Well, you never know until you go is what we always say. Lehigh Valley Fall Bike Show in Allentown, PA was a two day show and one of the only ones we could find in December. The crowds were okay and Saturday started out fine. Sunday pretty much turned out bad as freezing rain set in up north and even south of the event. So, it may have been okay had it not been for the bad weather.
The promoters did a great job and the security was good as was the venue. There were a great many vendors there and we were the only helmet and riding gear vendor. The show just lacked the folks. They have a spring show and maybe we'll give that a try next year...the weather surely won't be a factor then.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
Dayton Cycle Festival in Dayton, Ohio
December has been cold and a little slow in sales. We've had to load up and go to any show we can find to keep the electric on ;) Not really, but we are going to some small shows to supplement our winter sales income.
That said, we've done some really small shows this year when in past years we may have skipped them. The first one is the Dayton Cycle Fest. It's a first year show and we knew that going in. First year shows are generally slower than established shows. The day or so before we left we were told that Dayton was listed as one of the highest unemployed cities and that they have really been hit hard in the housing foreclosure market. Oh well, our fees were paid so off we went.
It was pretty cold up there but that generally is good and means crowds will be inside shopping. The promoter did a great job advertising and getting the word out. There were several big name builders there and a live radio remote. There were many, many, vendors on hand as well.
The show opened on Friday and ran through Sunday. I have to say, the crowds were out but sales were really slow. Like the Dallas IMS show, the crowds were there but they weren't spending. It made for a long weekend as folks just weren't buying.
The economy is probably affecting everyone, even us as we continue to seek out shows of any size to set up and sell. The good news is that while folks weren't buying, there were many, many, folks there to look around and dream. That means the interest in motorcycling is there and that the motorcycle industry still has a great base of customers who while not spending now will be in the future should the economy allow.
The motorcycle industry is exciting and a great industry to work in . As the economy gets a little better, I think it will be as strong as ever. We'll give Dayton another try but maybe not at the high rents from this year...it's got a good promoter so we'll see how it goes.
That said, we've done some really small shows this year when in past years we may have skipped them. The first one is the Dayton Cycle Fest. It's a first year show and we knew that going in. First year shows are generally slower than established shows. The day or so before we left we were told that Dayton was listed as one of the highest unemployed cities and that they have really been hit hard in the housing foreclosure market. Oh well, our fees were paid so off we went.
It was pretty cold up there but that generally is good and means crowds will be inside shopping. The promoter did a great job advertising and getting the word out. There were several big name builders there and a live radio remote. There were many, many, vendors on hand as well.
The show opened on Friday and ran through Sunday. I have to say, the crowds were out but sales were really slow. Like the Dallas IMS show, the crowds were there but they weren't spending. It made for a long weekend as folks just weren't buying.
The economy is probably affecting everyone, even us as we continue to seek out shows of any size to set up and sell. The good news is that while folks weren't buying, there were many, many, folks there to look around and dream. That means the interest in motorcycling is there and that the motorcycle industry still has a great base of customers who while not spending now will be in the future should the economy allow.
The motorcycle industry is exciting and a great industry to work in . As the economy gets a little better, I think it will be as strong as ever. We'll give Dayton another try but maybe not at the high rents from this year...it's got a good promoter so we'll see how it goes.
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