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Thread: I'm going to my first pen show.... by Zoom!

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    Senior Member penwash's Avatar
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    Default Re: I'm going to my first pen show.... by Zoom!

    Quote Originally Posted by whichwatch View Post
    I'll be selling for the first time at the next show on Sunday June 7. I'll have almost entirely modern pens - Italian, American, and Japanese including Nakaya and Eboya. I invite my friends and customers to check PenTrace for the way to register and receive the link to view the show.

    Rick
    That's cool, Rick. I've always admired your collection. And you would fit in with the other dealers.

    It does bring out one point. Most if not all the pens being presented in the virtual show are high-end pens. And by high-end I mean the average price is probably above $500.

    I was just thinking that not all pen hobbyist are advanced enough to appreciate pens that cost $1000 not to mention $2000. I mean there are literally tens of thousands of students and young professionals who are coming into the hobby, and I feel that there should be part of any pen show that will resonate better with them.

    I am discussing this point with the virtual pen show organizers, so hopefully we can come up with something that can be more inclusive to more people in the hobby.
    - Will
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    Default Re: I'm going to my first pen show.... by Zoom!

    Quote Originally Posted by penwash View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by whichwatch View Post
    I'll be selling for the first time at the next show on Sunday June 7. I'll have almost entirely modern pens - Italian, American, and Japanese including Nakaya and Eboya. I invite my friends and customers to check PenTrace for the way to register and receive the link to view the show.

    Rick
    That's cool, Rick. I've always admired your collection. And you would fit in with the other dealers.

    It does bring out one point. Most if not all the pens being presented in the virtual show are high-end pens. And by high-end I mean the average price is probably above $500.

    I was just thinking that not all pen hobbyist are advanced enough to appreciate pens that cost $1000 not to mention $2000. I mean there are literally tens of thousands of students and young professionals who are coming into the hobby, and I feel that there should be part of any pen show that will resonate better with them.

    I am discussing this point with the virtual pen show organizers, so hopefully we can come up with something that can be more inclusive to more people in the hobby.

    Thanks for the nice comment, Will.

    Mix of different prices is something I have been thinking about. We only get to put 20 pens into the show, and in my first attempt at that venue I'm trying to cover a range of prices. At this point, in my 20 I expect to have pens ranging from $150 to $3200 with 8 being priced at or under $500. I hope that will represent an attractive mix, and I will certainly adjust for future shows based on response, same as I have tried to do at real, in-person shows. Hope you will find something you like!

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    Default Re: I'm going to my first pen show.... by Zoom!

    Quote Originally Posted by penwash View Post

    It does bring out one point. Most if not all the pens being presented in the virtual show are high-end pens. And by high-end I mean the average price is probably above $500.

    I was just thinking that not all pen hobbyist are advanced enough to appreciate pens that cost $1000 not to mention $2000. I mean there are literally tens of thousands of students and young professionals who are coming into the hobby, and I feel that there should be part of any pen show that will resonate better with them.

    I am discussing this point with the virtual pen show organizers, so hopefully we can come up with something that can be more inclusive to more people in the hobby.


    This is a point that I raised with the organisers a few weeks ago. I suppose part of the problem is finding a good fit between interest and length of time. As the show isn't an all day thing (just a couple of hours) it would be difficult to accommodate sellers whose principal sales were of low to mid point prices. However, given the frequency of the shows it may be possible to introduce the idea of themes, such that one show would be for certain brands or price levels. It's unclear though if this kind of approach would be well supported.

    In many ways, given the short time of the shows, perhaps it is best to display harder to find (and thus more expensive) pens. I don't really know the answer.

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    Default Re: I'm going to my first pen show.... by Zoom!

    For those who may be interested, I have permission to share the pen sales pictures with interested parties who didn't get to attend the recent ROME virtual Pen Show.

    However, the images are on a pdf file that is 67mb in size.

    What would be the best approach to getting this information out there?

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    silverlifter (May 25th, 2020)

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    Default Re: I'm going to my first pen show.... by Zoom!

    Google Drive? Or one of the other free file sharing services.
    Vintage. Cursive italic. Iron gall.

