The show chair asked me if I could suggest a vendor willing to travel
to Denver for the fall show. We hold it the second Sat. in October.
We have a policy to rotate vendors. So we need a new good vendor whose
stock is Cat/Phal type. Oak Hill, Piping Rock and Hoosier are the
other vendors at the show. Or maybe there is someone you think
complements those three.

Any suggestions? Someone who has been popular, has good plants, is
reliable and does not mind traveling to a local show? We have had one
vendor (nameless) who canceled at the last moment twice.



SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/albums.php

Carter & Holmes travels, though I can't say whether they would go to Denver.

www.carterandholmes.com

Diana

Sue: I can't help with your immediate need. But for longer-term
consideration, I suggest re-visiting that rotation policy.

Growers need to get their show schedules set as early and as firmly as
possible. So given a choice between a "1-time shot" and a venue where we
can expect to be invited back year after year (assuming, of course, good
performance on our part), which one do you think we'll take?

Most societies can find _someone_ to fill the spaces. But the quality
growers can afford to pick and choose the shows they want to do [and smart
enough to bring new and different product, rather than more of what they
sold the last time]. Kenni

"Susan Erickson" wrote in message
...
The show chair asked me if I could suggest a vendor willing to travel
to Denver for the fall show. We hold it the second Sat. in October.
We have a policy to rotate vendors. So we need a new good vendor whose
stock is Cat/Phal type. Oak Hill, Piping Rock and Hoosier are the
other vendors at the show. Or maybe there is someone you think
complements those three.

Any suggestions? Someone who has been popular, has good plants, is
reliable and does not mind traveling to a local show? We have had one
vendor (nameless) who canceled at the last moment twice.



SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/albums.php

Hi Sue; To follow up on what Kenni said: first of all AMEN to what she
said. No really good grower wants to do a show where the vendors are
rotated. Then: a lot of societies will invite what we call "price
cutters". I guess their thinking is that their members can get plants
at a cheap price-- but I can tell you it is "show suicide". The people
who sell junk at cheap prices undermine the really good growers who are
growing orchids to make a living--- so they eventually stay away from
the shows who embrace "price cutters". In no time at all those shows
become JUNK shows where the public (including members) get sold plants
that are inferior & usually die. We (just as a for instance) guarantee
our plants 100%-- the junk dealers can't do that as they buy the
cheapest junk they can find & so their plants die too. Plus they are
usually not really growers but "brokers". They are doomed to go out of
business & then the society show is dead. I would give very careful
consideration to Kenni's advice if you want to build a show that will
be well attended for years & years. Get & KEEP top growers who stand
behind their product and will not knowingly sell inferior plants. Good
Luck, Bill

On Thu, 2 Feb 2006 15:46:39 -0500, "Kenni Judd"
wrote:

Sue: I can't help with your immediate need. But for longer-term
consideration, I suggest re-visiting that rotation policy.

Growers need to get their show schedules set as early and as firmly as
possible. So given a choice between a "1-time shot" and a venue where we
can expect to be invited back year after year (assuming, of course, good
performance on our part), which one do you think we'll take?

Most societies can find _someone_ to fill the spaces. But the quality
growers can afford to pick and choose the shows they want to do [and smart
enough to bring new and different product, rather than more of what they
sold the last time]. Kenni

Kenni -
We had the same 4 vendors for years. The newcomers and the visitor
off the street were the only ones who enjoyed it. We set the policy
and a 4 year rotation hoping to get some new blood. The problem we
have had is that we are in an isolated area. There is one vendor in
range. So people had come to believe that the local nursery or HD
were reasonable sources of plants. We want to get them to expand
their understanding and to see the vendors as people they know and can
trust or do business with on the Internet.

We definitely are not looking for a one year visit. We want the
interaction. We just needed to break the dependency on 1 or 2 vendors
who were starting to feel it was their place to tell us how to run the
OS and organize the show and sales.
SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/albums.php

On 2 Feb 2006 14:10:14 -0800, "Bill" wrote:

Hi Sue; To follow up on what Kenni said: first of all AMEN to what she
said. No really good grower wants to do a show where the vendors are
rotated. Then: a lot of societies will invite what we call "price
cutters". I guess their thinking is that their members can get plants
at a cheap price-- but I can tell you it is "show suicide". The people
who sell junk at cheap prices undermine the really good growers who are
growing orchids to make a living--- so they eventually stay away from
the shows who embrace "price cutters". In no time at all those shows
become JUNK shows where the public (including members) get sold plants
that are inferior & usually die. We (just as a for instance) guarantee
our plants 100%-- the junk dealers can't do that as they buy the
cheapest junk they can find & so their plants die too. Plus they are
usually not really growers but "brokers". They are doomed to go out of
business & then the society show is dead. I would give very careful
consideration to Kenni's advice if you want to build a show that will
be well attended for years & years. Get & KEEP top growers who stand
behind their product and will not knowingly sell inferior plants. Good
Luck, Bill


We are trying to build relationships rather than dependences. We felt
the majority of our membership only knew 3 or 4 vendors and needed to
feel that there were many good full service vendors with knowledge
people who were honest, trustworthy and helpful. People who were
Orchid Growers not like the nurseries and florists here who order a
box from Hawaii every month and have no knowledge of the plants they
receive. They are 1/2 step better than the grocery/sundry chain
stores and HD that provide plants for unskilled staff to kill.

John and I moved out from Chicago and go back for the Chicagoland
Festival. We are used to being able to 'visit' Orchid Ranges and
choose the plants we want with the expectation of an honest price on
both sides of the transaction. To have OS members tell us that the
local tree and annual nursery is the best place to get orchids. They
would tell me how wonderful the selection was, then I found a display
that would fit my kitchen table,

SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/albums.php

Sue: Tough dilemma! I take it moving back to "orchid civilization" is not
an option? G Kenni

Kenni -
We had the same 4 vendors for years. The newcomers and the visitor
off the street were the only ones who enjoyed it. We set the policy
and a 4 year rotation hoping to get some new blood. The problem we
have had is that we are in an isolated area. There is one vendor in
range. So people had come to believe that the local nursery or HD
were reasonable sources of plants. We want to get them to expand
their understanding and to see the vendors as people they know and can
trust or do business with on the Internet.

We definitely are not looking for a one year visit. We want the
interaction. We just needed to break the dependency on 1 or 2 vendors
who were starting to feel it was their place to tell us how to run the
OS and organize the show and sales.
SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/albums.php

On Mon, 6 Feb 2006 09:16:05 -0500, "Kenni Judd"
wrote:

Sue: Tough dilemma! I take it moving back to "orchid civilization" is not
an option? G Kenni


Kenni -
When I compare grow conditions here with Chicago -- We were in
Madison for the Orchid Quest 2006 show this last weekend. GRAY is the
best description.... Not for me. We have SUN over 360 days year.
The winter weather is mostly above 7K feet. We live below that and
have snow 3-4 times for a couple of days each. None of this 'where oh
where am I going to empty the shovel worries we had in Chi-town'. Our
tap water is snow melt and comes close to RO with out the problems of
being that sharp. John generally does not ware his winter coat, his
wind breaker suffices. No - NO chance of a return to the Midwest.

So I need to bring the orchids here. Of course I also need to build
a bigger gh. G But isn't that a universal problem. Kind of "I grow
orchids, therefore I need a bigger grow space."
SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/albums.php