Question about Vendor Area Access at Shows

[penumbra]

What do you sell? I can’t tell who you are from your bnut name. That sucks you didn’t get in this year.

Primarily bonsai pots, but also lots of suiseki and scholar rocks, and hand crafted stoneware miniatures like Japanese foot bridges and lanterns etc. My big loss is that the show always propels me to create new things and prototypes which are always well received. So this year a lot of my focus will be on non bonsai things.
I am not well versed in technology like cell phones and such, and sitting at the computer is enough. So I can't compete with those people who have these skills. And I am not up past midnight to register with the early birds. I will miss the show, but it is fine because I have other markets and skills. But it is sad because I felt accepted at the Winter Silhouette Show, had many friends there, sold well and bought better. In fact, I always bought more than my sales because it is a great venue for quality and bargains. Mostly, I will miss all my friends and compatriots.

 

[stewarjm192]

Primarily bonsai pots, but also lots of suiseki and scholar rocks, and hand crafted stoneware miniatures like Japanese foot bridges and lanterns etc. My big loss is that the show always propels me to create new things and prototypes which are always well received. So this year a lot of my focus will be on non bonsai things.
I am not well versed in technology like cell phones and such, and sitting at the computer is enough. So I can't compete with those people who have these skills. And I am not up past midnight to register with the early birds. I will miss the show, but it is fine because I have other markets and skills. But it is sad because I felt accepted at the Winter Silhouette Show, had many friends there, sold well and bought better. In fact, I always bought more than my sales because it is a great venue for quality and bargains. Mostly, I will miss all my friends and compatriots.

Understood completely. Do you have a website? I’d love to see your work and maybe buy a pot or two

 

[penumbra]

Understood completely. Do you have a website? I’d love to see your work and maybe buy a pot or two

I do not have a website. I can't keep up with one. I have sold pots here and a few on FB, but I am so incensed by postal rates that I am not shipping pots now. If I ever get set up with Pirate Ship, I may start up again. Still, it is really different than setting 60 pots out on a table for people to choose from.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I agree, the economic concept of “barrier to entry” certainly plays a role here. Having things be free opens the door to the public and introduces more ppl to bonsai. However I think the goal of the MABS festival is to cater to bonsai practitioners that already have a foot in the door, whether just beginning, or seasoned. The reason there is so much money going around is that it all ends up going back to the clubs involved to help support them in their local endevors. Our club, Mohawk Hudson Bonsai Society works the registration aspect of the show, and based on the number of club members that we have in attendance, we get a check from MABS based on that number in attendance. This check is substantial, and helps us fund our activities throughout the year.

So I guess you have to ask yourself, what is the goal of the event? Is it to bring in new people from the public to the hobby? Or is it to support the groups and current practitioners who choose to attend?

You are correct - it is all about objectives. To me it is somewhat counter-intuitive to get club members to pay for something... just so you can send the money back to the clubs. Why not just ask club members to pay a membership fee - so that the show can be free? Or hold an annual club auction or something similar?

I have a strong personal bias - since the entire reason I created this site was to make bonsai more accessible to as many people as possible. More people = more interest. More interest = more money. More money = more nurseries, more potters, more shows. The biggest complaint I had about the old GSBF shows was that they were too parochial - the shows were created for the clubs and not for the general public. They were held in out-of-the-way locations, they weren't publicized, and they weren't (in general) designed to be open to the public. Because I didn't belong to any of the big clubs, there were some years where shows would come and go - and I wouldn't even know they happened. I'm one of the biggest bonsai fanatics out there, and if a show comes and goes and I've never even heard about it...? I would often hear the same complaint from people that tried the club scene in SoCal and then went back to practicing bonsai on their own - too insular, too parochial, same small group of old people practicing bonsai with each other for decades and not all that interested in bringing new people in.

 

[Paradox]

There is a full registration that covers the whole weekend of demonstrations and includes vending access. The Per Diem registration fees also are for demos and vending, just for one day. There then is the cost of workshops with the artists(that include material) and exhibit critiques which are both in addition to registration.

I have been attending MABS for many years, Im aware of the structure of the different fees for people attending. I wasnt sure if the single day one also included vendors but it make sense. I also know the workshops and critiques are an additional fee but those they need to pay for the material and the artists time.

I didnt know if they charged vendors for their table as I never got to that part of the registration page.

You said in a later post that each club gets a check back from MABS and its typically quite a bit of money.
If that is the case and they arent just covering the costs of the hotel, artists and material needed, then yes I also have to wonder what the goal is?
Do the clubs pay taxes on those profits? Because that is what they are. They certainly arent charities that can qualify for tax exempt status.

 

[stewarjm192]

I have been attending MABS for many years, Im aware of the structure of the different fees for people attending. I wasnt sure if the single day one also included vendors but it make sense. I also know the workshops and critiques are an additional fee but those they need to pay for the material and the artists time.

I didnt know if they charged vendors for their table as I never got to that part of the registration page.

You said in a later post that each club gets a check back from MABS and its typically quite a bit of money.
If that is the case and they arent just covering the costs of the hotel, artists and material needed, then yes I also have to wonder what the goal is?
Do the clubs pay taxes on those profits? Because that is what they are. They certainly arent charities that can qualify for tax exempt status.

the event has plenty of other money generating activities, raffles, and auctions that raise money. I’m not on the MABS board so I don’t profess to know their finances so I have no idea what “profit” they make.

Most clubs do have tax exempt status of one kind or another if they so choose to register. There are many types of tax exempt status groups.

All in all, the money goes to clubs that then spend it on their members, so if you join a club affiliated with mabs, you benefit. No MABS board members are paid, none of our club board members are paid, no one is lining their pockets with MABS profit as far as I know….its a fun event that brings in artists that the affiliate clubs may not otherwise have access to.