What makes a great show?

[pokerplyr80]

As a collector if there is good material I will come back. I like to see a good variety. Prewar, postwar, and modern. I'm not as concerned with door prizes or autograph guests but they will probably help attract other customers. I don't have a problem paying an admission as long as there's some good stuff inside.

[KCRfan1]

+1 Jesse.

I want quality and variety. With that comes a certain price tag, but as long as the prices are reasonable and "in line" I am good with that.

Don't necessarily need a player to do a signing. There's usually a price for that and it may carry over to an admission fee to attend the card show. Rather spend the money on cards.

[quitcrab]

Good lighting.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Originally Posted by quitcrab

Good lighting.

makes complete sense, something I never thought of. Also something (once locked into a venue) that is possibly tough to control.

[buymycards]

1. location - I live in the boonies, so the nearest show is 60 miles away, and most of the shows that I attend are 70 to 180 miles away.

2. parking

3. space - I have gone to shows where it is impossible to get to the dealers tables. The aisles are about 4' wide and if a couple of customers are at the tables, the aisles and the tables are blocked. I have tried to get to a dealers table 6-8 times and I couldn't get close enough to see any cards.

4. The attitude of the dealers.

5. A variety of dealers. There is one local show that is mostly newer stuff, and another that seems to mainly have 50's and 60's cards.

6. Door prizes for the customers are nice, but they can be counter productive. The customers hand around for a long time hoping to get a prize, but they don't buy anything.

7. Free pizza or donuts for the dealers is nice.

8. As a customer, any time I can add a card to my personal collection, it is a good show. As a dealer, as long as I can sell enough to pay my expenses and maybe pick up a couple of cards for my PC, then I am happy. If I make a profit, then that is even better. I have set up at local shows where I didn't make enough money to cover a $35 table fee.

[Rich Klein]

I'll be adding to this as I think about this

Space is a double edged sword -- I like to provide space for the dealers and customers yet,, if the aisles or the tables appear crowded then there is a sense of urgency and people want to see what you have for sale. Back in the day when I worked for Beckett, there was at least one nice local dealer who knew me and would chat with me even when we had our restrictions on what we could buy

His reasoning was if I was in front of his table then there was a reason for that and he would usually sell a ton of stuff whilst I was there.

As a promoter, I like to have a big enough space where people have room but not bowling alley lanes on both sides

I agree with the "freebies" for the dealers and while I don't do that every show we do that at our synagogue show with bagels and cream cheese for the dealers and I bring or have bagels brought 3-4 times a year at the monthly show I do. Pizza can be trickier because you do have to ensure that if there happens to be a vegetarian among those you order either a cheese or a veggie pizza

I charge $1 admission and that is really for 2 reasons, one to let people feel they have some skin in the game and the 2nd is for a head count. However, we did last year and probably will this year -- do our December show as free admission as a thank you to our customers.

Our synagogue show is a bit different but our regular monthly show has either auto guests or an hourly door prize. There always needs to be something to bring in customers.

[SAllen2556]

I think it's really very simple: A card show with 50 tables is better than a card show with 30 tables. The more dealers you get, the better the show will be. I can put up with crowds, admission fees, rudeness, high prices, etc. But I'm not going to be happy if I drive 50 miles and it takes me 15 minutes to see all the stuff at the show.

[Rich Klein]

I think it depends what is on the tables. When I Have Roland from Louisiana or Jerry from Richardson or Matt from Austin or Leon from DFW, Roger from Oklahoma. With those five named dealers I can guarantee 20+ excellent tables pretty easily and have a good show for collectors. There are plenty of other good dealers as well who set up in the DFW area so I don't think one can always just say 30 tables is far worse than 50.

I do believe 100 plus tables pretty much guarantees a great show for collectors to find what they need

Rich

[RobertGT]

I'll keep my response short and to-the-point:

1) Fresh material at fair (ebay) prices.

So many of the shows I attend are populated by museum dealers with the same inventory I saw 3 years ago, with pricing that appears to be circa 1989, or at least twice the price of what the cards can be purchased for online.

Everybody uses eBay these days as the market price. Please don't pretend that doesn't apply to you.

[Snapolit1]

Interesting. I don't care too much about autographs, so some free autos or a slate of guys on stage isn't a biggie for me. Having one of the major authenticators there to accept cards is pretty cool, but realize that can't be done everywhere.
Some refreshment stand is nice.
I don't like all the haggling that takes place, where cards bear more than one price, but I guess that will never change. "Book value" is always some random number that doesn't seem to have any connection to the condition of the card.
I'd say most friendly informed dealers. At White Plains I met some creep who mimicked me when I told him "Just looking . . .." Isn't that what everyone's doing? I probably spent more $ on cards in the last year than he has in his life and he treated me like some bum who stumbled in off the street.
Having people from the major auction houses showing some upcoming cool items is also nice.
How about a quiet area for spouses and friends who aren't interested to hang out in comfort for a few hours and read a book?

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

OK keep it coming.

A lot of this stuff is things we've thought of, but there's a nice smattering of stuff we hadn't considered.

Dealers, haven't heard much from you guys yet!

[90feetaway]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

How about a quiet area for spouses and friends who aren't interested to hang out in comfort for a few hours and read a book?

+1
Also, as an attendee, autograph guests are sometimes a draw. I'd like to meet an unusual guest such as announcer or ESPN personality once in a while.

[brian1961]

How about a quiet area for spouses and friends who aren't interested to hang out in comfort for a few hours and read a book?[/QUOTE]

A VERY GOOD SUGGESTION. PERHAPS THE REFRESHMENT AREA COULD HAVE AN EXTENDED AREA FOR THE DISINTERESTED. ---Brian Powell

[begsu1013]

.

[Yoda]

Try to ensure that you only allot tables to first class, major league dealers with solid reputations known throughout the hobby. There are many wannabes' out there who think it would be cool to play dealer for a weekend and bring in nothing but crap, a total waste of everybody's time. Also, if you could get the
grading companies to come and at least take submissions it would draw more attendees, I think. Good luck with your endeavors!

[K-Nole]

From a Buyer:

I want a variety of Vintage stuff (older than 1970).

I want sellers that are willing to sell!!! I HATE tables where the people have prices double what you can get on EBAY or Auction sites, that REFUSE to budge on the price. They are there as a Museum showcase and NOT to sell.
I understand they want to make money, but if you are going to have a booth at a sale, SELL!