The North American Handmade Bicycle Show begins today at the Austin Convention Center with framebuilder from all over the US descending on Austin with all manner of two wheeled creations. While I’ll be exhibiting, I’ll also be shooting pictures and sharing each day.
Here is a gallery of shots from the yesterday’s pre-show parties including the 1st NAHBS bike blogger happy hour, a welcome party from Austin hub maker NuVinci, and the Rapha movie premier party at Mellow Johnny’s. Check out our guide to NAHBS for the show schedule, tickets, and all the parties.
on Feb 25th, 2011 at 4:35 pm
I hope others will join me in boycotting this event. I looked forward to attending until I found out would be $45 for me and my wife to attend someone else’s advertising event? Why so expensive? I always thought these things should be free so I wouldn’t pay to have people try to sell me things, but at least charge what other shows ask. For example, the Home and Garden show is $7.
on Feb 27th, 2011 at 3:50 am
Someone has to pay for Don Walker’s retirement fund.
on Feb 27th, 2011 at 9:27 am
Realist,
I don’t think you can call refusing to go to a show because you can’t afford it a boycott.
These things cost a lot of money to produce, and the vast majority of builders are extremely small businesses. If they had to shoulder the entire cost, the show simply would not happen.
Don Walker creates a show that has put frame builders in the public conscience and I think deserves a lot of create for the fact that we have so many American builders to choose from these days. If he can charge what he does and get the enormous crowds I’ve seen the last 2 days while promoting American builders, I say bully for him.
on Feb 28th, 2011 at 6:38 pm
Looks like the show had record attendance at 7300 or so meaning they raked in about $20 per ticket, and figure about 10% of those tickets were comped for various people. That gives you gross revenue of $146,000.
They were renting out 2 or 3 exhibit halls (at least) at a rate of about $4500 each (http://goo.gl/aF8sb) for 3 days ($40,500), plus had at least 2 dozen staff running things at $10 per hour for 10 hours per day for 3 days ($7500). You’re already looking at costs up near $50,000. Plus I’m sure there are lots of other incidentals like needing at least 1 full-time person to make sure an event of this kind can happen ($40-60k/year), scoping out potential new venues, advertisements in publications, internets and radios, etc.
While certainly not cheap, the rates aren’t out of line with what any other similarly-sized event would cost if they used the same venue and serviced the same number of attendees.
I for one did cough up the money and am glad I did, it was truly an interesting event, met some amazing craftsmen, got to play with Di2, a Rohloff, and a NuVinci, and was able to ask all sorts of little questions about specs or how-to on some items. Definitely a great time, and since it’s only a once per year event it’s not too big of a deal financially for me. If you consider I was there for at least 4 hours, you’re looking at $5/hr for entertainment…much cheaper than a movie, concert, or meal just about anywhere.
on Mar 1st, 2011 at 9:53 am
Thank you for the responses; good points all.
A couple of thoughts though:
I didn’t say I could not afford it…I thought the price was too high for what amounts to going to a store trying to sell you items. Granted, the exhibit is more unique than a generic store, but $50 for me and my wife to get in the store to buy food and shop for products? I’m not knocking them for charging that price if that’s what the market can support (and as a general rule I suspect if you’re looking at handmade bicycles you probably have decent money to spend on indulgences). I’m just saying I don’t think the market should choose to support it.
Otis, you’re looking at revenue from tickets but I’m guessing each vendor has to pay a decent-sized fee as well. They pay to be there, no?
Elliot, you’re defending the frame builders and small businesses without a lot of money to spend. I’m saying that is exactly why ticket prices should be lower. The high ticket prices hurt the builders, not help them. They pay to be at a show where ticket prices are so high it turns off many buyers. The show could lower prices and more people (like me and my wife) would show up, giving them more exposure. Otis illustrated how much profit there is, and of course lowering prices in half does not drop revenue in half because number of tickets sold goes up.
It hurts the builders, hurts the attendees and all for the bottom line of the guy running it?
on Mar 1st, 2011 at 12:19 pm
Realist,
I just don’t think your points hold water. This year’s show had record attendance, and I can speak as a frame builder who showed at NAHBS that I find great value in the show.
The fact is in Austin alone there are 6 professional builders where 5 years ago there were only 1-2. Portland has seen similar explosive growth. NAHBS has been a huge part of raising the profile of American frame building and has inspired more than a few to hang up a shingle. You can’t do a national, professionally run show like this on the cheap.
Most builders are pretty happy with what NAHBS has done (aside from folks with personal conflicts with Don Walker.) Would we like to pay less to show? Sure. But the show has done an extraordinary job to promote American made bikes, and the show pricing so far had not hurt it a bit.
Finally, I’d say if you are in the market for a custom bicycle, is $22 really a deterrent to find the right builder? These are not impulse purchases or throw away bike. I think there is incredible value to the customer to be able to see the work of so many builders under one roof.
on Mar 1st, 2011 at 4:52 pm
Perfectly legitimate view, Elliott.
I certainly can’t dispute the growing success, and I congratulate them on their winning formula. I guess I’m just left wondering what could be — how many people would be drawn and how big the event could be for the small builders if the prices were equal to other conventions held at the center. From the numbers you posted it looks like there is an awful lot of room to boost the audience by lowering ticket prices. And perhaps people who might not be buying a $2,000 bicycle would by other small-ticket items from the vendors (hats, shirts, etc) if only they’d gone.
Anyway, thanks for your responses. Glad you enjoyed it. I think I would have enjoyed going, but for all I have going on in these times I’m happy to have hung on to my $45.