Halloween and Haunted Tradeshow Report
TRADESHOW REPORT HALLOWEEN RETAIL SHOWS ARE SCARY BUSINESS IN 2009
Well both of the major Halloween Retail shows are over and the results are in... Both shows are flops. Both Houston Halloween Tradeshow and the Transworld Halloween and Party Show bombed bringing in the buyers. Our sources report the Transworld show was worse but both shows more or less flopped. In the past there was only one MAJOR Spring Halloween retail show and that was the Transworld Halloween and Party Show.
As of this year many of the major retail players specifically Rubies, decided to start their own show in Houston. Basically both shows cannibalized each other to the point that neither are considered a success. A show that use to draw in over 8,000 buyers spanned across 400,000 square feet was reduced to a few hundred buyers and no more than 1/5th the footage.
Now considering both shows are considered flops, both shows may soon court the Haunt industry back or introduce them to their existing retail shows. What a funny turn of events I would say considering it was the retail industry that wanted the haunts out of the show. Only now do they realize the haunts brought in bodies, and excitement with all the incredible Hollywood over the top props and animations.
Reality is that both shows probably now think if they can get the haunters back to their shows maybe they can win out over the show. The truth is however that the haunts have nothing to do with the retail flops... retail buyers do not buy from haunted house vendors because their products cost more than they are willing to pay, and additionally take up a lot of floor space. No 5,000 square foot costume shop wants a giant animation in the store that doesn't generate income. Haunted house owners could attend a retail show but they won't buy anything... yes they are lookers not buyers. If you are a haunted house owner you have passion for Halloween so you enjoy looking but seldom do they buy.
Sooo... bringing haunted houses back into the fold of a retail show will NOT solve the problem. The real solution is one of the two shows must go its really that simple. Our prediction is that one of the shows will go and it will be the show that no longer has Rubies as an exhibitor. Yes we are sure there are many vendors who do not like the idea of Rubies running their own show, however vendors are also smart enough to realize that Rubies brings buyers with them. Without Rubies no Halloween retail show will survive, period with or without haunters involved.
When both shows come a calling asking haunts if they will co-locate the answer is NO! Period! WE DO NOT NOR DOES ANYONE want to go to Chicago in the winter. Everything from the hotels, food, unions, to the hall itself cost way to much money for the haunt industry. Additionally why would the haunt industry want to co-locate with a dying Halloween retail show in the cold months in Chicago and pay more for the privledge? We don't and won't.
Then comes to Houston...yes they have called, and yes they are now interested feeling how this could be the final dagger into Transworld and bring them more bodies on the show floor in addition to sell more booth space. HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM... for one you are charging $2500.00 per booth, that is double what vendors are paying in St. Louis, and you have no background, no knowledge, on how or who to promote a show to. Not to mention with Rubies running your show you will focus all of your marketing dollars on RETAIL! SO HOUSTON GO HOME... we wish you luck from afar. We wish the Transworld retail show luck from afar, and even hope they win out over Houston.
Either way the haunt industry must move on and leave once and for all no matter what any one of these tradeshow organizations ask of us... we don't need them nor do we want to co-locate with a retail show. We are ATTRACTIONS with specific needs, and we need to grow our business by bringing new vendors from the amusement industry.
We need to embrace our fellow corn maze, pumpkin patch and even Christmas light show brothers and sisters and grow the show into something even bigger and better than ever imagined. RETAIL SHOWS... good luck, but our haunted future lies within our own show, with the marketing dollars focused on our industry, our needs, wants, and desires not mixed up with two retail shows going south not north.
I wish to THANK TRANSWORLD for taking the leap and creating this 2009 Haunt Show, and we offer to help them grow this show into something bigger than they have ever imagined and we can get there within 3 years. But they must stay the course otherwise it will be time for the haunt industry to produce their own show for their own association that benefits our indutry not a greedy retail industry.
A few years ago someone high up and I won't mention his name said he had never seen an industry that couldn't agree or fought more than the haunt industry. Now with the show only days away and an expected crowd more than double of Vegas and Houston combined and with the retail industry squaring fighting like cats and dogs and ruining the small guys in the process... I wonder if this person would retract his statements and now point the light square on the retail side.
For haunts its time to be one, for your own industry, look out for ourselves, and support those who we can trust, who stand behind us, and who will lead us... So far Transworld has not let us down and I hope it stays that way.
Again I hope this show will be the start of something new for Transworld.
