As president of CAPS and the individual organizing the show I always welcome comments that will lead to improvement in what we do. I would, however, like to enlighten those reading this thread.
1. Attendance This year our attendance was up 10% over 2009. On Saturday for setup when the strongest buyers arrive, we had record attendance which was 14% higher than 2009. We had more people come in before 9 and had a line outside waiting for the 9am lower cost entry. We had George Paul write a feature length article for the West Coast Peddler in July which had his article highlighted on the front page with a plug for the show at the end of the article along with a quarter page ad. We advertised in nearly every hobby specific publication. We sent out about 500 direct mail postcards to previous attendees that provided their address. We distributed thousands of flyers. I even called K-Earth radio, who put me on the air plugging the show and offering free attendance to anyone who mentioned they heard about the show on the radio 2. Catering We left Po Folks years ago and used Francis Marie. The food from Po Folks was low quality heart attack food served on paper plates with plastic forks and spoons for which we were paying far too much. With Francis Marie, we improved the quality of the banquet presentation as well at the menu for nearly the same price. Francis Marie retired this year so we needed another caterer. Joey Bell came highly recommended and has catered events for some of the club members. With Francis Marie, we had opportunity for improvement and we exercised them over the first few years. An can do the same with Joey. As far as the price, the banquet, including the food, beverages, room and speaker compensation cost us nearly $50/person. The red and white wine was put in the refrigerator at 1:00 in the afternoon and was not removed until 4:00. 3. Buying and Selling I heard from many dealers that they had poor sales. My job is to bring in people interested in seeing your product and it is your job to close the sale on your product. If you didn't sell your product it may be because you had the wrong product, the price of the product was too high or your buyers were not prepared to let go of their money in this poor economy. Bruce Peterson, CAPS President -----Original Message----- From: phono-l-boun...@oldcrank.org [mailto:phono-l-boun...@oldcrank.org] On Behalf Of john robles Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 2010 8:32 PM To: Antique Phonograph List Subject: Re: [Phono-L] What Did You Think Of CAPS? A tempting invitation to share our thoughts...I agree with you, Jerry, the treasures were plentiful but the buyers were sparse. I had people with several machines on boths sides of me and one erson sold one machine and the other sold none at all, and he had some truly great machines. Having attended for over 20 years, beginning when it was held at Griswolds Hotel (remember what a sweatbox that place became by the afternoon?),I've had good experience of the show. I thought the attendance of buyers this year was lower than last year, and there was no swell of business at 9 am Sunday when the doors were opened to those who didn't buy early bird tickets. Many came to my table and admired items, but for the most part they were window shoppers. A lot of people seemed to be price tagging machines they had at home "Oh I have my grandma's Victrola and it's just like this one. I even have some of those rare one-sided records!". I did find some good things, and there were a decent amount of spare horns, parts, etc. Todd Boermas had some great machines, horns and parts at good prices. I got a very unusual Tizit for $45 and stamped "MADE BY J.W. KREILING, CHICAGO" on it. I got a very nicely made and finished reamer for $25, and a very nice large Victor brass belled horn for my Monarch, in very nice condition, for $250. The banquet program was great, Charley was very entertaining. I could listen to him tell stories all night! The food was not so great. When Po Folks catered the banquet the food was good. This time it was catered by an independent caterer, and while his staff was eager to please, as was he, the prime rib was fatty and gristly, the green beans were undercooked though they had the olive drab look of overcooked green beans, and the rice pilaf was so-so. Bread was served in baskets on the tables, but there were no bread plates. Ice water was not left on the table as in past years; you had to flag down a server. The wine was two-buck Chuck from Trader Joe's, and the white was not chilled. The deserts were fine. After the event I happened to be questioned on my thoughts on the food from committee members. I was honest, and they agreed it wasn't that great. My opinion was that for $35.00 I would rather have a good meat loaf meal than a bad prime rib. There you have it, one collector's opinion. I've seen better shows. But it was clearly the economy that drove it and kept people's money in their pockets. I will post pictures later this evening. John Robles --- On Tue, 8/17/10, DeeDee Blais <deedeebl...@yahoo.com> wrote: From: DeeDee Blais <deedeebl...@yahoo.com> Subject: [Phono-L] What Did You Think Of CAPS? To: phono-l@oldcrank.org Date: Tuesday, August 17, 2010, 4:57 PM I attended CAPS last weekend and wondered what others thought of the show and banquet. Here's my thoughts... I thought the sale was well attended by sellers which provided a very nice selection of machines ranging from entry level to something for the advanced collector. I saw Berliners, Vic VI, Vic C, Rigid Arm MS, lesser Victors, Victor School Models, Edison Opera, Edison Concert, Edison Triumphs, several Homes, Standards, Firesides & Gems, Columbia BII, Grand Piano Graphonola (incomplete), and many other brands and models. There was a large rear mount mahogany Zonophone with a matching mahogany Music Master horn priced at $2200 and I don't think anyone seriously considered it. Buyers, including the dealers, simply did not pull the trigger on many purchases. I saw a Victor School machine with a "sold" sign and believe a Vic III with oak horn sold but very few high end machines sold. I wasn't everywhere at once and I'm sure I missed things but very little left the building. In my immediate area, I know of a Standard and an Amberola 50 which were sold by dealers around me. I sold a 2-min Standard B with a reproduction 14" horn for $280 (1970's prices!) and a very clean oak Victrola IX (with new springs and rebuild reproducer) for $300. I had an all original Vic 1 priced at $725 for the last half of the sale with no serious lookers. On the plus side, the banquet was great. Charlie Hummel, assisted by Mike Khanchalian, talked about the discovery of the only known Multiplex Grand cylinder and partial mechanism. The cylinder was inside its metal tube but broken into several hundred pieces and mixed with broken pieces of other concert cylinders. Mike, the "Record Doctor", has been working on the cylinder for months. We were able to listen to a recording of the first few inches of the giant cylinder and it was nothing less than thrilling. Charlie talked about collecting in general and he is always full of... well, Charlie is simply full of it and the great stories of a long time collector. He even wore a tie! Also on the plus side are the friendly people at CAPS. The club has made a great effort to welcome visiting dealers and buyers. What did you think?????? Jerry Blais _______________________________________________ Phono-L mailing list http://phono-l.oldcrank.org _______________________________________________ Phono-L mailing list http://phono-l.oldcrank.org _______________________________________________ Phono-L mailing list http://phono-l.oldcrank.org
