A second annual World of Motorcycles Expo was a bit of a gamble.
Derek has successfully ran the London show for 7 straight years and he had to battle back from some bad karma created by the previous incarnation of a London bike show. In the tri-cities (Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge) there had been sporadic shows over the years and most of them were outright bombs. Poorly planned and not properly advertised. Attracting quality vendors with that kind of a legacy (even though it had nothing to do with Derek or his reputation) was an uphill climb.
I pity the fools who didn’t come to this past weekend’s show! Not only was it a success but loads of exhibitors have already put in their requests to have bigger displays next year. Saturday was a zoo. When the doors opened at 9 am there was no one outside. A few people got nervous. I didn’t! A trickle of customers started around 9:15 and by 11 am both exhibit halls were packed. Sunday, there was a lineup outside when we opened and it was steady all day. The show had a terrific, positive buzz around it and it was a lot of fun.
A word about Bingemans. It’s a 600 acre land of fun including a waterpark, camp ground and a zillion other family-oriented things. Our show was in a set of buildings that include a beautiful ballroom complete with chandeliers and carpeting throughout. The staff there are wonderful. Every request was fulfulled with a smile. If we had kids we’d be taking them to the waterpark this summer. It looks like a blast!
The Tri-Cities World of Motorcycles Expo will be back next year and planning is already underway. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go sleep until Wednesday.