On July 19, l998 I wrote an article entitled "A Kid Friendly Beanie Show." In this article I promised to attend and write about my experiences at the show.
I would like to start off by saying that this is probably one of the hardest articles I've ever had to write. I've always spoken the truth and have included both sides of the issues. It's important for me to never lose the respect from viewers, never mislead collectors, and always be fair!
My experience with the show was one I will never forget. I had the opportunity to meet some wonderful individuals and share in a lot of Beanie conversation. I personally had a blast!! I took a train to Durham and there we met, Teresa Cheung, Ellie Keils, Tony & Melissa Davis from "The Toy Box", Ellen from Duke University Primate Center, Anne Stevens, and many wonderful dealers.
Mr. Gann experienced some unfortunate situations, which had an adverse effect on his show. I gained first hand experience on how difficult promoting and organizing a show can be. I've always had one motto which has carried me through my attitude towards life: "Don't expect anything, and you will never be disappointed". Unfortunately, it's very difficult as a show promoter to produce a show without flaws.
Mr. Ganns' enthusiasm for shows is just as apparent as his zest for life as a Beanie collector. In my opinion, Mr. Gann had his heart in the right place, but had to overcome many obstacles.
I would like to share a few comments which I received and address any negatives. I would also like to point out that there were far more POSITIVE comments than negative ones, regardless, they all must be addressed.
From:
To: <gglobal98@aol.com>
Subject: Durham Show
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 20:38:26 -0400
Hi! Just a small(I hope) note to let you know that we had a wonderful
time at
the show! We loved the trading room and the kids felt like a part
of the
action with all the games! The dealers for the most part were
friendly. I
would have liked to have had all of the prices shown instead of
having to ask
the dealers the price. I felt that they were ignoring the children
that were
inquiring about the cost of some items. When in fact, they shouldn't
because
they save their money for things like this and can really surprise
dealers
with how much they are willing to spend.
We made a lot of trades and purchases as well. I really liked
how you were not
allowed to sell on premises. That was a big plus to the dealers
and the guest alike!
Meeting Suzy and Janie was by far the best highlight. We drove
4 1/2 hours
one way for that pleasure!
The only negative feedback I have was the children's raffles.
The only one we
entered was for the brown Teddy so I can't speak about the others.
This was
not won by a child. I felt that was in bad taste since my daughter
spent her
money($20.00) to enter that raffle and her chances(as well as
other
children's) were hampered because adults alike entered as well.
An adult won.
My child made comment as well as many others.
We would like to attend the next show. I do not know if that will
be possible
since it is on Halloween. Most families have traditions like trick
or treat
routes that make that time of year special. We will certainly
do our best! We
are used to the drive for beanie shows and you defiantly put on
the best!!!!!!!!!
Mr. Gann and I have spoke about the raffles. He has ensured
me that this will never happen again. Some adults took advantage
of the situation and purchased kid raffle tickets. In the future,
only kids will be allowed to purchase these tickets. Mr. Gann
has also ensured that the staff will be more aware of the rules
and follow them to the "T" .
From:
Subject: [BPLIST] Durham Show
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 22:56:21 -0400
It has been a long weekend and I am finally getting around to
letting you know about the show! We drove to Durham on Friday
a 4 1/2 hour drive. Well worth every minute(even with 4 kids in
the car!). We had the best time!
We got to meet Suzy, Ms. Janie, Beverly from Durham, Kai(sky less
the K), Clark, CJ and his family! Everyone was so nice. We bought
some things but traded mostly(Thanks again Clark and CJ!).
The kids played games and won beanies, bumperstickers and so much
more. They had giveaways and raffles.
Sounds like a happy camper to me!
From:
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 20:34:29 EDT
To: j81459@erols.com
Subject: Fwd: beanie show
We loved the show! It was a long trip to get there and back, but
a very
worthwhile one. I especially liked the "kid friendly"
atmosphere. Our
Grandsons won beanies and the smiles on their faces were worth
a million
dollars. We also got some great buys on beanies, and were pleased
with the
Friendly dealers. It would have been nice to have some dealers
who sold
more beanie accessories - we were looking for t-shirts and bumper
stickers.
The only down side was the limited space and poor lighting. I
believe it
could have been a bit better organized, also. People were expecting
the
events to go as had been advertised in your web site, and times
were changed.
I loved the idea of the trading room. It was especially great
for the
children, and should be expanded.
We're looking forward to coming to your next show!
Hillsville, VA
As previously mentioned, the lighting was not adequate.
Mr. Gann, has informed me that his next show will have ample lighting
and over 7000 sq. feet of space.
From:
Date: July 27, l998
To: Janie Daniels <j81459@erols.com>
Subject: show
I knew you were going to write an article about the show and wanted
to
share my views. My family and I felt the show was pretty good.
My kids
enjoyed the games and raffles and my son won a free Beanie. When
we got
to your table the room sort of lit up, your smile and kid friendly
approach
was worth a million dollars. Suzy, Ellie and the Beanie Gene lady
were
just as delightful. My son asked for your autograph on a bookmark,
you
signed the bookmark and them gave him a bunch of freebies, he
was so
excited. "By the way he loved the alien gift package"
We feel that the promoter of the show tried his best and appreciate
everything he did to bring this show to our area. We have been
to a couple
of shows and have always been disappointed, this one was different.
If you ever come back to Durham, we will be there to great you
with open Arms.
Sounds like another satisfied customer!
From:
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 17:35:27 -0400
To: Janie Daniels <j81459@erols.com>
Subject: Re: beanie symposium
It was great meeting you at the show on Sat. My 10 year old son
(and
I) have been enjoying reading The Beanie Invasion that you signed
for us.
It was also nice meeting Suzy from BP and seeing the Beanie Genie
software.
