Quote Originally Posted by sushi View Post
That definitely makes sense. If the manufacturers gave big discounts no one would buy from the distributors anymore. They would just wait for MAX like people wait for cyber Monday

Distributors like Marine Depot and BRS could give discounts without much harm, but I am pretty new to the hobby and have no idea if many retailers go to these shows. As for wants and needs, in my fantasy world it would be cool to see manufacturers showcasing new products and retailers there with nice sales. That's surely difficult to orchestrate if not impossible, but I do think that'd get people excited.
We do get some retailers, however it is tough sell to many store owners who have few employees and thus can't man a booth for an entire weekend. They generally do not want to close their stores during the show because the weekends are their bread and butter, and even worse some even consider these shows as competition instead of a positive opportunity. The irony is that the few retailers who do exhibit do extremely well in sales and some even get a boat load of free stuff at the end of the show from manufacturers who don't want to truck their stuff back across the country. I would love to get more stores involved because of sales at our show help the show, our promotions help their store, and the hobby community get to see/buy their stuff....its win-win! Not as easy as it sounds though trying to convince an owner that MAX is in his/her best interests., until they try it, .