We will now interrupt the regularly scheduled program for this good old Blades micro podcast. Knife shows are an interesting um sub uh facet of knife making to talk about because uh they are really just their own beast. And it's important to uh understand some of the caveats, investment, preparations and so forth that go into shows because um it's just different than social media, it's different than word of mouth and website sales and uh things like that. Um, you know. Uh so kind of let's get started into this idea. The uh the knife show um has been around uh in its current format since the 70s was basically the uh induction of the guild. And before that, the platform for selling knives was always in conjunction with other shows, and it's it was nothing like uh what it is today, where there is an entire uh culture, um subculture in America and around the world in knives and collecting and whatnot, and it's just uh it's humongous now, right? And back in the day, the uh way that you would get into guild shows was you were a part of the guild. And uh slowly that's morphed because when the internet came around, uh people didn't really need the guild so much, uh the or a guild. They didn't need the ABS, um, they didn't need anyone. They could take their uh their knives and sell them online and populate them, and they didn't have to be present at a show. And that was a a good thing because a makers uh or makers could extend themselves out beyond their own uh locality um in order to touch a lot of uh customers and get in front of people that they otherwise couldn't have. So over the years, knife shows have kind of developed their own subculture because what uh you know, they say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, and what happens at knife shows is really unique to knife shows. It's um uh the culture, the energy, the um exhibition of people's work is all something that you just don't really get the same energy uh from online. Now, there's obviously product drops and things like that that happen online that kind of mimics that. You know, people are um watching live feeds and things, but it is nothing like a show. Um uh for instance, the the largest manufacturer of shows is uh uh Gun Digest or Blade Blade Magazine, right? They uh they bought the rights to a lot of shows and have slowly incorporated though them into a standard uh show experience, which is uh breathtaking at times. Specifically when you're talking about knife shows, we're talking uh really about the mecca of knife shows, which is Blade Atlanta. And as a maker, the thing that you really should be focused on is not just going to Blade for or any knife show for uh the sale specifically, but really to exhibit your work in a way that the the really the most close-knit and um and targeted customer group is going to see it, and those are gonna be at the show, right? I mean, everybody's there to look at knives, some people are there to collect knives, uh, some uh you know c I mean c collectors might not even be a thing. Like they might just like go to a knife show because, like, hey, I want to check this out, and they see your knife, and that's the thing that they purchase, and you might springboard them into a life of collecting. Um there's also dealers there, so you really have a lot of opportunities uh depending on how you orient your work and and your experience uh to like how how much you really get out of it. Um for the most part, what I look at as is um a marketing potential to get out to be able to talk to people who maybe my customers may not be yet, and just to uh show consistency in that I am dedicated towards making. And I love being able to talk to other knife makers too. I'm a fanboy like a lot of people, and there are just some people that only come to shows and the rest of the time they're in their shop. And so there's opportunities in in the pit um at Atlanta and at knife shows and and other gatherings in the hotels that are usually blocked off for um for makers and whatnot uh to get to meet and and talk and socialize. So as a maker, your preparation for shows should really start quite a while before the show is scheduled. Um all of your work really should be done a few weeks beforehand. Um the the less stress that you can put on yourself when you're doing shows, the better. And if all of your work is done and you're not waiting till the last minute and trying to finish buff things before you're getting on a plane or driving or whatever, um is best. Now, uh, have I followed that advice? Uh not always. Uh there's very few times for for nice shows that I feel like I've been fully prepared and can just walk out the door and go to my destination and perform the show. Um that's you know, poor planning maybe on my side. Uh some of it has to do with life, and the rest has to do with the fact that, you know, when you're preparing for a show, a lot of times you don't really think about like what is that what what is that extra time um required to get them to the pinnacle of your current experience. And sometimes, man, that's six hours a blade, sometimes that's ten hours a blade. Um if you're fortunate, it's a lot less, but if you're not, sometimes, you know, it can it can be an investment in addition to like how long you think a blade is normally going to take. Um, so firstly, uh prepare yourself for the idea that you have like so many knives that you're going to try to take and work through them one at a time, get them all done, let them sit for a little while and review them all. And uh, if you have a stretch goal, you can set that and maybe get a few extra blades out. Um, you know, pick pick a work that you know that you can accomplish within a given period of time versus uh the big, hairy, audacious goal of a of a you know master work that might you know take you a year or two years, it depends on like kind of what you're putting into it, right? So just be prepared with that. You get time management when you're making things is important. Um for every knife show, you have local knife shows that maybe you can drive to, and then everything else is like flying pretty much, um, uh unless you want to drive a long way. There's gas costs, there's food costs, there's hotel costs, there's the table cost itself. And in the case of most knife shows, there's usually enough demand where there's a wait list. So if you want to even think about a season of knife shows, you have to think pretty far in advance to get on the books or to reserve a table or things like that. Uh, you know, uh not all knife shows are created equal as far as table placement and things go. So uh, you know, you can very easily at Blade Show uh get a table that's not maybe by your cadre of uh of other makers or crafts or things like that. And it's important to know that your job is to shine and to take what tables you get. But if you're a first-time knife maker or a first-time showgoing knife maker, uh there's always the opportunity to uh retain the current table that you have or skip to something else, uh, but you're usually on a wait list to change tables. Whereas uh usually the um if you have that table the next year you're guaranteed that as long as everything's fair and equal. Um so you know, you have to think about travel. You have to think about getting there. I always recommend getting there like a day beforehand. Um on uh plane travel, um check check baggage for your for your knives is usually the best idea. Uh sometimes you'll be able to like ship things through FedEx and have them insured and get there. Um and you know, I don't know, you have a buddy that's uh that's in town, or you can uh you ship them to a FedEx location and pick