The Woodworking Shows returns to Chantilly

[acanthuscarver]

On February 5, 6 & 7, 2016 the Woodworking Shows are headed back to Chantilly, VA. Glen and I will be exhibited at all the shows this year, but I wanted to let my WoodNet friends know there's been a change in the schedule. The Detroit show has been replaced with the one in Chantilly. No reason was given to us for the late change, but we're happy to be back in VA (but sad we won't see our friends in Detroit).

If you're headed to the show, please stop by the booth and introduce yourself. I've always enjoyed meeting fellow 'Netters.

Check out the entire schedule by clicking here. The Woodworking Shows

[Sawdustd]

Thanks Chuck for the heads up. I had no idea it was coming and I live not far away. See you there.

Dave

[doobes]

Sawdustd said:

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Thanks Chuck for the heads up. I had no idea it was coming and I live not far away. See you there.

Dave

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Ditto! I live about 20 minutes away from the Dulles Expo Center!

I'll be there.

[Bill Holt]

Well I see Dallas did not make the cut...again.

[Herb G]

Well, at least it ain't in Fredericksburg like it was last year.
No one from the DC area is going to drive that far for a wood show.

Thanks for the heads up.

[ed kerns]

Well shucks! This is my first year of retirement and I would have had no excuse to miss the Detroit show.

[jussi]

What happened to the entire left side of the map?

[Robert Adams]

Bill Holt said:

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Well I see Dallas did not make the cut...again.

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Yup no Arlington show again this year. I went to the last one there and it was a sad version of what it once was. They did it in mesquite once but that's way too far out in bfe to go to. The shows are barely hanging on by a thread anymore. The promoters that had it for a short while we're not liked by very many and the local stores and many commercial vendors did not go even when offered free stalls.

[acanthuscarver]

Robert Adams said:

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Yup no Arlington show again this year. I went to the last one there and it was a sad version of what it once was. They did it in mesquite once but that's way too far out in bfe to go to. The shows are barely hanging on by a thread anymore. The promoters that had it for a short while we're not liked by very many and the local stores and many commercial vendors did not go even when offered free stalls.

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jussi said:

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What happened to the entire left side of the map?

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The new owner (he's owned it for several years now so, can he still be called the "new" owner?) is trying to grow the show as much as possible. He's added two new shows this year and has talked about several others. He's seriously pushing woodworking education. In the eight or nine years I've been involved with the show (under the old owners and the new), the amount of education at the show that's part of your admission ticket has increased dramatically, and he's bringing in some people to teach longer seminars for which you need to buy a ticket.

The whole show thing is sort of a catch 22. To break into a new market (or re-establish a show that's been gone for a few years) the vendors tend to be cautious in this economy, which means attendees (you) show up and are disappointed, which means fewer attend the following year and the vendors that did go start to make less money which means fewer vendors the next year and so on. To break the cycle, woodworking clubs need to get their membership out to the shows and those people need to purchase stuff from whatever vendors are there. This spreads the word in the woodworking tool and supply community that your city is a good place to sell, which means more vendors next year. And I'm not talking about massive purchases from every attendee. If everyone who went to the show bought one or two small things from one or two vendors on the floor, the vendors would be ecstatic and your show would grow and get better. Having been on all three sides of this coin (vendor, educator and attendee), I'm for whatever brings more people to the show because that grows woodworking as a whole, and that can't be a bad thing.

[doobes]

Has anyone been to the show yet? If so can you report in?

Spelunking through the website does not provide a list of vendors, which is disappointing.

I specifically am looking to talk with someone in person about bandsaw blades.

cheers.