Okay, I guess we have to have the Stamp Show Admission Fees discussion.
You are not alone. Many stamp collectors believe that stamp shows should be free.
As show chairman, I was part of a lengthy and spirited discussion where we decided to implement a door fee. There were passionate opinions on both sides.
The reality is that we would have difficulty ensuring the long-term financial viability our show without a door fee. We need the money. We cannot make the show work without it. Shows that don't breakeven will go away. Without a show in Atlanta, there would be no national show, with an APS accredited exhibition, between Washington D.C. and Florida, and Texas and the Atlantic. We did not want that to happen, so we decided to augment the revenue we were seeing from dealers and other sources with the proceeds from a door fee. No one was particularly happy with it. Having studied economics I know that you don't create more demand for a product by raising the price, particularly if your starting point was zero.
What we did want to do was implement it in a fair fashion.
Children get in free. In fact, anyone under 18 gets in free. We were also aware that a lot of collectors will bring their spouse with them who just tags along. So we are charging per couple, and our advertising is $3 per family. We also have an exemption for an adult assisting another adult with a disability. Nor are we charging adults leading organized children's groups like teachers or scout leaders. And the fee is good for the whole weekend.
Obviously, key stakeholders like exhibitors and volunteers are exempted from the fee as well. In short, we have tried to implement this fee in a way that is balanced, doesn't present a barrier to youth philately, and doesn't overly penalize someone coming with an entourage, like a spouse, grandchildren and someone pushing your wheelchair.
But above all, we believe that stamp shows should be family events. We can accommodate a mother and father and all their children for three dollars. Or maybe it's a grandfather and his two grandchildren, all getting in for three bucks. Family activities can seldom be found for such a small fee.
Many other shows are now charging fees, and I assume you are at odds with them too. Certainly, shows that charge are still the minority. However, Atlanta is not a hot bed of stamp collecting, and we do not have the density collectors that turn out every year to send dealers home happy regardless of what their table fees are. Our dealer fees can't go much higher, and we are space bound, meaning we can't add dealers. We need to spend a lot on advertising that other shows don't. The economics of stamps shows in Atlanta is completely different from that of other parts of the country. And it's getting worse. There are fewer dealers, and fewer collectors to patronize them. Venues only get more expensive. More and more shows will need to begin looking at door fees to make their shows breakeven. In fact, breaking even isn't good enough. There are expenses throughout the year like exhbiit frame storage and frame repair, and we need to have a sufficient reserve of funds to survive an inclement weather event that cancels the show, as almost happened here in 2014. We have a force majeure clause with our hotel, but there are many unrecoverable expenses spent in advance of the show that would result in a major loss for a single year. Had last year's ice storm on Tuesday happened on Thursday or Friday, the show would have been canceled, all cash reserves would have been depleted, and the Southeastern Stamp Show would no longer exist. We must have financial reserves to weather (literally) those storms. Your door fees help with that, and help us ensure the ongoing viability of the show.
Many other hobby shows have fees. A recent model train show in Atlanta was $20 for adults and $12 for children. Gardening shows are also $20. Postcard shows and gun shows all have a door fee. I believe our door fee is much more nominal and collected in a much fairer manner.
But I understand why stamp collectors feel that stamp shows should be free. The precedent is pretty established, but our show is no longer in a position to grant free admission. We need our attendees to carry a small portion of the freight that dealers have been carrying for years. Almost 65% of our revenue comes from dealers, and we cannot push that any higher.
I am certainly grateful to all collectors who will come to our show, and professionally accept our fee and help us out with managing our costs over the long term.
Regards,
Scott Mark |
Posted 01/13/2015 4:14 pm
