Still on the pinball show subject to get better numbers should the show be combined with other shows to get better exposure and better numbers?
I think it'd be a good idea to either combine with another show or have a focus more than 'just pinball'. Of the three shows that I attend every year (chi pinball expo, midwest gaming classic, pinball at the zoo), MGC has the most foot traffic by far, followed by expo.
The problem is that if you have too focused of a show, you'll only attract the zealots. Zealots are all good and well, but for every zealot of X there are ten guys who like X AND Y, and if a show hits both focuses then he's more than twice as likely to attend.
Also, if possible try and include / invent some kid-focused activities. That way parents can tempt/bribe their kids into going who would otherwise be indifferent... "Hey Jimmy, I know you don't care about pinball, but Mario, Luigi, AND Charizard will be there!" In other words, if you turn it around from 'drag my kids with' to 'keeping my kids on a leash so they don't beat me there', you'll get a much higher buy-in from those with kids.
Having never organised a show nor been to one for that matter, what does it take to organise show?
First thing is to find a venue. Obviously if you're hooking up with another show then you're all set, but if you're striking out on your own then I'd say look further afield than just hotels and convention centers. Your show is going to be small the first year (or first few years), so you need to 'live small'. In other words, keep a strong eye on expenses so you don't go broke. The example I like to use is the ohio pinball show -- it takes place inside an abandoned supermarket. And thinking about it, that makes a TON of sense -- they already have gobs of power running all over the place for the refrigerators and such, plus it's typically a very large undivided space. And since it's currently unused, renting the place out for a month doesn't cost a whole lot.
The downside is that you then have to double-down on
driving traffic to the show, since random foot traffic is almost nonexistent. But you were planning on blitzing the local media anyway, right? RIGHT?
Yes it won't be glamorous, but with any luck you'll have enough to 'roll over' into the next year's show. (Honestly, you won't have much, and forget entirely about donating what's left over to charity -- you'll make more of your time just volunteering to paint houses!)
Finally (and possibly the biggest thing, in my opinion) is having it be a team effort and never forgetting that without everyone pulling their weight, the show doesn't happen. Yes you always need a guy (or three) to be the head guy and spur things along. But there is also a TON of grunt work involved packing, moving, setting up, maintaining, then breaking down and moving machines again.
For example, pinball expo 2001 was a turning point in that show. That was a year after WMS shut down, and the show SUCKED OUT LOUD. Hardly any games on the show floor, and it was obvious to many that if the local collectors didn't step up that the show would die (and sooner rather than later). That was when a lot of local collectors (myself included) started regularly bringing their machines to expo. Either be part of the solution or it'll go away, and I certainly didn't want pinball expo to die! So breaking down a few machines once a year and transporting them across town seems like relatively small potatoes to make sure that the show keeps going.
