FX Show a go again this year

[ScottA]

According to the website it seems the FX show in Florida has decided on dates and a venue for 2010 now. It will be held October 15-17, 2010 at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Kissimmee, FL. That's all it says right now.

[lepage]

I am there and a little bird told me that the Sandman was coming as well!?

[toys2cool]

cool, i hope I could make it

[LadyZod]

I know we'll be there with bells on. Who else is coming?

[MegoMark71]

Im afraid Oct will still be hotter than i can handle. I lived down in south Fla for 5 plus years

[Cmonster]

I'm there. Also got a little something special in the works with the promoters at the moment. Hopefully it'll all work out, but I'll be there either way. By the way, Anna... Your blog is beyond awesome.

SC

[BendyZaius]

If this actually happens it will be small. Most of the other dealers I know will never do a Mike Hertz show again. We'll be in Orlando for Spooky Empire the weekend before, so we may hang around for FX as well if the booth price is reasonable. We'll see I guess.

[Cmonster]

If this actually happens it will be small. Most of the other dealers I know will never do a Mike Hertz show again.

Really? Why?

SC

[LadyZod]

Really? Why?

SC

The last FX was terrible for dealers. Ever since it fell back into the current promoter's hands, things have changed, and not for the best.

It started when he changed the venue to the fairgrounds, and split the dealers between two rooms. One room had George Romero, and the other didn't.

The room with Romero did plenty of business. Dealers there were happy. The other room saw less foot traffic, and dealers there were dying. Many convention goers didn't even KNOW there was a second room. (I did and scored a SWEET Iron Man mego for a song from a hungry dealer.)

Then went he finally got it back to the OCC, he started pushing back the dates. He wanted FX to fall in line with the big shows up north. Problem is... he scheduled FX to compete with Wizard World's shows. Celebrities when double booked choose the more high profile show (Wizard). Big dealers when double booked, choose to go where the celebrities are.

Also, bad timing with bad economy to plan a show for Tax Season. Back in January, people were getting off the whole Xmas high and still willing to splurge.

Again, less foot traffic. Less sales.

So how do you make up for a loss in gate? Charge your dealers MORE for their tables. Take their reservations for corner or wall booths with electricity, and then on the day of the show hold them hostage for more money if they actually want the booth and add-ons they already paid for.

So in short:

1. Crappy layouts
2. Crappy scheduling
(forcing a dealer to choose between FX or a Wizard World)
3. Crappy business practices
(extortion-like practice of changing the price on day of the show)
4. Failure to deliver celebrities to drive the traffic in.

There's a reason we haven't sold at an FX in over 5 yrs.

[David Lee]

The last FX was terrible for dealers. Ever since it fell back into the current promoter's hands, things have changed, and not for the best.

It started when he changed the venue to the fairgrounds, and split the dealers between two rooms. One room had George Romero, and the other didn't.

The room with Romero did plenty of business. Dealers there were happy. The other room saw less foot traffic, and dealers there were dying. Many convention goers didn't even KNOW there was a second room. (I did and scored a SWEET Iron Man mego for a song from a hungry dealer.)

Then went he finally got it back to the OCC, he started pushing back the dates. He wanted FX to fall in line with the big shows up north. Problem is... he scheduled FX to compete with Wizard World's shows. Celebrities when double booked choose the more high profile show (Wizard). Big dealers when double booked, choose to go where the celebrities are.

Also, bad timing with bad economy to plan a show for Tax Season. Back in January, people were getting off the whole Xmas high and still willing to splurge.

Again, less foot traffic. Less sales.

So how do you make up for a loss in gate? Charge your dealers MORE for their tables. Take their reservations for corner or wall booths with electricity, and then on the day of the show hold them hostage for more money if they actually want the booth and add-ons they already paid for.

So in short:

1. Crappy layouts
2. Crappy scheduling
(forcing a dealer to choose between FX or a Wizard World)
3. Crappy business practices
(extortion-like practice of changing the price on day of the show)
4. Failure to deliver celebrities to drive the traffic in.

There's a reason we haven't sold at an FX in over 5 yrs.

What she said... I can personally echo every sentiment.

-Dave

[LadyZod]

What she said... I can personally echo every sentiment.

-Dave

But that doesn't mean you're not coming, right? RIGHT?!

(And this time...BRING ME BODIES!)

Anna

[Cmonster]

Ya know,

I honestly can say, I've never really had a stellar experience at ANY of these shows. Every promoter I've dealt with personally, was always a greedy person who seemed to be in it only for the money. There have only been different levels of how bad they wanted to take advantage of me. I understand that everyone needs to make a buck, but that laundry list that Anna threw up, is pretty much the standard deal with any show I've been to. Not that I've been to every one, or even a lot, but I've done some.

I try not to let it get to me, and just enjoy all the great people at the shows, but I have seen some pretty unscrupulous behavior. You just need to rise above it...

SC

[BendyZaius]

Add to all of this that three years ago, the last FX we sold at, Mike "forgot" to mail his advertisements to his customer mailing list. When we questioned him that the crowd seemed thin, he said "well I didn't send my mailer".

[Cmonster]

Do you think it'll be "thin" crowd this year?

SC

[BendyZaius]

Do you think it'll be "thin" crowd this year?

SC

By thin I meant sparse, of course and yeah I think it will be even worse. If he wants to re-invent this thing as a different show he should do that, but the FX show of old is dead. Megacon now holds the Orlando market.