Here in Charlotte in May at Tremont. I've been asked to help out and I'm kinda stoked about it.
Problem is I have no idea how to plan one, get the word out or run one. And honestly I don't have to know, but I do want it to go smoothly. Any ideas?
A first pass on ideas has me thinking folks could pay a little extra for some taped off real estate to stage their gear. How much I'm not sure, but it will be in conjunction with a record show, so there will need to be some level ground.
I'd like to have name tags that people write what they're selling and what they're looking for so a quick glance could foster activity.
I'd rather not have dealers, but I doubt that will be up to me.
Thoughts?
My nametag:
"Excuse me my good sir.. I am seeking a mid 1960s Marshall JTM45 and a 1944 Martin dreadnaught guitar. In trade I shall surrender my 1994 Fender Squier stratocaster in dusty condition with mostly original electronics and mostly present hardware. I'll give you a moment to clean up."
Aye ol' boy. Howzy 'bout givin' me name tag a good once over. Noice!
I'm not sure how you want it to work. Just guys in a room with gear in hand looking to trade/sell/buy? Maybe do it like speed dating? You sit down at a table, you both tell each other what you got, if neither is interested you move onto the next table? Man, I don't know how you'd do it without dealers. It would be cool to see one with dealers that had an area for individuals to trade.
Charging for tables makes sure that people are serious. But charge too much and all you get is bigger brands or chain music stores and it's not much of a swap.
That's what our local swap is like. It's more of a trade show type thing, nobody attending really swaps anything. You pay 5 bucks to get in and it's some good tables with used gear but a lot of brands just showing demo gear.
One sale that does well around here is an invite only sale. It happens every year so anyone who doesn't sell a lot gets dropped and they try new people instead the next time. Every time it gets better for the shoppers which gets more people every year.