Joe,

Since I was one of the micro fliers I have to agree that a seperate area sure would be nice, prop wash from the larger models is a killer for the micros. I keep looking at the display area for the static displays and wondering why the micros could not fly back there since there were so few static models. But then there would be 2 flight lines to control so I dunno.

Jerry

Originally Posted by Hobbygroup

Before I forgot thanks for this valuable input. It will help us make the 2006 show better than this year . I also did not realize that the indoor flying is a major back bone of the show and we will get special event passes for pre-registered pilots. To enter the hall during setup & tear down hours and enter the event.

That is VERY good news. I came primarily for the indoor flying. I brought 31 airplanes ready-to-fly. It was a real hassle loading them all. If we have better access next year, that will be great! Thanks Ron!

Gary

What is SWAC?

A.) Tradeshow with crowd attracting activities and Fun Fly.

B.) Fun fly with annoying Tradeshow.

C.) None of the above.

It has to be A to survive...

Let's face it..the indoor part, other than a few small glitches, was pretty great.

It is the rest of the event that needs a good bit of tweaking.

Originally Posted by Hobbygroup

Monkey See. We did have two flat bed carts to use in the hall. Maybe we can send someone to meet you at the train station.

Thanks for the input

I hope you didn't take what I said wrong. I wasn't complaining. Taking the train was a big bonus for me. I got to go to the show free of charge because of my monthly public transportation pass. I didn't have to pay for gas, didn't have to pay for parking.
AND I got to read the mags I got from the show, look back over the stuff I bought and took a little nap on my way home. (I almost got to look back over the lunch I bought there. )
Thanks for the offer of the cart but I think that would be a little much for you to have to do that. I'll have something by next year to carry my stuff. My own little aircraft carrier.

I would use Toledo as a model to guide development of SWAC. Venders draw people as well as the swap shop (everyone loves a bargain!). The fly in is icing on the cake. I was very disappointed with the number of venders. The ones that were there were great, there just wasn't enough of them. PAY ATTENTION TO THE SWAP SHOP. It was pathetic. The Toledo swap shop draws just as many people as the show and the two venues support each other extremely well.

The SWAC has the potential for being the kick off to the Holiday buying season for modelers throughout the region. You could see the latest in indoor models being flown, buy stuff from the venders for presents (ie, buy yourself a present) and sell stuff at the swap shop to finance the whole trip.

My buddies and I may consider coming again next year (it's a seven hour drive) if we see two things happen. 1. A long vender list including folks like GWS (why weren't they there?), Hobby Lobby, maybe Dymond, Horizon, etc.; and 2. A promise that the swap shop will be given the attention it deserves (they are venders, paying money like other venders and deserve better than they got at this years debacle.

I really hope it happens. It would be a blast to have a "Toledo of the South"

I would agree that having the swap in the same area and signs outside the room would have directed a lot of much needed attention inside

I didn't attend this year, but did three years ago when it was coinciding with DEAF. I was under the impression that it was canacelled the past two years and 2005 was the firs time since.

The main problem I had was advertising. I searched frequently and had a hard time finding any info about it.

The event I attended three years ago was well run but needed demo events in my opinion. Add a few contests that would bring in the big names and that would help.

But I think the biggest thing for me is advertisment and promotion.

Steve

To be fair to Ron/HobbyGroups, he is actually trying to make the show more professional and more like Toledo than it was in the past.

Toledo allows no hobby shops on the main floor (except for two that are historically grandfathered in from ages ago) and the swap meet is in a different area than the main floor. (Upstairs, and it circles the main venue on the second floor.)

However, with a smaller show, separating everything so much did not work at SWAC. It would have been better to allow hobby shops on the main floor and to have the swap meet in a curtained corner of the main room.

Let's examine another similar situation at an event like this in the plastic model world, for a different approach. I have been to a couple of IMPS national events.

There, swap people and vendors are considered equal. Everyone pays something like 90 dollars a table and companies and individuals mingle freely along the rows of table...it appears very integrated and creates a dynamic market. If you need electrical, you pay for it.

Food for thought.

But Thomas, I saw at least 2 hobby shops set up as vendors ! If I had not been moving this weekend, I still would not have attended as a vendor because of this. The swap area was on the "other side of the moon" and many of my customers did not see the little 8 1/2" x 11" sign pointing them there ( if the nice girl at the ticket booth hadn't told me ,I wouldn't have seen it! ). The swap area could have been over in the back corner and like already said, would be a draw past the manufacturers/distributors .
To those that have mentioned the advertising, to Ron's defense it has been in EVERY AMA magazine for the past 3 or so months as at least a full page ad , not to mention the website and the threads here !

I hope to see it get better next year and a Saturday/Sunday event would be better ! I have had more than 30 people tell me they could not attend because of work on Saturday !

There are a few small things to work on, but Hobby Group did as good a job as they could for the first year and should be able to better themselves next year ! Looking forward to 2006!

Rick

Originally Posted by fwilly

Lots of good suggestions Kirby!!

The food situation did suck!! Really high prices for not so great food

A built and flown at the event cometition would be funny. I have lots of experience building planes at events

I second this!!!

What happened to the 2006 show?... will there be a 2007?

It never happened...There is very little to zero chance of a 2007 event.

bummer... someone's missing out on a very big market

Well, the history of the event says that people really don't care about it and the market for an event like this is not that big.

There have been R/C trade shows in the Dallas area in 1977, 1978 and 1980...the old Dallas Model show.

Later, around 2000 or so, Sandy Frank and the AMA cranked up the Southwestern Aeromodelers Conference. There were three of these at the Arlington Convention Center in 2000, 2002 and 2004, I think. Another company took over management of the event and held it once at the Fort Worth convention center in 2005.

None of the recent events were financially viable. Number of attending vendors declined every year. The events were not advertised as fully as they could have been, but most R/Cers get the AMA magazine and it was extensively mentioned and advertised in there. The feeling is out there in the industry that no one in Dallas Fort Worth wants to come to a model trade show. The modeling public does not want to come because there will not be many vendors there........a never ending circle.

The DFW area is blessed with a good number of excellent hobby shops, which some think dulls the attraction of these events.

Given all this, it will be very hard to restart the SWAC events.