Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey there!

Does anyone know if it's worth driving a half an hour to attend the International Reptile Breeders Association show in San Mateo next weekend?

Thanks in advance,
Anna in San Fran

personally i try my best to attend as many herp shows as i can- even the really small ones like san mateo. driving 1/2 hr to san mateo isn't much at all, compared to the hundreds of miles some of the vendors from down south (LA/san diego) drive to show/sell their animals.

actually, last weekend i drive about 400+ miles in one day to attend frog day in san jose (didn't buy anything) but i was able to catch up with some old friends and check out their collections.

even if i know i won't buy anything, i just go to talk/meet people i know or meet new friends, plus u never know if u might see something u want.

however, the main reason i go is to support the "herp community". without attendence from the general public, these shows would not be around and thus- young and old would not have the opportunity to see, appreciate or learn about the fascinating world of herps...i don't know if my one attendence at any show has any impact but i know if we work together the future is bright for us all =P

ps- sorry anna, this wasn't an attack directed at u or anything, just some thoughts that randomly popped up that i wanted to share.

oh yeah, i didnt mean to hype up the san mateo show. it is probably the smallest of all the irba shows, expect 20-25 tables max (assuming the same vendors from last year come back). my best advice, don't buy on impulse (even though i always do!)watch up for those imports and just have fun!

take care,

-SFgeckos

Unfortunately, I will not be vending at the IRBA San Mateo show next week due to a schedule conflict, but I agree with Jon completely. Attendance at these expos definitely supports the entire reptile community! When attendance is low, vendors like myself are discouraged from coming back to the next show. It's a viscious circle... low attendance = low vendors, and low vendors = low attendance. Then, when the show sponsors see that there aren't enough vendors to to make the event worthwile, they raise the cost of booth rental which only discourages the vendors even more, and yada-yada-yada. Ultimately, the shows could get cancelled completely, and everybody loses.

Marcia McGuiness

Golden Gate Geckos

. . . such peer pressure! Thanks for the responses and encouragement. I'll definitely try to make the show.

Cheers,
Anna

You don't by chance have a table at the SM Expo, do you? I've seen your geckos, would love to see some of your geckos.