Trouble x 3 - Sarah Read, the Bossman and yours truly.
How does it compare to last year’s show?
- Weekend pass prices went up - This year’s ticket price did not include a second spouse/friend ticket - last year it was $60 for two people, this year it is $60 per person (kids are free). That is a pretty sizable price difference if you were coming with someone. I think it’s still a good value even if you came alone since it also included access to the Thursday night pizza party.
- Paid whisk(e)y tasting - In prior years, the Scotch and Bourbon tasting event was free. This year, Mario Campa decided to have tasting glasses made and charge a nominal $10 fee to cover the tasting and glass. This seemed like it worked out well and people still had a good time.
- Lower attendance? - Last year I went to the show as an attendee and this year I was working at the LBA table, so it’s difficult to compare my two experiences. It felt like overall, there were slightly fewer attendees than before (though I have no ticket data to prove this). I had more time than I expected on Friday to walk around the ballroom and atrium, and there was ample space at the tables to browse and talk with vendors. And as par for the course, I had even more time on Sunday. In fact, it was so slow that many vendors started packing up at 2pm (instead of the 4pm closing time). I spoke with a variety of vendors, both in the ballroom and in the atrium and results were mixed. Some told me they had a strong Friday but weaker Saturday than last year, while others told me the reverse. As far as I could tell, everyone still had fun at this show and plan to return next year.
- More people staying? - Even though I just said it felt like the attendance might have been slightly lower (and it’s possible it wasn’t), it seemed like I knew more people who were traveling to the show and staying at the hotel. In past years, many of the locals would only come for the day and not stay overnight, but more people I talked to were at the show for longer hours (if they didn’t stay), or were staying at least one night (if not more). Again, this isn’t based on empirical data, so maybe more people I knew were going to the show this year vs past years.
- More nib workers - There were only 3 nib workers at the show last year (Gena Salorino, JC Ament, Kirk Speer), and this year they returned along with Matthew Chen and the Kennedys. Seemed like they were all fairly busy most of the weekend (except Sunday afternoon).
- More classes/seminars - I had to re-read last year’s recap to see if they had many seminars and they had a decent amount before but this year it seemed like they stepped it up. While there were some $70-100 classes, many of them were $0 - $10. They had a limit of 13 people per class, making it a nice intimate setting to learn about topics like Flourishing with Fountain Pens with Michael Sull, Conid Pens by Allan Shinogle, Tangles & Doodles with Hong Nguyen, and even a seminar on how to use the PLOTTER system! I continue to think this is a great way for people to continue learning about pens/inks/stationery and while giving themselves a break from the show floor.
Last year, my worry was that diminishing number of attendees would spell trouble for this show. While I’m still not sure if there were fewer people this year or not, at least vendors seemed mostly pleased with how they did, even if some ended up making less than last year. I hope that “local folks” (within a 4-hour driving radius) continue to support this show and bring their friends to experience the fun of a pen show.
Heading into the show, I knew I wanted to get the latest Platinum Preppy WA Series 3, the TWSBI Mini AL Grape and the show inks. I don’t think anyone is surprised that I bought more than that, but the additional inks weren’t impulse buys, but ones that I had been looking for and were sold out.
