Kansas City

[Dave Davis]

Jurgen,
I'll miss having you there to exhibit... but on the bright side, I won't have to take an extra suitcase to haul home the cool stuff you supply. <grin>

Take care,
Dave Davis, RPT


----- Original Message ----
From: Jurgen Goering <pianoforte at pianofortesupply.com>
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 12:06:11 AM
Subject: Kansas City


Piano Forte Supply will not be exhibiting at the National Convention in 
Kansas City this year. The exhibit hall was sold out in 19 hrs, about 4 
months before the event, and anyone who came later came too late.  I among 
others.  I am sorry for the many of you on this list who were counting on 
visiting my booth.  Needless to say, I am also disappointed at not being able 
to show all my new items.

Responding to exhibitor complaints that not enough technicians were making 
their way over to the exhibit hall in 2005, the decision was made to move the 
exhibit closer to the main  convention activities.  However, the only room 
available is 40% smaller than the hall previously used.  I haven't yet fully 
understood how this can contribute to the biggest and best ever 50th annual 
convention.

Home office told me that 120 booths could have been sold, but the exhibit 
hall only has room for about 70 booths. (The size of every booth had to be 
reduced by 20% to accommodate even this small number.)  So, at over $600 per 
booth, that amounts to a lost potential revenue of around $30,000 (!) for the 
convention.  I could imagine that with $30,000 a lot of enticements could 
have been afforded to draw technicians across the way into the the exhibit 
hall.  Let me see:  free food? how about caviar canapes, or perhaps a $1,000 
door prize every hour of the exhibit?.... Maybe a grand piano as a prize?  

I can't help but wonder if enough thought was given  to the drawing 
technicians to the large exhibit hall, instead of opting for the poor 
compromise of the smallest exhibit hall in years. (The breaks between 
sessions in '05 were far to short, for example) I don't know why there always 
seems to be such a huge problem surrounding the exhibit hall in the last few 
years.  I don't want to bring up past mistakes, but they were surely made, 
and one important lesson doesn't seem to sink in: a good exhibit hall is 
vital for the success of a convention - it draws technicians to attend.  I 
cannot count the number of technicians who were full of disappointment at the 
Rochester convention, saying to me that they would not have attended if they 
had known there would be only one tool and parts supplier from whom to 
purchase. I know many will be disappointed with the exhibit hall again this 
year.  It is a real pity.

Oh, well, here's hoping for Burbank in 2008.  See you there!
Jurgen Goering
Piano Forte Supply
www.pianofortesupply.com
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