Nashville Whitman show? I heard it was terrible

packers88

Supposedly on saturday about 20% of the dealers left and about 20 to 25 collectors were roaming the aisles. I guess this wasn't near close, but around saturday morning early afternoon. Kind of scary for a show that large.

Anyone here set up there and were your experiences the same?

packers88

I meant to say only 20% of the dealers were left and not 20% of the dealers left.

RWB

Maybe shows should be held in places that have moveable walls? Overnight the space could be compressed so it doesn't look so empty - a little like the trash compactor in Star Wars-IV.

EagleEye

There was a competing show in Gallatin, TN. Most collectors went there. Whitman did a fine job organizing the show, but I don't know if it was well publicized. By 12:00 on Saturday most dealers were gone.

dirtygoldman

<< <i>Supposedly on saturday about 20% of the dealers left and about 20 to 25 collectors were roaming the aisles. I guess this wasn't near close, but around saturday morning early afternoon. Kind of scary for a show that large.

Anyone here set up there and were your experiences the same? >>



I heard it was disappointing. I'm glad I didn't go.

Mission16

<< <i>

<< <i>Supposedly on saturday about 20% of the dealers left and about 20 to 25 collectors were roaming the aisles. I guess this wasn't near close, but around saturday morning early afternoon. Kind of scary for a show that large.

Anyone here set up there and were your experiences the same? >>



I heard it was disappointing. I'm glad I didn't go. >>




Me too. I went to a small show in Jacksonville, AR and it sounds like it was a better show.

johnny9434

sorry to hear that. the hartford ct show here wasent that good the last time thru. i hope it isint a sign of things to come

IrishMikey

Whitman has a history of starting slow and getting better each year, so I would cut them
some slack. They will eventually get it right.

pruebas

<< <i>Whitman has a history of starting slow and getting better each year, so I would cut them
some slack. They will eventually get it right. >>


Does that mean it will happen there again next year? Its not on their website (yet).

You can't turn a "non-coin town" into a coin town by persistence. We have seen this with Atlanta.

lincoln

we were there with a table. we did ok BUT 95% of our business is always with other dealers.there was just not very many public that showed up. dont think we would set up again there. thats just my opinion. don fisher currency unlimited

ColonialCoinUnion

<< <i>Supposedly on saturday about 20% of the dealers left and about 20 to 25 collectors were roaming the aisles. I guess this wasn't near close, but around saturday morning early afternoon. Kind of scary for a show that large.

Anyone here set up there and were your experiences the same? >>



I was there, and I would say that that characterization is wildly exaggerated.

CaptHenway

How badly did the flooding three weeks earlier hurt attendance? Many people like to go to a show and take in the touristy stuff.

Julian

<< <i>How badly did the flooding three weeks earlier hurt attendance? Many people like to go to a show and take in the touristy stuff. >>



I was there until the very end and absolutely believe that the flood disaster contributed to the quite modest public turnout.

Whitman puts great effort into their events and I will continue to attend their exhibitions.

They listen to all the feedback, both from dealers and the public.

Hopefully, Nashville can become a successful venue, but there will have to be some things changed.

fivecents

I went to both shows. The Nashville Whitman show was very slow. So was the Gallatin show. The Gallatin show was only about 30 minutes from the whitman show. So both shows are fairly close to each other. I agree with Jullian. News of the flood probably scared off some of the public.
My GF and I made a weekend out of it and had a great time. Every honkytonk was open except for the wild horse. We put on our cowboy boots on and partied down like a MOFO. Heck I am a rock and roller, but that weekend I was really into the country music. Nashville rocks!

Bear

Two day shows. Friday for the dealers to trade and Saturday for the public.

Then any dealer that leaves early ,is either spayed or neutered.

ThePennyLady

<< <i>We put on our cowboy boots on and partied down like a MOFO. >>





A brief little OT.... I used to work for a law firm called Morrison & Foerster and their well-known nickname was, well, you guessed it! These are my boys when they were little itty bitty guys.....

blu62vette

I will be sure to mention the photo to Troy next time I see him.....

Catbert

Charmy - I missed not seeing you at the show. Very disappointing!

ThePennyLady

<< <i>I will be sure to mention the photo to Troy next time I see him..... >>



Actually, since Erik (the one on the right) will be helping me in Long Beach, you'll be seeing him before Troy, so be sure to embarrass him "shamelessly"!!

Cat, sorry about missing Nashville - and you!

relicsncoins

If a dealer has already paid for the table and travel expenses, what benefit would there be to leaving early? Even if you only made 2 sales the rest of the show, that has to be better than the none that you would make if you packed up and left.

