I have taken on the task of organizing the annual gun show to raise funds for our high school hockey team. I'd like opinions and experiences from both customers and vendors as to what makes a good or bad show. What should be done and what should be avoided?

I realize this isn't really the correct forum, but I look forward to hearing opinions.

Thanks
Rob

If you have crafts and such, put that in its own room or area. I don't go to a gunshow for costume jewelry, leather goods, and beef jerky. Some do, but not me. Knives, flashlights, and the like can stay with the guns. But, puhlease, put the other stuff in its own corner!

LWD

having part in running a show for the last 30 years or so i'll venture a few suggestions. 1st make it a gunshow. guns, ammo and related items only. that includes knives archery, but no junk. if you allow the junk it will become a flea market vrey quickly. get you advertising out well in advance. 9 months is not to soon. make sure sure date is open and does not conflict with other shows (this is hard to do) winter months will have the best attendence in particular late jan or feb. setup / tear down is a paid and needs lots of help. make sure your tables are sturdy enough. if you can't find tables sawhorses and planks work. tables are reserved upon payment. you will get some cancellations and some last minute fills. make a layout and put who's who on it and post by the door. good kitchen goes over well. usually some of the guys will work for guards at night. once established everything becomes much easier. and being in wasilla why don't you have our new vice president attend

Rather than pay for set-up/tear down, and daytime security, I suggest using volunteers.

You are doing this for a team, so there is no reason THEY can't provide the set-up/tear-down labour. As an incentive, you can give each helper a "ticket" for each two hours of work they do; said tickets to be put in a barrel for a drawing after tear-down is finished on Sunday. Drawing prize can be whatever value you think is appropriate/affordable. Cash prizes work surprisingly well. $25 cash can look pretty attractive to any age, while buying an attractive door prize for $25 is pretty difficiult to do these days. Small though it may be, they'll still want to win it. Have some young child draw the winning ticket, to reduce claims of "fixed" from any soreheads.

Another advantage (besides lower cost) to using volunteers everywhere you can, is to reduce "employer" insurance responsibilities under some states' laws, if anything happens to injure any of the workers.

If the team roster isn't large enough to also handle day-time security, try contacting the local gun club and offering free admission for at least 4 hours work. figure out how many you need, and sign up that number, plus 1/3 as many more. Some who volunteer will NOT show up.


Speaking of daytime security, I am referring not only to having "incognito" security wandering around the show to cut down on thefts by some of the attendees, but security at all the doors all the time to keep people from sneaking in, while making sure all the doors are always unlocked in case of fire or similar disaster.

I also suggest having the show run for a longer period than that during which the public will be admitted. By that, I mean if you plan on a Saturday/Sunday show, open for the volunteers to set-up on Friday morning about 9 a.m., and let exhibitors set-up any time from noon Friday until about 7:30 p.m. That will also give them time to roam around, look at each others' goods without the public present, and do some trading. They all love that, and it helps attract exhibitors.

On Saturday, open the doors to exhibitors at least one hour before the public is allowed in. Gives them time to remove covers from their goods, lay some things out in better array, have a cup of coffee, find enough chairs, etc. BTW, make sure you have at least two chairs available per table; three or four is even better. Lots of dealing takes place sitting down, and the more dealing you can encourage, the better liked your show(s) will be.

Good luck!!

With regard to labor, we have over 50 high school hockey players and associated parents. We don't need volunteers, we have slaves. I agree with the remarks about keeping non-gun stuff out. There are some parents who want MORE craft stuff. You have given me ammunition to shoot that idea down.

I like the idea about setting up on Friday afternoon, but school is in and we can't have folks carting loads of guns in while classes are in progress. I'm sure even in Alaska someone will have a fit. We may be able to open it up in the early evening. I'll discuss the idea.

I had been toying with getting Sarah Palin to make a speech or open it or something. This is her old school. The only time I ever met her was at the gun show. She was selling entry tickets.

Thanks for the input. I really appreciate it.

