Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums Petroliana News VENDORS COME FIRST

I have been reading all of the comments on the show hours, auction hours, and days of the different shows. I am not saying we do everything right at our show, INDIANA GAS SHOW AND AUCTION, but I think we have learned from all the shows we have attended for years. We started having an auction about 10 years ago, this was at our place of business in Terre Haute, In. We had this auction first part of Feb, always had a great crowd, and had it on Sat morning. We had lots of people wanting us to start a gas show and also have the auction, so we listened. We started our gas shows in Brazil Indiana, and had those for 4 years with an auction on Friday night before the show on Saturday. Then we out grew the building in Brazil, plus this was in January, VERY COLD, but still had the crowds. We changed our date from Jan to April and moved it to Terre Haute, Ind at the Fairgrounds, larger facility and better weather. We have had great comments on the show being moved and the better weather, but one thing we have always done, is put the Vendors first. We feel, the vendors come from all over, travel a long way to come to the show to SELL, and to BUY, why slap their hands and say NO SELLING, NO BUYING until the show opens on a certain day. We have the Vendor set up day on Friday, starting at 10:00 A.M. until about 4:00 P.M., when the vendors come in on Friday, they register and find their space and go to selling, (who cares), this is what they are there for is to make some money, have a good time and chat with all their gas buddies. We then have the Auction on Friday night, runs about 3 hours, then the show starts at 6:00 A.M. on Saturday early bird and goes until around 1:30-2:00 depending on foot traffic. Show is over then, and the vendors pack up, start for home, and still have Sunday to rest and spend time with the family before going back to work. We like it this way, and we have NEVER in the years that we have done these auctions and shows had any complaints. Just remember this: VENDORS COME FIRST, WITHOUT THEM YOU HAVE NO SHOW. This is what keeps the hobby going, isn't this what all of us want. Sorry to go on and on, but I had to put my thoughts in. Lets keep it fun. Dave & Linda Parr
INDIANA GAS SHOW AND AUCTION
TERRE HAUTE, INDIANA

I guess if the vendors stick to the advertised schedule of the show and stay for the advertised duration, you're right. The problems start to happen when the vendors arrive two or three days before the scheduled set-up time and then leave before the show is supposed to be over. They have done all of the buying/selling amongst themselves (and, besides, anyone who arrives when the show is SCHEDULED to start isn't going to spend any money anyway - how many times have I heard THAT from vendors while they're packing up early?) Most (not all) vendors I have met are collectors who sell extras to feed their collecting habit - myself included. They buy a vendor space to sell stuff, sure - but mostly to secure that 'early bird' status to get the good stuff, and that rarest of things at a gas show - the bargain...

That said, I have to totally disagree with the statement that vendors come first. COLLECTORS come first. Without collectors, who needs vendors?

Dave and Linda,

You do a great job as hosts and have an enjoyable show - but Dave, I'm not sure whether it's your policies or because Linda is a "Cutie".

Your posting indicates you have a clear handle on what makes a show successful.

People can say what they want about policies and who to cater to, but the show with the most vendors will prevail and do the best - so treat the vendors well.

Non vending shoppers need to remember that the vending fees pay the bills. A smart show host will do what it takes to keep the vendor count high.

Photo below is Dave and Linda supporting the Peotone show as a vendor.


------------------
Ron Bettin
740-774-OHIO(6446)
bettin@bright.net

...spoken like a true vendor!

'People can say what they want' about anything - and that rather condescending reply misses the point entirely.

I have no problem at all with the INDIANA GAS SHOW AND AUCTION, although I've never been to the show or met the hosts, they appear to be nice people who are sincerely interested in gas station memorabilia and enjoying the company of their friends in the hobby. My kind of people! In fact, if you read their post they set a schedule and apparently people stick to it. There isn't a single mention of people showing up on Thursday (or Wednesday) to 'set-up'.

All I'm saying is that any schedule laid out for a swap meet should be followed by those who choose to attend. What is so radical about that? Is that not the best way to ensure as level a playing field as possible? Would that not be in the best interests of the most people?

