Any billiards expo in California?

dom_poppa

dom_poppa

Banned
I was wondering if there are any big expo like the ones back east recently. I would love to attend and see what people here in the West coast have for a collection.
 
West Coast Expo

Funny you ask that question. I have been thinking about that for about a month now. Why don't we have one. Or at least alittle more centralized. Wouldn't that be Grand. Stay Tuned.










Designed By A Player, Worn By Players !
www.playthegameclothing.com
World Class Billiard Apparel....
 
If you're talking about a custom cue collector type show, I think they have been done a few times but not in a couple of years maybe.

If you're talking about the BCA trade show, it's truly a Trade Show, and not open to the public. It's pretty much all wholesale, business to business.

If you're talking about something like the Super Billiards Expo held just a few weeks ago in New Jersey, it would be great to have one on the left coast. OB Cues would most definitely be interested in going. However, you're talking about a big risky endeavor, and this would not be for the faint of heart. First, you have to find the population. I think there are something like 25 million people within a half day's drive from the SBE. Next, you have to find a facility big enough to hold it, and yet still affordable enough to do it. You will need to plan it at least a year in advance, and advertise it well to get vendor commitments. The vendor portion of the event will cover a lot of the cost. Next, you'll have to do lots of things to get people there. Amateur events and league events as well as a Pro event will help but by themselves probably won't make it a success.

If you have any luck setting one up, make sure you contact us about booth space. We would definitely be interested.


Royce Bunnell
www.obcues.com
 
West Coast Cue Show

galipeau said:
Wold love to see a West Coast Cue Show here in the Bay or Sacramento.
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Rex (Cyrex), Kenny Koo (Flyingsnail) and I (DJKeys) did four of these in the Bay Area here California in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011. Rex and Kenny put tons of time and effort into getting these shows together each year.

We started these to expose the West Coast folks to the craft and skill involved in making custom cues. Over the years, we found the makers to have less and less interest in coming to our show. In 2011, a lot of them who made committments opted out at the last minute.

In 2010, The Windy City Cue show in Chicago moved their show to a week before ours. Since there are many more collectors and makers in that area, it pretty much spelled a death knell to our show. The 2011 show was the last one we produced.

-dj
 
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ctyhntr said:
Thank you for the correction. I wonder why they moved?
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Maybe expenses. I think that it cost about $500 to get a table from the loading dock to the show floor, and then you had to get it set up.
 
I wouldn't underestimate the West coast. I believe there are a lot of people with fine collection.

I was hoping something like SBE and a collectors show. Both.

California would be the best place to do it.

Remember that small nerdy comic convention? It has become Comic Con.
 
The intrepid Jay Helfert held the last big one I know of back in 2001 with a pro and amateur tournament as well as a vendor expo. He proposed an LA Open event in 2009 but not a vendor expo too at the time. Nothing came of that AFAIK but you could always try saying "Please please please please" and/or throwing large quantities of unmarked bills wrapped around a gold bar at him.
 
Part of the team !

Well if anybody is willing to take on this task, I believe their should be a team formed . My name is Frank Nordmann, out of Northern California. I own PLAY THE GAME clothing co. We specialize in Billiard Apparel. I would be very much interested in being a part of the team. Just thought I would throw that out their.









Designed By A Player, Worn By Players!
www.playthegameclothing.com
 
RBC said:
If you're talking about a custom cue collector type show, I think they have been done a few times but not in a couple of years maybe.

If you're talking about the BCA trade show, it's truly a Trade Show, and not open to the public. It's pretty much all wholesale, business to business.

If you're talking about something like the Super Billiards Expo held just a few weeks ago in New Jersey, it would be great to have one on the left coast. OB Cues would most definitely be interested in going. However, you're talking about a big risky endeavor, and this would not be for the faint of heart. First, you have to find the population. I think there are something like 25 million people within a half day's drive from the SBE. Next, you have to find a facility big enough to hold it, and yet still affordable enough to do it. You will need to plan it at least a year in advance, and advertise it well to get vendor commitments. The vendor portion of the event will cover a lot of the cost. Next, you'll have to do lots of things to get people there. Amateur events and league events as well as a Pro event will help but by themselves probably won't make it a success.

If you have any luck setting one up, make sure you contact us about booth space. We would definitely be interested.


Royce Bunnell
www.obcues.com
Click to expand...