them up. Sometimes that works. Um I've known people who have lost, uh had had their bags lost um at the airport uh for one reason or another, and uh maybe all their stuff was in in their bag, and so you have to be careful of that. Just remember those type of things happen. Anytime you're introducing chaos into the process of your making, you're going to introduce the potential that you have to solve for those things. So uh just remember, uh, you know, you the more you plan ahead, uh, I guess the the less that you might kick yourself later on if uh something goes wrong. So uh, you know, make sure that you are securing your your works inside your check baggage if you're flying. Um I prefer to drive because then I everything's there, but it just takes longer. Um gas costs, rentals, food, unpredictable. Um, the average cost, I would say, um, you know, if you're local to a show and you're um and you're able to stay in your own house, you're just dealing with the table fee, which is usually under $600 for Blade, um less or more depending on uh what other shows you're doing, but usually less uh for for other regional shows. Um but you know, your food costs, if you want to go out drinking with buddies or um or going to nice dinners or things like that, that's usually the one time of the year uh for a lot of people that they just uh go all out and go to a nice steakhouse and everything. And you know, those things it costs money. So, you know, $100, $150 a person, uh that's what it's gonna cost. I mean if you're doing that, you know, two, three days, um, you might you might be spending a thousand bucks in food. Um same same with gas. I mean, it really is kind of getting expensive, but um, you know, prepare because the investment can be $2,500 to $4,500 depending on how wild you're getting. And um, and that is a real uh consideration because if you're just going in for the experience and you're not expecting to recoup that with your knife sales, then um you know you'll probably be a little bit happier because uh it really stinks to spend a lot of money on a show and not have the sales uh to go along with it if that's what you expect. But again, the epitome of the show should not be uh that you're just going to sell out of everything. You know, if you can sell a few knives, talk to great customers, get to spend time uh with you know other makers and craftsmen, and maybe some customers uh out outside of the show, those are all really great things. So I think focus on those. Um when it comes to tables, um not all knife venues will put a cover on your table. So you need to make sure that you have an appropriate sized cover for your table. Um and usually if they don't already uh uh list that out in what you get as part of your contract for the the venue, uh you can usually ask. So whether they're like uh eight eight by threes or whatever that uh the standard size is for a standard white plastic table, uh that's usually uh the the size that you need uh for a cover. Um uh I the thing I really like is banners. Uh you can get flags and banners and other things to drape over the front of your of your uh table. And that really helps because when uh when people are looking at uh you know different tables and makers and things, if they are really going in, they can look through the list of where everybody's situated. But a lot of nice shows are not that organized. Like Blade Show actually has everybody listed out, they have flags on all the rows and and uh and columns and everything for where you need to go to navigate to get to your favorite maker. Uh, but if that's not the case, then you'll probably want to have some type of ID at your table, a banner or something that you drape over the front for identification is really good, uh, especially if people are trying to come and visit you. So you don't want to lose those opportunities if you have them. On displays, you know, fixed blades to pocket knives, I've seen the gambit. Really complicated displays and very, very simple. Like, you know, I put a cover on my table and I have paid prices written out on the uh certificate of authenticity or post-it notes or whatever, and just go. And it can be really easy, it can be easy to pack that way. Uh but if you like the pomp and circumstance and you want everything to be just so, then you know, you're gonna have to think about how you're gonna get all that from one place to another. And check baggage is not cheap either. And so the more stuff that you have to put in there, um, if you're flying, the worse it is. If you're driving, you can kind of get away with more complicated displays and things. But again, it's just one more thing that you have to truck in and truck out. Um, kind of on that note, get you a wheel cart because a a little cart that you can bring your stuff in bins or whatever in and out to the show if you have that much stuff is always really good because the from the parking lots in most shows to your table is um not close. And so if you have something to wheel your work in, um then you save yourself a lot of energy, especially when there's a lot of people uh that are in line for something. You might be carrying stuff for a while, you have to put it down and pick it up and so on and so forth. So backpacks are good, wheeled carts are good, they're fairly cheap, under $60, and you can uh not have to worry so much about carrying everything that you have. So um otherwise the goal really should just be to have fun. Um, you know, prepare your work, have time to inspect it before you go. Make sure that you close the door on the making life um for you know when you're ready to leave, and you go and you enjoy it, you set up, um, you you do your time, you stand at your table, you meet your customers and other other potentials and make conversation and be present uh rather than just sitting behind your desk. And when you do those things, even if you don't sell a lot or anything on your first show, the more consistent you are with that, uh uh the more you'll become a natural at it, and the more it will contribute towards um your public persona, which you know is is really the face-to-face version of what you do online uh with your selling. And so you want to try to be professional, you want to be courteous and uh you know care about people who are, you know, are spending their hard-earned money on your work, or keeping you in mind when they have something that they want to have commissioned, or uh, you know, they're they're looking to collect your work, but they're waiting, uh, you know, things like that. Money's not always available at the time when you need it, uh, but it definitely is available at the time when a customer wants to spend it. So just be aware of those things. Sometimes the opportunity arises quickly and you know you have the opportunity to capitalize on it. Um, I've had lots of sales that have been very situational. Um, so something to think about. I hope that helps. Um, if you're into shows, um, good luck. Uh, it is a sometimes a tough gig. There's a lot of good competition out there. Um, but more so than competition, there's just wonderful makers out there. And in the world of what gets um bought from uh collectors and people who love knives, uh there's a lot of room to go around, a lot of money to go around, a lot of customers to go around. But uh what makes you shine is really um the the culture that you set around uh the people that you're you're around. And uh if you're professional at these shows and you try to genuinely care and engage uh people uh that are coming up, they maybe they've never heard of you before, and those are the tickets for them to you know buy something from you.