Small Makers Doing A Sideshow In During NWTF Convention?

[Turkey Trot]

Are the smaller makers on here (and not selling on here) doing a smaller, less expensive sideshow at a motel, church fellowship hall, Mason's Lodge, VFW Lodge, Moose Lodge, etc. concurrent with the big show at Opryland?

I believe that I will go up this coming year and will try to come see yuns if you have a place to exhibit.

[WillowRidgeCalls]

I would think that the NWTF knew about it they would try to shut it down. That would be very disrespectful to the NWTF and the call builders that pay the price to get a table and sell at the Convention. There are a lot of guys that walk around the show or in their rooms selling their calls without buying a table, and most of the call builders don't care for that either.

[lightsoutcalls]

I would think that the NWTF knew about it they would try to shut it down. That would be very disrespectful to the NWTF and the call builders that pay the price to get a table and sell at the Convention. There are a lot of guys that walk around the show or in their rooms selling their calls without buying a table, and most of the call builders don't care for that either.

I agree.  I've only had a booth one time at nationals.  After having turned a couple hundred calls and paying around $1,000 for a table, driving nearly 10 hours and having to get up early each morning to go sit at a table for 12 hours...  I would also consider it disrespectful to those who put so much into having a booth.  I work a full time job and a part time job and only make calls in my "spare" time.  I definitely consider myself a smaller scale callmaker. 
I understand callmakers delivering calls previously ordered at nationals, but taking stock to sell is another issue.  Just my 2 cents for what it is worth.

[Turkey Trot]

I'd agree about questioning judgment and taste of makers that were selling at the NWTF exhibition hall with no table.  Those that buy a booth can rightfully/should be upset with the NWTF's failure to marshal that.

However, the NWTF show cannot provide space for every maker, and what they do provide is not accessible to every maker due to price.  The show is incapable of meeting the needs of all consumers because it cannot provide an interface with every maker he might want to meet and calls he may want to run.  I doubt that every callmaker is a member of NWTF, and every turkey hunter is not a member.  I don't know the vendor policy, but one must belong or pay, but either way, he pays to get in.  A small show opens up access to prospective consumers without payment to attend.   

Moreover, this country's free enterprise system is based on competition.  If NWTF or someone else does not provide what some need or provide it well enough or at the right price, there is nothing unethical or immoral about competing with it in the same town, at the same time, at a different location.  Competition makes market participants better or puts them out of the market.  The makers here an on other forums are competing by putting their products up against those of others in the classifieds.  Those that put their wares in stores or at Midwest Turkey Calls are competing side by side for consumer dollars.  The vendors at the NWTF show are competing against one another within the hall for consumer dollars. 

[lightsoutcalls]

  If NWTF or someone else does not provide what some need or provide it well enough or at the right price, there is nothing unethical or immoral about competing with it in the same town, at the same time, at a different location.  Competition makes market participants better or puts them out of the market.  The makers here an on other forums are competing by putting their products up against those of others in the classifieds.  Those that put their wares in stores or at Midwest Turkey Calls are competing side by side for consumer dollars.  The vendors at the NWTF show are competing against one another within the hall for consumer dollars.

   I'm really not trying to get into a peeing match with you, so please don't take it that way.  I am not a member of the NWTF, so please understand I am not being a "fanboy".  However, I recognize that the NWTF puts out the money to rent the facilities at the Opryland Hotel, which I am sure is a sizable figure.  They DO make space available for vendors on a first come first serve basis.  Since they rent the space and they organize the event, they set the price for booth space.  It's really a fairly simple principle...  if you can't afford a booth, you don't get to set up and sell at the event.  I bit the bullet and reserved a booth one year.  I didn't find the financial return worth the investment to make it worth the effort to do it again. 
   I won't pretend to know if there are any legal ramifications of having a competing event in the same town at the same time, but question the "good sense" aspect of doing so.  In principle, I would find it disrespectful (regardless of how I feel personally about the NWTF) to organize a competing event as proposed.  To me, it would be like riding on the coat-tails of a well-known, well-promoted, well-publicized event.  I also suspect that there might be signficnant fallout for participating vendors of such a competing event.  By that, I mean a sort of "black-listing" of callmakers participating in a competing event.  Regardless of how one feels about the NWTF, their history, their practices, etc...  they carry a lot of influence among hunters, callmakers and sportsmen in general.  There are a number of forums that these people post on or are members of.  Many of these other forums do not have quite the family-oriented feel as OG, interpret that as you will.  As a callmaker that does not have an advertising budget, most of my advertising is "word-of-mouth".  It wouldn't be worth the risk for me to participate in a separate event in the same town at the same time as the NWTF nationals.  I have spent just over 8 years developing a reputation as a reputable callmaker and would not be willing to risk that reputation being flushed by basically trying to draw some of the dollars away from such an event as nationals. 
   This post is COMPLETELY my own opinion, and may not reflect the thinking of anyone else who posts here.  I just know I want my reputation to be that of a callmaker that not only makes a great call and has great customer service, but also one that respects other callmakers and organizations. Having spent the money to have a booth at nationals, I would not have thought highly of others trying to capitalize on the crowd drawn by nationals, but not willing to pay the price to be a part of it.  Again, I have no plans to get a booth at nationals in the future, but also wouldn't travel to Nashville to attend a competing event at the same time. 

Can we agree to disagree?

[TRKYHTR]

Does anybody know what the cost of a booth is? I was told that it was going to change this year to be way more expensive. If so it might have eliminated the smaller call companies from affording a booth.