I don't think population would be an issue. There's roughly 19 million people in the Los Angeles Metropolitan area alone with another 3 million in the San Diego Metro area and probably another 1-2 million an hour or so north of Los Angeles. I'm sure affordable convention space could be had in the suburb cities of LA that have convention venters. If the GTO club I belong to could afford to hold an event at the Ontario (CA) Convention Center, I'm sure the billiards industry could pull it off too.
 
DJKeys said:
Rex (Cyrex), Kenny Koo (Flyingsnail) and I (DJKeys) did four of these in the Bay Area here California in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011. Rex and Kenny put tons of time and effort into getting these shows together each year.

We started these to expose the West Coast folks to the craft and skill involved in making custom cues. Over the years, we found the makers to have less and less interest in coming to our show. In 2011, a lot of them who made committments opted out at the last minute.

In 2010, The Windy City Cue show in Chicago moved their show to a week before ours. Since there are many more collectors and makers in that area, it pretty much spelled a death knell to our show. The 2011 show was the last one we produced.

-dj
Click to expand...



I think there may be a little confusion here.

The OP lumped 2 things together that really are different.

A custom cue or collector show

An Expo event like the Super Billiards Expo.


Both are very different.

What makes the SBE such a success if volume. Thousands of people pay to get into it every day. That gate income provides money for the promoter to pay for the venue and all the associated expenses. And trust me, the expenses are hard to imagine. The large volume of people coming through the gates is what attracts the vendors. If I'm not mistaken, the last time I counted there were over 100 10x10 booth spaces rented at the SBE. The vendors pay those costs in order to have access to all those potential buyers. The SBE is a pretty good show for vendors, that's why they always come back. If they didn't make enough profit to make it worth while, they just wouldn't return. All this income from ticket sales and booth sales is a big part of what makes the event possible.

Cue collector shows are small, and don't really attract large volumes of people. It's more of a niche crowd than a mass crowd. Custom cue makers are definitely attracted to those shows as they are an opportunity to sell some of their higher end and more expensive cues. But, the market is small, and with too many sellers and not enough buyers, you will find that the sellers stop coming back. The risk of not selling enough to cover your expenses is just too great.

The American Cuemakers Association has enjoyed great success at the SBE, and has definitely become a significant part of the event. I'm not confident, however, that you could start an ACA type show and have it grow into an SBE like event. I see it much more likely the other way around.


I do actually think that an SBE type of event could be a tremendous success out West. As I said earlier, I'd love to see it happen. It would be full of crazy road blocks and fraught with peril, but I think it could happen. Of course, it would put a lot of money at risk. But, the reward if it was successful would certainly be good. It's just a matter of finding someone with a half a million or so, who has nothing to do for the next 18 to 24 months, and loves pool enough to go through the hell to try to make it happen.

I wait anxiously!


Royce Bunnell
www.obcues.com
 
Bob Jewett said:
Maybe expenses. I think that it cost about $500 to get a table from the loading dock to the show floor, and then you had to get it set up.
Click to expand...

Bob is right about the crazy expenses.

At this year's SBE I asked for some additional pipe and drape for my booth. Keep in mind that I had 4 10x10 booths, which is already a lot of money. The booths already come with 20' of tall drape and 40' of low drape. I didn't need any of the low drape, but wanted 2 more tall poles. When I asked for them, they said it would be a charge, and they would get a price for me. Well, it was more than $500.

You have to ship your stuff to the exhibitor prior to the show, and they bring it in for you. Of course, they charge you by the weight to do so.

Need a banner hung, there's a nice charge for that.

Need electricity? Well, I paid more for electricity for my booth for 4 days than I paid for several weeks for my whole house. And the booth was one 5 amp circuit.

Need internet? Trust me, the price will choke you.


Shows are expensive, but they can be profitable too. You just have to have the right combination, and if one little thing goes the wrong way it can make the difference between success and failure. I think that's why you don't see a lot of people with the means to put on a show jumping up and throwing their money in the ring. It's risky.


Royce Bunnell
www.obcues.com
 
They could call it the "California Cue Show". I think a good slogan would be, "Come meet your Maker"


It sounds like initially the cue show was intended to be similar to how car shows operate. A chance to meet an greet the makers and customers and spread awareness of the industry/trade (as opposed to a buy/sell format). It seems like SBE and the other trade shows are way bigger than what the West Coast Cue Show is/was. It might be that the show needs to be worthwhile in terms of a selling standpoint for the cuemakers.

Here are a couple ideas I'll throw out there.
-Live cue auction for collectors and makers to bring in their cues (think Barrett Jackson)
-Less formal cue exhibition.gallery with a tournament on the side
-Full trade show

These are just spitball ideas for discussion.
 
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