AlltheKingsMen
Private 2
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2007
- Messages
- 100
Just wanted to write with a follow-up report on last weekend's Chicago toy soldier convention, the biggest of its kind in the US. The show was officially on Sunday the 23rd, but vendors and customers show up days in advance and sell wares from hotel rooms at the Schaumburg Hyatt. All the King's Men Toy Soldiers (my wife Gina and I) arrived Thursday evening after a straight-shot, 12-hour drive.
But that was only part of the task ahead of us. Once we got to our room, we had to set up a faux booth space to present our toy soldiers and accessories. We're fast about setting up an ordinary two- or three-table booth at a show, but throwing factors such as a bed, desk and other furniture into the mix made things challenging. After several false starts, we finally arrived at a room arrangement that gave us modest living space and that featured our three tables worth of products and displays.
First thing Friday morning, we were ready to do business. Basically, that meant openning the door wide, getting comfortable, and welcoming folks into our hotel room. Now project that across two solid days, remaining open for business as late as 10 pm, and you have a snapshot of the first part of the event.
Customers came in waves, often timed around scheduled events such as before and after lunch and dinner, after work, and in the late evening when other obligations were put to bed. We tried to accommodate everyone's schedule.
There's every color in the spectrum at this show, from kids with collector grandparents, to wargamers, to antique buyers, to guys looking for bargain plastic figures. This was our first Chicago show as vendors. Some folks had heard of us already and been to the website. Others were walking into uncharted territory. Everyone seemed impressed with the Washington's Victory playsets, figures, accessories and wargame rules. It's very rewarding to see years of hard work get the positive feedback that you hope for.
We also got to see familiar faces, folks whom we'd been in contact with before but never officially met, and complete strangers, all of whom had a common interest in little plastic and metal men.
As much as I wish I could have gotten out to see what was up for grabs from other vendors, I wanted to man the post as it were. It's funny that once you make your hobby a business, the ability to make what you like can replace your craving to simply acquire more stuff. Well, that's what I've experienced anyway.
Gina was a trooper throughout the show, taking shifts behind the wheel, hauling boxes up hotel elevators, lugging room furniture around, getting up early and going to bed late, and interacting with people about a hobby that she'd never known of before meeting this weird guy whom she wound up marrying. That guy married well.
Come Saturday night, it was time to break down the "room booth" and prepare the "trade-show booth" in the hotel's lobby rooms. Understand, these are massive rooms -- several of them -- all lined with cafeteria tables that become temporary home to as many as 300 toy soldier dealers. Kind of makes the mind boggle.
As I understand it, this day was the original focus of the event, but room trading evolved out of it to make travel to the show more economical. Moving everything down to the lobby was no easy task. You have the occupants of most every room on two floors of a hotel all trying to accomplish the same goal at the same time. The elevators were cramped. It was dog-eat-dog for a place in line. "Hey, your US Marines are stabbing me." "Watch out where you put that Alamo." It all happened at some point, whether to you or someone else.
At least this show there were no weddings being held simultaneously at the hotel. If that had been the case, product relocation would have occurred in the wee hours of Sunday morning rather than starting Saturday night. Thank goodness we decided to "apologize afterward" for using a freight elevator that was supposed to be off limits. We only got caught on our last load being taken down!
So, come Sunday morning, it's time to get checked out of the hotel, because we're not staying another night. That means checking out, getting the booth finalized, selling till 3 pm, breaking down the booth, loading the truck, and starting another 12-hour drive home. Oh, and we had to return all our hotel room furniture to its proper place before walking away completely. Did I mention that I married well?
At 10 am, doors to the show itself open. In years past, when I attended as a customer, I had seen the attendee line stretch down the hotel lobby, around a corner and down another hall. This year's line at the opening bell was rather shorter than usual. Traffic was brisk right off the bat. Lots of questions were asked, answers given and purchases made. Then there were the guys who make a big sweep before spending anything in another pass.
By noon, things had calmed down as people seemed to hit the restaurants and take time to justify that outstanding big purchase that they'd make in the afternoon.
All in all, it was a great show. We met lots of great people, got to display our goods, put our "corporate face" out there, and also sold an item or two. We will definitely be back next year. My only hope for the 2008 show is the kind of foot traffic like the show got in years past. That was perhaps the one thing I missed this year. But what are you gonna do?
Also, unrelated but still relevant, we had the joy of coming to a two-hour standstill on I-65 South in Indiana. An 18-wheeler jackknifed across all lanes -- and we were only about a quarter-mile back, so I guess we got off lucky. Needless to say, that wiped us out and led to a night's stay on the road home.
