If you stay south of the track down between Gastonia and Charlotte you'll find reasonable room rates. This year I have a cousin living in the area so I'm staying free!
The people who administer the show are getting long in the tooth for sure. Unfortunately it's symptomatic of the younger generations not being involved in clubs in the same way as their elders. The setup cost, 130 at show time, is high, but when I do over $3k in business in two days it doesn't bother me much anymore. And because there are on average 70-80k people who come to the show sales are going to occur. Last year fall was my worst ever but we had rain EVERY DAY and I still bought well even if I didn't sell well. And that's something you can't fault a show itself for happening.
If your time is limited and your interest sole focus is signage then waiting a week for Dixie Gas I can understand. Besides, you're likely to see some good picks from Charlotte turn up at Dixie, you'll just have to pay more for them is all..
