Blade Show West?

[jheinen 41]

Who is planning to attend Blade Show West in Portland, OR? It's going to be at the Oregon Convention center from October 5th to the 7th. I'd love to meet some of you face-to-face. I'll bring the bourbon

 

-Jeff

[Wesley Alberson 138]

I wish I could go, however I'm going to the one in Atlanta. Share some pictures while you are there!

[Wes Detrick 488]

I will be there Jeff, at least for one of the days if not more.

[Geoff Keyes 525]

I have a table, and I like bourbon

 

Geoff

[Raymond Richard 80]

Blade Show West was very disappointing the 4 or 5 years that it was in Portland. I will most likely go to the show for a visit but not sure about getting a table. Still several months out and its possible I could change my mind.

[Wes Detrick 488]

9 hours ago, Raymond Richard said:

Blade Show West was very disappointing the 4 or 5 years that it was in Portland. I will most likely go to the show for a visit but not sure about getting a table. Still several months out and its possible I could change my mind.

If you don't mind my asking, why was it disappointing?

[Geoff Keyes 525]

I think BW is going to be better this time around.  Major new setting (the last ones were in marginal spaces) and the knife community is much stronger than it was in Portland.

Geoff

[Raymond Richard 80]

6 hours ago, Wes Detrick said:

If you don't mind my asking, why was it disappointing?

Very low attendance at either location in the past. I just don't think a new location in Portland is the ticket. Hopefully I am wrong.

[Wes Detrick 488]

8 hours ago, Raymond Richard said:

Very low attendance at either location in the past. I just don't think a new location in Portland is the ticket. Hopefully I am wrong.

I hope that Geoff's assessment above is correct and that the increased popularity of knives in the past few years draws much bigger crowds.  We can always hope.

[jheinen 41]

I received a survey from BLADE magazine awhile back that was gauging people's interest in a West coast blade show. I suspect that they got encouraging results from the survey, fueled by the current interest in knife making that Forged in Fire has generated. Popular interest in knife making is probably at an all-time high right now. 

[Raymond Richard 80]

3 hours ago, jheinen said:

I received a survey from BLADE magazine awhile back that was gauging people's interest in a West coast blade show. I suspect that they got encouraging results from the survey, fueled by the current interest in knife making that Forged in Fire has generated. Popular interest in knife making is probably at an all-time high right now. 

Popular interest in knife making. You know how many times I have had my brain picked at a knife show? There's always interest from others that want to learn to make knives. For most of us that do knife shows the number one reason we are there is to sell a few knives. Granted FIF has created more interest in the making of knives but has it created anymore custom knife buyers?

[Geoff Keyes 525]

I've been doing shows a for a while, close to twenty years.  There are always more lookers and wannabes than buyers.  I get some students that way, and I don't feel bad about giving away information.  Most of them are never going to make more than a couple of knives, and most of them are never going to buy a custom knife.  The best you can hope for is that someone will see something that jumps up off the table at them.  I like selling my stuff as much as anyone, but it's rare for me to sell more than one or two at a show.  I make what I like and hope that other folks do too.  I think that BW has the potential to bring in some crowds, and more people make more chances to make a sale.

 

Geoff