Your Opinion Please

[richsantaclaus]

When a vendor signs-up to sell at a marble show that starts, let's say, at 9am and goes until, let's say 3pm, is this vendor expected to stay until it is over at 3pm?

My opinion is that YES, the vendor should stay until the end no matter what. If the foot traffic is slow to nonexistent, doesn't matter the vendor should not clean-up and leave the show.

Let's say a working individual has to work until 2pm on Saturday at his job. This person has saved $1000 for the marble show all year and can't wait until 2pm arrives. Let's say this person has to drive 30 minutes to get to the show. He gets off work, drives safely (but very quickly) to the show, jumps out of his car and excitedly runs into the hotel just to find 6 out of the original 24 vendors are there! All the others are gone! How do you think this person feels? Do you think that the marble club that sponsored the show will be high on his list of favorites anymore? My thought is that it is VERY unprofessional for a vendor to pack-up and leave before the end of the show. To me it makes the sponsoring club look bad in the eyes of the public.

Now I'd love to read your thoughts on this subject - thanks!

[Steph]

I bet he's disappointed. For the next show in his area, perhaps he should be told about the option of roomtrading on Thursday or Friday night, if this is a show where that is likely to be available. That way he would have more than 30 minutes to look at the goodies, and more goodies to look at since he beat the Saturday crowd.

As to telling vendors they have to stick around to the very end, rules like that might stop vendors from signing up to begin with.

[richsantaclaus]

Thanks! Good point about the vendor.

[stacyw]

I have no experience with marble shows, but in a few other types of shows I have been involved in, if the show has an admission fee and the vendor has a contract for a space, the vendor is required to remain until closing. It is a fairness issue and is meant to prevent the sort of scenario that Rich described. However if the show has no admission fee and the vendor is just "renting a table" as in a flea market, that's a different situation. It still would be nice though, if the show organizers "encouraged" vendors to remain for the duration - maybe offer snacks or some other bonus for those that stay.

Stacy

[Greatmacscott]

We advertise to the public the hours of the show. I expect vendors to stay reasonably close to closing time as a courtesy to the public. I have refused to sign someone up when they have repeatedly left a show early.

[lstmmrbls]

I bet he gets there earlier for the next show!! If my flight leaves at 3 or 4 I pack up when I have to to get to the airport in time. If I buy table space I am the one who will decide when it is time for me to leave. I try to stay as long as possible and also believe most should. But making it a rule, will probably just keep more people from getting a table. Some of us often get a table as a courtesy to the folks putting on the show as most sales and trades for many of us are made before the show. I rarely sell at the show anywhere near what I do during room trading.

[bigtee0]

i've chewed that up and spit it out every show i ever went to. they should stay.....Marie

[richsantaclaus]

Recently a show I attended had only 6 vendors left at the end of the show which had an ending time that was 3pm. I was one of the six that stayed the entire time from 9am until 3pm. My last customer at the show told me how disappointed he was that there were not more tables to buy marbles from. We looked and saw so many empty tables as about 90% were packed-up and gone.

The foot traffic was very low for some reason that I am not aware of but I suspect the show was not advertised much as it could have been. Hence, my question. Of course people have to catch flights and of course emergencies come up as life happens. But there SO many vendors that packed-up at this event that it made it look as if the show was less than expected for the public that came after 1pm. Another factor is that there were approximately 50 different families/individuals that attended the show all together the entire time so I can understand a vendor leaving early.

Galen brings a good point for the vendors getting things they might want but for the general public, they have to depend on the vendors at the show and everyone can't be there at the beginning and depend on sellers being there all the way to the end of the show.

[Killermarbles]

I attend many different types of shows, marbles, antiques ect ect

It is always better if the sellers are all there.

How ever sometimes they can't stay until the very end.

I think if the sellers that are set up will need to leave early they should set up towards the back of the room. So that the collectors don't get hit with a bunch of empty tables when they walk into the room.

Randy

[richsantaclaus]

Thanks Randy. Good suggestion about the vendors that need to leave before the show is over.

[FISHSLAYERMARRBLEGRIFF]

I leave a little early because of the travel time I face,after the show is over.

6 hours of show,backed up with a 6 to 10 hour drive aint much fun,,,sometimes.

[richsantaclaus]

I agree Griff. At my show, I put the vendors that must leave early in the back so the foot traffic sees everyone at the entrance before they notice some empty tables. I also ask the nearby vendors to spread out to cover the empty space if possible.

[FISHSLAYERMARRBLEGRIFF]

I was,the absolute last,at Marlborough.-----Couldnt go fishing until the next day!

If anyone makes it manditory for the vendors to stay,I would guess,there will be even less,to set up at the show.

I understand the disappointment some have had,arriving late at the show.

Early bird gets the worm come to mind.

[MarbleClueless]

Greetings!!

I just returned from the Vegas show! I LOVE marbles! I was there with my sister of which doesn't share my marble passion even though she does like them.

I thought I'd share what my sister said to me. Her comments were not prompted or led by me at all. She may have hear Rich and I talking about this thread, but only in passing and would not have known what we were talking about.

She told me she had given the show some thought. She thought everyone she met was very nice. However, her observation was "marble" people very dismissive of the general public. She specifically said the show felt very exclusive to a group and not engaging to new entrants. She had some specific examples of visitors which were apparently not "part of the circuit". As she pointed out, there are few that would ever consider me as timid or easily intimidated. Yet, I did tell her and others the in-room trading and show can be intimidating.

She theorized waning interest because (as she so rudely pointed out) the group, as a whole, is fairly mature (hmmm and she is my OLDER sister, I might add).

I thought her comments were apropos and thought I would share them. I do want to stress her and I both had a wonderful time. She didn't mean her comments derogatorily as she really enjoyed meeting everyone. Both of us had a fabulous time. I am soo happy I was there and can't wait until I can do it again!!!

Thank you!!!

[lstmmrbls]

I wish she would have stopped to talk with me! maybe the old bald head scared her.

[MarbleClueless]

We love your bald head! Don't misunderstand, everyone we met was very nice to her and I both. We both had a great time. I just thought her observations were interesting and thought others might want to know what her perception was.

I think the marble community are some of the best people I have ever met. Many have been very very good to me and mean a lot to me. Therefore, I am not objective.