Transworld Press Release

[Speculo]

What is the problem?

I don't get it...

The show is split by the action of Rubies - No one wanted this but what remains in Vegas may not be very impressive. They did it.. they broke the Vegas show. I didn't want a split show either, but split by other forces it is. (sounds like Yoda...)
Most if not all of the Halloween vendors are going to Houston and they are slamming the door in OUR face.

OUR vendors have banded together and have choosen St. Louis..


WHY can't we get behind it and support OUR vendors?



Re: Hauntcon and MHC -

Hauntcon the premier HAUNT TOUR show is already set for all the way up in Wisconsin next year -

MHC is an excellent late season show that does exactly what its founders intended. They have already said they are bound to the same dates in 09 -
They couldn't move into Feb-March if they wanted to.


Even IF Hauntcon and MHC wanted to go for the brass ring this next year the locked in dates and locations don't work for it.


OUR vendors have choosen St. Louis in 09 -

If Hauntcon and MHC want to take it on in 2010 now is the time to start planning!
If they want to take it , bite the bullet, book dates in Feb- March in the midwest and go for it.

But 2009 is done.


We should go where our vendors go - and lets all CHEER that a decision has been made!

From this point on its just armchair quarterbacking and sour grapes. Lets get behind this show, get behind this industry, build some killer haunts and get on with the 2008 HAUNTED HOUSE SEASON!


Thanks!

[megaplay]

I am lost as why people are so happy with this.
The show is now half the size. Yes I spent most of my time in the haunt area but you still walk through the retail side and see a lot of products that can be retailed or can help get your house noticed. Oh and vendors for either side complaining about having to give their sales pitch to someone who is just look, well that is your job as a vendor. Don't like it don't vend and don't go to the shows and hope on just your website. There is no way to know if someone is going to buy from you or not until they have left the place and never called you. The person from the retail side might buy a giant prop for his personal home haunt or to promote his business. And on the other side a person from haunt might but items for retail at their haunt or odd stuff to help promote the house.
Costume places are either going to attend both shows causing their cost to go up and pricing. Or more likely will drop the new haunt only show and we will have to buy through a third party and again with higher prices.
People complain about the price Transworld charges but yet still so happy to have their name (and we can only assume right now) high cost still associated with it.
So now we have the same high cost and half the people walking around. Seems great for vendors.
The complain about MHC is it is too small or too much of a social event. But what do you think Transworld just became. It is MHC in a different location. Yes this year Transworld may have the bigger vendors but hopefully MHC can take that over shortly too.

[hauntedhousenut]

Cool

I'll be there!

[Grimley]

I think Transworld just F..ked themselves. The fact of the matter is if a vendor had any business sense at all they go to the show with the most traffic. They are not going to show at both. There are too many shows out there like the one Transworld wants to spin off. Its not a buyers only show that has been hinted over and over again on this site. It sounds just like Hauntcon and MHC.

Lets just say they get MOST of the vendors that show normally in the haunt section. You can walk through that area, talk to friends, and make your purchases in about two hours. It's not big enough for a show on its own. Why spend all of the time and money to go to such a small event. Everyone will have to pick a show and that means less traffic to both. We won't attend both so which ever companies pick the opposite show are SOL. We buy at the show. I will attend the one with the most vendors. In this case I guess it comes down to campaigning with the vendors to get them all to go to one show.

I guess I have a lot of calls to make and emails to send. I'm gonna have to push for the Vegas show simply because there is more traffic and I'd be willing to bet that is where the big bucks will be. As a buyers show its just too limited. Now I really do hope the Rubies show does really well and does a one two punch to Transworld once and for all.

[drfrightner]

I am at the Darkness right now in finishing a meeting. I'm getting my haunted house ready for this haunted season, which is exactly what most people should already be doing. However I wanted to drop a few quick notes...

ONE: THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT the SPLIT..that is why this is happening because Rubies, RUBIES, not Transworld, NOT Larry Kirchner, not anyone but RUBIES caused this. Rubies is trying to start their own show and a lot of people are going to HOUSTON... if you don't believe me go to www.Halloweenpartyexpo.com and see for yourself.

