Tips for attending a quilt show

WOW—the temperature is relatively high! In case you are wondering, I turned the AC on last night. Not so much for ourselves, but we have a guest, and I don't want to kill them! Everything worked fine, although cooling the house down takes a long time. Even a few degrees made a big difference. However, Studio B is like an icebox this morning. I have some things to block the vents, so I must remember to attempt that. 

OK -- the vents are sealed off, so hopefully that will push the cool air upstairs. 

I know this is too late for those attending Quilt Canada 2025, but it's something to consider for future shows, including guild and big-name quilt shows, or any significant event. 

I'm posting this because I was reading some disturbing comments on Facebook last night, and they show a lack of common sense and knowledge about how quilt shows, especially the large ones, work. 

I read repeatedly that the vendors need to be dispersed and that the long arm and sewing machine companies should be in a different spot than the stores. Seriously? Do you know that there would be no Quilt Canada without the sewing machine and long arm companies? NONE—ZIP!!! The sponsorship from those corporate companies is what floats that show. 

Secondly, can you imagine if there were rows of 10 by 10 booths with no relief? Guess what? Those larger booths are spaced to provide some relief from the crowds in those smaller booths. 

If you can't get into a vendor booth, do not blame the show organizers. If the vendor chose a 10 by 10 booth, that is THEIR choice, not the organizers. People forget that the International Center, a hotel space, a convention space, etc, are NOT free! It costs MANY thousands of dollars to rent that hall, and the organizers don't just willy-nilly give the space away. If the vendor booth is full, come back! 

Renting booth space costs a lot, and many vendors can't afford a double booth. That is not the organizers' fault; it's economics. Many of those vendors came from a distance that prevented them from going home. They now have a hotel and meals, and a closed store, or extra help they had to hire to run the store. When a vendor comes to a show, it costs them money! So, for most, a double booth is beyond their budget. 

How to avoid the crowds. Here are some excellent tips for avoiding the crowds. 

1. It doesn't matter which show you attend, the first day will always be the insane day with line-ups everywhere. The second and third days will be a better choice, especially if you have mobility issues and need more space. I find it absolutely exhausting to swim like a fish through the mud and refuse to attend a show on the first day. I stayed in our booth the entire day to avoid the crowded aisles. 

2. If you must come on the first day, zip to the back of the hall, start there, and move forward. You would have had the entire back of the show to yourselves!!!!! There was loads of room, and by the time you hit the vendor mall, it would have been easier, not like walking in a bowling alley, but easier!

3. NO need to hit the vendors to get those bargains! There are NO bargains usually at any of these shows. The vendors pay BIG BUCKS for a booth, and if they bring bargains with little margin, guess what? They won't cover the cost of their booth. So there are typically NO BARGAINS. We do not need to fear missing out on something --- those same products are available online or in their brick-and-mortar store! 

4. If a vendor booth is still busy after starting at the back and working forward, it is popular. Perhaps you can take note of the store and visit it online. Or wait. 

Oh, and another thing: I've seen people insist that other shows were better laid out—more space between the vendors. And that would also be false. The vendor booths are set out using pipe and drape, which has a huge cost. If there was space between the vendors, that would be a double pipe and drape—one for my booth and one for yours. That would cost double the money, so the vendors are always side by side/back to back! 

I have attended and set up many shows over the years—I know what I'm talking about! 

To a certain degree, vendors usually choose where their booth will go. If a vendor is on a corner, it could potentially be more open. Keep in mind that if they only have two back walls and keep the corner open, they lose display space and space to display what they are selling. Again—it's all about showing you what they have to entice you to buy! 

Another comment was that the Vancouver show was more open, with no issues walking. The big difference between the two shows was the attendance. Toronto has not seen a significant event like this in many years. The pent-up excitement and demand were HUGE. There were 22 buses on the first day, 15 on the second, and I'm not sure what the number was on the third day. That's in addition to the people who came by car. I don't know the attendance numbers, but I will bet that the numbers in Toronto far outscale those in Vancouver. 

There are two valid comments about the show's setup, and there is not much that Quilt Canada can do about it. First, the food. There were only two vendors in that show, one inside the hall and one outside the hall. Two was not enough to deal with the volume of people, and it will never be. Will the International Center do anything about it? Probably not. Can Quilt Canada bring in food vendors? Absolutely not! 

Will the International Center have water stations installed for refillable bottles? They should - but that is a complaint to direct at the International Center - it's their facility. But why would they, when they can charge you a ridiculous amount for a bottle of water? Do you see a water refill station at the airport? Of course not, because the water vendors would complain bitterly. Do hotels or convention centers have water refill stations? 

Here's an interesting fact if you think the above is silly. When a truck arrives with the contents of a booth, this is mainly for the corporate vendors, as the smaller companies do their own work of getting their stuff in and out of the show. Having your crate/pallets or whatever moved about 300 feet costs THOUSANDS of dollars. I am NOT kidding when I say that, as I saw the bills while working at a fabric company and attended Houston and other big shows. It was insane. And of course, you must wait -- give me a pallet jack and I can move that thing myself for FREE! 

How do you deal with those issues? Bring your lunch! You never know what you will get at a trade show anyway, so we always bring our lunch or snacks or whatever. We also bring our water and never rely on the show because most times, it's crappy, has long lines, and is expensive. BRING YOUR OWN!!!

The last area of contention is a biggy, and other than throwing money at it, it can't be resolved. That is seating. Yes, there are no places to sit except in the food court. Why? The almighty dollar rears its ugly head again. Any organization renting chairs in the International Center is OUT OF THIS WORLD. I heard something like $35 PER CHAIR!!! Yes, that is NOT a typo. 

Do the math -- if you wanted 100 chairs, you are talking another $3,500. The costs are already out of this world, so when something has to be cut, it's the chairs! Know this and plan accordingly - you can return to the lunch seating areas and hope a chair is available. It is NOT an oversight on the organizers - it is purely economics. 

OH - someone also said to make the aisles wider. Those aisles were at their maximum width, and any show I've attended over the many years in that hall has been set up the same way. The aisles are the SAME width as always. What to do about it? Well, it's like driving a car and you need to merge, or walking on the street. 

BE SELF-AWARE. If you meet someone, then move to the side of the aisle beside one of those big open corporate booths and have your chat. If you stop in the middle of the aisle? Guess what - you've created a block in the stream, and it will get ugly behind you. 

Instead of complaining about things, think about how you helped to create the problem. Learn from it, and next time, do things differently. I hate to be the negative Nellie on this, but I've been on the organizing side of things for years. Do people think shows are set up for their sole enjoyment? No—it's a two-way street here, whether you enjoy your show experience or not. 

And now I've run out of time to talk about anything else that has happened. But that's OK. I needed to get that out! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!!