Hello everyone. I'm trying to get a read on what folks think about attending Trainfest this year in Wisconsin.
I would like to hear from both consumers and manufacturers/retailers if it's worth attending.
I'm a manufacturer/retailer who sells his own products and I had heard in the past it was a very good show for both sides of the table.
I know folks travel many miles as I've seen this at the Amherst Train show in W. Springfield, MA so I want to get some feedback on what people think about this show. We don't mind going to the show as long as we can get a read on this area for model railroaders.
It's being run by Kalmbach (Thank you Kalmbach!) and the trainshow.com, which seems like it should be good for all.
Any feedback from consumers and manufacturers/dealers would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance to those who reply.
Neal
(Mods-if this violates and rules please remove and I apologize)
I highly doubt it. I've always wanted to go to that one but I'll stick to the more local train shows. I haven't re-adjusted to the OPEC CIRCUS getting my undies in a bunch yet.
For now I'll save my $200 in fuel and pass go That way, including hotel and food, I'll be 5 - $600 ahead in disposable money for more toys here
TF
Well on the west coast they started up the train shows again this year and after the first show they cancelled the rest of the year due to attendance. Have to see how thing like O scale west turn out, if that too is a bomb then I would say this year is a wash. Already talked to people in other parts of the county and there werte mixed results.
I live 1 1/2 hours north of Milwaukee and am very much looking forward to Trainfest this year. There is alot of local anticipation for the return of the event since it has not been held for 2 years. Not sure about whether the seminars that were so highly regarded are going to be part of the event this year.
The event is being held at the same venue(State Fair Park) as in the past so that is a plus since it has easy access to Interstate 94.
Only issue that I can see is the cost of traveling.
Given the new sponsors, I would believe that this years show would continue to be one of the premier events of the Upper Midwest.
Scott Sonntag
The local NMRA division which created Trainfest and ran it for years is only tangentially involved in 2022 -- of course we wish it all the best. It had reached the stage where to put on Trainfest called for way more volunteers than the Division had members! And it had reached the stage where an attendance in the 20,000 range was needed just to more or less break even, defined as making enough money to fund the Division's activities for the year with a small amount of "profit." Due to advertising costs making that goal got harder and harder, and a "failure" -- even 16,000 paid attendance which is a pretty impressive number would be a "failure" -- could seriously harm the Division.
It appears that while the venue is the same as prior years a smaller square footage is involved. That may not make much difference since a big % of square footage was always devoted to purely kiddie activities which don't do the hobby or manufacturers much good, other than helping to get feet on the ground. It is a fact that a pretty significant part of Trainfest attendance was parents pushing strollers or who were there with toddlers, folks who themselves had a minimal interest in trains. We liked getting their ticket dollars of course. But the hard core hobbyist/train buyer/customer/railfan was likely always something of a minority. But even 8000 to 10,000 is still a lot of potential interest.
In recent years there was a concerted effort to get more of the "basement" manufacturers involved with Trainfest, with varying degrees of success given the expense of the tables, travel, etc. The 3D printing era has created manufacturers, and some very interesting ones at that, out of thin air so to speak. This is a chance for a smaller manufacturer to sell some stuff, or at least create awareness, and be seen by large hobby dealers, distributors such as Walthers, specific railroad historical societies, and the folks who create MR, RMC and the NMRA Magazine, as well as some of the online hobbyist shows. For example I know of a 3D print firm that had a table at a smaller show, but that in turn exposed their products to one of the major railroad historical societies that now sells some of their stuff from their "company store." Getting known is one of the biggest challenges to a smaller manufacturer and a number of them became known by being at Trainfest (and Amherst, and the NMRA National's show).
So while none of us know exactly how close the "new" Trainfest will resemble the "old" Trainfest -- and the folks putting it on insist their goal is for it to be as good as or better than the "old" Trainfest -- I would say it could be a good gamble for a small manufacturer to opt for a table or two. Just make sure you know to specify if you are going to need electricity at your book, how many chairs, etc. I used to work the registration table and each year some exhibitor or manufacturer would be screaming at me that they didn't get what they had asked for, until we showed them their submitted form that showed they were wrong. Even then some insisted it was somehow our fault that they asked for the wrong number of tables or forgot to ask for electricity. Ask for help if you feel you need it.
For example one big decision -- are you there to sell or just show? The larger manufacturers and some of the smaller ones just show. If you decide to sell well now you have some decisions to make because now there is governmental red tape - sales taxes and such.
Dave Nelson
Dave,
Thank you for your detailed reply. We're a small manufacturer that sells at shows, online and with a small dealer network. I've always heard from many manufacturers how good the show was in its heyday. We're hoping that it will give us the exposure we need and can reach a new audience.
We can register with the state of WI as we are registered in every state we do shows and pay taxes, so this part is not an issue. We're doing the National Train Show in August as we want the exposure, and of course make sales as well.
Like many manufacturers and retailers, nothing is guaranteed. However, based on our product line, we should be well received and reach a new market for us.
Thanks again, Dave
rrebellWell on the west coast they started up the train shows again this year and after the first show they cancelled the rest of the year due to attendance.
I have attended three train shows since the "re-opening" after Covid.
All have had very poor attendance, and all have been much smaller than before.
The most recent one I went to opened at 10:00 AM on Saturday. I arrived at about 11:00 to a light attendance, and by noon I was nearly the only person still there. I left about 1:00, and there were at most ten people inside the building that were not dealers. The snack bar was not even open.
Scale Rails of Southwest Florida cancelled their 2022 annual train show, and they are considering cancelling the shows all together.
I would really like to hear that Train-Fest is a success this year. I want train shows to make a come-back.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
I have been to a couple of train shows in Grand Rapids, MI., last fall and this spring, and attendance seemed about the same as pre-pandemic.
Hi Neal,
Maybe these comments will help your considerations for next year's show....
I attended the show two days as a visitor, driving from Fort Wayne and staying in a hotel. It is a huge show with lots of display layouts. There are a series of good clinics as well. The major manufacturers are well represented, though for some reason Woodland Scenics was absent this year. The two day ticket was only a buck more than the one day. However, there is parking at $10 each day, so about $40 for the show plus hotel.
From a vendor standpoint, The venue is decent with good lighting. Food service is iffy with long waits and lack of tables, they should open access to the side hallway from the main room, as there is room for tables and chairs there. The crowds seemed large, especially Saturday. They did have some non-RR vendors there, mixed in with the other booths, for things like Gutter Guards, which I didn't appreciate. Vendors that I hoped to see but weren't there (or very little) included Woodland Scenics and other scenic materials, tool vendors, 3D printing vendors (equipment and items), and more electronics/Dr Duineo/Arduino/LEDs. I model European and that was scarce, except Marklin was there. Traffic control is an issue for visitors, took about 40 minutes to go the last 2 blocks and get into the parking lot of the fairgrounds on Saturday morning, with no local police helping out. Yes, lots of moms with kids in strollers, but also many model railroaders.
I won't go every year due to the expense. The show I really liked and miss greatly is the International Hobby Show formerly in Rosemont, IL.