Small Makers Doing A Sideshow In During NWTF Convention?

[VanHelden Game Calls]

 

[stone road turkey calls]

I think every call maker here got his number. 

[runngun]

This is in no way right!!!  On a different level, a couple months ago my wife planned a yard sale one Saturday. Worked her butt off advertising and getting ready.  Neighbor across the road comes home right at dark on Friday and sees us setting up and that I had put out signs along the hwy and at intersections, as we live off the beaten path. Just so happens his house is first. He is outside throwing his stuff out when I realize what he is doing. He said well I saw y'all are having a sale I might as well too. I could have punched him in the mouth. No different here he took advantage of her hard work.

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[VanHelden Game Calls]

And the NWTF promotes and manufacturers buy booth space using callmaker competition as entertainment. Personally if you enter the contest you should get a spot at a table.

Who's using who? Maybe they need to make a section for competitive callmakers at drastically reduced $.

Many sides to this and see no clear cut right or wrong, just be willing to accept the good and bad from our decisions.

[turkeykiller22]

1200.00 plus room plus food plus gas around 2000,00

This is not the case, I had a booth at the convention over the weekend and I payed $775 for it. If you want a corner booth with two booth sections know you are talk 1200$. But it is only 775 for a single booth.

[Old Gobbler]

The convention booths are not a charity , and nobody is forcing anyone to have or.... not have one -

If you are planning on attending the Nashville convention you are most likely very serious into the business , and be prepared to make a commitment to gain access to that kind of traffic and customers , its not free nor easy to pull of a annual event like that  - The Opryland convention center most likely gobbles up the lions share of the fees

I will throw out some numbers there for you to consider , I am very well aware of what retail leasing space fetches in high traffic shopping centers - if you are in a high end mall , leasing a spot the size of a Wallgreens in floor space , your looking at about $80,000 per month , for a foodcourt location your looking a $25,000 a month - big bucks ---- so a booth for  $1,000 -1,800 is nothing compared to that level 

It looks like they could  stretch out the convention a few more days or expand the floor space to add additional vendors - possibly large outdoor tents ?? etc..  that would generate more revenue for the federation - For the record I don't think it is a sound idea to have a rival trade show at the same time in the same city -In fact I think its plain wrong --- you will get skunked 



 

[prout09]

That's like comparing Apples and bowling balls!  Your talking a Month compared to 3 days.  Technically I'm not disagreeing at all because 775-1200 is fair if you compare what is written above this. If I do my math correctly your getten what 2 maybe 3 days of retail for what Panda Express pays a day!!  I agree with all ya'll on certain issues stated here.  I do support the NWTF but I limit my amount of donations through the year because of this.  I'm in the ARMy we have a thing called the combined federal campaign.  I donated 400.00 of my pay check to the NWTF this year just through that.  Now do you think they threw me a free membership (even though I made my name visible to them) NOPE.  Not to mention LOOK at where those dollars go 75% to overhead.  Sorry to get off track here guys but this is why I keep NWTF donations low.  I'm pretty sure everyone on this forum who is a call maker has donated about the cost of a booth maybe double or triple that but all everyone gets is maybe a tax right off.  NO Disrespect towards anyone here just wanted to chime in with some stuff.

To add to this .  Just recent a NWTF Chapter here asked me to donate a few calls for them I said no problem!  I asked can I bring about 7 to 10 calls to sell after the auction?  I was pretty taken back when the guy told me I dont think that would be a good idea.  I respectfully replied then I dont think it would be a good idea that I donate my calls then.   MONEY MONEY MONEY drives the train.  I know thats just one chapter and their not all like this but WOW really.  What I think IMO and its just me what fuels the argument on both sides here is that some of us have been treated pretty decent by the NWTF chapters and some of the others have been treated like a kid getten a shake down for his luch money on the playground.  Its a harsh analysis but thats what I equate it too. Here is what I can show you as fact I donated $535 in calls to NWTF chapters That included 100%(which was only 1in MN) donation at comps.  with the above 400 that almost pays for 93% of a booth. And ill ask this question as well how many of ya'll got free addmission to the Nationals that donated calls or any other services to them??  Not this guy!  Im not tring to Bash the NWTF here I just think they have gone slightly off track..  I think a credit system should be given with member numbers so that way when you donate you have credit to #1 put towards a booth at an NWTF event or #2 pay for your darn tickets to it.... 

[pappy]

I talked to a lot of "custom call" makers at the convention this year, their input was as follows: 1. Biggest complaint was space, everything seemed to be too close this year, not allowing sufficient time for customers to take full advantage of viewing and trying out their wares.  2. Location, bigger bucks bought better locations, one seller told me that he was going to be charged an extra 100 bucks if his stall was just three spots down from his current location, why? Because they figured the foot traffic was going to be better, thus his profits were going to be higher....100 bucks for moving 30 feet...come on. 3. Too much emphasis on "celebrities" and not enough on the call makers, some felt that the NWTF was making too big a deal over celebs, and or the larger manufactured call makers and not focusing on the smaller guys. One person told me that just a few booths down from him there was a "PSYCHIC" set up.....and that he was talking to someone who had a booth set not far from a certain celeb station and he practically had to grab folks walking by his booth. 4. Paying extras for certain things like 112.00 for a computer hook up....now come on, is it about MONEY? I think that overall the NWTF is trying hard to promote the craft and the sport, and that things have gotten so big over the years that it is hard to keep up with implementing fair and practical service for all involved.
Will it get better or worse? Who knows? Will it get smaller, nope, will it get cheaper, I doubt it. Will there be complaints, sure, will they be heard? Hummmm......by whom? And what actions will be taken? I do know this much, I went by the PSYCHIC booth and there wasn't anyone asking her questions....maybe that was a sign?

[stone road turkey calls]

Complain, you might as well go throw a dime in the fountain and wish, you will get the same results. this is 2013 you have to use your dollars as your spokesperson, don't lease a table next year, don't go to the show next year, go to one of the local state chapter shows. boycot them one year and watch what happens, or go next year pay the high fees and post your complaints again.