starting a militaria show

[hbtcoveralls]

Hi Folks,

I'm looking here for a little wisdom. There are no militaria shows in my neighborhood except for a small one at the Toccoa GA military weekend. There are a few gun shows and some decent militaria vendors there, but the majority of the show is guns and knives and beef jerky and airsoft stuff. I live in upstate SC on I-85 and we are 2 hours from both Atlanta and Charlotte and around the Greenville/Spartanburg area.

I think that it's high time to have a venue for militaria shows here. And instead of whining about why we don't have one I'm more the type to just do it. But before I jump in I was wondering if there is anybody out there who has done this also and what were the challanges that you had to face. Here are some things I might like to know: Venue, Insurance, Vendors, publicity free and otherwise, Money and anything else I might be missing.

Thank you in advance

Tom Bowers

[Holloman]

Tom, you can count me in as your first vendor, I think I've got enough extra for a few tables.

[36-tex]

Tom, I would think you need to get confirmation from several dealers/collectors that they would set up first. Then find a place to host it. Be ready to lay out some cash for this. Start small first and look for a building at a fairground or etc. Legion halls or etc can also be scouted out as possible sites. Advertise in the local papers and make one page fliers to hang in shops/stores in a 2 hour radius. It seems set-up on Friday nights; open on Sat. from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sun. 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. works best. I am sure there are members on here you have run their own shows who can help. Generally the first year or two it is just a "good ol boy" show with the people setting up swapping and etc. But you will be surprised the people who will wonder in!

 

Good Luck!

 

Mark

36-tex

[gwb123]

What ever site you pick, you want to think about access. You don't want it so far removed from the main road that people have trouble finding it. And PARKING... one thing that will kill a show forever is inadquate parking.

 

One thing you might want to consider rather than going for a three day event on your first try is just a one day, Saturday only show. There are a number of them around the country and they seem to do fairly well. (You also avoid the problem of overnight security for a hall full of collectibles.)

 

If you bill it as a historical education event, you might snag space at a local library or community college for little or no cost. This would probably work best again for a one day event.

 

To simplify things, you may want to make it militaria only, especially if there are already plenty of gun shows in your area. That might make things a lot easier as far as compliance with local statutes and again security concerns.

 

If you have a regional collector's group you might want to tap into them for support and participation.

 

Consider the places you can advertise for free, such as on here or if you are an ASMIC member.

 

Some states will consider sales at these events as qualifying for sales tax. Don't be surprised if a revenue agent shows up with sales tax forms to hand out to your vendors.

 

Talk to the folks in your area that have organized gunshows in your area.... they might be able to share some of their experience.

 

Another tactic is to decide whether to set up the same weekend as a gunshow or nor. There are arguments both pro and con. You will have some buyers that will want to spend time at both. Some will tell you that this will take away from your gate receipts from folks who only go to the gunshow. You are also forcing your vendors to choose between one or the other. The filip side is you will have people who will come from out of town for the gunshow no matter what, and might be tempted to stop off at your militaria show. Hard core militaria collectors will probably show up at your event no matter what.

 

If you pick a date, you need to consider what else is going on that weekend that could draw the crowd away. Super Bowl? Another nearby show? Opening day of deer season? High school graduation weekend? Don't laugh..these can all be a killer to your gate.

 

Above all... figure out what your costs are going to be and how you are going to pay for them. Hall rental, room deposits, security, handouts and publicity, set up, knock down and clean up, etc. etc. I would not count on getting rich from hosting one of these events. If you are counting on revenue from the tables and the gate, be very conservative in your estimates.

[doyler]

Mark and Gil have very sound advice.I believe it would be best to start with a solid vendor base.Whether it be collectors,dealers,display tables etc.You may have to start out with a 50 table show.Think small and hope for the best.Quality is better than quantity to me.Some of our shows around here have become a source of income for the promoters and they have killed the venues.Same stuff every weekend

 

.Also consider the price of the tables.THis often is based on your cost of the hall,building,insurance,advertising,security,food/drink vendors etc.As stated there are several options for a show site and convienance and assecibility are the key for both vendors and public.Speaking of the public you have to set an admission fee.I as an occasional vendor at shows would rather pay a little more for a table to keep door admission down.Especiall if the show is held in conjuntion with a gunshow.Some will opt to go to both as Gil stated.Some will not as they dont want to pay another $5-$10 to get in.If Im there I will normally do both shows as a walk through but some will not.I would keep it to a one day show if possible then you can always expand.You can also have the option of letting the public in on friday night for a couple hours.

 

It may require a lot of foot work and time but going to the other shows in your area and interacting with dealers and public will give you a base to star with.You may even have to set up a table at these events to get the word out on your show and sign up perspective dealers.Back to the show being held in conjunction with a gun or knife show.We had a local military show that was held at the same time as the big gunshow.Caused a lot of confusion as the building site was changed.Many went to the gunshow thinking it was the mil show and vice versa.Lots of un happy people.For some reason neither promoter bothered to support each other and the shows were held within the same state fairground complex.I would think it would have benifitted both and they could have offerd a coupon for attending both shows discounting the entey fee a bit or at least stated there were two shows.It really hurt the military show as there were many guys at the gun show who woul,ld have attended the mil show if they had known of it.A lot of this is adverising and that is expensive but key to the succes of the public knowing you are there.Flyers are a good source of advertising but some adds in local papers a week or a few days before will help.

 

Just my thoughts as both a vendor and show attendee.

 

RD

[hbtcoveralls]

Thank you all for your thoughts. Preliminarily I have a couple of sites in mind that are very good show venues and have excellent parking and facilities. One is county owned and very underutilized and may really be a good possibility. I'm really not looking to make any money, just to have a good venue for those of us who like to deal face to face and to enjoy the associations with other collectors (other than the USMF :thumbsup: ). I agree that dates are critical and I'm leaning more toward some time in the late summer, early fall since that is not normally gun show season and there isn't much going on in the South at that time.

Again thanks for your input I need it before I get too far along in the planning. And if anybody has some additional thoughts please feel free to pass them along.

Tom Bowers

[doyler]

Tom

 

Im sure you will do well.At any rate the event may turn into a bi-monthy collectors swap meet or show and tell which you can invite the public.Many times a collectors group can be formed to do these show and tell sessions/swap meets and if you have a local VFW or Legion Hall you may be able to use it at little or no cost or give a donation to the post.

 

Seems like we have a lack of intrest here for such events and the once a year military show is waning.Our show is a good buying venue and several dealers always attend but the public just dont seem to patronize the show.Dont know if its lack of local advertising or promotion.The show is over 11 years old.

RD