2017 West Coaster Toy Soldier Show at the Wyndham Anaheim-Garden Grove (1 Viewer)

I had a quick discussion with Chris Mckenna and he told me in so many words it was pretty small as far as dealers, buyers, maybe he can post more about it as I do not want to put words down as I wasn't there or 2nd hand info.
 
Ok so I didn't go to the show but I did go to the room trading that took place on Saturday. The show was at a new venue in Anaheim which resided roughly 4 blocks from Disneyland. So yeah you have to tolerate a whole pile of grown up clowns in ludicrous Micky ears. Disneyland: a trap for humans set by a mouse. So Ive been doing the Westcoaster a bit different for years. In an effort to minimize travel costs, I fly into and out of Orange County the same day.

The room trading was roughly a dozen rooms of trading. Around 3 or 4 rooms weren't even dealers but older collectors trying to sell off their collections. You could find some incredible deals if what was available fit your collection. The toy soldier crowd was minimal at best. The show definitely needs a later date in 2018 and definitely would benefit from some better marketing.
 
The success or failure of a show often depends what you're looking for. As far as the 2017 WC, it was a mixed bag. Owing to late availability of a site, participation was less tham normal and the usual flyers were delayed . . . I didn't get mine until I was back from the show! As said before, there were only about a dozen rooms open and few of those offered the latest and greatest 1/30 figures and associated accoutrements. Same for plastics. But there were quite a few people selling traditional 54mm figures . . . and, yes, a lot of us were old geezers thinning down our collections. But Sunday's showroom was large with about 100 tables and room for many more.

The 2018 show will be in the same location, but in March as for past shows. The rooms were nice and reasonable; parking was free for those who attended during the day . . . a big plus. There were several nearby restaurants, but . . . as someone said . . . were overwhelmed with kids going to Disneyland. But there are many more nearby but away from the hotel area that probably wouldn't have had that problem. Getting there was very easy . . . once I got on I-5 in San Diego, I only had to make two turns to get to the hotel!

As for me, the show was great! I was able to spend a lot of time with collectors I've known for years and met several "new" guys. I earned more than I spent from room sales and got got rid of a lot of "stuff" from the garage. My funniest experience was one buyer who came into the room three times to diss a TG set, only to by it at the end! Met several Treefroggers (we should get badges so that we can recognize each other). Fortunately, I didn't see the HECO sets for sale (though I looked) as they were above what I feel comfortable spending. To me, the show is not getting super bargains or new toys, but rather enjoing the ambiance and long-time friends.

See you there next year!

Bosun Al
 
Thanks for the report Al.

I look forward to next year's show.

Brad
 
Well, what do I think as someone who has attended the last 24 West Coasters in a row? Considering the less than satisfactory show date (being so close to the Christmas and New Years holidays) and the short notice, I thought the show was just fine. Although most of the prominent manufacturers, who attended previous shows, were not in attendance, there were still about 100 vendor tables sold which is not bad. Although the paid attendance was probably down, about 50% would be my guess, there were still several hundred attendees. A fact of life regarding our hobby is that attendance has been declining for years at the shows due to a number of factors including the rise of the internet and the aging of the collector population. The closing of so many brick and mortar stores has also been a parallel fact of life. I would estimate that for ever "old timer" who leaves the hobby by passing on or who has stopped collecting, there is only one new collector replacing them.

This year, I met at least four collectors who I didn't know prior to the show who bought something from me and with whom I had long conversations about toy soldiers. At least three of them will be joining us at Bob W's house this Saturday when I distribute the new Hiriart order that just arrived from Uruguay, but more importantly to view his collection and share a toy soldier day with us. If the truth be known, the camaraderie is much more important than how much one sells at the show. I do this for the fun of it, not the money. With that being said, how did I do you might ask? I sold a grand total of 12 boxed sets of traditional, glossy toy soldiers which represents a doubling of my gross sales from last year's show. Did I actually break even? Probably not, but I don't really care. Seeing old friends again and making new ones is far more important.
 
The date change creeped up on me after the Holidays.

People can knock the show all they want. Dealing with hotels that continue to raise prices and bump smaller people for corporate America is not easy. I run the toy soldier shows in Massachusetts and I can't stand it. I think Woody found a great place. He also did this all without Bubba who was not well enough to even attend the show. Sure we are all creatures of habit and I loved the Irvine area. But I embraced the new location. I went to Downtown Disney, Laguna Beach and had a great show and went to Disney's California Adventure Sunday night. This is how I make my living, in this hobby and business I thought the best thing I could do was support the show. I will continue to support the show. And yes I will continue to try and make as fun as possible and take in the sites when I can.

