Well, another year is in the books and I wanted to share my opinion and some thoughts and thank you's from the show.
As it did last year, the SBE found itself in a new venue. Over all I think it was an upgrade to last year's location but as always, parking was a bit of a challenge. Unless you arrived at the a$$ crack of dawn, it was difficult to find a spot. Any spot, not just a good close spot.
I found the venue to be adequate, although the floor was cement and very hard on your feet and back. I'm still recovering even though there was carpet in the vender area which was where I spent the majority of my time. Somehow, they kept the temperature in check and it was comfortable all weekend even though outside it ranged from low 30's to almost 65 over the three days I was there. The biggest upgrade from last year were the restrooms. I never had to wait to use one all weekend. I can remember standing in lines that stretched onto the show floor last year. That was a welcome change to say the least especially considering the amount of beer I consumed this year. :grin:
Maybe it was me, but I found the vender area to be lacking. It seemed like there were a lot of booths missing from years past. Most noticeably were Predator, Josey, Cornerstone (missing last year as well), and of course we all missed Don Shureman.
One of the highlights of the show for me was the time I spent in AE's booth talking with Bruce. We had an awesome conversation about motorcycles, racing, and just things moving fast in general. Much, much fun! Speaking of Bruce and AE, I can't for the life of me figure out why his cues are not more popular. I'm always impressed by there designs, quality of workmanship, and Bruce's positive attitude. And so that you don't think I'm speaking out of school, I've owned a few AE's over the years and they play very well. In fact, I would rate their playability up there with almost anyone. So if someone can explain to me why they are not more popular I would love the hear it.
I didn't get to spend much time watching the pros play, or even the amateurs for that matter, but it was nice to see a lot of the players walking around talking with the show goer's. At one point I noticed Shane hanging out taking photos with anyone who stopped by. He was laughing and smiling and genuinely seemed to be enjoying himself. I really think a positive attitude like that is a step in the right direction for our sport. Although I didn't get a chance to speak with him, I'm glad he is an ambassador for our sport. If more pros acted like him, it would be a step in the right direction to help pool move in the right direction. Two big thumbs up for Shane!
There were a few cuemakers I wasn't familiar with that made an impression on me. Most notable was Robertson cues. I didn't get to speak with Mr. Robertson but I did spend some time with his helper. He had a brilliant ebony on ebony flame veneered cue that I had a chance to play with for a few minutes and it was wonderful. I think you will be hearing/seeing a lot about these cues in the near future.
Along with Robertson, I had a chance to see Josh Treadway's cues up close and in person for the first time. I didn't have a chance to play with one but Josh is building a very nice looking cue. He has some fresh designs and the fit and finish is very nice. Josh is also a very nice guy to boot.
Now onto my thank you's for the weekend.
First, I would like to thank Allan for all the hard work and dedication it must take to put on a show of this magnitude so that we can get together and enjoy a fun filled weekend dedicated to the sport we all love.
John Barton. It was cool to spend some time with him and put our differences behind us. Somehow drinking a beer with someone has a way of helping that along. Lol. John is very passionate about what he does and I think he is a little misunderstood sometimes. I think he is genuinely a good person but I think he will admit that he needs to take some time and reflect on what he is about to say before he says it. It would go a long way to help him and his business. He also spent a few minutes fixing a small issue with my Flower's tribute case. Kudos!
Dennis Searing. It was nice to see you again and fun to spend some time talking cues and watching you play at Sand Castle. That ten foot Diamond is a killer!
Bobby Chamberlain (spelling?) AKA wrldpro here on AZ. I enjoyed putting a face with the name and enjoyed our conversations. Thank you for the invite to the ACA banquet and I apologize for not being able to attend.
Joe Van Buren. Thank you for the conversations and the laughs. Man, you just crack me up. And remind me not to piss you off. You just have an evil sense of humor!!!
John Vero. AKA Johncue54. John is a gentleman and just an all around great guy. He is also one of the great one's to deal with when buying, selling, and trading. He is always fair and straight with the details. Thanks for the great deal on the Kikel John!!!
Scott Murphy (Murphy's cues) Scott is a great guy and I always seem to do a deal or two with him every year. He is how a dealer show be. He's polite, honest, and is willing to take the time to work out the details with you to make sure you're happy with your purchase/trade. Somehow, we always seem to both come away happy with the deals we make. So thank you for that.
Jack Justis. AKA, "Uncle Jack". As always, it was nice to see you. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to sopend more time hanging out at your booth. I seemed to be running in all directions more than usual this year.
SwissChris. It was great to see you again and I'm honored to call you my friend. As usual we found a way to get into some trouble and have fun in the process! :wink: I can't wait until next year. BTW, you still owe me a "nice" dinner!!!
Cleiton Rocha. Thank you for the Pro pass. I'm glad we are friends and it's always cool to hang out with you. An additional thank you for the intoduction to the JP guys. I'm looking forward to hopefully working with them for their photography needs.
John Spitz. John is a really great guy and I'm really digging his work. I'm looking forward to working with him on a custom order.
As usual, I had a great time but this year, I was glad to be home. I didn't have a decent meal all weekend and I found the service at the restaurants to be abysmal at best. Next year I'm bringing some comfort food with me!
