Retailers, Manufacturers, Industry Types

[Jason Harris 31]

Interesting, I never looked at it from that perspective.

[DarkStar50 679]

I went to every CSGA show in Montreal from 1981 to 2000. In the 80's the show was in the middle of February. By the 90's it had moved to the end of January. I remember one year watching the Super Bowl in Montreal! The show started on Sunday and ended by Tuesday noon. The CSGA show was a premier event for a long time. Every vendor was there. I was there when Mike Vaughn started in a basement booth with tan leg pads. The CSGA show had a buzz to it that was a refreshing positive hockey experience. And being in Montreal on a Saturday night in January or February was not a bad thing. This is the hockey business, not the swimsuit business!! For you young guys, weather should never be a factor in your pub crawl! Never made a difference to me in Montreal at -10 fahrenheit(sp?). So what if its snowing a blizzard out. You were in Montreal, the heartbeat of hockey.

All that being said, I think Boston is a great location for the next show. If you have never been to Beantown, you are missing out on a great party town. Boston is not Montreal in January so weather wise, take what ever we get in stride. I work on Sundays in my shop and I am off Saturdays. My partner does the opposite. So I'll hit the show on Saturday. Boston is only 4 hours by car from NYC.

Since the major vendors are in Boston, there is the only one place to go. Also, for BNH, THC, MisTech, and others Boston is alot closer to their headquarters than Vegas. They are definitely pleased to not have to truck their exhibits to Vegas.

[Chadd 916]

Since the major vendors are in Boston, there is the only one place to go. Also, for BNH, THC, MisTech, and others Boston is alot closer to their headquarters than Vegas. They are definitely pleased to not have to truck their exhibits to Vegas.

And that's what it's all about, convenience for the big boys.

I love Toronto as much as any American but it was -40 as a high the one day. That's too cold to spend more than a couple minutes outside. Much more than that and you risk problems.

[DarkStar50 679]

-40 celsius or fahrenheit? There is a big difference. All Canadian weather reports for temps are in Celsius.

Chadd,

Vegas was not convienent for the big boys. As I said, the premier show was in Montreal for over 20 years. Nobody had a problem when the CSGA held it there. It was a very well attended show by Canadians from as far west as Vancouver, southern Californians from the US, and lots of international buyers from Germany, Finland, and Asia. Also, don't worry about winter in Toronto or Montreal, if they ever have a show in those places. You can travel the cities underground! These cities have already been living with winter and know how to manage snow removal and let people travel safely from place to place.

[Chadd 916]

at -40, they are the same.

It took me 3 hours to get to Niagara Falls on my way back because nobody would go more than 25mph in the snow and it was cold even underground or on the subway. Good thing I was filled with anti-freeze after the first night. The hangover on day one of the show was a bit of a drag.

At least I can get a direct flight to Boston or Toronto. That makes a big difference to me as well.

[JR Boucicaut 3801]

You had a hangover the entire weekend!

As far as the cold weather goes...in Toronto my black ass was FROZEN...I was one of two stores from FL to go to the show.

[prenny207 1]

chadd,

you made a comment earlier that the dealers will follow the bigger manufacturers to the show, meaining they will most likely go to boston. but will they???? i don't think so. heres the problem. for starters, many of dealers are rather pissed at manufacturers right now, the hockey market sucks, they are fighting to pay rent and bills, before they can even look at product bills that they have.

the customers that are going to actually be booking product are going to see their rep anyways, and quite a few of them before the shows even happen. so why spend the money to attend either show, especially the one with the big companies when the dealers will see the product either way. so if they are going to attend a show, why not the one with the small accessory companies that might not have reps, and the products that they will only see at the show.

call me biased here, but i feel bad for the reps that may be forced to attend both shows becasue they represent manufacturers at both shows and are pressured to be there. two flights, overlapping shows, extreme hotel bills... and all this when the bulk of dealers (at least my territory) aren't booking any product at all from any companies. so basically its a loss of money for those reps, with no real sight of return on investment.

man i wish the manufacturers would look at the good old days and bring this industry back to those times... manufacturers, dealers, and reps all made a good living.

