Did anyone see this ridiculous press release: https://www.hauntcon.com/gore-galore...-hauntcon-2019
The retail show wanted to give haunt owners a different badge so you can't go to their parties, or pick up brochures, or at one point they wanted you to be excluded from certain parts of the show. Gore Galore is pushing his lot in with the retail show who're trying to well at least in my opinion SAVE their dying retail show at the expense of the haunted house show. WOW. Here is the reality no matter WHAT Hauntcon does, no matter how many vendors they try get to attend their show, no matter how many perks they offer, of free booths to make it appear they're gaining steam it just won't work. I heard Gore Galore is being paid to attend this show and I wonder how many other vendors might get offered the same. If this is true that is sad. If your show is successful then why the need to take this approach?
Remember it actually costs money to attend tradeshows, thousands upon thousands of dollars. You have to create a booth, ship everything, pay people to man your booth, pay for expenses, and the list goes on and on. We're going to IAAPA this year for the first time in three years, it will cost me $40k probably. Even if they're paying Gore Galore to attend or build a booth he's taking time out of his shop. To me that is a grave mistake. I can't see retailers wanting to buy the super expensive props from Gore Galore or any other company. They're selling to consumers who want cheap props and cheap prices. Gore Galore stuff is WAY OVER THE TOP expensive how is retailers going for that stuff?
So if retali isn't the play here maybe its to hurt Transworld who works their ass off for the industry. Or maybe I'm wrong maybe Gore Galore is coming out with a retail line what do I know. I don't see Haunted house owners attending this show because Gore Galore is going or just in general. I haven't heard one person tell me they can't wait to attend Hauntcon or the retail show not one. From my perspective and just my opinion this retail show wants to bring life back into their show by luring haunted house owners and vendors back to them. If that where to happen and if Transworld was seriously hurt by that when all the dust cleared it would be the haunters who suffer. We have our own show. We have an ownership group who keeps booth prices low. We have an ownership group who invests into the show and listens to what we need. Playing second fiddle to retailers not going to happen ever again. We did that already and we don't want to do it again.
I'm simply in SHOCK that Gore Galore would allow these people to use his name and what appears to be a slap in the face at Transworld. I think given the fact that TW has given Gore Galore the best booth spot in their show, put him on their board, and done many favors he should have handled this different. Some people might view my comments as a slam on Gore Galore but its not... I don't want to see our show torn apart where vendors get paid to endorse or lend their name to a competing show, promote that show and thereby spread a false narative that there is anything but ONE main haunted house show.
That is just wrong and I believe what Gore Galore did was just a complete slap in the face to Transworld. Very sad! But hey this is a free country and if the retail industry wants to create a hauntshow, if they are or want to pay vendors to attend to build up that show, and or if they're design is to get the ENTIRE haunt industry to push in with them well that is for our industry to decide.
I will say however our show can't support a show in January. We dont 'want to play second fiddle to retailers. We don't want to be used to save a retail show that from my perspective isn't going to last either way. The retail industry has been mostly taken over by a small handful of players and that isn't going to change anytime soon. So if you ask me the picture isn't bright for a halloween retail show. Throwing your logo, your name, into that ring while possibly hurting Transworld is just wrong.
Just WOW!
Larry
The retail show wanted to give haunt owners a different badge so you can't go to their parties, or pick up brochures, or at one point they wanted you to be excluded from certain parts of the show. Gore Galore is pushing his lot in with the retail show who're trying to well at least in my opinion SAVE their dying retail show at the expense of the haunted house show. WOW. Here is the reality no matter WHAT Hauntcon does, no matter how many vendors they try get to attend their show, no matter how many perks they offer, of free booths to make it appear they're gaining steam it just won't work. I heard Gore Galore is being paid to attend this show and I wonder how many other vendors might get offered the same. If this is true that is sad. If your show is successful then why the need to take this approach?
Remember it actually costs money to attend tradeshows, thousands upon thousands of dollars. You have to create a booth, ship everything, pay people to man your booth, pay for expenses, and the list goes on and on. We're going to IAAPA this year for the first time in three years, it will cost me $40k probably. Even if they're paying Gore Galore to attend or build a booth he's taking time out of his shop. To me that is a grave mistake. I can't see retailers wanting to buy the super expensive props from Gore Galore or any other company. They're selling to consumers who want cheap props and cheap prices. Gore Galore stuff is WAY OVER THE TOP expensive how is retailers going for that stuff?
So if retali isn't the play here maybe its to hurt Transworld who works their ass off for the industry. Or maybe I'm wrong maybe Gore Galore is coming out with a retail line what do I know. I don't see Haunted house owners attending this show because Gore Galore is going or just in general. I haven't heard one person tell me they can't wait to attend Hauntcon or the retail show not one. From my perspective and just my opinion this retail show wants to bring life back into their show by luring haunted house owners and vendors back to them. If that where to happen and if Transworld was seriously hurt by that when all the dust cleared it would be the haunters who suffer. We have our own show. We have an ownership group who keeps booth prices low. We have an ownership group who invests into the show and listens to what we need. Playing second fiddle to retailers not going to happen ever again. We did that already and we don't want to do it again.
I'm simply in SHOCK that Gore Galore would allow these people to use his name and what appears to be a slap in the face at Transworld. I think given the fact that TW has given Gore Galore the best booth spot in their show, put him on their board, and done many favors he should have handled this different. Some people might view my comments as a slam on Gore Galore but its not... I don't want to see our show torn apart where vendors get paid to endorse or lend their name to a competing show, promote that show and thereby spread a false narative that there is anything but ONE main haunted house show.
That is just wrong and I believe what Gore Galore did was just a complete slap in the face to Transworld. Very sad! But hey this is a free country and if the retail industry wants to create a hauntshow, if they are or want to pay vendors to attend to build up that show, and or if they're design is to get the ENTIRE haunt industry to push in with them well that is for our industry to decide.
I will say however our show can't support a show in January. We dont 'want to play second fiddle to retailers. We don't want to be used to save a retail show that from my perspective isn't going to last either way. The retail industry has been mostly taken over by a small handful of players and that isn't going to change anytime soon. So if you ask me the picture isn't bright for a halloween retail show. Throwing your logo, your name, into that ring while possibly hurting Transworld is just wrong.
Just WOW!
Larry
Comment