TRKYHTR

[ol bob]

1200.00 plus room plus food plus gas around 2000,00

[stone road turkey calls]

With those cost you are strikeing out before you get to swing, at a average cost of $50.00 per call you will have to sell 100 calls to to make any profit with your other expences. don't do it.

[lightsoutcalls]

I can honestly say that the best part of having a booth at Nationals for me a few years ago was the people I met.  I met numerous folks from Old Gobbler, customers who had bought from me over the years and some fellow callmakers. 
As I mentioned, the financial return did not make it worth going back, all things considered.  Directly across the aisle from me was a well known callmaker that had 3 booths, including a corner.  His "prostaffers" literally stood in the middle of the aisle running calls at full volume.  After 2 1/2 days of that, I had enough.   I just don't get that kind of mentality.  You rent the booth space, not the aisles...   

As a callmaker, a complaint often voiced about the NWTF has been that they don't seem to care much about the custom callmakers.  They will gladly accept donations of calls for their auctions and contests, but they price booth space in a way that keeps many individual callmakers from being able to show and sell their products.  It stinks, but that's the way it is.  I would caution callmakers to be careful what they say and do as it relates to the NWTF.  There are passionate people on both sides of any argument/issue you might have with them. Your words and actions don't go un-noticed.

[stone road turkey calls]

I see a catch 22 here, don't let the small custom call maker set up a outside display/sale of his calls, but they welcome the beautiful works of art made by the custom call maker to draw folks in to buy the production cr*p. whoops guess i'm not going to place in the contest this year.

Gary

[BigGobbler]

The big space entry fee Takes the fun out of it for us guys that do it for fun. Personally it's your decision to pay the space fee not anyone else's so why bash others that want to hold a show somewhere else. I was surprised at some of the responses to this post. I see no problem with it. It has nothing to do with disrespecting the nwtf, just hunters/call makers that want to show off Their work and MAKE SOME EXTRA CASH NOT GIVE IT AWAY.

[lightsoutcalls]

The big space entry fee Takes the fun out of it for us guys that do it for fun. Personally it's your decision to pay the space fee not anyone else's so why bash others that want to hold a show somewhere else. I was surprised at some of the responses to this post. I see no problem with it. It has nothing to do with disrespecting the nwtf, just hunters/call makers that want to show off Their work and MAKE SOME EXTRA CASH NOT GIVE IT AWAY.

I read back through all of the posts and missed where anyone was bashing anyone...  Maybe you could clarify with specifics, maybe quotes of statements that offended you?

You state that "It has nothing to do with disrespecting the nwtf..." .  I won't go into my personal thoughts on the organization, but would like for you to think about something:

Why would a person or group of people organize an event focussed on turkey hunters in the same town and on the same dates as the largest yearly event of the NWTF, an organization specifically focused on that same group of people?

Maybe I am completely off in my perception, but it seems the only reason to hold such an event at the same time, in the same town and focused on the same group of attendees would be to draw those same people away from the biggest yearly event that the NWTF has organized - in order to gain personal financial benefit.  Regardless of my personal opinion of the NWTF, I recognize that the ONLY reason many of the thousands of the attendees are in Nashville that weekend is because the NWTF has invested tons of money in promoting that event over the years and has built it into "THE" event for its paid members to attend.

I can only speak for my own posts.  My intent was never to "bash" anyone.  My intent was to express how organizing a competing event might come across to not only the NWTF, but also to those vendors, large or small, who paid the fees to exhibit their goods in the official exhibition hall.  Remember, these folks paid good money to show their products.  Part of those fees cover advertising costs for the event... in other words, each vendor paid to help draw the crowd that someone else is trying to capitalize on. 
My intent is not to judge anyone else, nor to sound threatening.  I simply hope to present how an attempt to organize such a proposed competing event may be viewed.  I would hate to see someone "blacklisted", so to speak, simply because they were trying to make a few bucks and make their calls more visible to more people.  Take it for what you will...

If that comes across as "bashing", just dismiss it as the ramblings of a tired, middle aged man under the influence of sawdust and lacquer fumes. 
I really wish each one nothing but the best.

[WillowRidgeCalls]

What the call makers need to do is get together and start their own shows. Whats been said above is not trying to bash anyone, but more trying to stop anyone from bashing what the nwtf has spent years trying to do. They have spent thousands of dollers to make that event what it is today, and yes it does take a lot of cash to do an event that way, so the price they get for a booth is costly. It has nothing to do with the nwtf not caring about the small guy, it only has to do with the cost of putting on an event like that. It would be great if they had an area for guys to have a one day table to put your calls out in the eyes of everyone that comes to the show, but that would be a nightmare trying to get it set up that way, while trying to run a big show smoothly.
If the call builders in a state would unite and start shows that every call builder could attent for a small fee and get their calls out in the publics eye would be great. Yes they would be a small show for a while until they start getting enough attendence and advertizing out there to draw more people. There isn't anything stopping a small builder from going to the event, other than the cost and time spent for a table, but to put a show on trying to draw people away from the nwtf's event to fill their own pockets with cash is very disrespectful to the nwtf and as far as that goes to every call builder out there, because all they only care about is trying to fill their own pockets with cash because there is a large gathering of turkey people in that town.
Take it for what it's worth, just my feelings.

[VanHelden Game Calls]

If the small guys are serious to compete then band together and purchase a booth with a group of like minded custom makers.  This would be cheaper then competing at a different venue with all the pluses that NWTF brings to the table.
 

[Basser69]

There is a group of us that have been talking about splitting a booth at the deer expo in town this summer. 5 of us at 100-150 ea or so