[Chadd 916]

You had a hangover the entire weekend!

As far as the cold weather goes...in Toronto my black ass was FROZEN...I was one of two stores from FL to go to the show.

I was fine by the end of the first day, thought it did take a while to get over that abdominal workout. ;)

Prenny:

Good points. I'm honestly surprised that the smaller manufacturers haven't started to band together a little more. Through a secondary industry association or some other means.

[JR Boucicaut 3801]

They have. They're all on here.

[Chadd 916]

They have. They're all on here.

We're not going to change the industry.

[JR Boucicaut 3801]

I didn't mean MSH.

[modernice 0]

You had a hangover the entire weekend!

As far as the cold weather goes...in Toronto my black ass was FROZEN...I was one of two stores from FL to go to the show.

I was fine by the end of the first day, thought it did take a while to get over that abdominal workout. ;)

Prenny:

Good points. I'm honestly surprised that the smaller manufacturers haven't started to band together a little more. Through a secondary industry association or some other means.

this is what the SHiFT Hockey Alliance is all about, I can explain offline if anyone is interested, I will also post here to keep everyone informed in the coming months...

cheers,

gb

modern hockey

[modernice 0]

You had a hangover the entire weekend!

As far as the cold weather goes...in Toronto my black ass was FROZEN...I was one of two stores from FL to go to the show.

JR

was the BHZ one of the stores you refer too, as we were there! and man, was it cold!! Even for a Winnipegger it was cold!

gb

[JR Boucicaut 3801]

Technically it was two stores - I didn't go on RDV's dime so I didn't do any business for them. It was you guys and Incredible Ice.

[Jason Harris 31]

Prenny,

If you're correct about dealers possibly not going to the show, the sparse attendance could ultimately lead to better dialogue between the IHIA and its customers.

I have no problem with the show being in Boston; indeed, I like the concept of visiting different cities each year. However, I get the impression that the IHIA didn't take a poll of the dealers, "Where and when would you like us to hold the tradeshow?"

Given I've heard a backlash, it seems a simple poll (perhaps in The Hockey Business News), could have muted it.

[prenny207 1]

"Where and when would you like us to hold the tradeshow?"

i too don't really have a problem with boston, but i do agree with some others that the cost's of going there for a show are a bit high.

with regards to a location... i also think that a roaming show would be a good idea. it keeps more dealers satisfied that they can go to different locations, which may be close to them at times. i think the warmer climates are nice, but lets be honest, the industry does need to cater to both US and Canada, so have it alternate every year between the two, and change the locations.

on a time for the show: full weekend in february! the montreal show used to be on valentines, i don't think that is the smartest, but the weekend before that would be good. the funny part of this, is manufacturers say they need the show early so they can get product in on time... the dealers DON'T need new product in feb., june and july will work just fine, like it did before. have the show in feb. reps book with dealers feb-apr. product delivers and sells june-dec. dealers run their numbers and do inventories in jan, and come to the show in feb ready to do it all over again. it worked once before, it sure as hell could work again.

the biggest thing though: ONE SHOW!!!!!!!!

two shows is going to put a bigger hurt on the industry then i think some people realize. the fact that manufacturers and dealers have a choice of which to go to... what good can come from that. neither show will have great attendance, and none of the companies will get a good opportunity to show their products.

hey, what do i know... i'm just a rep... but a rep that has to TRY to make a living selling these products in this industry. don't get me wrong, i love this industry, but i want to see it survive and be successful, but mostly FUN. when dealers don't have money to buy, they usually don't even want to see reps, which means we all pretty much lose out on the fun that this business used to be.