So let's drop that point... we had to start our own show, for the benefit of our industry. We can't be left behind or at the mercy of what Rubies wants to do.

SECOND: Rubies and those party people do not want a haunt section in Houston, so again you must start your own show.

THIRD: THE GOAL HERE is to make a BIGGER show, a bigger show than you've ever seen before, to bring in many of the Halloween retailers that want to sell to haunts, bring in more amusement vendors, blah, blah. So your perception of this being another MHC or whatever is dead wrong. You have to see the bigger picture. And if it works out right you will and you will be happy for it!

FORTH: Again this won't be as you put another social event...did you see Scarefactory unload 20 booths worth of new stuff at Hauntcon? NO!

Scarefactory is committed to this show and will be bring TWENTY booths or whatever they normally do of NEW stuff to St. Louis, so will Ghost Ride, Gore Galore, Scareparts, Unit 70 and Distortions and everyone else.

IN FACT... last year a booth in Vegas was about $1800.00 the booths for this show will be $1200.00 so NOW vendors can afford to buy MORE booths than before which again is better for you!!!! More booths purchased more new products...simple really.

The overall goal here was to reduce costs for vendors...mission accomplished. Second was to get back to a city that was driveable...mission accomplished.
Third get to a city that could have a great haunt tour...mission accomplished.

Lastly, bring in more vendors than ever before, bring in more buyers than ever before, re-focus all the media, education, etc on the haunt industry...not yet mission accomplished but that NOW the next step.

Bottom line is this: Scarefactory is coming! Ghost Ride is coming! Unit 70 is coming! Distortions is coming! Gore Galore is coming! Edge Design is coming! Creative Visions is coming! Skull Tronix is coming! blank blank blank blank is coming... not with one or two booths but their full blow out of new product.

As the Joker says in the new Batman movie 'This town deserves a better class of criminal, and I'm going to give it to them, you'll see'.

Our industry can now say 'We're going to give this industry a bigger, better more focused show, for the haunted industry, you'll see'.

IT IS NOT MY SHOW, only coming to where I live, Creative Visions Lives, Pale Night lives, Digital Sound and Lighting lives, and 2.5 million other people.

The Darkness will be OPEN for that Saturday night, and it will be awesome that I can promise you!!!

Larry

[Nicole]

Hallelujah brother Ben...

I would have preferred Rosemont for location sake (nearby), but if this is THE show that the vendors will be rallying around and will be best for the industry, why not support it? See you in St. Louis. I am glad a "final" decision has been made and we can finally have something to rally around.

[Jolly Pumpkin]

I thought Halloween and Haunted Attractions went hand in hand and to separate both is doing an injustice to both industries. I honestly could care less where the Haunt Show is and am happy that it's less than a 6 hour drive for me. But it's getting out of control as far as tradeshows and conventions go. There's MHC, Hauntcon, Transworld Halloween Show, Transworld Haunt Show, Iron Stock, Halloween and Party Expo, Eastern Haunters Convention, IAPPA Expo, Great Lakes Fright Fest, Texas Haunters Dinner and the list goes on and on.

Is there really a need for all these gatherings and conventions? When you have a big event like Transworld it needs to be the number one tradeshow for haunters and people in the Halloween Industry. But with the separation of both shows and new gatherings and tradeshows emerging every year it really isn't as big of a deal as it used to be. If you miss Transworld does it really matter? There are tons of other tradeshows you can be a part of rather you're a vendor or buyer. There needs to be one show that caters to haunted attractions, Halloween, the paranormal, horror, party supplies, theme parks, Christmas and divided into different sections.

All of these tradeshows and gatherings are giving me a splitting headache and I'm sure others feel the same. Next week you're gonna hear about another tradeshow on the horizon and all I'm gonna say is "so F#cking what". It's getting ridiculous to say the least and how can you separate Halloween and Haunted Attractions? That still doesn't register with me and it never will.

It's like taking away a bun from a hamburger. When you're about to eat all you'll have is the hamburger and toppings. You have to have a bun to to hold the burger together. And you have to have Halloween and haunted attractions side by side if you expect Transworld to survive. But either way I'm looking forward to checking out The Darkness and I hope it lives up to the hype.

