So, what did everyone who attended Transworld this year think of the show?????

[Gore Galore]

Mark,
I hope you are kidding.
I wasn't bashing anyone.
It just felt like the overall tone of the thread was negative. Sadly, it might have only been a couple posts that gave me that feeling.
Just like it only takes one apple to spoil the bunch.

You didn't say anything negative.
I went back through and looked at all the posts to make sure.
So, I apologize if I did offend you somehow.

again, I will say. I was really expecting people to be like
"WOW" the vendors really brought it this year.
And well, that didn't happen.
So, I guess I should not have had an expectation of what people would think.
My bad.

And I do think you have some great ideas there too.

[drfrightner]

Let me take a stab at some of these comments...

1) Moving the Show: I'm personally not at all against that however I will only say that 'TRADESHOWS' require stability to grow. TW right now has a great deal, the city has embraced the show, attendance continues to climb, and the show floor gets bigger each year. People enjoy the convention hotel and find access to plenty of things to do and places to eat. The best is the central location. However with all of that being said I'm totally okay with it moving anywhere as long as its not on the west side of St. Louis, and not to far East. Most of the haunts are Midwest to East Coast not so much West Coast. When you are talking about vendors making it fair for all vendors to drive is the right thing to do... so cities I can think of are Indy, Memphis is a fun town, maybe a city like Dallas. Who knows... The show shouldn't step on the toes of IAAPA, MHC, and other shows like this. So picking a city is important where weather could be okay ... we have to all admit the weather is been pretty good so far. Personally for me I probably wouldn't attend anymore if it wasn't here... I only visited the show floor a total of MAYBE 6 hours and the show was here. No one should keep the show here on my account it should go where ever the industry thinks its best.

2) Tradeshow Floor: I thought TW adding that movie screen, interactive haunt, and stuff like that was well beyond what most tradeshow floors do. In fact the zip line was really wild. I loved how they added so many different types of vendors and each year they get more and more. I give Transworld an A PLUS for the 2012 tradeshow.

3) Vendors: I'll be honest here it may seem like there isn't anything new because the main things we keep seeing new is animations and in a lot of ways they are the same thing just different skin. However Dead House Design tried to introduce some new video stuff that we'd normally ONLY see at IAAPA, there was ATM machines, and tons of new costume companies. I love David at SF... and I'm not afraid to say 2011 was his worst year ever for new concepts in my opinion. I thought he hit a home run this year, he was trying to think outside the box with actor controlled puppets, giant over the top props and more. Scarefactory also brought a shooting gallery... never seen that before. I give Scarefactory a 10 for their effort.

I will have to Say companies like Gore Galore had a massive investment into their booth and it was very nice, and I like how he's trying new things outside of the oversized costumes. I think the show would look a lot different if many companies would not bring a lot of the previous shows stuff... but sometimes you bring what sells best. Dark Raven had an awesome looking booth, with some nice new props and animations. I rate this years show floor for new product an EIGHT... 2011 a SIX.

So it was an improvement. Did I buy anything... hmmmm! Not really I did buy some of those inverted busts because I'm addicted to them. LOL

So overall was the show floor better than 2011 YES WITHOUT A DOUBT!

4) Future Vendors: I think and again some vendors probably need to leave at home the same old stuff we already know they sell because most of the buyers are same year after year. That would brighten up the show floor from looking the same. Additionally I think TW simply needs to keep working hard to find new vendors to fill up more show floor so we can eliminate the interactive haunt, or dead space with people selling new products and services. The interactive haunt was cool but it takes up space you would rather SELL to new vendors. I want to see new products not the same products you can find in vendors booths. We need to make an effort to reach out to a new line of vendors: FOOD!

Go to IAAPA and you'll see 50 companies selling food products and we need that at our show. That will make it more complete. Additionally we need to find more vendors for pumpkin patches, country farm stores stuff like that. Stuff even haunts can use in their retail store.

Just my opinions.

Larry

PS: ONE LAST THING... I agree about the kids thing totally. It is bogus kids should be allowed to attend just like IAAPA. If they pay the bill let them in.

[mindtumor]

Its not being negative or cynical. Some people did have new stuff and good booths, however, some people had the exact same things I saw TWO years ago. For as many vendors that you named that did do an outstanding job, I can name some that brought the same things as they always bring but I'm not going to. We all appreciate vendors working hard on their product and presenting it, and if you are vendor that did that then you know your stuff was new. And if you sold a ton of orders you KNOW people wanted your stuff. So then there is no reason to get upset. If someone starts a thread asking people's opinions on the show then expect to get people's opinions and impressions on the show. Not everyone agrees with my opinion, and as far as I am concerned thats fine.

As far as the children thing goes, bottom line is if Transworld doesn't change their policy I'll just have to stop attending because I can't just leave my children at home each time I come to the show. I realize there is tons of people obviously walking the show floor without kids, so I realize it doesn't matter if one person stops attending. The bottom line is I needed to run into the show for a moment to make a quick purchase but needed to bring my infant with me and was denied. Stuff like that should be considered. Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't even MHC and the other smaller conventions allow children??

[Deathwing]

I thought the show was bigger, better attended and a lot more fun. There are some vendors that bring the same things year after year though. Scarefactory was amazing. I just think of how cool it would be to see another 2-3 vendors there on the same level as Scarefactory. Unit 70 doesn't show or need to but then it drops off significantly. Distortions is great but their booth is smaller than it once was and they are going after the frightronic market for more affordable pieces which is great too. I would love to see several new companies just as big and innovative as Scarefactory. Imagine that, it would be overwhelming to see SF x's three.

