jamesrxx951
100cc
no offense taken or appearance of brand war here.
Toledo Show - Times they are a changing....
- Thread starter SleepyC
- Start date
Krazy Karl
30cc
Skids of toys from China well... kind of really ticked me off this year. It's become half flea market which is sad. I sent a letter to the Toledo commissioners stating they need to do something or it's going to die. I suggested the flea bag sellers pay a lot more than qualifying manufacturers. They need to do something or it's a matter of time.
You can never replace seeing it live and the static display models you just simply can not see just anywhere. That is half the show for myself and probably would drive just for that. But even the static displays were weak compared to years past. Not one aerobatic plane was displayed on Friday. Not sure if any even showed up.
Reason: ARF's. Period. We are losing any craftsman and the skill sets to go with building also. That is another facet of the hobby that is fading as well. SAD!
You can never replace seeing it live and the static display models you just simply can not see just anywhere. That is half the show for myself and probably would drive just for that. But even the static displays were weak compared to years past. Not one aerobatic plane was displayed on Friday. Not sure if any even showed up.
Reason: ARF's. Period. We are losing any craftsman and the skill sets to go with building also. That is another facet of the hobby that is fading as well. SAD!
Bipeguy03
150cc
Exactly!!! There was a guy there selling some kind of wax/scratch remover for cars, he was really pushy and you could barely understand him...... Still don't know what that was even doing there! lol
HornetNZ
50cc
Don't forget the chairs with electric pain shockers! wth?
I've only been to the show the last 4 years, so I can't compare to what it was like back in 'the hay day'. I personally like the expos to get that hands-on experience, especially for the bigger aircraft and other items that your hobbyshops typically don't carry. That and the chance to talk to the owners, ask all the setup & random support questions that are difficult to get across over email or phone is a huge plus. And, lets not forget the money we save on shipping.
Last year I sat and talked to Electro Dynamics for a good 15 minutes inquiring about what power setup to use on my first gasser, how their stuff differs from Fromeco, etc. I walked away with product in my hands and a plan in my head because of the advice they had time to share.
I helped out AJ Aircraft this year, and there were very few times when Andrew & Joe weren't busy talking to someone. However, other than some waves during peak times, our row wasn't consistently clogged with people. And I hear Sunday was pretty dead from multiple sources.
I enjoy seeing the product, meeting people known in the industry (like @SleepyC !), and simply being immersed in R/C stuff for the whole weekend. I'll be back.
Chris singer
New to GSN!
Ill be honest - its what you make of your time at the show that counts. 30 years ago it was all about rc cars. Thats why I went then.
Now im into planes and was able to find most if not all of the ktems on my list. Its been the same for the last 8 to 10 years. Tastes change but the basics are there if you take the time to look.
The swap shop is what kills me. Any decent hobby shop that had more than 1000 people stop by in a day woould be crazy to be open only 1 day a week. But thats what happens. Most of the vendors were gone by noon on saturday.
Overall i had a great weekend, lots of fun some great deals and some neat things to see.
Chris
Now im into planes and was able to find most if not all of the ktems on my list. Its been the same for the last 8 to 10 years. Tastes change but the basics are there if you take the time to look.
The swap shop is what kills me. Any decent hobby shop that had more than 1000 people stop by in a day woould be crazy to be open only 1 day a week. But thats what happens. Most of the vendors were gone by noon on saturday.
Overall i had a great weekend, lots of fun some great deals and some neat things to see.
Chris
Bartman
Defender of the Noob!
that's the one that had me scratching my head.
there were a few empty booths so if you're the guy selling booths you'll let anyone in to fill the spots.
on the other hand i was introduced to "Foam Tac" this year! it was a life changing experience!
zMayhem
30cc
That is true Sleepy! Just to let all know, thought the locals may not have come out and vendors for Giants scale parts were not at the show. It is nice to know I met up with some friends from Last years Joe Nall. They flew in for the weekend to attend the show. Country of origin, Panama.
We had a great weekend!
Jim
We had a great weekend!
Jim
pawnshopmike
Staff member
I think the GSN Fly-in saved the show! 
I wan't able to attend. But if I had, flying with friends would have been the main draw.
I wan't able to attend. But if I had, flying with friends would have been the main draw.
Xpress
GSN Sponsor Tier 1
I agree, it seems like shows are starting to become a thing of the past. We used to have the MWE (Mid Winter Electrics) event down here in San Diego every year in May at the Silent Electric Flyers of San Diego club- it was big. I remember seeing many big name pilots (Leseberg, Jesky, Archer to name a few) at the event, one day I remember it just being packed to the brim and people were lining up to get their stick time- then it kind of diminished and eventually just disappeared. They haven't held the event for a few years now which I'm a bit bummed about, I really liked that event.
The same can go for the Wenatchee Huckfest. I've only been one time (last year) but from what I heard the attendance was down almost half at that event than it was previous years. Now they're not even putting it on at all this year (I think this might be more to do with club politics than general attendance). Seems like a lot of big events are losing attendance. AMA Expo this year seemed to be kind of thin too, there were lots of vendors but most of it was multirotors. Not against the multi's, but nobody really had anything that was new or exciting.
My thoughts on the subject are that it may just be a part of the economy. It's slowly starting to recover which is why shows/events are sustaining and trugging along. Who knows, maybe in the next handful of years we might be seeing more of them popping up. Social media definitely plays a toll on shows as well because manufacturers can announce their new and exciting products on the forums whenever they are ready to announce rather than keeping it wrapped up for a show. Why spend all of that money to send equipment, products, and employees out to an event when they can announce stuff online?
I personally like attending shows. I like checking products out in person, meeting face to face with people, hanging out with friends, the whole 9 yards. It's one thing to chat with people on the web, it's another thing entirely to meet up with them at events. I think some manufacturers like to do that still because it puts actual people out there that know the products and that will basically stop and drop everything to help someone out. Builds up a better manufacturer-customer relationship.
The same can go for the Wenatchee Huckfest. I've only been one time (last year) but from what I heard the attendance was down almost half at that event than it was previous years. Now they're not even putting it on at all this year (I think this might be more to do with club politics than general attendance). Seems like a lot of big events are losing attendance. AMA Expo this year seemed to be kind of thin too, there were lots of vendors but most of it was multirotors. Not against the multi's, but nobody really had anything that was new or exciting.
My thoughts on the subject are that it may just be a part of the economy. It's slowly starting to recover which is why shows/events are sustaining and trugging along. Who knows, maybe in the next handful of years we might be seeing more of them popping up. Social media definitely plays a toll on shows as well because manufacturers can announce their new and exciting products on the forums whenever they are ready to announce rather than keeping it wrapped up for a show. Why spend all of that money to send equipment, products, and employees out to an event when they can announce stuff online?
I personally like attending shows. I like checking products out in person, meeting face to face with people, hanging out with friends, the whole 9 yards. It's one thing to chat with people on the web, it's another thing entirely to meet up with them at events. I think some manufacturers like to do that still because it puts actual people out there that know the products and that will basically stop and drop everything to help someone out. Builds up a better manufacturer-customer relationship.
tailskid
70cc twin V2
"Reason: ARF's. Period. We are losing any craftsman and the skill sets to go with building also. That is another facet of the hobby that is fading as well. SAD!"
And the same can be said of our 'glossy' magazines....we all want the RCM's of the day in mags today, but there isn't much going on in the area of innovation - less builders, so all is left is ARF reviews~ and that's my take on it!
And the same can be said of our 'glossy' magazines....we all want the RCM's of the day in mags today, but there isn't much going on in the area of innovation - less builders, so all is left is ARF reviews~ and that's my take on it!
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