OregonCityGold

"...a little like the trash compactor in Star Wars-IV."

DaveE

Because the owners of Whitman have offices in the town does not mean it will be a success for a major show. They blew so many years In Atlanta. Now they are wasting everyones time with Nashville. The flood was not the reason the show was a flop. Some places are just not coin towns.

WTCG

<< <i>If a dealer has already paid for the table and travel expenses, what benefit would there be to leaving early? Even if you only made 2 sales the rest of the show, that has to be better than the none that you would make if you packed up and left. >>



Most dealers do not change their schedules to leave early. Most dealers planned in advance to leave before a show officially ends. It's much easier to lengthen a trip than to shorten one.

It's an issue of extra cost versus extra sales and travel expenses for items such as hotel rooms and other incidentals are rarely prepaid. If the cost of one additional night in a hotel outweighs two additional sales then it is practical to leave before the very end. If there are employees involved (and more dealers have employees than many people think) then more additional costs will be incurred for staying longer than necessary.

lincoln

we left at 1pm there was just not any business from the public on saturday. i figure i saved a nights lodgingand parking and that amounted to around 200. nashville is not a cheap town. don fisher

WTCG

As for a show report, the attendance levels weren't great and the bourse floor tended to clean out by the middle of the afternoon. Many dealers reported slow sales although some dealers were actually very happy with the overall show results.

I also attended the Gallatin show for a brief time. There appeared to be a little more buzz although attendance wasn't exactly spectacular there either. Many of the dealers at Gallatin were dealers new to me or dealers I seldomly see so their coins looked fresh to me.

While i was at the Gallatin show I did overhear some people say they didn't attend the Whitman show in downtown because they would've needed to pay for parking downtown. That's a lame excuse in my opinion especially since weekday parking adjacent to the convention center was available for as little as $4 a day. That's laughably cheap when compared to the usual parking rates for other downtowns in other large cities where $15 to $20 per day ($30 - $50 in SF) is the norm.

golfer72

Collectors dont go on the last day because dealers leave early. Dealers leave early because collectors dont go on the last day. See a pattern here?

ThePennyLady

I agree with Julian that Whitman puts on some great shows, they work really hard to have it at a quality venue, and are always very helpful and friendly if you need anything. I think any first show is tough, and the flooding only made it more difficult for the Nashville show to be a success. I hope they give it another try next year.

Longacre

<< <i>A brief little OT.... I used to work for a law firm called Morrison & Foerster and their well-known nickname was, well, you guessed it! >>




That explains a lot!

pruebas

<< <i>I agree with Julian that Whitman puts on some great shows, they work really hard to have it at a quality venue, and are always very helpful and friendly if you need anything. I think any first show is tough, and the flooding only made it more difficult for the Nashville show to be a success. I hope they give it another try next year. >>


Sure they are good, and not to discourage them from trying, but what's the point if coin people don't show up to buy and sell?

I have my doubts that any demographic analysis was done beforehand (i.e. 67th MSA in terms of household income, 38th in terms of overall population). At least they could have checked various databases (i.e. Whitman customers, Stacks customers, Coin World subscribers, etc.) for where their customers are located.

packers88

LEts be frank, two factors here, the economy and show saturation. Almost every two weeks most collectors can find a show within a 400 or 500 drive of where they live. I don't mean local shows, but regional shows. I still think the main culprit for recent slow retail traffic is show saturation.

nickel

In responce to "packer88"
factor 1- economy . I agree
factor 2 -show saturation. I agree
While there may be many large shows frequently , a 400-500 mile
drive is about 5-7 hours each way . But to reinforce his theory , I
offer a local scenario . I live in connecticut , and while not a comprehensive list ,
all of the following shows are within 3 hours to 20 minutes from my house .
Hartford CT 5 shows per year
Auburn MA 10
Albany NY 10
White Plains NY 2
New Haven CT 10
West Springfield MA 2
Westford MA 10
Meriden CT 4
Boston MA 2
Mystic CT 1
Willamantic CT 1
Stamford CT (Coinfest) 1
Nashua NH 12
There are others . There probably
are similar local shows in many locations
throughout the country .
In my last show in Hartford CT , in April ,
I sold zero coins . I sold 4 one ounce silver rounds
to a dealer at $68 , so that I could pay my $65
table fee . However the cameraderie , food and
beer made up the difference .

thatboyaintright

I was disappointed at first with the Whitman show leaving Atlanta this year. Then I realized a little road trip is just the thing to put some excitement into my coin hunts. Now if I can talk my wife into going to the PCGS Vegas show, I'd be a happy camper, but I think she's holding out for one in Honolulu.