As it did last year, the SBE found itself in a new venue. Over all I think it was an upgrade to last year's location but as always, parking was a bit of a challenge. Unless you arrived at the a$$ crack of dawn, it was difficult to find a spot. Any spot, not just a good close spot.
I found the venue to be adequate, although the floor was cement and very hard on your feet and back. I'm still recovering even though there was carpet in the vender area which was where I spent the majority of my time. Somehow, they kept the temperature in check and it was comfortable all weekend even though outside it ranged from low 30's to almost 65 over the three days I was there. The biggest upgrade from last year were the restrooms. I never had to wait to use one all weekend. I can remember standing in lines that stretched onto the show floor last year. That was a welcome change to say the least especially considering the amount of beer I consumed this year. :grin:
Maybe it was me, but I found the vender area to be lacking. It seemed like there were a lot of booths missing from years past. Most noticeably were Predator, Josey, Cornerstone (missing last year as well), and of course we all missed Don Shureman.
One of the highlights of the show for me was the time I spent in AE's booth talking with Bruce. We had an awesome conversation about motorcycles, racing, and just things moving fast in general. Much, much fun! Speaking of Bruce and AE, I can't for the life of me figure out why his cues are not more popular. I'm always impressed by there designs, quality of workmanship, and Bruce's positive attitude. And so that you don't think I'm speaking out of school, I've owned a few AE's over the years and they play very well. In fact, I would rate their playability up there with almost anyone. So if someone can explain to me why they are not more popular I would love the hear it.
I didn't get to spend much time watching the pros play, or even the amateurs for that matter, but it was nice to see a lot of the players walking around talking with the show goer's. At one point I noticed Shane hanging out taking photos with anyone who stopped by. He was laughing and smiling and genuinely seemed to be enjoying himself. I really think a positive attitude like that is a step in the right direction for our sport. Although I didn't get a chance to speak with him, I'm glad he is an ambassador for our sport. If more pros acted like him, it would be a step in the right direction to help pool move in the right direction. Two big thumbs up for Shane!
There were a few cuemakers I wasn't familiar with that made an impression on me. Most notable was Robertson cues. I didn't get to speak with Mr. Robertson but I did spend some time with his helper. He had a brilliant ebony on ebony flame veneered cue that I had a chance to play with for a few minutes and it was wonderful. I think you will be hearing/seeing a lot about these cues in the near future.
Along with Robertson, I had a chance to see Josh Treadway's cues up close and in person for the first time. I didn't have a chance to play with one but Josh is building a very nice looking cue. He has some fresh designs and the fit and finish is very nice. Josh is also a very nice guy to boot.
Now onto my thank you's for the weekend.
First, I would like to thank Allan for all the hard work and dedication it must take to put on a show of this magnitude so that we can get together and enjoy a fun filled weekend dedicated to the sport we all love.
John Barton. It was cool to spend some time with him and put our differences behind us. Somehow drinking a beer with someone has a way of helping that along. Lol. John is very passionate about what he does and I think he is a little misunderstood sometimes. I think he is genuinely a good person but I think he will admit that he needs to take some time and reflect on what he is about to say before he says it. It would go a long way to help him and his business. He also spent a few minutes fixing a small issue with my Flower's tribute case. Kudos!
Dennis Searing. It was nice to see you again and fun to spend some time talking cues and watching you play at Sand Castle. That ten foot Diamond is a killer!
Bobby Chamberlain (spelling?) AKA wrldpro here on AZ. I enjoyed putting a face with the name and enjoyed our conversations. Thank you for the invite to the ACA banquet and I apologize for not being able to attend.
Joe Van Buren. Thank you for the conversations and the laughs. Man, you just crack me up. And remind me not to piss you off. You just have an evil sense of humor!!!
John Vero. AKA Johncue54. John is a gentleman and just an all around great guy. He is also one of the great one's to deal with when buying, selling, and trading. He is always fair and straight with the details. Thanks for the great deal on the Kikel John!!!
Scott Murphy (Murphy's cues) Scott is a great guy and I always seem to do a deal or two with him every year. He is how a dealer show be. He's polite, honest, and is willing to take the time to work out the details with you to make sure you're happy with your purchase/trade. Somehow, we always seem to both come away happy with the deals we make. So thank you for that.
Jack Justis. AKA, "Uncle Jack". As always, it was nice to see you. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to sopend more time hanging out at your booth. I seemed to be running in all directions more than usual this year.
SwissChris. It was great to see you again and I'm honored to call you my friend. As usual we found a way to get into some trouble and have fun in the process! :wink: I can't wait until next year. BTW, you still owe me a "nice" dinner!!!
Cleiton Rocha. Thank you for the Pro pass. I'm glad we are friends and it's always cool to hang out with you. An additional thank you for the intoduction to the JP guys. I'm looking forward to hopefully working with them for their photography needs.
John Spitz. John is a really great guy and I'm really digging his work. I'm looking forward to working with him on a custom order.
As usual, I had a great time but this year, I was glad to be home. I didn't have a decent meal all weekend and I found the service at the restaurants to be abysmal at best. Next year I'm bringing some comfort food with me!
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