(1) Collectors keep the hobby going...
(2) The hobby keeps the vendors going...
(3) The vendors AND the collectors keep the shows going...

Good points Dave. You said yourself that you allow selling starting Friday morning. I don't think anyone would complain about that as long as the vendors stay the adverstised show dates and hours. The trouble is at shows like Columbus and Iowa Gas where dealers sell for a day or two before the advertised show date and pack up and leave before the advertised show is over. The vendors that do that generally spend the same number of days selling, so why not sell during the advertised show hours. The early selling is the root cause of vendors leaving early. There's not much anyone can do about early selling but show promoters can (and should) require their vendors to stay until the end of the show.
I like the way they do it at Peotone. Set up Saturday afternoon. Thats when the dealer trading takes place, and now there are Saturday buyers for those that want to pay up for the privledge. The show is a Sunday show and inside vendors have to stay through the advertised show hours.
I own a remodeling company. I use several suppliers (vendors) and a few sub contractors (also considered vendors by some). My CUSTOMERS come FIRST. I certainly don't put my vendors ahead of my customers. I haven't seen a company that could survive let alone prosper without customers. There was a pretty smart guy from Arkansas that did pretty well for himself in retail. He called his customers BOSS. Who was this guy? Sam Walton. Vendors are customers in as much as they rent space from you, so you do need to take care of them. But don't forget your other customers, the buying public. Shows like Iowa Gas and Columbus can survive on income from the vendors. Smaller shows need the income from the buying public to make it. At Peotone the income from the buyers is nearly as much as what the vendors pay. (well it was before the price increase).

WORD!

Before everyone gets carried away with themselves again, here is the previous thread that has lots of show opinions and comments from Lastgas, Gulfiend, myself and others:
http://www.oldgas.com/shoptalk/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000500.html

Bob, could it be you like Peotone the best because it's in your backyard and an easy show for you to do?
Your comments in the other thread, wanted the auction AFTER the show, not before. Peotone's auction is on the Friday before vendor setup. Your quote was:

"It would be better for the show if the auction was on Saturday afternoon rather than Thursday evening. Vendors would be more likely to stay for the advertised show times because the buyers would still be there on Saturday."

Lastgas & Gulfiend - maybe you each should consider sponsering a show, front the $3,000-6,000 in advertising and facilities, etc, and operate it as you deem appropriate. Of course you'll need vendor participation to make the numbers work - after all, VENDORS are the customers of the show host, and therefore are likely the host's first concern.

Dave brought it up. Maybe he is open minded enough to find something useful in an opinion that differs from his.
My comment about the show being better off if the auction was held afterwards was about Columbus. The auction might not be better off, but the show would be. Personally I don't think it would have much effect on an auction that had quality consignments.

I haven't heard anyone say anything positive about vendors leaving early.

I may or may not at some point in the future promote a show,but for now I'll stick with running my own business. The guys that promote the shows usually have a much bigger investment in time than money. One thing I don't have right now is much free time.

Approximate numbers from the average show at Peotone: Approx. 90 indoor vendors, and 20-50 outdoor vendors. 1100 buyers through the front door. Not many shows can boast of numbers like those. Wayne did an outstanding job of building that show. Tim and Kevin have done a great job as well since they bought the shows. Like it or not, part of the reason Peotone has been so successful is because the vendors have to stay until the show is over. Something Wayne did was hand out questionaires to the vendors and buyers. He was smart enough to know that he had to please the vendors AND buyers. Look at it this way.....say the promoters do something to really tick off the buyers and the crowd drops from 1100 to 500. Who do you think is going to scream the loudest? The VENDORS!
You gotta have the buyers to keep not only the show going but the hobby too. Newbies don't start off as vendors, they start off as buyers. Look around at the shows and you'll see alot of seniors there. Younger collectors generally have a harder time attending shows during the week.
I set up at one show a year to sell off things that no longer fit in my collection. I participate in the hobby because I enjoy it, not to profit from it. My only concern is what's best for the hobby.

