Posted: 6/10/2012 10:00:12 AM EDT
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Gun show. What a joke. 13.00 to get in. Maybe 50 people walking around. Cann't even have his own people work the door he has to have fairgrounds staff do his dirty wOrk for him. At least they told me they worked for fair grounds. Why do people continue to buy tables and pay to get in to the show expetially when he doesn't respect militiary and law enforcement or offer any kind of discount?
Rant over |
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Quoted:
I went and I scored a can of 5.45 for 85.00 so I am glad I took the chance and went. I saw some good prices but nothing great most of the good deals to be had were on Kings table. 85.00? For green tip 62 grain? That is highway robbery! I wonder if he still has that little hand cannon 460? Every time I go the price gets closer to what I'm willing to spend. |
Yep, can't forget to add the cost of getting in, particularly when its that high... Quoted: Quoted: I went and I scored a can of 5.45 for 85.00 $98 so I am glad I took the chance and went. I saw some good prices but nothing great most of the good deals to be had were on Kings table. Fixed it for ya  |
| I enjoy going to these shows but I will not ever go to another Metcalf show until they go back to a reasonable entry cost. I don't care if the deal of the century is potentially sitting just inside the door. Until enough people take a stand shows like this are going to keep looking for ways to separate guests from their money. It's no different than airlines now charging people premiums for specific seats in the economy class seating. Today it's $13....next year it's $15.....until people stop supporting these guys it's going to continue and most likely get worse. I won't do it...I'll happily go to a smaller show that has a reasonable entry fee. They may not have as many vendors or fancy advertisements but with enough support they will. |
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I been boycotting gunshows for years; finally went to one again a few years back to see if they've changed any; and they had,
the admission price was $10 and Dan seen how fast I could run when he tried to test out the new brushguard on the front of his truck while I was walking through the parking lot
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More and more people are boycotting metcalf. He's sunk so low as to sending out crappy mailings bad mouthing the competition to dealers. He threatens to sue the other guys, and then does the exact thing to them The guy is a piece of work.
Make sure that you all support the new promoters. If not, they wont be around long. |
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Since I will be attending the Metcalf show in Tulsa this weekend, I was discussing the comments here with one of my friends who is also a longtime vendor at these shows. He asked Mr. Metcalf some of the questions you guys brought up and here is what Mr. Metcalf had to say:
"The atendance was lower, because we are in the off season. Nov-March is when the crowds are highest. I don't like the ticket price either, unfortunately it costs $40,000 to run a show in Tulsa or OKC, and we can't sell tickets for less without: (1) raising the table price to $80 per table, or (2) cutting out the advertising. The dealers wont pay $80 per table so there wouldn't be a show, and if I cut out the advertising, the crowds will drop to nothing, the dealers won't sell enough to make it worth thier time and they would not come back, ending the shows. There are a lot of people who mistakenly think there is more profit in gun shows than there is, and that I can simply lower the price, but thats just not the case. If the fairgrounds didnt charge $12,000 per weekned for the building alone ( electricty, chairs, security, air-conditioning...all at an extra charge) we could probably lower the tickets, but they, along with everyone else I do business with, keep raising the prices I have to pay and that gets added to the ticket price. I wished gas was $1 a gallon and S&W mod 66's were $250 again, unfortunately that is just not the economic situation we are in. Some will chose not to pay that ticket price. But when bass-pro sells glocks for $660 and they are at the gun show for $500, the smart guys will pay the extra couple of dollars at the show and save 10 times that amount on a gun purchase with our dealers." –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– So, take it for what you want, hate him, support him, whatever. At the very least, a lot of you are now better informed. See you at the show.
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you kinda got to take Metcalf at his word about the Fair Board, (another bunch of scoundrels) but this is from their website.
year round building rentals; Buildings To see a diagram, click on the underlined building name. Cox Pavilion 70,000 sf / $2,000 vs 13% Oklahoma Expo Hall 66,822 sf total / $1,800.00 vs 13% for the entire building Front Section (#1) 19,800 sf / $450 vs 13% North Section (#2) 30,222 sf / $925 vs 13% South Section (#3) 16,800 sf / $625 vs 13% Travel & Transportation Building 64,000 sf / $2,000 vs 13% Carriage Hall w/Courtyard Carriage Hall – 12,800 sf Courtyard w/above – 21,000 sf – $700 vs 13% Centennial Building 28,800 sf / $925 vs 13% Modern Living Building 36,750 sf / $975 vs 13% Hobbies, Arts and Crafts Building 19,600 sf / $650 vs 13% i don't pretend to know what the structure is (the price vs the percentage bit) i don't see 12 grand anywhere. also available (from the same site) Support Equipment Tables and ChairsPrice 5′ Round Tables (Setup)$6.00 ea 5′ Round Tables (Delivered)$5.00 ea 8′ Banquet Tables (Setup)$6.00 ea 8′ Banquet Tables (Delivered)$5.00 ea Padded Chairs (Setup)$1.50 ea Padded Chairs (Delivered)$1.25 ea Folding Chairs (Setup)$1.00 ea Folding Chairs (Delivered)$0.75 ea and someone here well knows, they dont supply chairs. at least chairs that don't collapse. a 75c chair is a 75c chair afterall. advertising? 3x3 inch ad in the jokelahoman? anyway with gunshows every weekend who needs ads? poor poor warren, i feel his pain. it'd be a bitch to actually have to DO something for a living,huh? |
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I don't think he rents tables. He has his own Tables and has for years.
Granted they are nice tables, but he puts out the smaller tables and says(ADVERTISES) he has more tables than the other promoters(larger tables) and he charges dealers just as much for the smaller table as others do for a larger table. This just came from a vendor that has recently started doing shows. Edit: I believe he charges $80 per table. Also, Metcaf does advertise Big Time. Newer promoters not so much. More of a word of mouth advertising. |
He's got the same mind set that many in government have. They can't see how attendance would increase with a lower ticket price, and raise revenue more than an increased ticket price which results in decreased attendance. Its just like taxes, except I am not going to pay that kind of fee and don't have to. 
It's the law of diminishing returns which dictates the market value of the ticket at equilibrium, as the price could actually drop too low and result in a loss. I guarantee you $13 is not his Break Even Point, at which he can go no lower to attract more customers. There is no fixed amount of value in a market, as when a price point decrease you almost always observe an increase in value to the consumer, resulting in higher demand. This drives everything toward equilibrium; Metcalf is driving himself out of business. |
| He is welcome to justify his rates in any way he wishes. In fact, he really doesn't have to justify anything. He is free to charge whatever he feels he needs to in order to maintain the level of profit he desires. The bottom line is that he is charging more than others who provide the same service at the same location at a lower cost. I wish him well. I never hope for anyone in this industry to fail. I just can't justify spending the money when I can wait a week or two and spend less for access to the same vendors. |
| I agree...he over estimates his costs so he can profit more from the visitors. I couldn't care less about his advertising costs...he says without saturating the state with it he can't get people to how up....um, horse sh!t...if he dropped his admission fees he would have lines down the building. What a crap load. However it's his show and he sets the prices and has he right to do what he wants. I also have the right to call bullsh!t and boycott his shows. |
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I might mosey on down to the RK show tomorrow unless there's some reports here that indicate that it would be better to pass on it. Myself and a buddy have a couple of tables at it. its ......meh.........at best. Not as many tables/vendors and the crowds arent there either. With the new promoters running shows in Lawton and Chickasha, this will likely be my last OKC show, at least for a while. I think people are tired of paying $12 to get in. |