L.a. Pen Show -- February 2020

[Mattematical]

The LA show is also going to be in a new location in 2020

[Greenie]

The hotel is at or across from a large mall. It would be very easy to park at the mall for the day. Here is a map. At least you won't have to pay for parking for the day.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Del+Amo+Fashion+Center/@33.8343508,-118.3515153,17z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xefe93d23b15e2aea!8m2!3d33.8306807!4d-118.3499017

 

Honestly, I encourage people within a reasonable driving distance to attend the LA show. If you are in to pens enough to be reading and posting here, you would have a good time coming on Friday or Saturday. At that point, the issue is that the $55 or $65 price for one day is exorbitant if that is all you will be attending. No way to know how Sunday will be with the new venue.

 

If this is your local show, and you are looking to attend a show for a day, not much you can do but attend or not. You won't spend less by traveling to the San Francisco show for a day instead. If you will attend several days, the full pass for LA is not overpriced. I think it is vendors who have a rough show, and the show discourages those who want to come for a day. That really is a problem.

 

Hope to see everyone there. Look for Chris Odgers and tell him that he needs to take PayPal and that he needs to have all days public with one day entry rates. Based on history he won't listen, but if everyone beats up on him, maybe he might?

[FarmBoy]

But the show format caters to the casual seller. Only in LA can I attend with an all access pass and have the right to set up at a table and sell on all show days except Sunday. No other show has this format. So if you want to sell a bit a trader pass is much less than a table and you could sell on three of four days.

[Greenie]

But the show format caters to the casual seller. Only in LA can I attend with an all access pass and have the right to set up at a table and sell on all show days except Sunday. No other show has this format. So if you want to sell a bit a trader pass is much less than a table and you could sell on three of four days.

 

Exactly.

 

Great for the casual seller. Not any worse for people who want to go every day (same cost as other shows if you go for the whole show. )

Worse for big vendors (less sales), and worse for locals who want to go for one day (overpay or face "the mob").

 

Sing it with me!

 

You take the good, you take the bad

You take them both and there you have

The facts of life, the facts of life

 

The flaws are real, but I always have a good time. [but not as much of a good time as I have at the SF pen show!]

[MHBru]

That single public day is one of the main reasons i don't bother. I work trade shows all year long and have never seen anything organized that way. If you want to make money let people in to buy. Either what made sense once no longer does or show organizers need to stop running a show only for industry insiders.

[Parker51]

Does anyone know why the LA show is only open to the general public on Sunday and why this was established as the pattern?

I seem to recall that it started at a venue which did not want the show to be open to the Public on any day but Sunday, parking concerns or something like that.

[Greenie]

I was told that the organizer loves mob on Sunday. Totally illogical. And hard to change someone who is acting illogically. So unless someone wants to start a rival LA show, we are stuck putting up with a show for industry insiders only, or not attending.

[terim]

Contact the organizer and strongly suggest to them to change their unusual practice of being open to the general public only on Sunday. My best guess is this is only a result of an historical accident and is not related to demand at all. If the show was open to the Public on Friday, Saturday and Sunday as most other shows are then the crowding would be much less, sales would be higher and people would be happier.

 

Agreed! We are going this year to scope out the new setting and see if it's something we want to do in 2021.

[terim]

Anyone going?

Here is the show's website: http://www.lainternationalpenshow.com/

 

The last time (only time) I attended a pen show was this one, back in 2013, about a year after I discovered fountain pens. The venue was jam packed with people and I was completely overwhelmed. I had no idea what I was looking for, what anything was worth, what to expect, etc. I walked through, glancing at what little I could view on the tables, then left. I didn't buy a single pen or even a bottle of ink. It wasn't worth the 4-hour round trip commute.

 

This time, I know what I want -- an affordable vintage flexy pen, a green Esterbrook J, maybe an extra Esterbrook nib and a bottle of Apache Sunset ink. I'm trying to talk myself into going but each time I do, I talk myself out of it. Too far to drive, hotel costs almost as much as what I hope to spend, I don't know anyone who is going, I don't like crowds, yada yada yada.

 

I have a dozen reasons not to go. Anyone have a good argument as to why I should?

Gotta warn you, I've seen Apache Sunset turn a squeeze converter to goo ..... it's pretty, but pretty hard on rubber sacs.

[melissa59]

Gotta warn you, I've seen Apache Sunset turn a squeeze converter to goo ..... it's pretty, but pretty hard on rubber sacs.

That is good to know. I plan on putting the Apache Sunset in a Lamy Safari cartridge converter. But now you've got me wondering about other inks that might be bad for rubber sacs.

[Mattematical]

 

Agreed! We are going this year to scope out the new setting and see if it's something we want to do in 2021.

Will you have a table?

[jjlax10]

I am going to exhibit for the first time at this show.

[rosa_m]

What is the percentage of new to vintage pens at this show ?

Is there an exhibitors list ?

[terim]

Will you have a table?

 

Not really. I may camp out next to Gary and Sarj and bring a few binders of pens. Feel free to send me a message if you'd like to see anything in particular, I'll probably bring down a few of these sets.

[lacquerpen1]

Artus pens will participate again with many LE and bespoke handpainted/urushi/natural lacquer pens. Looking forward to see

again all the customers and friends! If you plan to visit the show - stop buy and have a look!

[sidthecat]

I'm taking a friend this year...I've had good experiences every time I've gone.

[AnnaZed]

Oh dear, now you are freaking me out. I had hoped to use a Trader pass to sell some of my semi-huge collection of Japanese Pocket Pens. This time last year I fell into deep crush with them and probably over-did it. I love them. I love the buttery tiny gold nibs. I feel that I can speak intelligently enough about them to sell them, but now I'm scared that I'll get there and end up sitting on the floor selling to a lot of jaded pen officianadoes who won't want to pay the prices that I want for them.

 

I have been to one pen show, very small - SoCal, where I met the legendary Fred Krinkle - who was amazingly kind to me. I simply brought all of my boxes and boxes of pens (at my husband's insistence). I sold almost all of my Esterbrooks, I also was sometimes unable to even tell a person interested what the pen even was (because I am an old person and I forget things). I gave a bunch of stuff away (a Moonman, some esterbrook nibs, a Montblanc that I am sure was fake and I told the kid that). It was fun. Really I have no idea if I came out ahead or not.

 

This time my plan is to be much more organized, bring only the pocket pens (about 200 of them) and try to keep my cool.

 

Is this folly?

Edited January 25, 2020 by AnnaZed

[FarmBoy]

Look for Ricky. You will be fine.

[AnnaZed]

Look for Ricky. You will be fine.

Ok, I'm so not ready for this, who is Ricky?

[Greenie]

AnnaZed - If you sit at a table and display a whole bunch of pens that you love, you will have a great time talking about the pens with the people who stop and look. All you need are some pens and an interest in pens, and you will be totally ready.