Contest Venues

[ncbuckeye67]

On 4/13/2024 at 5:37 PM, RSchnell said:

How about the VFW/AMVets halls like mentioned above? Lots of times those sit empty and I'd wager they'd be welcome the extra income.

I'm looking into that. Unfortunately our VFW & Legion buildings are on the small side, so vendors might end up in the parking lot. That's why another show I attend changed venues, they quickly outgrew the space. I tried to get the Teamsters Union Hall, but they don't rent it for outside events.

[bobss396]

16 hours ago, Brian Austin said:

 

Interesting, I'm not totally in with no judging however. There is another show on the 18th in Peabody, looks like an IPMS show. I'll have to see if I can dig up some of who vendors will be at the RTS show. Thanks.

[thatz4u]

see if your local fairground can help...

[ncbuckeye67]

That's a good idea. I hope the $$ isn't too high.

[bobss396]

We had our club meeting last night and we went over finances, etc. Of course the show venue came up, we plan things out even this early in the year. This is the way to make sure things go smoothly.

We have had the rec-center date saved since our first show there, the 2nd Saturday in November to it is easy to remember. We are going with a all-in-one registration fee that should make most entrants happy. We discussed trophy packages, vendor tables too. We are keeping the table fee the same and last year we did sell all of them. I may take 2 this year.

It takes time to get the venue information out to the modeling community, the sooner you pick a place the more people will be attending. 

[CaddyDaddy]

Bob.......I've got about a 45 minute drive up to NNL East next weekend. Maybe see you there?

[mikemodeler]

Not sure where in NC the OP lives, but there is a show in August in Clemmons at an older hotel. The room is packed but the host club does a great job of fitting everyone in. There are several shows in SC- Spartanburg and Simpsonville- and they both have become good sized shows because the members have found great locations. The Spartanburg show is in mid January at a Marriott Hotel and they have a ton of space. Don't know what it costs but because it is an off time of the year for events, they may get a deal on the room as a result. The Simpsonville show in May is held at a city rec center and again, it may be the timing of the event but it's a great location that accommodates a large crowd.

Don't give up trying to find an event space, I am sure you will find one. Check with your park districts to see what they have for space and when they typically have off season deals. Compare that to when other shows are being held within an 100 mile radius and plan accordingly. You might find a hotel with a large ballroom or small convention center that would host your event and offer discounts on hotel rooms for those that travel to the show. It will take a ton of promoting and the right time of the year for the show to be successful but it can be done. Keep us posted on any developments!

[bobss396]

19 hours ago, CaddyDaddy said:

Bob.......I've got about a 45 minute drive up to NNL East next weekend. Maybe see you there?

I hope to make it, I'm about 1.25 hours out. I'll be wearing a black LIARS club shirt if I can find it.

[bobss396]

15 hours ago, mikemodeler said:

Not sure where in NC the OP lives, but there is a show in August in Clemmons at an older hotel. The room is packed but the host club does a great job of fitting everyone in. There are several shows in SC- Spartanburg and Simpsonville- and they both have become good sized shows because the members have found great locations. The Spartanburg show is in mid January at a Marriott Hotel and they have a ton of space. Don't know what it costs but because it is an off time of the year for events, they may get a deal on the room as a result. The Simpsonville show in May is held at a city rec center and again, it may be the timing of the event but it's a great location that accommodates a large crowd.

Don't give up trying to find an event space, I am sure you will find one. Check with your park districts to see what they have for space and when they typically have off season deals. Compare that to when other shows are being held within an 100 mile radius and plan accordingly. You might find a hotel with a large ballroom or small convention center that would host your event and offer discounts on hotel rooms for those that travel to the show. It will take a ton of promoting and the right time of the year for the show to be successful but it can be done. Keep us posted on any developments!

Great advice here. It takes time to "brand" a show and it helps to have a long-established club to pull it off. My first couple of outings with the club, the shows were in posh hotels. We were teamed with another club, which has since folded up. No idea what it cost but we pulled lots of attendees, other clubs and vendors. Our club used to travel a lot together, now, not as much although there are still some great shows in the spring and fall. Prime time for model events. One of the clubs towards Maryland had a venue change that worked out. 

I would still like to see summer shows, those could be fun and good weather helps traveling. I would make a weekend out of a good show if they came up in the summer. Try to find out when hotels, etc have an "off peak" time frame. 

Our show doesn't have lodging associated with it and rates are fairly steep. I know that some traveling vendors have stayed with club members for a night in the past. Also the venue has lost its cafeteria, which was basically burgers, dogs, soda and pretzels. There are diners and fast food joints in the area. I pack a lunch most of the time and keep a cooler in the car.

The biggest suck with our show is that you have to travel through or around NYC to get there. Tolls each way do add up. This keeps some good vendors away and attendees. Fortunately the venue is right off a major parkway and is easy to fins with GPS. One club some years ago got lost on the way and wound up 50 miles east of us. The guy who used to sell Black Gold paint and pearl powders would travel up from Texas by plane. He brought his powders in carry-on luggage and he had other items shipped to the venue a couple of days prior to the show.