Woodworking in America

[Bentley]

I saw yesterday that Woodworking in America 2018 has been axed. No reason as to why they decided to shut down the event. They didn't have one this year because of HandWorks in Iowa and the vendors were already going to that one. Sad day, I always enjoyed going to the Marketplace and spending some money. I doubt it will ever return.

[Mike Brady]

I saw yesterday that Woodworking in America 2018 has been axed. No reason as to why they decided to shut down the event. They didn't have one this year because of HandWorks in Iowa and the vendors were already going to that one. Sad day, I always enjoyed going to the Marketplace and spending some money. I doubt it will ever return.

You said it all: $400 to go to the Marketplace and spend even more money.

[Bentley]

You said it all: $400 to go to the Marketplace and spend even more money.

Out of curiosity, is HandWorks free? I've never been, but I don't know if it's just a tool show or if there is woodworking instruction as well.

[oarlock]

Yep, Handworks is free.  There are tool dealers there by the dozen.  If you want to get your mitts on about ANY hand-tool this is the place to go.  Without exception, the vendors are courteous and friendly.  If you want to cut a few dovetails, plane some wood or any other evolution, the vendors are glad to oblige.  Don't forget the Sir Roy is usually wandering around the venue selling T-Shirts and shooting the bull.  The Food is good also.

[Bentley]

Yep, Handworks is free.  There are tool dealers there by the dozen.  If you want to get your mitts on about ANY hand-tool this is the place to go.  Without exception, the vendors are courteous and friendly.  If you want to cut a few dovetails, plane some wood or any other evolution, the vendors are glad to oblige.  Don't forget the Sir Roy is usually wandering around the venue selling T-Shirts and shooting the bull.  The Food is good also.

That's awesome! I know the food is overpriced crap at Northern Kentucky Convention Center. I think a sandwich was $7.00 and a coke was $4.00. Maybe Pop Wood will reorganize it for 2019. Maybe.

[Admiral]

I saw yesterday that Woodworking in America 2018 has been axed. No reason as to why they decided to shut down the event. They didn't have one this year because of HandWorks in Iowa and the vendors were already going to that one. Sad day, I always enjoyed going to the Marketplace and spending some money. I doubt it will ever return.

I don't know if the business case was ever really sustainable over time.  In the beginning, it was a cutting edge idea, worth pursuing for the then-ownership of PW, likely for marketing purposes, a loss leader.  But think about it, the organizer pays a lot of dough for the venue, likely a guaranteed fee for the presenters, and then get some more from vendors, generally smaller vendors who cannot afford much in terms of their marketing budgets.  All that translates into increased fees for the attendees and that has its limits.  And when dealing with F+W, who owns the magazine, the corporate excel spreadsheet logic starts to apply with a vengeance, and the owners want to see a ROI justification of the project, and it just does not perform for the bean counters,who likely would demur at even a break-even business case (and PW might even lose money for this event).  On the other had, the event itself carries considerable weight with the subscribers and woodworking enthusiasts (who likely already subscribe to PW notwithstanding the sponsorship) in terms of leadership and brand recognition, but that alone does not translate into profits.  The fact that HandWorks came up with a small vendor-friendly model, which seems to be working, sucked all the oxygen out of the room for WIA, as one of the main draws for WIA was the Marketplace.

It's a dog-eat-dog world out there.

[Ray Newman]

Do believe that Admiral is onto it.

"Woodworking in America 2018
"By: Megan Fitzpatrick | January 12, 2017

"The title above is not a typo. May of this year marks the third bi-annual Handworks, an event that draws more than 2,000 woodworkers to Iowa every two years for two fun days of trying out the best in hand tools and hanging out with like-minded folks (I’ll be one of them).

"I know that Woodworking in America is an investment. Not only is there a fee to attend (we have to fairly compensate the 20+ expert speakers we feature at every conference and pay for the hall rental), there’s (for many) travel and lodging costs to factor in. And while I hear from most attendees that it’s well worth it, I know many of you would have to choose between Handworks and WIA. [Italics added: RCN]

"I wouldn’t want to have to make that choice. And I don’t want you to, either. So in 2017, Woodworking in America will take a year off; we’ll spend that time planning and organizing a can’t-miss-it event for 2018. My apologies for not being able to share this news sooner.

"So I look forward to seeing many of you in Iowa in a few months. And know that if you’re in the Cincinnati area in 2017, you’re welcome at our shop any time. Also, we’re working on a couple of possible smaller woodworking gatherings for later this year – more on that to come. And those of you whom I don’t see at Handworks, I look forward to seeing at Woodworking in America in 2018."

 Read all 'bout it: https://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodw...erica-2018

[iclark]

From PWM, Woodworking in America 2018 November 1, 2017

It is with no small regret that I announce we will not be holding a 2018 Woodworking in America conference.

Though pulling the conference together is always a lot of work, I’ve found that the days actually at the conferences (every year since 2008!) have been among the most rewarding – I will sorely miss this opportunity to get together with 400+ of my closest woodworking friends.

In the meantime, I and the rest of the Popular Woodworking staff are working toward bringing the conference back – bigger and better than ever.

— Megan Fitzpatrick

[Bentley]

From PWM, Woodworking in America 2018 November 1, 2017

That's basically a nice way of saying there will never be another WIA.

[Mike Brady]

The concept of paying that much to attend an event that consists of a vendor venue and a handful of lectures baffles me. The first WIA at Berea college was very worthwhile because it broke new ground and elevated the craft. Once toolmakers discovered that crowds would multiply and dollars flowed, no-fee hand tool events and Handworks itself made WIA superfluous. It's not that PWM is not due credit, it is that they just overstayed their welcome. Had they met the challenge of putting the attendees into a workshop experience rather than isolating them in an audience at their conventions, we might still be looking forward to a WIA in 2018.