[Top of the Rock] Why is there a second day scheduled for the Ham Fest?

[Aron Siegel]

Hi there--

I love attending the Ham Fest.  I wish the Atlanta vicinity shows were held
more often than just twice a year.  Let me preface all of my following
comments as someone speaking from outside the HAM radio world.  I am a
working audio professional, and I represent potential business.

Something's been bothering me for the past couple of years, and it seems to
be an often familiar pattern.  That is, that the second day hours seem to be
getting shorter.

I'm not sure how long ago, and how frequently this has been happening, but
it starts with a few dealers and tables starting to pack up early (about an
hour before closing), and then pretty soon other vendors start to pack up
early too.  Then, potential customers pass by several empty tables and
realize there's nothing to see so they stop staying late or coming late.
Then the dealers and the show request that the hours be shortened the next
year because there's not enough traffic later in the day.  So the show
shortens the hours.  The then whole process starts all over again.

I wasn't able to get to the show on Saturday, but I drove almost 300 miles
round trip to see the show on Sunday.  I got there at 12:30 pm and everyone
was already packing up and getting ready to leave.  With the exception of
about 10 vendors, everyone else had pretty much finished packing up.

This all leads to my SUBJECT question:

Why is there even a second day?  You guys open up in the morning for a few
hours and then start packing.  I suppose having that second day still serves
as a buffer.  It keeps everyone from starting to pack up at 3 pm on
Saturday, but that still doesn't address the issue.  If the Ham Fest is
supposed to be a two day event, then the vendors and the venue need to
assure potential customers that they'll be there up until close on the
second day.  If you're wondering why traffic has died down so much, or
you've complained that no one comes late on Sundays, now you know why.

And I'm not faulting any vendors that come from great distances about their
needs to be on the road sooner--I'm just pointing out that you're ALL paying
for two days and your fellow vendors are making it less attractive for
potential business to attend.  You need to commit to TWO days, and not just
1 day with maybe a sprinkling here or there on day 2.


Thanks again for your time in reading this.  I wrote it specifically as an
outsider's perspective as to something I've seen in business before, and not
to slam anyone or anything like that.

Sincerely

Aron Siegel
Atlanta, GA