Its Official: Transworld Halloween and Haunt Show is Moving

[RJ Productions]

Man you people can't make up your minds!

First you complain about TW being in Vegas as the weekend room rates will triple.....
Bow you find out the show is during the week so you will have the really CHEAP room rates and you complain the show is NOT on the weekend!!!

Think of it this way.... seminars and such are usually BEFORE the show right???
So now they would be on SATURDAY.
This means the "Weekend Warriors" could come in for the seminars, spend all Sunday on the trade floor and fly home Sunday night.

Face it, you can find a thousand reasons not to go whether the show is freezing in Chicago or balmy in Vegas. Those that need to be there will get there, period! I had a full time job, ran a second business with my wife, ran an association and STILL managed to go to every TW, I don't want to hear any more excuses.

This comes to mind......

There are people that MAKE things happen,
People that WATCH things happen,
and people who wonder "WHAT HAPPENED?"

So where do you fall?

[hauntdaddy]

This will be the last TW show we go to then. With the limited funds we have, we do not have the money to fly across the country to go to a show. The Chicago show was relatively close and inexpensive for us.

[Tattoo]

WOW!
Quite the thread going on here!

I don't think the move has anything to do with "weeding" anyone out. I spoke with Greg at TransWorld the other day and he told me that the first floor spaces are sold out. The Rosemont Convention Center can no longer provide the space needed for the show to grow and expand. The Halloween side of the show grows larger year by year. The Haunters area seemed alot smaller last year. I am sure there is open space upstairs where the Haunt area is located but let's face it, most people prefer to be downstairs for obvious reasons.

Will the show be missed in Chi-Town? Absolutely!
Is moving to Vegas a good or bad move? ONLY time will tell.

We plan on attending no matter where the show ends up or what days the show happens to fall on. We do the majority of our buying throughout the year at TW and HauntCon. If Haunting is a major part of your life and income, you will find the time and the money to attend any and every convention that suits your needs.

I think the move to Vegas offers alot more to a broader range of people, and Rich has stated some great points about the city. I look forward to the move and TW always gives you plenty of time to plan and make travel arrangements.

Until then, let's have a great time in Chicago (Rosemont) and we'll see you all soon!

Tattoo

[Infoamtek]

Speaking as a vendor from California, I am delighted to see the show moving to Vegas. No more union goons losing your booth stuff. Plus, Sunday thru Thursday is when Vegas isn't jam-packed and the room rates are CHEAP! And to all those who did the old Vegas TW show, we can go back to Quark's and get wasted on Warp Core Breaches.

[Baron Von Goolo]

I'm so stoked I think I just peed a little! Now my crew and I will be able to attend every year as opposed to, well, actually I never brought my crew because airfare and hotels to Chicago for just myself was a grand. Hell, I haven't been since 2002 because I couldn't justify the expense anymore. (No huge loss - staying in contact with my favorite vendors by catalog and phone has worked out just fine.)

I also think this will be a HUGE shot in the arm for the haunt culture on the West Coast. With the exception of Knott's Scary Farm, people don't seem to flock to haunts out here like they do east of the Mississippi: I don't think they know any better. I won't be a bit surprised if having TW in Vegas (even for just a few years) helps to bring up the quality and presence of haunting on the West Coast overall. If haunting in the West can start to match the quality and the popularity it has in the East, overall it's going to improve business for vendors and frankly, for IAHA as well.

[Jessica Sammis]

So, I just wrote a long, well thought out, reply to this thread and when I hit submit, it disappeared. :x

So here's the short version:
Vegas good!
- For those of us who fly to both Chicago and Vegas, travel is easier and cheaper to LV!
- I used to vacation there every year, until I started my haunted travels. Now I get the best of both!

Vegas bad...
- For those of us with a gambling addiction and other indulgent weaknesses, holding business in LV is a lesson in restraint!

Overall, I am thrilled about Vegas '08!

Now, thinking more short term, this is my third time to Transworld Chicago, and perhaps the last, and I have yet to go to Raven's Grin Inn...an unfortunate fact that must be remedied this year! So, who's going this year?

Jess

[lurker]

Quark's and get wasted on Warp Core Breaches.

Beam me up! I haven't been to Vegas since they got the Star Trek Experience, and my inter Trekkie has been looking for an excuse to get out there.
I still think the week day schedule isn't good, regardless of the cheaper room rates and smaller crowds.

[Jessica Sammis]

Oh yeah, and the days off from work are the same. This year, I am taking Thursday and Friday off to attend two and a half days of the show + tours...next year it will be Monday and Tuesday. No big deal!

[Jim Warfield]

I am going to The Ravens Grin Inn, I wouldn't miss it for the world!

[Nicole]

I do agree with Larry (and with Adam... in a separate off-this-board conversation) regarding the fact that they scheduled the show in the middle of the week.

What in the HELL are they thinking?

To move the show to Vegas is one thing... but MOST if not all haunt-owners I know (or production team members like myself), all have day-jobs... and have to take off work.

I really am starting to think that TW is starting to try to weed us out and cater to the Universal-Disney, big-park haunts.

From a PR standpoint I don't think it was a smart move... especially if they are making such a big change - at least keep the show over the weekend! Geesh.

I like the atmosphere in Chicago - nowhere to go... let's stay-in/visit local haunts, network/talk haunts - it's become a better show and is just getting "established"! Too many distractions in Vegas. Chicago is tradition... hopefully it will comeback "home" in 2009.

[Jim Warfield]

More bad news, Larry misunderstood, Transworld is moving to "Vegas", North Dakota!.

[drfrightner]

Putting the show on weekdays is a REALLY REALLY REALLY bad idea!

Moving the show to VEGAS is a REALLY REALLY good idea!

Haunted house owners for the most part have real jobs and I think will not attend if they're not heavy into haunting.

Moving the show to VEGAS will NOT hurt this show only help it. Everyone saying the opposite really doesn't understand how this will effect the show for the positive.

If you changed the dates of the Halloween show in Chicago to weekdays it would just as much effect the turnout of haunters.

Something to be very concerned about.

Larry

[Greg Chrise]

I don't think being open only during the week is that bad. I don't think getting off of work is any different a commitment than a majority of travelers to the Chicago show had to make.

I'm wondering just what volume of haunts are in fact still charity events (not the obvious Jaycees and Kiwanas) but, the median haunts are not on salary from a charity and seeking ANY get-away haunt vacation is also dipping yet again into their pocket.

Now getting further from populations of haunts means burdening by number more groups?

Like you said before Larry, I'm in Texas and it is the same distance. Most people from Texas actually drove to Chicago some 19 or more hours. For charities however it becomes the decision of supporting the industry or making their event grow a bit.

At some point it should be realized that haunters aren't neccessarily rich. All these conventions are being supported for the love of the community. It isn't because everyone is from the Press on an expense account like the Consumer Electronics Show. The haunt part of the event has been dragged there by the party group it is connected to with no prior solicitation. So I guess the votes will come in after the show.

I do think the regional events will fill in more of a gap, this is what the bitching is. People have money but not jet set money and Chicago was conveneint to more maybe.

I would like to see a picture from Vegas with Larry and Linton wearing a suits. Just kidding. There is a normal course of people going to see Transworld and then having not to go to develop their events or having the finances to do both.

I'm no longer going to feel like a smuck because I can't do both. So there is the business opportunity. The Haunted Press reporting from the Haunted House Consumer Show catering to the growing masses of unqualified smucks. Now there will be even more of them.

Welcome to my club.

[Spookyfinder]

I just know that I'll be there no matter what... I'm saving now! -Tyler

[nocshroud]

wow