Just wondering......

[drfrightner]

Furthermore what is a 'HAUNT' vendor? I think almost everyone has it all backwards because you don't think business first...blood, guys, and body parts don't make a successful haunted house.

There are MORE vendors that I personally WOULD CALL A haunt vendors at IAAPA than 50 MHC's and HAUNTCONS put together...hell throw in Transworld as well.

I would call someone selling foilage or insurance, or concession equipment, or mold making supplies, or ticket management systems, or turnstyle compaies, or barricade people, or the zillion theming companies, or fog companies, lighting companies, special effect companies, people who sold flame machines, to yes Oak Island, Scarefactory, Halloween Productions, Creative Visions and the list goes on and on and on and on and on and on...

Adam by my definition you are so wrong you couldn't be more wrong... by my definition IAAPA was the #1 Haunt Show by so far a long shot it coudn't be compared to... now if you can combine those vendors with a haunt show you'd have the best show EVER!

To create a truely ELITE show you need to cover all the bases not just body parts, blood, and monsters. There is more to running a successful business than the typical stuff.

Maybe that is why haunts like Netherworld, Headless Horseman are so over the top, making tons of money, building all the cool stuff. Maybe because they treat the attraction like a business first, but still has much if not more passion than ANYONE!

Running a haunt, a barber shop, a meat packing plant, or a check cashing outlet all must be run like a business first and foremost and what this industry needs is a no frills tradeshow that offers everything I've mentioned and more.

Although MHC is a great event, and as much as TW has been great in the past, it is time for the business side of all this to move forward and grow this industry. MHC can help, as can all the other shows, but you need a bigger picture to accomplish what I'm dreaming about.


Larry

[graystone]

So Larry will be be adding Walmart? Kmart? CVS Pharmacy? How about Campbells Soup company? The ExLax Company? Hell I mean after all they all do sell to Haunters! Why are the people/companies you mentioned not already setting up? What has kept all thoes companies from being at TransWorld? Whats stopping them now? Is it because they are waiting on the Larry/Haunt Vendor Assoc. approval? Again go ahead have it your way many of us buyers and vendors too will come back and tell you how wrong you were. Also could some of the companies Larry mentioned put your thoughts into a Haunt only Show? Also AGAIN LARRY ARE YOU JUST TO LAZY TO WALK TO THE HALLOWEEN SECTION IF YOU SEE SOMETHING THERE YOU LIKE? WHY DO THEY HAVE TO BE IN THE HAUNT SECTION? BULL BULL BULL THATS WHAT IT IS! Again Larry this Haunt Industry is a limited seasional Industry! Do a test for us all Larry open the Darkness and keep it open all year and come back and tell us how you did! Shane

[Barry]

Oh, there are so many things I would like to comment on in this thread. LOL However, I am a little busy this weekend

Yes, Transworld once again is going to come to MHC. They came here 3 years ago as well. I am sure there will be some news that comes out of the weekend but it may or may not be what everyone is discussing.

Thanks for all of the kind words from everyone in this thread and the other. We look forward to seeing many of you here.

[Ken Spriggs]

You know what?

This thread asked a question.......how many vendors were in the haunt section.
Now as far as i am concerned....Adam answered correctly and he gets the cookie.

Larry I didn't have time to read your last post.....but I saw something about greenery people showing at a HAUNTERS show?
Retail or wholesale?
Back to the same old issue as we have at TW

[drfrightner]

Ken,

Yes Transworld had a haunt only section, they gave vendors the option of being inside that section or displaying outside of the haunt section. SEVERAL haunted vendors decided to display just outside the haunt section like FRIGHT PROPS, GHOULISH GALLERY, SCREAMLINE, BODY BAGGING, HAUNTED MEMORIES, and so many, many, many, many more.

So we're going to create drama within our industry, and try to make it a competition to see how had the most vendors MHC or Transworld. That is exactly what Adam did, and I'm saying he's wrong. Transworld by far had more vendors, and those same vendors took 4 time as many booths at TW than they did at any show they went to this year. Correct?

So how can you really compare, and it is NOT a competition either. MHC is doing a great job no one is dening that.

But I've made a point out of helping people, and I can't lie to them and say go to MHC and NOT Transworld, I would say go to both, go to all of them if you can.

But certain people on here are trying to make it an either or and it shouldn't be, but if it was you have to go where the buyers where most of the buyers and vendors go, period! But NO ONE should be foreced into the haunters section at Transworld just like no one should be forced to display at ONLY TW or ONLY MHC or ONLY HAUNTCON.

So for those haters out there... stop making it into a competition because you are not helping the industry at all. Highlights the positives of both and let people decide for themselves.

I say and have always said this motto...

BUT ALL videos, books, magazines, go to all shows you can, visit as many haunts as you can make yourself do these things. I STILL FEEL THE SAME!

Larry

[drfrightner]

Ken,

I said we need people who sell foilage at the show... vines, trees, weeds, stuff for swamps all that. How do you figure that is retail?

I'm talking about attracting the MANUFACTOR who sells direct to attractions and gives you 40 to 50% off by opening an account. Do you not place vines on scenes in your haunt?

I do and I buy TONS OF THEM... and I find all of those companies at IAAPA, not Transworld, not MHC, and not anywhere else just IAAPA.

Those companies along with many, many, many more should be coming to a HAUNT ONLY SHOW!

Larry

[MMManiac]

Shane you keep mentioning that we are only a seasonal attraction, which is correct we are BUT.... That doesn't mean we STILL don't need all the different companies that Larry is talking about. Just because I'm only open 1.5 months out of the year doesn't mean I should automatically be excluded from the same vendors and discounts as say, Disney gets (just an example, i know thats a stretch) but why not.

[Scary Jerry]

Jerry here;

I wonder how some of these shows pick their dates...
MHC in June is silly. What manufacturers have time to do production runs between late June and September? It can take that long to get delivery on parts and supplies.

IIAP is in November. I don't know about the rest of you but come Nov I'm exhausted and take a vacation. There is no way I could prepare for a trade show during October.

Ignoring other issues going on, wouldn't it make sense to move MHC to March and make it THE show? Maybe they should change the name also.

All I really want to do is scare little kids. How come it got so complicated?

[Jim Warfield]

Scary Jerry, Will you be the new person incharge of the Federal funding for the school lunch program?
"Boo! You're gunna be REAL hungry Now Kids!"
"Whaaa!" My tummie hurts too much!"
Go to the basics when it comes to scaring. This is why it's too easy to scare people from third-world countrys, they know true , basic fears!

[Barry]

Jerry here;

I wonder how some of these shows pick their dates...
MHC in June is silly. What manufacturers have time to do production runs between late June and September? It can take that long to get delivery on parts and supplies.

Jerry,
MHC was planned in the summer for two specific reasons. #1 It did not conflict (or be too close to) any other events. #2 In the summer, haunts have started to plan for the season and come here with specific needs. We do a large amount of cash and carry here. For 90% of the vendors this works out very well.