I like the show in St Louis, people are friendly and there are plenty of places to eat within walking distance or a short cab ride.


Jake

[the ogre]

This was only our second time as a company at TW and all i can say is WOW. Our booth was packed all weekend long and the ordered poured in. In an Earlyer thread i mentioned that all the vendors had Brought it and for the most part they did. As you walk around the show floor you cant help but admire the amount or work and craftmanship that went into everyones product. Obviously this is a thread about oppinion, so good or bad. right or wrong it is our job as vendors and the industry to listen and learn. A few additional notes:

Kevin: thank you so much for the shout out. you and your team are the greatest people. it was a great pleasure being your neighbor this week. By the way, thanks for drawing a crowd haha. it helped alot.


To add to what you out there as buyers want, SPEAK Up! I remember in November i posted a thread about what people want and where the industry is going. # people commented. I guess it was for the best BC we designed original costumes. All in all, bottom line. speak up.

Lastly, THANK YOU. Thank you to everyone who made this show outstanding. It was very rewarding knowing people came just for our costumes. Now we start working to get %100 order completion then get ready to shock you with our stuff for 2013. thanks to everyone

[drfrightner]

One more thing from me... I think maybe unlike some that negative feedback is a positive. It's just some people go overboard with all sorts of outrageous petty complaints. Some people say mean things just to be mean. However stating what you did or didn't like about the tradeshow to me is all positive because vendors need to know what you think of their stuff, or what you'd rather see or don't want to see.

I think you should keep them coming!

Just keep in mind that your comments should have a positive point to the comment.

Larry

[graystone]

Not Much

My staff got me tons of info to go over. I did not see 3 hours of show floor!! I think my favorite item this year was Kevins Giant Ghost ( I did get that) Tim had some cool stuff too even though nothing that just was a perfect fit I got a costume from him because he's a good guy. I got like 10 new silicone mask. But honestly there was nothing there I could just not live without! I spent less this year than ever just because I was not interested. Maybe when I can sit down and go over all the stuff I will find more!!!!!! Shane and it's but I hope everyone had huge sales and it was a success for everyone! Shane

[mindtumor]

I just don't think anything that was said was out of line, hurtfull, over board, or untrue. I have reread this thread a few times now and don't see anything that makes me say, "Oh my god, you shouldn't have said that, that is so rude".

[Allen H]

I thought is was a good show- we are finally hitting on some products that we need to touch on to compete with the theme parks. For my own booth most people saw it looking pretty damn empty. I swear I had masks when I started. I brought 160 masks and they pretty much sold out by Friday morning. So people were buying! Here is a before and after my wife took.
the stocked booth And the booth after the first day
416866_350657878311733_100001025726888_1118009_1294639651_n.jpg 64641_352708218106699_100001025726888_1124257_586909193_n.jpg

Lots more room for DVDs and Necklaces lol.

[screamforadream]

Next year bring 300 Allen! Duhhhh.

[HauntedPaws]

I'd really like to see a Gore Galore and ScareFactory collaboration. Maybe a limited edition like 10 units.

[damon carson]

liked!

I really liked the show! I enjoyed the hard work and over the top booths and props by little spider, distortions, and scarefactory. I liked the variety of. New things like the inflatable movie screen. Halloween themed rides and zip line. The interactive haunted house looked great again this year. Great show I hope to see great new things again next year! Maybe more companies from the iaapa show! Like food and ride vendors ect. damon

[wickedfarmer]

I hate this glorified telegraph..

You can never hear peoples tones of voice. Was shsocked to see Kevin apologise to me on this thread for thinking he offended me. He sent me a private message I saw hours ago..but did not check back on this thread. Told him to think of my comment as two guys sitting at the bar joking with each other. Kevin...I am kicking myself for not getting with you a year ago. There was something lacking from this show..and you are guy to have taken my idea and ran with it. Keep watch for private message and tell me what you think of it.

Wicked Farmer

[Vengence]

The floor was amazing this year, met a few new vendors for their first Transworld. Thought the costume side was maybe a little smaller but that doesn’t affect me. As always it was annoyingly loud and obnoxious on Saturday which we avoid all together and get our business done earlier.

The City Museum was very fun for me as it was quite unusual. Although I didn't expect there to be so much public access and presence of kids absolutely everywhere wondering why my face was painted like a monster.

So we noticed there weren’t any scent vendors there besides the fog/ scent additives from froggys but I know I haven’t seen sinister scents at Transworld in like 3 years.

Also the show seems to be becoming more family/ children friendly as the age has gone down we have seen less lingerie booths and the absence of the liquid latex girls. Maybe with the under 16 issue there could potentially be a day they allow it to assist with people bringing children? It's a better solution then just banning anyone under 16 however the first 2 days of the show are crucial for me to get business done and I appreciate not having that many extra bodies running around.

[mindtumor]

There you go, charge less for children and restrict the hours/days they can be there. No kids on Saturday, or kids only from 9-1 or 1-5. Its not that I REALLY REALLY want to bring my children, its just starting to be difficult to attend without them. Maybe vendors could even use it to their advantage by trying to sell more pumpkin patch stuff or something. Make it happen Transworld. Besides, maybe more of those balloon pets would have sold.