I encourage EVERYONE to take a few steps back and look at the BIG PICTURE. Its human nature to only see things from one perspective.

A little different prespective here: when I have set up at gas shows in the past, my best "customers" (biggest spenders) were other vendors. If there are people that truly just come to browse, most times they aren't goint to drop $5K on my Minuteman sign, but another vendor (who also happens to be a collector) will. I'm not taking sides here, just putting a different slant on things. A lot of shows seem to just be reunions for collectors & pre-arranged meeting places to deliver and pick up presold merchandise. Not there's anything right or wrong with that. The only comment I'll take real exception to is that producing an event is mostly time and not money. My bill for printing and mailing my auction brochures alone is enough to give you severe heartburn, if not a small coronary, & that's just a portion of the expenses. I've often thought about doing a Gas Show here in Oklahoma, apart from the auction, maybe in the fall.

[This message has been edited by Seth Robbins (edited 08-10-2005).]

I like what Dave is saying here. I have been going to Indiana gas since I started collecting and have to say I love the show. I agree that if a show is advertised Fri. set up from 10-4 and show sat. from 6-2 than that's what it should be. Not half the vendors get there on Thurs. and start selling to each other and then when others start showing up look like a pack of wolves on some dead meat. I won't go to Iowa gas because I can't take off a week of work to go. It's bad enough taking off a Friday to go to Peotone or Columbus.

Shows need to be 1 day... setup and sell 1 day! We don't need 5 hours to setup and 7 hours of another day to sell. I liked the way Hoosier show here in Evansville was... 1 day! I miss that show

I got the info about the time being a bigger investment than the monetary investment right from a promoter.
I agree that many dealers are collectors and they'll spend more money.....right now. Given enough time the new collectors will be the collector/vendors in the future. That is if they stick around the hobby. How many trips do you think a new collector will make to Columbus if the lot is empty on Saturday morning when he gets there? The same thing goes for Iowa Gas on Friday.
It would be nearly impossible to stop the early selling, but it would be very easy to put a halt to vendors leaving early. I think if they had to stay for the advertised days and time of the show, they'd be less likely to get there 2 days early to sell because of the added expense.

I wish you were right Bob, but in reality a lot of guys CAN afford to pull into Des Moines on Sunday if they want to and hang there all week buying & selling. After the merch has changed hands 5 times, it's out of sight for the new guy anyway. The vendor to vendor biz is where the money is.
From my own experience and what I hear from other dealers, it seems like to me most have their own "new" retail customers that they deal with that wouldn't even dream of going to a show. They just wait for their favorite dealer to go to Des Moines or Columbus and load up, then they buy it all over the phone. Then they didn't have to worry about when to be there & they didn't have to go trailer chasin' & divin'!! Like I said, I have no side on this issue, just giving my .02.

I get to go to 1 or 2 good shows a year, depending on how work is going. I am the small guy, the one that leaves after work at 6 and drives all night long to get to a show. It bothers me that upon arrival I find a good portion of the vendors are packed up and gone. Vendor to vendor pre-show sales are an understandable part of the business. All I ask is that you remember that there are some folks out there that come a long way not to browse but to bring something home.

Most vendors need time to buy/sell among them selves, so that they can sit in their spaces all day of the advertised show. When the selling of their items slows, that is when most load up to leave.

I use my vacation time to attend the shows that I want to attend. I drive to the shows so that I'm able to transport ANYTHING that I buy.

WE all have our PRIORITIES, some do the complaining & others do the shows.
JM2C's
db

AS FAR AS PRE-SHOW SALES GO...

This is still the United States of America.
If these folks want to get together and deal among themselves, it's Free Enterprise. It would be nice however if they just kept to themselves and held their own private show, at the time and place of their choosing. Then the rest of the Hobby's true retail based vendors that want their business coming from the general public would be better able to attact that part of the hobby. I understand the frustration, but you can't force a "vendor" to come to a show and hold them hostage...or can you?????