So that's it, the ATKM after-action report on the Chicago Toy Soldier Show. You can see pictures of our room and floor booths here:
http://allthekingsmentoysoldiers.com/Conventions.html
Feel free to check them out, and to write with any questions, comments or your own impressions of the event if you were able to attend.
Thanks,
Ken Cliffe
ATKM Toy Soldiers LLC
But that was only part of the task ahead of us. Once we got to our room, we had to set up a faux booth space to present our toy soldiers and accessories. We're fast about setting up an ordinary two- or three-table booth at a show, but throwing factors such as a bed, desk and other furniture into the mix made things challenging. After several false starts, we finally arrived at a room arrangement that gave us modest living space and that featured our three tables worth of products and displays.
First thing Friday morning, we were ready to do business. Basically, that meant openning the door wide, getting comfortable, and welcoming folks into our hotel room. Now project that across two solid days, remaining open for business as late as 10 pm, and you have a snapshot of the first part of the event.
Customers came in waves, often timed around scheduled events such as before and after lunch and dinner, after work, and in the late evening when other obligations were put to bed. We tried to accommodate everyone's schedule.
There's every color in the spectrum at this show, from kids with collector grandparents, to wargamers, to antique buyers, to guys looking for bargain plastic figures. This was our first Chicago show as vendors. Some folks had heard of us already and been to the website. Others were walking into uncharted territory. Everyone seemed impressed with the Washington's Victory playsets, figures, accessories and wargame rules. It's very rewarding to see years of hard work get the positive feedback that you hope for.
We also got to see familiar faces, folks whom we'd been in contact with before but never officially met, and complete strangers, all of whom had a common interest in little plastic and metal men.
As much as I wish I could have gotten out to see what was up for grabs from other vendors, I wanted to man the post as it were. It's funny that once you make your hobby a business, the ability to make what you like can replace your craving to simply acquire more stuff. Well, that's what I've experienced anyway.
Gina was a trooper throughout the show, taking shifts behind the wheel, hauling boxes up hotel elevators, lugging room furniture around, getting up early and going to bed late, and interacting with people about a hobby that she'd never known of before meeting this weird guy whom she wound up marrying. That guy married well.
Come Saturday night, it was time to break down the "room booth" and prepare the "trade-show booth" in the hotel's lobby rooms. Understand, these are massive rooms -- several of them -- all lined with cafeteria tables that become temporary home to as many as 300 toy soldier dealers. Kind of makes the mind boggle.
As I understand it, this day was the original focus of the event, but room trading evolved out of it to make travel to the show more economical. Moving everything down to the lobby was no easy task. You have the occupants of most every room on two floors of a hotel all trying to accomplish the same goal at the same time. The elevators were cramped. It was dog-eat-dog for a place in line. "Hey, your US Marines are stabbing me." "Watch out where you put that Alamo." It all happened at some point, whether to you or someone else.
At least this show there were no weddings being held simultaneously at the hotel. If that had been the case, product relocation would have occurred in the wee hours of Sunday morning rather than starting Saturday night. Thank goodness we decided to "apologize afterward" for using a freight elevator that was supposed to be off limits. We only got caught on our last load being taken down!
So, come Sunday morning, it's time to get checked out of the hotel, because we're not staying another night. That means checking out, getting the booth finalized, selling till 3 pm, breaking down the booth, loading the truck, and starting another 12-hour drive home. Oh, and we had to return all our hotel room furniture to its proper place before walking away completely. Did I mention that I married well?
At 10 am, doors to the show itself open. In years past, when I attended as a customer, I had seen the attendee line stretch down the hotel lobby, around a corner and down another hall. This year's line at the opening bell was rather shorter than usual. Traffic was brisk right off the bat. Lots of questions were asked, answers given and purchases made. Then there were the guys who make a big sweep before spending anything in another pass.
By noon, things had calmed down as people seemed to hit the restaurants and take time to justify that outstanding big purchase that they'd make in the afternoon.
All in all, it was a great show. We met lots of great people, got to display our goods, put our "corporate face" out there, and also sold an item or two. We will definitely be back next year. My only hope for the 2008 show is the kind of foot traffic like the show got in years past. That was perhaps the one thing I missed this year. But what are you gonna do?
Also, unrelated but still relevant, we had the joy of coming to a two-hour standstill on I-65 South in Indiana. An 18-wheeler jackknifed across all lanes -- and we were only about a quarter-mile back, so I guess we got off lucky. Needless to say, that wiped us out and led to a night's stay on the road home.
So that's it, the ATKM after-action report on the Chicago Toy Soldier Show. You can see pictures of our room and floor booths here:
http://allthekingsmentoysoldiers.com/Conventions.html
Feel free to check them out, and to write with any questions, comments or your own impressions of the event if you were able to attend.
Thanks,
Ken Cliffe
ATKM Toy Soldiers LLC
