Coin Show Help

Our club decided to give away a voucher to be spent at the coin show worth the same as the dues for one year.

We had twelve people sign up to join the club and about 8 actually used the vouchers.

We hope that word will get out that we are doing this plus we are increasing our club membership. Some of the new members are coming to the meetings. We are getting "fresh" blood into the club, which is good too.

Try posting an ad on craigslist as well. It's free and so it wouldnt hurt to try. They should have an events category to put that into as well as a collectibles category.

What we would REALLY like is to have some media coverage.... like who wouldn't?

Has anyone figured out a way to get the media to the coin show and cover it?

I send emails to them and post on their community calendar, but we are still ignored.

Advertising is OK but now adays so much advertisements are ignored by the general populace. Adds on coin forums, like this one, would possibly be of some help but would only remind already coin show searchers or goers of that show. Around me there are 3 constant coin shows each month. Two are very successful. One is only average. Two are as yours are in size. One is usually 3 times that and every month and still growing.
Here are some of my suggestions:
1. Free parking
2. Free admittance for collectors
3. Coffee and snacks or even food available at a decent price
4. Have the shows on a Sunday from at least 9AM to 3PM. Saturdays if then become successful
5. As noted have people sign up for a mailing list. If they get a reminder post card, it actually helps since most of us have short memories.
6. Schools out now so a little late for this one. Have a dealer or yourself check with the school system if it would be OK to put on a presentation on coins for the schools.
7. If remote make sure there are plenty of signs saying coin show and where and when. And large enough to read while driving. This one ticks me off. I see signs for garage/yard/estate sales that look like they were made with a microscope.
8. Ask dealers if people with kids show up could they possibly have a cheap or junk pile for the kids to get free.
9. Check with coin magazine organizations if they would like to contribute some magazines for the show. Then put a table up front with those on them. Place a sign there to please only take one. The one show I go to has such a table and it gets emptied by 9:30 and it opens at 9.
10. Same table up front, place a bowl of candy, advertising flyers for the next show, anything else that might get someones attention. You could tell people that a flyer for their garage/yard/estate sale on that table is welcome.
11. Make sure the washrooms are kept clean or women will not come and if they won't come, they might find ways to stop their husbands too.
12. Request guest to not wear back packs since they bump into others in crowded aisles.
13. Post signs in grocery stores, Walmart type stores, gas stations, etc. if allowed.
14. Once you have a start on these shows, make them consistant with a certain day such as the 2nd Sunday of each month. This again allows those of short memories to note the show is coming soon.
By short memories you may note that all politicians well know about the short memories of the general populace. That is why they don't bother with anything until right before an election.
15. Occationally have a coin auction also. Even if for a few coins at the start of end of the show.
16. A one or two coin door prise might also be an incentive. Even if only worth a few cents, there are those that really like that.

After carefull consideration, I came up with the idea to have a gold coin drawing with the winner not needing to be present to win.

This does several things:
1> Creates a data base of the general public who comes to the show.

2> gives us a good head count of people attending the show

3> We can let the media know that we are "Giving Away" free gold at the show.

Hopefully, this will draw some media attention for the show.

I have, as stated in earlier posts, place free ads on the internet, including here at the coin forum.

I want to hak everyone who has responded with all you suggestions.

This great that we have a place to brain storm ideas and see what works and what does not.

KEEP THEM COMMING... I will entertain about anything.
ragpicker

another thing, see if some experts in the field will come and discuss collecting what ever they specialize in with the visitors, it will bring people in and also make them stay longer to see the seminar. Also maybe have someone that knows how to grade coins (or a few people) that is willing to give free appraisals but be sure you limit it to say like 5 coins or you will have Bubba bringing in bags of pocket change he threw in a drawer when he was a kid, this will make the people look through their coins and pick out the best coins they have to bring (or most interesting) and may also really make those people start collecting again once they look through their collection again and there is nothing to spark someones interest in collecting than for them to find out they have something valuable but remember there is nothing more heart breaking than finding out something you thought you was going to retire off of is worthless either so be gentle when you have to tell these individuals this information

rags, if you want to get electronic media involved, you have to play their game ... even though they are obligated, by the fact that they are licensed, to serve the public.

A few tips: Don't bring them a poster and expect them to do your job in translating a visual to an oral announcement. At least make an attempt to write a 30-second PSA (Public Service Announcement). Most stations will run PSA's at various times during the day, but don't expect them to send a full crew out to cover your event unless you're doing something unusual - like giving away gold, providing educational classes for children or beginners, having a media celebrity give a talk, etc. Try to come up with a "hook" that you can pitch to either radio or TV stations, and if it's unusual enough, you might get news coverage. Try some of the suggestions above - I see some excellent ones.

Newspapers are looking for photo ops, too, and a bunch of people standing with their heads bent looking at something on a table ain't it. Maybe a blown-up display of common coin errors with your local politician standing next to it would attract attention. How about your mayor giving away Kansas quarters? How about a buffalo in a pen in front of your meeting hall? Okay, that may be a bit outrageous, but I think you get the idea.

In other words, what is exciting to a hobbyist is probably incomprehensible to Joe Average, who probably doesn't even stoop to pick up a coin on the sidewalk. It's up to you to find the feature, or more likely create it, that will attract attention and help translate the excitement in the hobby to Mr. Average, and once you do, the media will be at your front door.

One more suggestion is as long as your planning on a Gold coin givaway, you may want to consider this. If only one or two prizes, many will always say something like I never win those things. This may mean many will not go for that reason. People are people. you may want to try having numerous prizes where the first place one is the Gold coin, A few Silver coins for second, third, etc prizes. Then even a few less expensive coins or even tokens such as a Uncirculated 1943 Steel Cent, George Washington Dollar, Complete set of all 1982 Cents, etc. Many such lesser expensive items would cost much less but would tend to make people think with all that being given away, I might just win something. Kids will ask their parents to take them there for something free.
As I mentioned previously you may want to contact some coin magazines to see if they would be willing to donate some copies to be given away at the show also.
School is starting soon and if you could get someone to put on a presentation about the State Quarters and the Presidential dollars as an educational tool, this too may popularize your shows.