So exactly what do you want from a show?

[Bridwell]

Getting a large group of the top vintage dealers from the National to attend another show would probably require giving them tables practically for free. If you could get 30-40 vintage dealers in one place, the collectors would come. Once you had the best vintage dealers, the show would grow. Within a few years, it could be huge. I'd recommend approaching the top dealers who were mentioned on Brett's video of the National. Ask them what it would take to get them to another show.

[Rich Klein]

that show has a track record and thus the dealers come.

For any other show, either as a new one or as a continuing one. The aspects will be, constant advertising *primarily local*, using social networks and chat boards *like this one* and reasonable prices all around. That is one of the reasons that the megalopolis is hard to hold really good shows in, in that there are not a ton of reasonably priced places which has all that is needed.

That includes plenty of parking nearby and ease to get to the show.

And, frankly, a promoter may have to take a loss on a show or two to get it off the ground. And many promoters don't understand that starting as a "loss leader* might actually make them more money in the long run.

Also, in the DFW area, we are down to one promoter who tries to run reasonably sized shows. There are no postcards sent out, no social network they use (that I know of) and almost no advertising (not even the free listings in SCD and Beckett). I usually only find out about this promoter's shows by accident.

Regards
Rich

[oaks1912]

Rich...You touched on most of the key issues.... Parking, convenient location, affordability (for promoter,exhibitors, and attendees) and LOCAL advertising. National advertising, for the most part, is a waste of funds as more than 95% of the attendees will come from a 50 mile radius. There are several hidden costs that many show dealers, attendees and first time promoters do not consider to get a show off the ground. A "vintage only" show was tried by two different promoters in the '90's. Ed Keetz in New York and Dennis Purdy in Northern California both promoted "pre 1976 shows" and both were eventually phased out. It's a great idea, but not financially feasible today. It would be more efficient to organize a gathering during the week of the National amongst that specialized group as there has been with Postcard, Japanese, and PCL specialists in the past. I still believe in the concept of a local show run by local individuals. It's the responsibility of the promoter to select a varied group of exhibitors. A 50 table show featuring 40 exhibitors with T-206's would be a disaster for the exhibitors and for the 95% plus of attendees who don't collect T-206's. As the posts on this board have illustrated, there is a wide range of interest amongst the core group of collectors here, and keep in mind that the Net54 participants represent a fraction of 1% of the interests in the sports collecting hobby today.