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The NBM Show...should I go?

Tony Rome

Tony Rome

New Member
I have never been to a Sign Show, mostly because we just recently transitioned into the sign business and mostly were a screen printing company.
I know this isn't the best sign show, but what has your experience been, did you feel it was a good tool?
I looked at the vendors and it was sort of like a who's who of nobody's.
Any advice?
Thanks!

Also, when is the next one that is a good one to attend, I think I missed the big one in April in Vegas.
 
J

JERHEMI

New Member
I've been to the Indianapolis NBM Show several times over the years and it seems to get smaller and smaller every year. You can walk through it in a couple hours. Only a handful of worthwhile booths I was interested in checking out. The rest all seemed to be geared towards the hobbyist..."buy this rhinestone machine and it will make you a bunch of money" type booths. Also, the venues they have the NBM show aren't large enough for the major manufacturers to bring the big and expensive equipment to. My favorite show that's coming up is Graph Expo at McCormick Place in Chicago! McCormick Place is MASSIVE and all the manufacturers are demoing all the equipment large and small. You can easily spend an entire day or two checking everything out.
 
CES020

CES020

New Member
Well, you're in PA, and it's in Philly next month, so there you go!

You don't have many choices in the North East. All the great big shows seem to happen in Florida, New Orleans, etc. , or the West Coast.
 
ExecuPrintGS

ExecuPrintGS

New Member
JERHEMI said:
I've been to the Indianapolis NBM Show several times over the years and it seems to get smaller and smaller every year. You can walk through it in a couple hours. Only a handful of worthwhile booths I was interested in checking out. The rest all seemed to be geared towards the hobbyist..."buy this rhinestone machine and it will make you a bunch of money" type booths. Also, the venues they have the NBM show aren't large enough for the major manufacturers to bring the big and expensive equipment to. My favorite show that's coming up is Graph Expo at McCormick Place in Chicago! McCormick Place is MASSIVE and all the manufacturers are demoing all the equipment large and small. You can easily spend an entire day or two checking everything out.
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same here, we go to indy every year and every year its less and less. Its a 6 hour drive 1 way for us and last year we walked around for 2 hours and took off.
If you are going to buy equipment and get good deals you can find some. If you are going for the classes i think those look like a good time/ place to do them.
Otherwise i think we are going to pass next year.
 
Tony Rome

Tony Rome

New Member
Well, that was the only reason, but just because it is close, that is not enough.
Has anyone been there, was it a decent show, what can I expect to get from it...besides an empty tank?
 
Tony Rome

Tony Rome

New Member
Thanks guys, that's how I was leaning, just judging by their vendor list.
I have no problem taking a trip to Florida, Vegas would be a little tough though.
 
CES020

CES020

New Member
No need for PM, here's the link to the seminars :

http://www.ussc.org/SWseminars.php

I hope some more people get on board with it this year. I looked the other day and it was only about 30% occupied. I think it was about 180 booths and only 60 vendors booked. That's not good. I hope people are holding out and going to step in and support the show. There's more talent at that show than any other one I've been to, but the vendors just seem to be walking away from it year after year.
 
Kottwitz-Graphics

Kottwitz-Graphics

New Member
CES020 said:
No need for PM, here's the link to the seminars :

http://www.ussc.org/SWseminars.php

I hope some more people get on board with it this year. I looked the other day and it was only about 30% occupied. I think it was about 180 booths and only 60 vendors booked. That's not good. I hope people are holding out and going to step in and support the show. There's more talent at that show than any other one I've been to, but the vendors just seem to be walking away from it year after year.
Click to expand...

The issue that I have with the schedule is the classes that I want to take are both on Thursday (both of the gold leaf classes). The major issue is the first class ends at 10:30, and the exhibit hall doesn't open until 3, whisk is when the second class starts. So what is there to do for 4 1/2 hours? And I ain't gonna go to a casino.... I want to keep what little money I have mine...
 
CES020

CES020

New Member
Some of the best gold leafing people are in the Bull Pen, teaching and sharing advice for free. Granted the Bull Pen doesn't have much going on earlier in the day, but if you're searching for knowledge, that's also a great place to go. I had discussions with a guy last year, I asked about some things and he shared a lot of advice and then says "You really need to talk to so and so, let me go get him", and he goes over, brings another guy back, introduces us, then that guy teaches us quite a bit more.

That's why I have a special place for that show. I love that show. I just wish suppliers would step up and support it like they used to. I'd drive by the NBM show to go to that show any day of the week, even if it was nothing but the seminars and Bull Pen.
 
Kottwitz-Graphics

Kottwitz-Graphics

New Member
CES020 said:
Some of the best gold leafing people are in the Bull Pen, teaching and sharing advice for free. Granted the Bull Pen doesn't have much going on earlier in the day, but if you're searching for knowledge, that's also a great place to go. I had discussions with a guy last year, I asked about some things and he shared a lot of advice and then says "You really need to talk to so and so, let me go get him", and he goes over, brings another guy back, introduces us, then that guy teaches us quite a bit more.

That's why I have a special place for that show. I love that show. I just wish suppliers would step up and support it like they used to. I'd drive by the NBM show to go to that show any day of the week, even if it was nothing but the seminars and Bull Pen.
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I spent a lot of time there last year talking to Francis Lansetti ( so much that my photo was taken talking to him, and it's in the show ads)....
 
binki

binki

New Member
NBM was our first show in Long Beach CA many years ago and it was great back then. Last year they moved it to Los Angeles and it was tiny and this year they didn't even do it.
 
visual800

visual800

Active Member
Been to one sign show( few years back) and one airbrush show( several years back). The highlight of the airbrush shiw was meeting some of the big names like Olivia, Dru Blair, Knightworks Signs......and so on. it was very cool.

the sign show was not as interesting to me as it was a bunch of wish list, overpriced and overkill items. Interesting but now for me. If you go make sure you do not put your correct personal info on the badge cause if you visit their booth they will scan you and aggravate the hell out of you bout their products
 
CES020

CES020

New Member
visual800 said:
If you go make sure you do not put your correct personal info on the badge cause if you visit their booth they will scan you and aggravate the hell out of you bout their products
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NBM was the WORST about that. They would sell your info to people. I got contacted by a load of people that weren't at the show we signed up for and people we had no contact with at all. Just suddenly got slammed with calls and junk email. So much so that I contacted the people at NBM and complained about it. I didn't get much of an apology.

Now, we have specific contact information we use for all shows. You can sell my email all you want because it's going to a junk email address we use for sign shows. I would NEVER use my good email addresses when signing up for a show.
 
F

fixtureman

New Member
I went to the one in Indy last year and only was there for a couple of hours and left. Seen everything I wanted to see and talk to and was dissapointed in the size. I do a lot of trade shows for 2 different companies and this one was one of the worst.
 
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