I will see you all in St. Louis March 26th through March 29. www.HauntShow.com
Well both of the major Halloween Retail shows are over and the results are in... Both shows are flops. Both Houston Halloween Tradeshow and the Transworld Halloween and Party Show bombed bringing in the buyers. Our sources report the Transworld show was worse but both shows more or less flopped. In the past there was only one MAJOR Spring Halloween retail show and that was the Transworld Halloween and Party Show.
As of this year many of the major retail players specifically Rubies, decided to start their own show in Houston. Basically both shows cannibalized each other to the point that neither are considered a success. A show that use to draw in over 8,000 buyers spanned across 400,000 square feet was reduced to a few hundred buyers and no more than 1/5th the footage.
Now considering both shows are considered flops, both shows may soon court the Haunt industry back or introduce them to their existing retail shows. What a funny turn of events I would say considering it was the retail industry that wanted the haunts out of the show. Only now do they realize the haunts brought in bodies, and excitement with all the incredible Hollywood over the top props and animations.
Reality is that both shows probably now think if they can get the haunters back to their shows maybe they can win out over the show. The truth is however that the haunts have nothing to do with the retail flops... retail buyers do not buy from haunted house vendors because their products cost more than they are willing to pay, and additionally take up a lot of floor space. No 5,000 square foot costume shop wants a giant animation in the store that doesn't generate income. Haunted house owners could attend a retail show but they won't buy anything... yes they are lookers not buyers. If you are a haunted house owner you have passion for Halloween so you enjoy looking but seldom do they buy.
Sooo... bringing haunted houses back into the fold of a retail show will NOT solve the problem. The real solution is one of the two shows must go its really that simple. Our prediction is that one of the shows will go and it will be the show that no longer has Rubies as an exhibitor. Yes we are sure there are many vendors who do not like the idea of Rubies running their own show, however vendors are also smart enough to realize that Rubies brings buyers with them. Without Rubies no Halloween retail show will survive, period with or without haunters involved.
When both shows come a calling asking haunts if they will co-locate the answer is NO! Period! WE DO NOT NOR DOES ANYONE want to go to Chicago in the winter. Everything from the hotels, food, unions, to the hall itself cost way to much money for the haunt industry. Additionally why would the haunt industry want to co-locate with a dying Halloween retail show in the cold months in Chicago and pay more for the privledge? We don't and won't.
Then comes to Houston...yes they have called, and yes they are now interested feeling how this could be the final dagger into Transworld and bring them more bodies on the show floor in addition to sell more booth space. HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM... for one you are charging $2500.00 per booth, that is double what vendors are paying in St. Louis, and you have no background, no knowledge, on how or who to promote a show to. Not to mention with Rubies running your show you will focus all of your marketing dollars on RETAIL! SO HOUSTON GO HOME... we wish you luck from afar. We wish the Transworld retail show luck from afar, and even hope they win out over Houston.
Either way the haunt industry must move on and leave once and for all no matter what any one of these tradeshow organizations ask of us... we don't need them nor do we want to co-locate with a retail show. We are ATTRACTIONS with specific needs, and we need to grow our business by bringing new vendors from the amusement industry.
We need to embrace our fellow corn maze, pumpkin patch and even Christmas light show brothers and sisters and grow the show into something even bigger and better than ever imagined. RETAIL SHOWS... good luck, but our haunted future lies within our own show, with the marketing dollars focused on our industry, our needs, wants, and desires not mixed up with two retail shows going south not north.
I wish to THANK TRANSWORLD for taking the leap and creating this 2009 Haunt Show, and we offer to help them grow this show into something bigger than they have ever imagined and we can get there within 3 years. But they must stay the course otherwise it will be time for the haunt industry to produce their own show for their own association that benefits our indutry not a greedy retail industry.
A few years ago someone high up and I won't mention his name said he had never seen an industry that couldn't agree or fought more than the haunt industry. Now with the show only days away and an expected crowd more than double of Vegas and Houston combined and with the retail industry squaring fighting like cats and dogs and ruining the small guys in the process... I wonder if this person would retract his statements and now point the light square on the retail side.
For haunts its time to be one, for your own industry, look out for ourselves, and support those who we can trust, who stand behind us, and who will lead us... So far Transworld has not let us down and I hope it stays that way.
Again I hope this show will be the start of something new for Transworld.
I will see you all in St. Louis March 26th through March 29. www.HauntShow.com
Labels: Halloween Tradeshows
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