I do have to say that I was GREATLY disappointed with the show.
It was
Definitely not a kid show. The kid room had nothing going on.
When a
game was played, the woman running it had no idea how to play.
And there
was nothing else for my kids to do. The kids only raffles were
not kids
only. There was no control over this. The dealers had the same
over
inflated prices that you see everywhere else. My kids were disappointed
that they did not get to buy any new releases. I had a very hard
time
talking my kids into staying until 11:30am until the new faced
brown teddy raffle was drawn.
When you write about the show, please don't sugar coat it. I know
you
try to be nice to everyone and give them the benefit of the doubt.
But,
please tell it like it was.
Thanks for your time and attention,
Thanks for taking the time to answer. I did already send my comments
to
Mr. Gann. I also filled out a survey at the show. I'm glad you
were at
the show. You and the other 2 ladies at your table were the only
people
there for the kids. Made it worthwhile. Thanks again.
This last comment had some valid points, which I would like
to address.
Although many collectors enjoyed the show and the majority of
the children were completely satisfied, there were some rather
unfortunate situations which did occur.
The kids raffles have already been addressed. I was unaware of
any schedule change for show events. I was told that attendees
wanted the games to commence before their scheduled times. Regrettably,
there was also some confusion in regards to the kids games.
In reference to Beanie prices. These dealers are not Ty retailers;
they are secondary market dealers. I personally cannot comment
on their prices, because I was unable to visit with all of the
dealers. I will say that I did have the opportunity to purchase
a couple new releases for $10.00
In the future, if a show is billed as a kid friendly show, please
be advised that this simply means the following.
Kids should have specific raffles, which can only be entered by
kids and are reasonable priced for kids.
Kids should have special events, which are planed for their entertainment.
All dealers should acknowledge kids in a friendly manner.
"A Kid Friendly show" Does not mean new releases
priced at $5.99 or less! Approx. 90% of all dealers at Beanie
shows are secondary market dealers!
Although Mr. Gann's commitment with the hotel was booked months
before the show, the hotel had changed hands twice before
the show even commenced. The location of the dealer room posed
some problems. The show was held in a nightclub, which had poor
lighting and was probably one of the biggest complaints. Mr. Gann,
along with the hotel staff tried to rectify the situation by placing
lamps throughout the room.
Mr. Gann and I have had the opportunity to discuss his show in
great lengths.
I have shared my personal views and recommendations. Mr. Gann
admits that he was somewhat inexperienced with his first Beanie
show. He feels that he has learned a lot and promises for an even
better show next time.
My final comments are as follows:
Beanie shows require a lot of time and energy. I enjoyed attending
the Beanie Symposium and plan on attending the next show in October.
In my view, anyone who can promote a show for the first time and
have over 500 collectors in attendance, is OK in my book. Mr.
Gann showed great poise in trying to rectify situations, many
which were out of his control. Experience is the key; I look for
this man to become a great promoter in the very near future.
I would like to take this opportunity to offer a few suggestions
for future promoters.
In all fairness, I have allowed Mr. Gann to respond to this article.
From: GGlobal98@aol.com
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1998 23:35:26 EDT
To: j81459@erols.com
Subject: Chris's Letter
Dear Janie,
I would like to thank you for the honesty you have displayed in
your show article! Our Beanie show staff, including myself, welcome
your opinions.
As you are aware this was my first Beanie show and
I did encounter some challenges along the way to showtime. Some
boundaries
were crossed, such as the implementation of an all-day children's
only
program, which proved to be a challenging, but very rewarding
task! I do apologize
for any errors in judgement which may have been made. These errors
may have caused an adverse affect on a small number of our attendees.
The "just for kids" theme launched in this show will
continue and grow larger with every show from this day forth.
Lighting and dealer room space will be corrected for our next
show coming up
on October 31 and November 1 of this year, as we have secured
over 7,000
square feet of "well-lit" space at the Durham Marriott
at the Civic Center in
downtown Durham! Our show will be a 2-day show and will hold many
new
surprises for both kids and adults. Look for the latest information
on our
website coming Sunday, August 2, 1998. We are delighted to have
you joining us
for a second explosive show, as we look forward to meeting you
again!
Sincerely,
Chris Gann 
Show Chairman
http://members.aol.com/gglobal98/gglobal98.html
Date: Sun, 2 Aug 1998 16:40:44 EDT
To: J81459@erols.com
Subject: Beanie Symposim July 25
Janie, I wanted to write you and thank you for part in making
the Beanie show in Durham a fun show. I have attended and participated
in over 30 beanie shows and this was the first one that I can
say was really truly fun. I was so impressed that the promoter
had events for children, including multiple games for kids like
"beanie bingo" and "guess the beanie", childrens
raffles, and even grab bags for the first folks who entered the
show. This was the first time at any show that I had seen raffles
intended just for children or for charity, games set up for kids
and in the end a huge red brick beanie house raffled off to a
child. Also they gave free space for several special exhibits
for charities there were raffles on.. Having special guests at
the show was also a first for me and it added a whole new dimension
that was exciting. I also undertand (thought I never got down
to it) that there was trading room for kids; a rare thing at any
show, usually that occurs in the parking lot. I enjoyed meeting
and talking to so many folks from all over. Since I had come from
GA, it was great to meet people from Ca, Va, Tenn, NC, SC all
over. Sure we had some glitches the amenities, temperature control
and getting setup, but this was mainly due to the bad management
of the Ramada Inn. I know since I put up with them for 4 nights.
(no comment on room cleanliness). I am looking forward to the
next show and plan to travel to Durham to do it again. which will
not be at the same place!!!. Again it was great to meet you!!
anne
This article was written By:
Janie E. Daniels
July 31, l998
Copyright
