I was talking to my wife last night about making plans for the Charlotte TOR. She kept pressing me the question why am I going to go through all that trouble. After all hosting an event is a big time commitment. We went through a few reasons why I thought these shows were important but I'd be curious to hear your answers too.
I have spent a lot of time for the Charlotte TOR trying to get Scouts there. I've visited Round Tables (some years 3 different ones), troop meetings and sent fliers to OA lodges. I have always thought that TORs are a great way to introduce kids to the hobby. But her counter argument is most of the people behind the tables are not that friendly to the 20 or so kids who show up. She sees it is more of a meeting of the old timers and doesn't buy this "Scout friendly" theory at all.
So what if she is right? What if it's just a chance for dealers and collectors to see each other. I also told her that a lot of people like to buy inventory there while others see it as a chance to make big sales. So having an economy in the room where money and cloth is changing hands. Is that a good enough reason to put on the event? I don't need to buy inventory and my sales at the show don't really move the needle so that's a weaker argument for me.
On eBay I have 87 live auctions running moistly on OA and SAPs. Coming out of a week where I was super busy finishing my unboxing project I'll have to improve. My cousin is coming down for a visit Tuesday/Wednesday and wants to get some coaching on running an eBay business. She has always been an entrepreneur and I am looking forward to catching up with her.
Well if you have ever put on a TOR or have strong feelings about what's the purpose I'd look forward to hearing from you on how you would answer this debate!?
Jason Spangler
SANTEESWAPPER LLC www.ScoutPatchCollectors.com
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