What do the train shows in other parts of the country charge for admission? A Great Train Expo is scheduled for Tucson, Arizona, on the weekend of March 13-14 at the Pima County Fairgrounds. It now costs $5 for parking (used to be free), $7 admission into the fairgrounds (used to be free) and $7 admission to the show – for a total of $19 per person.
Another train show held in Tucson at a motel costs only $5 admission with no parking or other fees.
One vendor said the Great Train Expo table charge is going to be something like $75 this year. It seems that they’re doing everything they can to drive customers away through their choice of location for the show and their admission fees.
Depends on the show and who puts it on. I’m at the Wichita show this weekend, $6 to get in, free parking.
The Great Train Expo is a travelling national show and I talked to one vendor at the show this weekend and he said it was too expensive for him to get tables at the GTE show coming to Wichita in a couple of months so he won’t be setting up there.
One note, the organizer for the Wichita show indicated that attendence was up this year despite the little snow storm we had on Thursday night into Friday.
to me thats a whole lot of money , i was planning on heading there, I live in Mesa, but i am going to pass… The great train expo used to be up here with the same deal at the fairgrounds , so i stopped going to it. Now its where there is free parking and i only have to pay the cost of admission. Other shows up here are around the $5-6 range, which i think is fair…
Capitol Expo Center in Chantilly, Va has no fees except what the train show charges, same for Maryland Fairgrounds in Timonium Md and the Fredericksburg Expo Center. The train shows have been running $7-$10 lately. Gas to Timonium is another $10-$12 from where I live, so that’s a $20 show for me, but it’s a good show. The others are much closer.
If I have to start paying for parking or fairground admission, I’ll probably go less.
The ones I go to range from $7-$10, parking is free at all of the ones I attend. People complained when the prices went up at Timonium but when you think about it, it’s a cheap day’s entertainment even if you don’t end up buying anything.
I went to the Amherst / Springfield show yesterday. $5 to park, $10 admission. It’s such a big show, though, that it’s worth the price. It’s only here once a year.
The Greenberg shows have been about $7 lately. Free parking, so that’s the whole cost. It’s held at the Shriners’ Auditorium, so some of that goes to the good causes the Shriners support. I always have a sausage-with-onions at the snack bar, because that goes to the Shriners, too.
Not sure whether to be happy or sad to be getting a “senior discount” at some of the shows now.
Being involved with a fairly large show in Maryland [name edited], I feel compelled to participate. I have found several schools of thought from attendees over the years. Some actually feel that the admission should be free as it is a selling show and the vendors should go all of the costs. Others come up and thank us as the value is truly great for a day’s outing. Example: Our upcoming show next weekend will feature over 20 really nice operating layouts, and over 750 tables of items for sale in most gauges and scales. There will be many other features including a huge consignment area where attendees who would rather not go the cost of tables can place their items there for a small commission fee only if item sells. Also there are many great bargains to be found here.
Point… other than seemingly plugging this show is that many do not understand the ever escalating costs involved with putting on a show of this size or any size. Besides facility rental which goes up almost every year, there are table and chair rentals, cost to set up, $2,000,000 liability insurance, staff fees, security and parking attendees fees, stipends, federal tax, state sales taxes (our cost…10%), advertising and promotion costs, and much more, We do this show as do most other show promoters because we are model railroaders first and we love every facet of the hobby. We stay at [name edited], mainly because we have been there now for over 25 years, and we feel that we can still maintain affordable costs to vendors and attendees. Another good reason is that there are no parking fees.
The internet is capturing much of the model railroad budget, and understandably so…24 hour shopping from your desk and at decent prices. Hobby shops seem to be closing at an alarming pace which causes much concern. How do we get new folks into this hobby? Train shows play a strong part as a model train prospect really has to be exposed t
The show I go to every year in Dewey, OK only charges $5 and the parking is free. I went to the Tulsa, OK show and the admission was $7 and the parking was free also. The one in Dewey is held at the fairgrounds and the Tulsa show is held at the convention center.
I stopped going to the big-name shows a few years back because of the higher admission + parking costs - about 12-14 bucks total.
Fortunately here in SE Michigan we have several schools and RR clubs in the area that have fundraisers so there is a show every couple of months except over the summer. These are not as big as the name shows but seem to have more opportunity for finding good stuff at a good price. In fairness, you do have to look for the good stuff amidst some toy vendors and mounds of used low-quality RR stuff. But, these shows generally charge only 3-4 dollars and parking is free.
The last GATS show I attended in Las Vegas ran $7.00 after the internet discount…and that was almost 20 years ago. By the looks of show admissions around the country, I’d say that prices haven’t changed much for the attendee. I can’t imagine how much the costs have skyrocketed for the vendors…
The shows here in La Crosse, WI are ~$5 for admission + free parking. Some have even started giving a small discount on admission with the donation of a non-perishable food item.
THe Great Train Expo in Council Bluffs was $7 with free parking, was very well attended, had one whole room filled with vendors and one whole room filled portable/modular layouts.
It’s 96 miles round trip to a very good annual train show that I like to attend. According to my fleet cost book at work, that takes into account cost of vehicle, expected life of the vehicle and expected service cost and repairs for that model. It does not include insurance. It is a very accurate tool we use for selecting the appropriate vehicle for a certain job.
It will cost me $46.08 to take my Honda Civic or $79.12 to take my F-350 Diesel pickup. So whether the admission is $6.00 or $10.00 it is the smallest cost to consider. Transportation cost is the big ticket item for me.
I attend several every year, and I generally spend about $20 just to get in. Amhurst Train Show was $5 parking, plus $10 for admission, but my two kids were free.
A couple of the others I attend are less for the admission, but I have to pay for my kids, too, so it evens out.
The real trick is avoiding the food (tough to do with kids). The overpriced food is the only thing I object to. $4 for a hot dog? Come on. Their cost of ingredients is about $0.25, and the labor not much more (on a pro-rated basis).
That said, the show organizers have a right to make a profit, too, so I don’t begrudge them the admissions fee. Train shows require a lot of work to pull off; it’s not like a bunch of people just gather together so we can come look at their stuff.
The bigger shows I go to, with some commercial food outfit, I don;t buy the overpriced food. A couple of the smaller ones I go ot have an organization like the Boy Scouts provide the food. I don’t mind so much paying $4 for a burger if it’s going to the Scouts and not some company that likes to overcharge.
See you are compairing a “Big Time Circus” to a small time circus. The Highest price that I ever paid was $15.00 Dollars for the Hobbyshow in Chicago and I was working for a LHS then. Kevin
Near Seattle, WA the big semi annual shows at the Puyallup fairgrounds are only $7 with free parking…can’t beat it! Usually 2 floors and sometimes 2 buildings of Trains! At the Thanksgiving show they were saying that with increased table costs they were lucky to meet breakeven point after noon on Sunday! John
Second that. But, the hot dogs were a far better choice than the N-scale cheeseburgers.
I usually go to a fast-food burger place before going into the show. Yeah, the food’s just as bad, but it’s only half the price. My exception is the Shriner’s in Wilmington, MA, where the profits go to a worthy charity.