anyone know why Kens no longer comes to the snow show? always looked forward to visiting what was probably the biggest booth there, always had good deals on new and non current clothing, helmets, etc... and his both was always jammed with people. Yes I run Arctic Cat and would agree with someone else's observation on Cats presence there was bleak to say the least which doesn't do well for their image or brand.
Milwaukee snow show
- Thread starter euphoric1
- Start date
I was in Ecklunds last week and was told that they too skipped Milwaukee. They said their semi had just come back from a show in the east so that's a bit of a head scratcher why they'd skip MKE. Looks like they're putting more emphasis on their showrooms with the winter gear being displayed. It might be economics or just too much time and labor in moving the stuff back and forth.
snobuilder
Well-known member
I bet it cost them $10,000 when the weekend in MKE is said and done. That is a lot of merchandise to move.
On the other hand....they still have a bunch of deeply discounted sleds they could have displayed....I would have taken them up on picking up my sled in MKE rather than Kaukauna....LOL
Kens had their own show.. https://www.facebook.com/KensSports/photos/p.10155822578193596/10155822578193596/?type=1&theater
I don't now of anyone who has 1M in clothing on site as well as 100+ leftover Polaris sleds on site plus ATV's etc. in spades. They have gotten so big, they are the show!
My 18 Pro-S I bought 3 weeks ago was so cheap, nobody can touch'em.
Bear
uuugh… wish I had known, have never been to their store, just looked forward to seeing them at snow show, will watch for next year and can look on line too. And as snowbuilder said as well im sure the cost of the show was excessive along with man hours too. We used to have a booth for a trade show there once a year and the booth got so expensive and it was an additional $1000 or so if I remember right just to have someone come open a little trap door on the floor if you wanted to have electricity, and we weren't even selling anything, just representing a company so im sure snowbuilder you are also correct. Just missed seeing them there along with the deals.
G
G
Guest
They probably can't afford to go to a remote site to promote products they are giving away at cost. Or less. Think about it. You got a steal of a deal on a non-current sled. Good for you. Not the dealer though. All he did was get out of a payment - he didn't make any money. It is not a good long term business model. In the old days it was OK to sell sleds and not make that much money. They would break down and the dealers would get to make some money fixing them. Also sell carbides and other wear items. We have not had enough widespread snow in recent winters so people are not doing a lot of fixing. Also the market is flooded with low mile late model sleds from people getting out of the sport. Around here anyway. There is a reason Yamaha cut back so hard for 18-19. Clean out the backed up inventory. Take a year off. Heal up. The rest of the mfgrs should do the same. They are killing themselves and their dealers. The sport is not what it used to be and will probably never be again. It can't be same old same old business plan.
Many of you would not believe the cost charged to vendors going to that show! Snobuilder is probably pretty close to how much it costs them for the weekend show. Maybe more. I know for our tiny little booth and a table, it was $700. Want to rent a chair, another $150. Electricity (basically an extension cord)...bend over! Just crazy prices. I have no idea who is at fault, but unless it changes, that show is toast.
-John
-John
Interesting.... I suppose like anything else, follow the money trail. City of West Allis? Milwaukee County?
The guy that owns Snowmobile USA, Milwaukee show and Novi, Mi show, is now part owner of the Derby track in Eagle River. With online shopping, big dealers like Ken's and Country Cat doing their own shows, and the cost of setting up and paying for a booth, I'd say the Milwaukee show has maybe 2-3 years left.
There used to be a ski and snowboard show years ago in Rosemont I think. A few of the retailers complained about the pricing and actually started doing their own shows in Schaumburg. Eventually the original show ceased to exist and was replaced by this show the retailers put on themselves. I don't know what the cost savings were, but it seemed to remain a big show because they weren't in it to make a killing off the vendors.
The current show "producer" is in it to make $$ so I understand he only has limited means to make $$.
I would like to see the same thing happen with the current snowmobile industry in their respective market. I don't think any of us care about the ambiance, or how cool the facility is. We want to see the latest sleds, see new products, shop for items on sale.
I guess the tough part would be getting the big 4 manufacturers there, but if most followed suit and this new show became more popular, I could see them jumping ship.
The current show "producer" is in it to make $$ so I understand he only has limited means to make $$.
I would like to see the same thing happen with the current snowmobile industry in their respective market. I don't think any of us care about the ambiance, or how cool the facility is. We want to see the latest sleds, see new products, shop for items on sale.
I guess the tough part would be getting the big 4 manufacturers there, but if most followed suit and this new show became more popular, I could see them jumping ship.
snobuilder
Well-known member
https://www.snowmobileusa.com/for-displayers.html
My guess of $10k was low....for how much floor space they had it was probly that much just to rent the spot.
My guess of $10k was low....for how much floor space they had it was probly that much just to rent the spot.
Heck,
Even Green Bay used to have one up til the early 2,000's. I used to go on the last day and buy a new trailer so the Dealer did not have to haul it back to where they were from (still a good strategy, by the way).
Snowmobiling is sadly disappearing for many reasons including Mother Nature.
Bear
No.
I did see some smoking deals on all-aluminum inline trailers from the factory though. Saw a base 7x23' for $6,399 plus tax and a loaded up 7x23' with all the goodies for $6,799 plus tax. I forget if the extra height cost was included in the price for UTV's though.
Seems like a no brainer.
Bear
Years ago the AWSC used to put on the fall workshop/conventions in Oconomowoc and had a snow show there. We loved going down for the weekend and visiting all the hospitality rooms and related activities. That’s back when there seemed to be more family orientated sledding and lots of club activity. It’s all changed now with the high costs of gear and sleds. Seems to be less families and more individual groups of friends and riding buddies. Now the venues are going to price themselves out of shows. Then what’s left is the individual dealers trying to do do shows at their shops and will draw less and less people. And when our winters keep taking a crap, people continue to drop out of the sport, kind of like my wife and I. I have great memories of the old days marking and grooming trails in northeast Wisco, and now those trails haven’t been open for three years. I fear there is a downward spiral here that the sport may not survive.