[Frighteners Entertainment]

It's unfortunate for sure.
Looks like we'll be going to Houston this year.

[Mark McDonough]

A few thoughts from someone who has been around the industry for a while...

First, I want to say how excited I am about this new show.

Larry and I may have started the process, but the Vendor Community as a whole has rallied together to make this happen. Please don't underemphasize how important this is.

We have done something huge here. We have created a haunt-only show. The haunt-only show. A business to business buying show. This is something we have needed for a long time.

Take a moment to think about what is happening and what it means.

We, the top vendors in the industry, the biggest dogs on the block....have gotten together and made this happen. More than anyone else in the industry, we are putting our liveleyhoods on the line here. If this fails, a lot of us are out of business.

The smartest/most experience people in the industry have been consulted. We have put untold hours of work into making this happen....and make it happen right.

This industry has two choice....grow or die. We have chosen to grow.

This is going to be our main show.
Yes, we will continue to support Hauntcon and MHC, they serve a very important function in the industry. But this is our big show...the one that keeps us in business and we are going to do everything in our power to make that happen.

I look forward to seeing you all in St. Louis, March 27-29, 2009.

Mark McDonough, president
Creative Visions
Haunt Visions

[graystone]

Jeff

See you in Houston! Shane

[MMManiac]

Mark, Your 100% right this industry does have to die or grow, but I don't foresee transworld being part of this growth. As you can see a lot of people will not be attending transworld in 09, me being one of them. Will I miss out? Probably not. I will be going to MHC and Hauntcon in 09 not to mention any ordering I will be doing, will be done on-line anyways. I guess only time will tell how transworld 09 turns out.

Larry, you may not have anything to do with transworld and their decisions, but since you seemed to be their spokes person the past few weeks, this show is going to be tied to your name. Transworld fails, you fail...

[Barry]

Ben's post was right on the money especially about the dates for '09. That is my only comment about this release however did find this section hilarious:

Extensive seminar programming
• Networking events and competitions
• Special events and tours, and much more

LOL So much for a strictly buyer seller show...

[Mark McDonough]

Ok....so it's a buying show, selling show, business education show.....and after you're finished doing all those things...a party with Creative Visions show.

Joking aside, this is being modeled after the IAAPA show on a smaller scale and geared to our industry.

I'm not saying you neded to jump on board without forming your own opinion....but please don't dismiss it without having all the facts.
(that wan't aimed at you Barry...I just jumped topics)

We are going to have to work very hard to get industry unity around this, but that is what we are committed to do. No more camps. No more rallying around one person or another. None of that old BS matters. It's time we grew up and put that aside.

This is the most organized effort that this industry has ever put forth and we are going to do everything in our power to show you why it matters.

Thanks for your attention.

Mark McDonough, president
Creative Visions
Haunt Visions

[Haunted Illinois]

Ben's post was right on the money especially about the dates for '09. That is my only comment about this release however did find this section hilarious:

Extensive seminar programming
• Networking events and competitions
• Special events and tours, and much more

LOL So much for a strictly buyer seller show...

Yeah, Barry... I was laughing when I read that, too. The new Haunt & Attractions Show is going to have Haunt Tours, seminars, competitions and all the stuff Larry said our new "Buyer Only Show" shouldn't have, because they were such distractions from the show floor. Kinda funny how things work out sometimes. LOL.

[megaplay]

If the show had to split because Transworld as a business can not bring their biggest vendors together and work something out then so be it.

As a community at that point the backing should have been put behind one of the already established shows such as MHC or Hauntcon and made that the official show. Not start a new show only because of the Transworld name! As mentioned in a previous post the number of shows have gotten out of hand and to add another to the vendors list does not help the community at all.

Obviously if it was MHC I think everyone would have agreed it would have had to be moved up and that would have been up to Barry and his crew if they wanted to do that.

There are only a handful of people who benefit from this new show. Transworld as they are making money off the vendors and setting up booths. Now why we want to back a company that can't get their act together already spending thousands in advertising at Vegas this year and keeping us guessing at a final decision I will not ask. The second is anyone who can open their haunt during this show and make half their profit for the year by triple over charring the community before Oct. 1.

If this was really about making the community grow backing would have been behind an already established show and throw out this middle man.