Why even bother having show hours on Sunday?
lowcountrycoinut
Posts: 177 ✭✭✭
I have been setting up at various shows for about eight years. I do two day shows, three day shows, a one day show and one four day show (FUN), each year. Invariably Sundays are dead, with more dealers than patrons on the bourse floor most of the time. I wonder why show organizers even bother to schedule Sunday hours. Any comments?
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carolinacollectorcoins.com
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I guess it's a family day and some people have more important thing to do. JMO !!!
I did shows for over 40 years. NOT COIN SHOWS. I've been a promoter and financial backer of national trade shows. This will be the first year since 1976 with no shows scheduled. YIPPEEE!!!!! Why are shows held on Sunday? It's a no- brainer. But I'll never tell.
Because if they were not scheduled for Sunday and ended on Saturday, Saturdays would end up being like Sundays are now.
Then someone would post a thread asking "Why even has show hours on Saturday?'
Was just at a show today. Sunday only show 10 to 3. Show was quite busy.
A 4 day show doesn't really need to be on Sunday I would agree with that.
Sometimes Sunday is better for people so they are trying to be open to all.
Yep, some shows are Sunday only. Sunday is a day of relaxing, so a lot of people like to go to shows on that day, as they don't have to work. Bigger shows that start on Thursday and are 4 days long are a different story. Many times things have fizzled out by then.
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Sunday shows seem to work well for local shows.
The big ones, where people have to fly in, seem to have more of the Sunday problem. People are inclined to get back home, to get stuff packed back away, and to be home and get some rest before going into local work again Monday morning. Then there's the feed-back loop that goes on: dealers leave, customers find the floor barer and stop coming on Sunday, so more dealers (already inclined to get the heck out of there) leave, etc.
Thurs-Fri-Sat may actually work better, then, with Sat being the big public crush day, and Sunday being the travel day.
I never had to set up for a show, though. What do other dealers here think? Anybody think having the big shows stay open Sunday is important?
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LCC,
Vest pocket dealer friend of mine was there at your show today around 1, said the action was up the hill at the gun show(the coin dealers at the gun show).
jim
Sunday after 12:pm was always for clean up and get cheap floor samples from other vendors back in the days when I did variety shows in Javits Center.
I'm not a coin show promoter but I imagine they have similar costs as those for the professional conferences I am involved with. The venue (hotel, convention center, whatever) makes their money from conference room fees, catering, and guest rooms. If you hold a Fri-Sat only show, the hotel would probably eat Sunday as a loss since it's not likely they will be able to book another event with guest rooms and catering for Sunday only. So they probably end up charging the same total amount for the event whether it is Fri-Sat or Fri-Sun. Just a guess.
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Trouble is with the dealers. A bunch are gone by noon Saturday and Sunday is a ghost town.
I usually do the Sunday shows in Massachusetts and New Hampshire and they are usually fairly well attended in my opinion.
Donato
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I tend to disagree, however your thinking is sound. You might be right but I can't think of ANY show open to the public that didn't operate on a Saturday. Sunday, yes, maybe no. Generally speaking Sundays get dropped because the vendors are in a revolt mode and threaten not to sign up for the show because Sundays are dead for business and a lot of vendors need that extra day of travel time to get back to their shops, etc. The vendors think that the show promoters are taking advantage of them by having The show extend into Sunday. They have a point. The general rule is this, almost without exception; business is best on the first day of any show right when the doors open. Business goes downhill from that point on. Saturday can, and very often is good. Or it's not. Sunday is always a dog unless the dealer is running discount specials etc. Sunday is pack-up day. During show hours. It's always been that way and it always will be. GOD, I'm glad to be out of the "show business." Now. ......Mrs. Hydrant, she loved every minute of it. She liked the attention. Not me.
I don't understand, what do you mean by this?
You got it brother. You hit the nail on the head.
Because the hotels want business people to pay for hotel rooms on Saturday night and not have to rely on recreational hotel guests, who always pay less.
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dealers and collectors alike always want "first shot" which is why the first day(s) of any show, 1-2-3-4 days long are the busiest and best. everyone knows that, so the last day of a 3-4 day show is for the dealers who have nothing better to do but hope for some late sales and collectors who don't know they should be there on Thurs-Fri.
Church attendance or lack of is critical to the size of the crowd on Sunday. It varies from location to location. In the Northeast it's not much of a factor. In the Southern states, it's the be all and end all.
Might be instructive to look at the Long Beach show:
I just think there has to be some commitment, from dealers, promoters, and even attendees, to draw a line in the sand at some reasonable point. "We WILL support the show for these specific days and hours!! (Even if we don't really want to)."
@Hydrant That is a great point you make and I agree. I must admit we are not as tied to our religion up in the northeast like they are down south. Location is definitely a factor regarding shows on Sunday. Up here, dealers may close down early when the Pats are playing on Sunday.
Donato
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If a show has scheduled for a Sunday make FREE ADMiSSION along with stating in ads etc that dealer participtation may be limited.
Long Beach show does not aware of others should be mandatory.
Nothing like losing more prospective and casual collectors who are not aware they might not seen a full coin show.
Sunday only shows do well around here.
As far as the bigger shows go, Sundays have been dormant for as long as I can recall, with a few spotty exceptions.
Every once in a while it's possible to "buy your way out of a show" if a few remaining dealers are cash strapped and in panic mode.
In the PNW, I usually attended the shows on Saturday.... some small shows were Sunday only... As a collector, I have not paid attention to the attendance issue. I agree with keets... first day (or two on a 3/4 day show) would be the best for material... Cheers, RickO
The once a month Sunday show in Parsippany NJ is a huge success.
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I certainly agree that one day Sunday shows are usually active. In the past I attended the Sunday Parsippany shows and the vendors seemed to do well. My point is that when the show is more than one day, Sunday is usually dead. And yes, the Church issue is a lot more relevant in the south than the northeast.
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The last day of any long show is always going to be slow. Doesn't matter what day of the week the show ends on.
I wonder if it's a mistake for shows to eliminate the last day because it's so slow. Maybe they should instead eliminate the first day if the last day is so slow.
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While I totally agree!.....the problem would be that the "Big Shows" are also trying to get auctions in during the week, so cutting out a Thursday might tick off a whole different group of people....
If the Sunday was not scheduled would the promoter lower the tables fees since that is one less selling day for those that stick it out to the end?
The public should be aware in ads etc that the last day you might see limited dealers and make it free as well to get people in the door and collectors who could not attend Saturday.
Considering that S-B and Heritage already extend their major sales with internet-only sessions into the days following shows, shortening the shows is probably not a deal killer. In fact, a reduction in bourse hours might even increase the time bidders devote to lot viewing, assuming that the coins are made available for a day or two preceding the show.
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That's the reason I do not do the Summer FUN show! Same price as the winter show even though it is 1 day shorter. In all fairness it probably has to due with the fact that they can't sell as many tables to cover the more than likely 50K in savings from dropping Sunday.
Seems like most dealers are gone by Sunday and as a result most attendees decide not to bother going. It's the dealers causing the problem. Then you got the show promoters charging an entry fee, who want's to take time and pay money to go stare at a bunch of empty tables?
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