Yes there was less dealers. Really the manufacturers weren't there and one or 2 dealers of note. The room was pretty filled and there was room for many more tables. Sure there was a few less attendees and room trading was slower. But in reality the last 3 years or so the room trading has been down and so has the Chicago show(if you want to the go there). I have a core group of regular customers that always make the 3000 mile trip worth it. Most of them were there.

The hobby has changed over the last few years. I go into shows with lower expectations. After all said and done it was the best show I had In 4 years. I was flat out busy from about 9-12 and was almost working up a sweat. There was often 20 plus people at my booth. I never had a chance to check out the rest of the show so I'm not really sure the overall feel. Most people seemed happy or content. Woody said the gate was good at the door and I think it was similar to the last couple of years.

Think about it. If people stop going to shows for this reason and that reason there will be no more shows. They are all in decline. If you want more dealers, etc at a show then go out and support them and the promoters putting on the show.
 
This was my first West Coaster in the last five years or so. Used to be pretty regular in the 90's and 00's. I was indeed irritated by the date, even more by the fact that I only found out about the show from a casual remark in a wargame forum......but having said all that, I am very glad I went. Lots of interesting stuff, several very good buys, and a chance to support the hobby. The venue was a wash versus Irvine, in my opinion. The date definitely needs to go back to March. I plan on being there next year.
 
Greetings all,

I decided to wait to post anything until January had subsided.
I want to throw in my humble two-cents. Now, I know that its incredibly difficult to put on one of these.

That being said, this was the worst West Coaster I've seen in all my attending years.
The "Room Action" was pretty much not there at all, a mere 10 people selling out of their rooms. As for the show itself on Sunday, there were many empty tables, and perhaps 35% less dealers than previous years.
Not to mention, for the dealers who were there, it was hard to look at their product due to lack of lighting at the event. Also, I noticed that they did close to zero advertising this year for the show.

My hat off to Woody and Craig for their years of service, but times change, and this show is dying off quicker than I thought. Quite a plunge compared to previous years, and I hate to say that I'd rather spend my time driving to the Glendale Antique show than this...Never thought I'd see the day when I wouldn't attend a West Coaster.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I know I'm not the only one who was in attendance there who felt that way.

Prost!
 
At the chance of repeating myself, I must admit that the show was a mixed bag. Owing to the short notice before the show and the unusual date, no one expected the show to be a raging success. Fortunately, next year's show will be back in the normal March timeframe. Advertising will be better. More dealers will be there.

But I must ask as to why you went to the show? The impression I got from your post was that you wanted to stock up on the latest goodies available to the toy soldier world. But a show is much more than buying . . . I see it as an opportunity to see long-time friends and share the hobby as a whole. I rarely see toy soldier enthusiasts in my home town and it really stokes me to have that chance. Although there were fewer dealers, it gave me move of an opportunity to visit with them at length . . . something I value greatly. I was able to give pieces to friends who would appreciate them more than I did . . . including several sets of drawings and photos to Bruce Hebron. I was able to introduce my wife to people I've known for years and let her learn more about the hobby and the folks who make it work. Thus I consider the show to be a wonderful event despite shortcomings. May you come to see it as this in future years. End of sermon . . . Amen!

Bosun Al
 
There were many things that contributed to the show not being as expansive as prior shows....all previously discussed. You should hold off at least one more year before you drive that final nail in. Quite frankly it's amazing they pulled off a show at all this year. I would expect next year to be more to your liking.

Joe




thekraut said:
Greetings all,

I decided to wait to post anything until January had subsided.
I want to throw in my humble two-cents. Now, I know that its incredibly difficult to put on one of these.

That being said, this was the worst West Coaster I've seen in all my attending years.
The "Room Action" was pretty much not there at all, a mere 10 people selling out of their rooms. As for the show itself on Sunday, there were many empty tables, and perhaps 35% less dealers than previous years.
Not to mention, for the dealers who were there, it was hard to look at their product due to lack of lighting at the event. Also, I noticed that they did close to zero advertising this year for the show.

My hat off to Woody and Craig for their years of service, but times change, and this show is dying off quicker than I thought. Quite a plunge compared to previous years, and I hate to say that I'd rather spend my time driving to the Glendale Antique show than this...Never thought I'd see the day when I wouldn't attend a West Coaster.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I know I'm not the only one who was in attendance there who felt that way.

Prost!
Click to expand...
 
Wait, Bruce was there? Now I really regret missing the show (literally and figuratively)!!!

On a serious note, the date was prohibitive to me but I will attend it next year if it is in March.
 
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