Don't be mistaken, another reason the Blade Show now sux. The winds of change have blown it to crap. We saw this in action last year, so the romance is truly dead. No reason to attend any longer other than to see old friends. Expense of attending is getting prohibitive for many folks.

From the Blade website: "Attendees are allowed to bring in backpacks or similar sized bags to the Show. However, please be aware, all bags are subject to search by security for things such as alcohol or items that may be sold on the Show floor without the proper "exhibitor credentials."

It has nothing to do with "alcohol", that is smoke and mirrors, and it has everything to do with them squeezing every last penny out of you. For years, we always looked forward to buying the piece out of a guys back pocket, backpack, and yes, even bandoleers. Those days are gone.

None of the "Randall guys" bought one decent piece last year, unless from a guy set up with "exhibitor credentials". No walk ins. I am sure some folks will slide thru the cracks, but the overall vibe blows donkey balls.

Well....that does suck!!! it's just stupid!!!
I was planning on bringing my 75th anniversary knife to sell(I've had it long enough), it needs a new home...and maybe a couple more(the sun valley patrol)...I have other plans for the money....that go bang!!
.

:-)Rocky

Are some exhibitors complaining about walk-ins who might have something to sell?

Or are there so many drunks wandering into the show that there is an alcohol safety issue?

It seems unlikely that walk-ins are selling so much and pulling cash away from people who have tables. Most walk-ins who have something to trade or sell won't be carrying things to pull sales away from dealer tables.

Indeed, walk-ins with interesting things to maybe sell are most likely going to sell to dealers who have tables with similar stuff on them.

Unfortunately, so many people who run good shows eventually tighten their sphincters to the point it is not fun or exciting for many exhibitors.

If dealers don't push back, they will keep getting "stuff" forced on them. Show organizers can do knee-jerks to slight or vocal inputs from a single or few jerks of another sort. And they can choose to make rules because they can.

I can't make it this year, but hope the Randall crowd still enjoys it and does well.

Larry

Being curious, I looked up the relevant stuff on the Blade Show website. Wow! Sure to impact activities...how are they going to search everyone entering, and keep the traffic flow going?

Attendee FAQ – Blade Show Atlanta, The World's Largest Knife Show

AM I ALLOWED TO BRING A KNIFE INTO THE SHOW?
You may bring one knife in as an EDC. Additionally, you may bring a knife into the show if presenting to another exhibitor to look at; however, that knife must be carried in a bag and kept under your supervision.

WHAT IS BROWNBAGGING?
Any person caught walking around the Show or the hotel area selling product and is not a paid exhibitor, will be immediately removed from the Show and possibly banned from attending in future years.

I'm going and expecting business as usual. All this sounds like a couple of damned whiners wanting "something done"!
See y'all there!
Stay Sharp, Capt. Chris
PS: I like buying "brown bag stuff"!...CCS

Can understand the alcohol ban.
The show set up a bar next to our booth last year, so they want to capture that market.
I agree with Capt's PS note - part of the fun is seeing what people bring in.
Mitchell and I are set up in Booth 4, front wall, turn to your right, near the corner.

Good luck with the "brown bag stuff", probably the same luck you and everyone else had last year.

I heard thru the grapevine there are going to be guys patrolling looking for folks without "exhibitor credentials" doing business and enforcing what has been outlined in this thread.

Like I said, the vibe of the show sux.

I want to clarify, I thought about going to see folks, but other things have made it a bit tuff. In any case, I hope all have a great show.



Alcohol ban is so promotors make all the money.

Did anyone bring anything in to you or mitch's table last year? Anything vintage that was really good? Nobody I know of heard of anything.

Even Gary Clinton discussed not doing it any longer, and as you know his family has been there for decades. He will be there this year, but his time might be short. Remains to be seen.

There ya go. It's strikes me that back in the day when Mary was running the show for the previous owners, it thrived in participation and interest from "our group" to include other makers. There weren't any rules or directives that I remember relative to bringing items in to the show for sale or simply show-n-tell. That was what made it great. I don't recall having "exhibitor credentials" as a requirement to buy/sell/trade - and they were sold out of tables every year.

People are constantly trying to fix things that aren’t broken. That’s what is happening here and they are gonna kill the goose that laid the golden egg. I used to walk this show with as Joe calls it a bandolier of vintage Randall’s hanging over my shoulder. If you can’t show em off and do some trading what’s the use.

I beleive a young lady who may be a member here bought a samurai sword from a dealer, and that dealer purchased it from a walk in earlier.
Be sure to take a BIG brown bag!

I don't think that I knew they sold alcohol there....I'm not sure I'd want to be drinking, and buying....that tends to get me into trouble....some of my worst buys have come after cocktails, and eBay....bad things happen

:-)Rocky

Yes sir!
Come see us!

Wanna clarify my position on this.

The Blade show is still the largest knife show in the world. There remains much to be seen to include people. The intent of this thread is not to discourage people from attending, plenty of folks will have a great experience, I am simply relaying my experience and thoughts on what the show has become.

My take, after having attended for decades prior to the sale of the entity, is that the core of what "our group's" place within the framework of the show has been greatly diminished in numbers and quality. They threw the Randall displays out in the friggin lobby!! The show operators needed space for knife sharpening gadgets, 'tactical' helmets and knee pads, beef jerky, etc.

