Admission to shows--RIPOFF

[JDgreen227]

Today's news has a front page story about the annual Home and Garden show near East Lansing, Michigan. It says they will have about 300 exhibitors there, who will share ideas on how to spruce up your yard or home. Seems like a good idea to attend, until you read the information about the admission charge:

$8 per adult, $4 for kids ages 6 thru 14. WHAT A RIPOFF.

It ticks me off big time when "shows" which are basically nothing but a form of advertising, expect the attendees to pay to admission. The businesses that are at the shows hope to attract customers in order to do business, so why are the potential customers expected to pay to attend? When you go to a car dealership, do they ask you to pay them $8 for the opportunity to buy a new car? When you go to a local builder to get an estimate for new windows, do they ask you to pay $10 for an estimate? NO TO BOTH.

Charging admission to shows like the one I mentioned in the opening paragraph is a RIPOFF, pure and simple. The exhibitors are simply cutting their own throats by expecting to make money off potential customers.

 

[lockhaven]

that is what happens, as soon as one type of show gets away with it they all jump on the band wagon. outdoor shows garden shows tractor shows all are doing it and as long as attendance is high the fees will only increase

 

[LastSTRAW]

I don't like paying the price either but I tend to chalk it up to a day of entertainment. $8-10 for the day is not a bad deal. I will pay that to attend a tractor or farm show but I won't normally pay that to attend a home show as most of the products you can see at Home Depot or Lowe's for free.

It's when they try to charge you for parking too that it really hurts.

 

[rtimgray]

It's the same thing in this area - about $4 to $10 for home and garden, fishing and outdoors, etc.

Even the gun shows which (in this small area) were either free or $1 or $2 are now in the $5 to $10 range, and I can't afford that just to go look around for an hour (because I'm pretty sure I'm not going to buy anything).

 

[Tomtint]

In the past I have been a vendor at those home shows. The booth fee can be 1000-10,000 depending on size and location. I think what you do not understand is that the building/property owner does this to pay his bills too. Those 150,000 sf buildings do not come cheap. It is just business.

 

[ruren]

In the past I have been a vendor at those home shows. The booth fee can be 1000-10,000 depending on size and location. I think what you do not understand is that the building/property owner does this to pay his bills too. Those 150,000 sf buildings do not come cheap. It is just business.

I was on the board for the "Builders Show" in our area for four years. We tried as hard as we could to keep the entry fee low and the parking free recognizing that the higher the fee the less customers we would have. That being said, it is an expensive project to rent a large facility, have two forklifts and drivers available to unload and load exhibits for setup and teardown, pay the staff that organize the show and pay to advertise the entire affair so people actually show up. We also charged booth fees to each exhibitor, but you have to keep those low enough to keep a good mix of businesses (including the small guys with the interesting new product / service) to make it interesting to the public. When people complained to me about the entry fee I asked them to think of the $4 entry fee as less than the gas it would cost to go to three of these businesses showrooms and talk to them.

 

[MasseyWV]

When you go to a car dealership, do they ask you to pay them $8 for the opportunity to buy a new car? When you go to a local builder to get an estimate for new windows, do they ask you to pay $10 for an estimate?

If they knew they could get away with it, I have little doubt that they would try.

I think what you do not understand is that the building/property owner does this to pay his bills too.

The building/property owner isn't concerned about my bills, so why should I be concerned about his bills?

When people complained to me about the entry fee I asked them to think of the $4 entry fee as less than the gas it would cost to go to three of these businesses showrooms and talk to them.

I think of the entry fee as a deterrent for me to attend. As for the cost of gas, I save that by doing my research online or over the phone.

 

[jinman]

When you go to a car dealership, do they ask you to pay them $8 for the opportunity to buy a new car? When you go to a local builder to get an estimate for new windows, do they ask you to pay $10 for an estimate? NO TO BOTH.

Have you been to an auto show lately? I think your premise is faulty because these shows bring all the dealers together in one convenient place. The facility costs for many/most of these shows is huge and they have no guarantee that they will sell anything. Like the county fairs, admission is charged because of the number of "attractions" and to help weed out the homeless, bums, and looky-loos who would never be there to do anything but gaze and go after mooching the free stuff. As long as the vendors charge and attendence is high, there is no reason for them to do anything else. Technically, your choice is not to go and do your own looking at brick and mortar stores. Individual business locations never/seldom charge admission.

 

[JDgreen227]

In the past I have been a vendor at those home shows. The booth fee can be 1000-10,000 depending on size and location. I think what you do not understand is that the building/property owner does this to pay his bills too. Those 150,000 sf buildings do not come cheap. It is just business.

THEY CAN WRITE OFF BOOTH FEES AS BUSINESS EXPENSES.

Locally, the majority of shows are held at a University Pavilion at a college campus or in downtown Lansing at a Civic Center. Parking at the Pavilion is free, downtown it is $5-$6. The building/property owners should simply bill the exhibitors for any and all expenses instead of charging admission. The parking fees should be more than enough revenue for anybody.

