gunrunnerjohn posted:Dennis LaGrua posted:A important aspect of the York meet for attendees is the social aspect. The important aspect of the meet to the sellers is how much profit they can turn. Hobbyists having fun is great for us but it won't keep the meet going.
I think that many vendors don't expect to turn a profit at York, but rather view it as a vehicle to gain wider exposure. I've been told that by a number of them. Obviously, making a profit for the trip would be icing on the cake...
That makes sense to me. For vendors that are not solely selling trains but train related products there were many times I saw their product at York and purchased it later. Millhouse River and Ross are just two of them that immediately come to mind.
Pretty much every year I go to Chryslers at Carlisle in Carlisle, PA. It's one of the biggest MoPar only shows on the east coast. They have what they call a "Women's Oasis". It is one building that contains all sorts of stuff for women. They sell jewelry, beauty products, and they have massages and seminars for women. I don't have any information on how this impacts the show. I guess the ED could contact the Carlisle Fairgrounds if they are interested on what the bottom line is. I have no idea if something like this would increase attendance at York.
I don't know if the ED rents out the entire fairgrounds for one price or has to rent out each building separately. If they pay one price for the entire fairgrounds then maybe they could consolidate some of the vendors and make room for such a thing if they feel it is a good idea.
Every year Carlisle also has celebrities at Chryslers at Carlisle. I have gotten many autographs at the show although to get an autograph it does cost a little extra. I believe the cost was usually $15. These are usually TV stars who were in shows that are car related. I have met Catherine Bach, James Best, and Ben Jones from the Dukes of Hazzard, and Alexandra Paul from the movie Christine. They had Richard Petty there twice but the line was a mile long. If the ED was able to get Neil Young or Micheal Gross or some other celebrity to do this than I do think that would increase attendance but it would also increase costs so I can't say for sure it is worth it. Only the ED can decide. It's too bad we lost Tom Snyder I bet he would have loved to do it and he probably would have done it for a reasonable price too.