Thanks
Rob

Sorry- Didn't know you were holding the show on the school grounds. I thought it was probably in a community center. I'm not even sure it is legal under federal law to hold a gun show on a school grounds in the United States.

Anyway. as per the Friday set-up, maybe your "volunteer slaves" could set up all the physical tables, chairs, and stuff Friday afternoon, and you could let exhibitors set-up their displays on the tables from 4 or 5 p.m. 'til 9 or 10 p.m. on Friday evening. Then, you could let them into the building at 8 a.m. on Saturday, and open to the public at say 9 or 9:30 a.m.

A door prize of some sort for the public (need not be present to win) also spreads the word about the show well too. Again, could be a small cash prize, or something of particular interest to a shooter/hunter. Believe me that works. We have been doing it for years at our shows and it much more than pays for itself over the long run.

If you keep doing this over several years, it will also pay to make some big cloth or otherwise waterproof signs about the show, attach them to the side of pickups or trailers, and park them on the main roads into and out of town for several days before the show(s).

Moving on to more show stuff, I do not know how your exhibitors will be signing up for their tables, but you need to have each of them sign an application for their tables, which says they understand and will abide by the rules of the show (which can be printed on the other side). Rules should include such things as "no flea market items"; no loose powder or cartridges; absolutely no loaded guns, whether on their persons or not; that all applicable laws must be obeyed; and anything else which is important to you or the gun show committee as the gun show manager(s).

If you want to PM me a fax number, I'll go to town tomorrow or the next day and get a copy of our exhibitors' application and fax it to you as a sample.

quote:

Originally posted by SlowLeadBullets:

I had been toying with getting Sarah Palin to make a speech or open it or something. This is her old school. The only time I ever met her was at the gun show. She was selling entry tickets.

Rob

I don't envy you. The Wasilla show has been tossed around somewhat. It used to be one of the biggies and I showed my cartridge collection there years past. One year it was below zero in Wasilla and WAY below as you went north(50 below in Nenana). The Fairbanks crowd started to pull out early on Sunday as they afraid what they were headed into and the show staff said they would not get tables again if they left early. That was the last time I got a table there. The show has gone down hill considerable. One big concern is advertizing-- cover all bases early and continous. Cover the bulletin boards everywhere you can -Safeway, 3 bears, Chimo guns, Izak Walton, Grouse ridge, Anchorage, Fairbanks, ETC ETC. and keep them covered! Advertizement draws vendors and vendors draw the public. This is a dynamic snowball that builds and Wasilla lost its snowball. The Palmer show (Palmer Lions) have been sucessfull at keeping the momentum and seem to get the word out well and early. Your gun show info needs a contact number listed so people can easly call to get a table or info. Don't over look the forums --hit all relevent forums --if you can set up a website it would be a BIG help . Get a vendor list from years previous and contact them ---NOW --Let every one get this on their calenders - early!
Gun vendors should have first priority on tables --Craft and other non gun stuff should be allowed ONLY after gun related vendors have been given priority on tables. NO JUNK ---PERIOD and inforce it. There are several pawn / junk operators that weed their way into the shows that really piss off other vendors and public. They downgrade the whole show. No slack---out they go! Let it be known in all advertizements that ALL guns shall be zip tied so they cannot be brought into a fireing condition -- bolt, cylinder or action open. I was in the Anchorage show when some Idiot vendor snapped the trigger on a live 30-06 round at his own table, it glanced off a gun at another table and hit a guy in the chest (BAD UGLY).Can you emagine the libility on that one? I think about that at every show !! Have zip ties available for sale. Do not open the door to customers until staff have made the rounds of the whole show to insure all guns are rendered safe and make anouncements about same while vendors are setting up.
If the Obomacrats get power in this election this could be the last hurrah for gun shows so this might be a biggie!

I have seen the Sarah at 2 gun shows.

Hey Canuck --nothing wrong with loose rounds -lots of collections grow this way! If guns are zip tied there is no problem.

I would like to get a table at that show this year. Post your info here and I will spread it around.