BTW, I don't consider attending these shows to be "entertainment" as 99% of the crap they have on display is stuff I don't need or want. $8 admission, $5 parking, $5 gasoline...waste of money, IMO. BIG WASTE.

 

[JDgreen227]

Have you been to an auto show lately? I think your premise is faulty because these shows bring all the dealers together in one convenient place. The facility costs for many/most of these shows is huge and they have no guarantee that they will sell anything. Like the county fairs, admission is charged because of the number of "attractions" and to help weed out the homeless, bums, and looky-loos who would never be there to do anything but gaze and go after mooching the free stuff. As long as the vendors charge and attendence is high, there is no reason for them to do anything else. Technically, your choice is not to go and do your own looking at brick and mortar stores. Individual business locations never/seldom charge admission.

Have never been to a car show, waste of time and money. The local university hosts an "Agricultural Expo" every year. Many events, including the chance to drive compact tractors and ATV's, and tractor pulls. FREE PARKING, FREE ADMISSION, the exhibitors pick up the entire cost of everything and that is the correct way to do it. In all my years of attending I have NEVER seen any homeless or bums there.

BTW, what are you referring to: "go after mooching the free stuff....?" Brochures, handouts, yardsticks, pens and pencils, etc?

 

[logdog]

BTW, I don't consider attending these shows to be "entertainment" as 99% of the crap they have on display is stuff I don't need or want. $8 admission, $5 parking, $5 gasoline...waste of money, IMO. BIG WASTE.

Unless I am missing something.... Then why would you go? There are lots of things I think are a waste that I dont go to that lots of other people do.

 

[dmccarty]

Our local Farm Show did not charge an entry fee to attend. I certainly would not go if it did.

I have been to a couple Home Shows years ago but I don't think we paid.

Seems like I might have had to pay to get into a gun show but that was decades ago too and I sure can't remember.

These have all been at the NC Fairgrounds.

It is kind of a rip off now that you bring it up.

Later,
Dan

 

[aczlan]

Have never been to a car show, waste of time and money. The local university hosts an "Agricultural Expo" every year. Many events, including the chance to drive compact tractors and ATV's, and tractor pulls. FREE PARKING, FREE ADMISSION, the exhibitors pick up the entire cost of everything and that is the correct way to do it. In all my years of attending I have NEVER seen any homeless or bums there.
BTW, what are you referring to: "go after mooching the free stuff....?" Brochures, handouts, yardsticks, pens and pencils, etc?

We try to visit Empire Farm Days every year. $10/car to get in... Has been worth that (for me) to walk through the show with my wife and our daughter, plenty of "ride and drive" stuff and info to learn from.
Besides, that is where I asked her to marry me (with a bedsheet hung on the cab of a swather at the Deere booth). Always nice to stop in and say hi to the rep who oked me putting it up.

Aaron Z

 

[ultrarunner]

The local nursery always has a booth at the Garden show... they give me a free pass every time I ask.

The local boat show was similar... they ran out of passes and gave me a temp employee badge...

Parking is the big expense... some of the shows charge as much as $20 for parking in San Francisco... and $15 in Oakland.

 

[Sigarms]

When is the last time a gun show had free admission:laughing:

Cost money to rent space, and for the minimal fee, as mentioned, worth the entertainment.

Look at it this way, how much would it cost you in gas to drive to all of the vendors if they weren't in one place at the same time? Probably more than the admission.

 

[MasseyWV]

looky-loos who would never be there to do anything but gaze and go after mooching the free stuff

Isn't the whole point of these shows to attract lookie-loos, with the hope that they will become paying cutomers? How exactly does one tell the difference? Charging an entrance fee may seem like a good idea, but all it really does is limit attendance of potential paying customers.

 

[JDgreen227]

Isn't the whole point of these shows to attract lookie-loos, with the hope that they will become paying cutomers? How exactly does one tell the difference? Charging an entrance fee may seem like a good idea, but all it really does is limit attendance of potential paying customers.

My point EXACTLY !! No doubt there are many families locally who would want to attend the local home show, but for Mom and Dad and three kids they are looking at $28 to $40 just to get admitted, plus the fuel to get there and back.

 

[powerpace]

I don't mind paying an entrance fee for something I'm interested in and possibly helping me learn something.

What I don't like is paying for a cap with a Logo on it and paying 30% more than a plain one. If a company wants me to wear their advertisement they ought to pay me or reward me for buying their product. If I buy a $24,000 item at least throw a hat in. Same with shirts and jackets. OLD NAVY, FOX (whatever that is), JOHN DEERE and Cabela's are all guilty. You are what you wear. I don't wear HEAVY METAL T-Shirts.

 

[RoyJackson]

Look at the good point...an entrance fee keeps all the riff-raff...like me, for example...out of these shows.