Just wondering......

[Darkangel]

Larry,

For the most part all haunt related companies already show at the conventions. Going out and getting a bunch of fringe companies or entertainment based companies who do no Halloween but "could for the right price" isn't what we need, IAAPA can do that. There are only so many true haunt companies. I know the foam carving people can make characters for us but charging 10 grand a piece will not help this industry they are used to high dollar accounts where most haunters will not shell out that kind of cash for a foam piece...For 500 booths, there will be 300 booths of non Halloween based companies who whipped up a few related pieces to show at the show but have no vested interest in this industry...

Darkangel

[drfrightner]

Hard to explain but I do not agree with you I can assure you, and it is only because you don't understand what I mean. It is probably my fault because I would need to be MORE clear. But what you do want is to go to one place not six places to see EVERYTHING a haunter might want or need.

Tell me why is it that no haunt show has EVEN ONE concession vendor, food supplier, or foliage supplier, or people who offer services to help you complete on a level you'd see within an amusement park. We are NO different than an amusement park, we're just smaller, but that doesn't mean those types of vendors do not want to sell to us.

We need them to know we are here...

Larry

[Slain]

Paul,

When people come together in one place, you must have the best opportunities for those people to learn, communicate, educate, and be exposed to services, opportunities or products they never knew they needed, wanted or existed. I'm sorry to say but most haunters still do not get the professional respect they have earned or deserve like other professional industries.

Do you get six figures in sponsorship, does our industry get its fair due on national exposure, do we know enough to launch group sales efforts, are their ways on line to make more money for your attraction or grow your brand?

Yes to everything.

In order to pull all of that off in one place takes the best of the best, the whole industry, everyone on the same page, and 110% focus on you, your business, your industry, and your FUTURE!

There is a better future if you just reach out and grab it!

Larry

Larry. In the past few years we have had Budweiser, Southern Link, Pepsi and so many others wanting to sponsor our event. I've been down that road before and I must say I would rather not put on an event if I had to answer to a sponsor.
Like I said it would be nice to put someones name on our place for six figures but for us that takes away from the ownership that we worked hard for. We have some so called competition up the road a bit that has just those corporate settings that does a whole lot less volume in patrons that we do and frankly the event itself I'm told really sucks.
So without those big dollars we still have survived where the others have not.
I would imagine if we sold out to a corporate sponsor we'd be like all the rest. I don't see that driving any more dollars to the bank...All I see is headaches that I would rather not have...LIke I've said in the past our group already has great jobs and we do this for the love of the industry not to line our pockets. That's what seperates us from most of the other big buisness haunts.....

[mindtumor]

Everyone keeps saying that MHC should be the tradeshow of our industry so does that mean MHC would be willing to move to a FEB/MAR time frame or stay in Jun/Jul? It is hard enough getting stuff on time now imagine if ALL of us were placing our orders in Jun/Jul. Personally I don't care what show it is, where it is, who is running it, or what extracuricular activities are there as long as all the vendors we are used to buying from are there (plus some new ones) and the show is in a Feb/Mar timeframe to allow us the best chance to buy our products and receive them in a timely fashion.

[drfrightner]

Jared,

Being "THE" buyer seller show takes a lot of investment to find buyers, it also takes a full time sales staff, and much more. Right now MHC is doing great doing what they do...why should they change anything.

You have a buyer seller show in March and then MHC in June. Sounds about the same time I print magazines...

I guess that would leave Hauntcon out in the cold, but that show is probably going down anyway. Larry

[Haunted Illinois]

According to the official TW Vegas vendor list, including the addendum, there were only 71 vendors in the Haunt Show section and the Dark Zone combined. This means, pure and simple, that MHC with its 80+ vendors will be bigger than the Haunt section of TW Vegas!!!

Regardless of whether of not TW Vegas was "600,000 square feet", most of that was cheap costumes, Chinese trinkets and other crap Haunters could care less about. The Haunt Show section of TW was 71 vendors period.

Congrats Barry. Your show has grown by leaps and bounds since I attended last. It will be a pleasure to attend this year to see the largest Haunter Show there is!

[xxxdirk]

It will be a pleasure to attend this year to see the largest Haunter Show there is!

Wow! I had no idea that Barry has more vendors signed up than TW had!! All I can say is WOW, congrats Barry, and gang, that is a great milestone!

[Ken Spriggs]

Thank you Adam.

I have been traveling and didnt get a chance to answer.

[graystone]

Piss on sponsors! Who needs them I mean I guess its ok if your giving all your money away to charaties but other than that Uncle Sam wants his part. Piss on Transworld splitting all I can say is go ahead and Larry you will be sitting there on your computer all alone! Wait you already said you would only be attending as a buyer and not a vendor. Also you can say all you want Larry but the haunt industry can go only so far I know you dont want to hear it but you cant take Halloween and Haunted Houses and streatch them out over a whole year! Unless your in an area that has tons of tourist year round. Its like taking Christmas and making every day, every month Christmas or me keeping my digital photography company in malls open everyday rather than just at the holidays. Hell can you imagine going into the mall this time of year and having your picture taken with Santa? It would never work! Its not ever gonna happen. Vendors have to work year round to get out products. Haunt owners have to work to open for what 4 5 maybe 6 weeks then its over. Its like Christmas morning after all the gifts are open its over till next year! Larry face it this industry has limits! Also I hope all the vendors at MHC tell the people at Transworld they are stupid for even thinking of splitting the show. Right now atleast the vendors can see other traffic flow from the halloween section. If they only wanna deal with Haunters we already have HauntCon and MHC! Larry stop before you close the lid on the coffin of the hard working vendors and allow TransWorld to remain as it is a Halloween/Haunt show!!!!!! I am begging you stop this crazy crap before TransWorld takes you serious or before I get my phone book out and look for hit men in St Louis!!! Shane

[drfrightner]

Adam,

Ahhh well you'd be wrong sorry t say.

For starters SEVERAL haunt suppliers did not display in the haunt section at Transworld because they wanted to be in the retail area. Many vendors and many of the same that you are naming displayed at TW ad in fact many more who simply did not display in the haunt section.

I could break out a LONG LIST FOR YOU, and it would include Ghoulish Gallery, Body Bagging, Midnight Syndicate, Morris Costumes, and ever Screamline Studios just to name a few. So you would be dead wrong.

Secondly, there is a difference between someone taking 2 booths at one show and at Transworld taking 6, 10, or even 16 booths. Totally different ballgame.

There where more vendors to buy from at Transworld than all of these other shows COMBINED! In fact if you want to throw IAAPA into the mix you'd have 10 times the amount of vendors you could buy things from for a haunt owner than Transworld and all these others combined.

MHC is NOT the first or second biggest show that I have been to, that is not to take anything away from them, but this is not a contest, but when you make it into you, you must stand corrected.

Larry