[modernice 0]

"Where and when would you like us to hold the tradeshow?"

i too don't really have a problem with boston, but i do agree with some others that the cost's of going there for a show are a bit high.

with regards to a location... i also think that a roaming show would be a good idea. it keeps more dealers satisfied that they can go to different locations, which may be close to them at times. i think the warmer climates are nice, but lets be honest, the industry does need to cater to both US and Canada, so have it alternate every year between the two, and change the locations.

on a time for the show: full weekend in february! the montreal show used to be on valentines, i don't think that is the smartest, but the weekend before that would be good. the funny part of this, is manufacturers say they need the show early so they can get product in on time... the dealers DON'T need new product in feb., june and july will work just fine, like it did before. have the show in feb. reps book with dealers feb-apr. product delivers and sells june-dec. dealers run their numbers and do inventories in jan, and come to the show in feb ready to do it all over again. it worked once before, it sure as hell could work again.

the biggest thing though: ONE SHOW!!!!!!!!

two shows is going to put a bigger hurt on the industry then i think some people realize. the fact that manufacturers and dealers have a choice of which to go to... what good can come from that. neither show will have great attendance, and none of the companies will get a good opportunity to show their products.

hey, what do i know... i'm just a rep... but a rep that has to TRY to make a living selling these products in this industry. don't get me wrong, i love this industry, but i want to see it survive and be successful, but mostly FUN. when dealers don't have money to buy, they usually don't even want to see reps, which means we all pretty much lose out on the fun that this business used to be.

Prenny

You are so right about thr ONE SHOW thing...and if it can't come to a One Show arrangement, eventually both shows will die on the vine and something new will emerge, something different; fun, practical and engaging for all parties- dealers, reps, manufacturers and maybe even consumers too.

The IHIA is not known for their inclusion and i hope their "Big 5" attitude doesn't push alot of the new innovation out. The next few years are shaping up to be a great new era for Hockey culture. It would be a shame to lose out on some of the ingenuity and choice because dealers could only make it happen with 5 brands.

I'm in Vancouver and will gladly make the Boston show. I found Vegas show to be ultra expensive for a small cdn. company to attend.

It always helps when you WIN a brand new fishing Boat!! tho' :P

cheers

gb

[JR Boucicaut 3801]

You won the boat?

[modernice 0]

You won the boat?

Yes, it was classic! during wrap-up in Vegas on the final day.

I was haggling with Let's Play Hockey over damaged goods(basically they trashed my booth and wouldn't cover the damages, after they said they would)

To say the least, i was pretty disappointed..that is until they announced that my brother had just won the Lund Fishing Boat. yeehaw. B)

it's all about Karma!

gb

[Jason Harris 31]

Hey, I checked the B's schedule, and they have a long home stand during the week before and after the show. If anyone has contacts at the IHIA well, perhaps they could suggest that the IHIA should reserve a block of tickets for exhibitors and attendees.

[Chadd 916]

Does anyone know the exact location of the show in Boston? I've only spent a little time looking but I haven't been able to find out that minor bit of info.

[Jason Harris 31]

One Goal Hockey Show

Click on 'English' -- or 'Francais' if you're ambidexterous.... -- then Exhibitor Information on the left, then Boston Convention & Exhibition Centre about five choices down.

[Chadd 916]

One Goal Hockey Show

Click on 'English' -- or 'Francais' if you're ambidexterous.... -- then Exhibitor Information on the left, then Boston Convention & Exhibition Centre about five choices down.

Haha, I was just looking at the floorplan and they have Blackstone and Blademaster in the same aisle.

On a side note, the Convention center website is a pain trying to get an address or a decent map.

[Jason Harris 31]

Boy, you're up too late! :lol:

The address is right on the front page below the photo of the center, and there's a link for Maps & Directions right above the photo.

And, on that note, off to bed I go....

[Chadd 916]

Boy, you're up too late! :lol:

The address is right on the front page below the photo of the center, and there's a link for Maps & Directions right above the photo.

And, on that note, off to bed I go....

I see the link, but the map sucks.