You have read the arcane rules in this thread that the current owners have initiated, which to me fly in the face of one of two main reasons to attend in the capacity as an exhibitor or a walk-in, the chance to acquire good vintage pieces. The second of course is seeing old friends.

If you are a dealer with 100 Randalls to peddle, it may make sense, but primarily as a vintage collector, attending has lost some smoke. The opportunities to find good stuff is not as fruitful as in past years, partly due to the cloud the current owners of the show have cast.

On that note, who knows who might show up for a day.

This topic is quite interesting. If the owners of the show set such rules, then for sure there will be those who bypass these rules quite legally. For example, if a visitor has something to show, he may well bring everything on his cell phone and show it to someone. If this someone is interested, then you can go beyond the boundaries of the show territory, watch everything live and come back, or arrange to meet after closing in the nearest suitable place (bar, hotel, dark alley) and continue communication. It could bring in a kind of element similar to what it was during Prohibition, only without the mass shootouts with Tommy

Looks like a solution in search of a problem.

First off, I don't care.   Blade Show is the greatest gathering of knife enthusiasts on the planet.

Second off, Randall knives are not the center of the knife universe.   No matter how devoted we are to our slice of the knife world, it's just a slice.   Respect the rest.... who knows what they will collect next????

Third off, at the risk of being called a capitalist, if I owned the show, I would attempt to extract value.   I do that every day for my employers.  

Fourth off, I love seeing a knife walk up.  I have bought many.  Looking back at my notes, I bought 7 knives last year.   None were game changers... but good knives.   Most of the dealers do not depend on walk up sales.  We just bought a 200 knife collection today.  It was an estate.  Could a treasure walk in?  Sure.  

So, David, Duke and I will be there "peddling" our knives.   Should a great vintage piece walk up, I will take a swipe.  If not, we will have a bunch of knives for sale..... come see us.

Two questions:

1) As a dealer, do you feel your business will be impacted by someone wandering around with a knife or five trying to pimp them without an exhibitor badge?

2) Will they sell "exhibitor without table" badges? (Tulsa Wanenmacher show does this)

This is a similar policy started by the largest gun show owner in Florida. In his case, he was wanting everything for FFL dealers (Himself, definitely included). It started off requiring "non" FFLs who were set up selling their personal firearms to display an FFL dealer's credentials on their table and all sales having to go through one the "approved" dealers.
That lasted for 4 shows and then private sales were forbidden and could not even "display their treasures..(Yes: I "was" a gun "show"). Now: It's a retailer's show and I have stopped attending "all" of this guy's shows.
So...nothing new here. Just the sign of the times. Capitalism at it's best. The show will still go on.
Reference to Mitchell's post, I too bought 2 nice knives from brown-baggers last year. I also, at first introduction, was opposed to our club tables in the lobby. Why? I cited security mostly.
What has happened? Instead of the wandering crowd having to (hopefully) pass by the club tables, which were "in the rear with the gear"..."EVERYBODY" sees them now! New memberships are more and stronger now and I believe it will continue this way.
Just thoughts from The 'Ol Captain.
Stay Sharp, Capt. Chris

1) As a dealer, I do not mind the casual brown bagger. A guy that has a roller case with signs hanging off? Yea, sometimes that bothers me. This show is expensive and a guy rolling 20 knives around is not cool.

2) They are not offered at Blade.

Just thinking...

I know table holders whose best transactions come from people bringing in things to trade or sell to them.

The people walking around with things to sell are more likely to find buyers at tables having similar items on them. It is very hit-and-miss for them to luck into buyers who are also walking around in the huge show. And even if they do and sell or trade with another floorwalker...that only helps to stimulate the interest of the people coming to the show.

And a bigger crowd is beneficial to the organization putting on the show and to all those who rent tables.

There are not enough tables for all the collectors/sellers to rent space at the show. And they sometimes bring in treasures that make the show for whoever acquires them...again, those buyers are more likely to be table holders.

Sometimes, the table holders are sought out by previous customers who want to trade around to upgrade or maybe dispose of their collections...and a show like this can be the only opportunity for them to meet face-to-face and do their transactions. Some of these people only come to a particular show because they know the table holder is going to be there.

Laissez-faire does have its advantages.

Larry

That is a great idea !!

By this time next week.We'll all know what it's going to be like.

Hopefully it is a good show. Perhaps with the fog of the Wuhan in the rear view, attendance will be high and it will be really good.

I decided not to go today...$70 down the drain....too much to do before my beach trip.
There will be SOOOOO many folks there you will not be able to move!!
The will call email I received referred to the folks that will "camp out" to pick up will call tickets....good God....camp out to go to a knife show....CRAZY!!!

:-)Rocky

I got a report that set-up was pretty busy yesterday, so maybe it is signs of things to come.

New report from Friday. Apparently the published "rules" that were the subject of this post, are smoke and mirrors. Basically bullshit. They aren't being enforced. Back packs, bags, roller luggage, and yes guys with signs of stuff for sale. Sounds like what it should be, and the concern was for naught.