3 Aug
2005
3 Aug
'05
4:23 p.m.
The largest, nicest, and I'd wager *costliest*
booths didn't sell a thing.
Both Icom booths (yea, 2!), the Kenwood, Yaesu and Alinco booths had
absolutely nothing for sale. They were exhibitors and were there solely to
show off their equipment. I'd bet that they had to pay to get their
spaces... and a pretty penny, too!
IIRC those companies sell amateur radio equipment. They may well not have
been selling stuff _at_ the hamfest, but the reason they were there was
to advertise their products and presumably with the expectation of some
orders coming in later from people who'd been at the hamfest.
If somebody exhibits at the VCF, then most likely their main exhibits are
not for sale at the VCF, and they are not for sale afterwards either.
I've been to sevearl HPCC 2-day conferences (these are the UK HP
calculator conferences). There is an attendance fee, but this is reduced
if you give a talk (or contribute to the conference in some other way).
It's not free for anyone, but certainly the people who do something for
the conference are not penalised.
People are attracted to the VCF presumably to see the machines on show.
To charge the exhibitiors (who are the ones to attract the public) and
then not cheage the public for coming in sounds to be totally ridiculous
to me.
-tony