Saturday and/or Sunday if they choose not to? Not me.

Barry

I would also say "so what" if it was a 10 minute drive to the show. If it's several hours away, then I would not be happy seeing a room-full of empty tables.

promoterman

Just wanted to add my 2 centavos to this discussion. As a "promoter" of collectibles shows in Texas.I know first hand the disruption caused by a dealer leaving early. The empty space seems magnified 1000x thru a promoters eyes.

The reason most dealers will leave early is because they feel that they have made the all the money they are going to make that day and spending a extra 2- 3 hours for $5.00 in sales is not worth hanging around especially if they are driving 3 or 4 hours out of town.However I have seen dealers make $2000 in sales in the last hour of a show because a collector came in late.

A lot of my coin shows are Sunday shows which goes against the current of one day show being only on Saturdays or being a 2 day show.

A lot of dealers in Texas will only do 2 or 3 days shows. Any dealer who reads this please take note... YOU CAN MAKE GOOD MONEY ON SUNDAYS!

As far as giving free tables away on Sunday. It is a kind gesture but not possible for a commercial entity like mine. For a club show it should be a requirement to give a free table to members after all they are a non profit group.

That would make it more interesting for club members and collectors.Especially at some of the bigger "club" and "Association" shows where tables are $100 - $250 a show.

But getting back to the point,its the promoter job to get people to the show,the dealer pays the promoter a fee for a service and if the dealer leaves early because of what he or she feels is bad service you can only blame the promoter,not the dealer or collector.(Unless of course the weather is bad and then the promoter has an excuse !)

I welcome members thoughts and please check out our website at www.jmventertainment.com