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    Empty_of_Clouds (May 26th, 2020)

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    Default Re: I'm going to my first pen show.... by Zoom!

    Well, I already marked the date for the next pen show: June 7 and for me it's at 10:30AM not 10:30PM....

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    Senior Member carlos.q's Avatar
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    Default Re: I'm going to my first pen show.... by Zoom!

    Quote Originally Posted by carlos.q View Post
    Ok... this is a very public ooops! According to my, evidently incorrect calculations, I thought the show was tonight!
    This international time zone calculation thing seems to be way above my pay grade!!!!
    Well... better luck next time!
    Ok, the "next time" is fast coming up: the show is this Sunday. Just have to remember, for me it's 10:30AM not PM!

    PS. I am still amazed that this show "takes place" in Rome! Why hasn't anybody on this side of the pond organized something similar?

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    Senior Member Jon Szanto's Avatar
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    Default Re: I'm going to my first pen show.... by Zoom!

    Quote Originally Posted by carlos.q View Post
    PS. I am still amazed that this show "takes place" in Rome! Why hasn't anybody on this side of the pond organized something similar?
    One of the main people is in Rome, but the impetus and collaborative work on this is all over the globe, just as the participants and sellers are. AFAIK, Art (the main fellow doing the outreach and communication through Pentrace) is based in Chicago. As long as people have access, it kinda doesn't matter *where* it is taking place, because it is taking place all over. For a couple months there has been an active virtual pen show every 2 weeks, on the weekend, coordinated through a Facebook group and has the participation of quite a number of very good dealers. Again, a fair number of European dealers are involved, reflective of the international nature of the online pen groups. People offer up trays of pens in photos and descriptions and then are available for sale through messages. Roughly the same, just not 'live'.

    All in all, a good thing to happen. Maybe someone will pop up a US-centric effort, but outside of the shipping it doesn't make a big difference to me.
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    Default Re: I'm going to my first pen show.... by Zoom!

    Actually it does matter "where" it is taking place, due to time zone differences. While I have supported the Rome show, and attended more than once, it starts at 2:30am on a Monday (a work day) for me, which is rather inconvenient. Having another option for a show hosted in a different time zone would reach more people in similar situations.

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    Senior Member carlos.q's Avatar
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    Default Re: I'm going to my first pen show.... by Zoom!

    Ok so I finally "attended" the Rome Zoom pen show. Like I have said before I have never been to a real pen show so I can't really compare the experiences. The obvious difference is the fact that you can't touch the pens, which is a bummer. But on the on the other hand the experience was very rewarding for someone like me whose closest pen show is 1,000 miles away. Hey, I could finally put a face to some famous pen sellers like Sarj Minhas and Letizia Iacopini!

    First the format. There were 8 sellers, half of them based in Italy with others from the UK, Spain and the US. At the beginning of the show all the approximately 150 pens were presented using Zoom's "share screen" function so that the attendees could get a feeling of what was up for sale. After that each of the sellers presented their pen trays individually while describing the pens and answering questions from the public.

    Second the pens. This was an eclectic collection of vintage and modern pens ranging from $80.00 to $3,200 with a fabulous Urushi and Raden custom MB149 for $1,750.00 which caught my eye. Sorry to say but that beauty is way above my pay grade! Although you can't touch the pens the sellers offered to send high quality pictures to those interested. Any of the attendees could ask questions about the pens which were promptly answered. Before the show's end we all received a PDF catalog of all the pens for sale which was a nice touch.

    Third the dialogue. After the pens were presented there was a very frank conversation as to how to make the show a better one. Hosting what is essentially an international pen show using Zoom is not an easy task. However the organizers, together with some of the attendees, were eager to exchange ideas as to the form that future pen shows would take.

    The international Covid-19 pandemic has changed many of the ways we work and play. However it is inspiring to find a group of people that have come together to overcome the limits of "social distancing" and have organized a pen show that you can see from the comfort of your own home. I believe that other pen shows, as well as pen clubs, could learn from this experience. I know that I have.

    Rome Zoom pen show.png

    PS. If you are interested in future shows you should go over and sign up to Pentrace.

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    Default Re: I'm going to my first pen show.... by Zoom!

    Glad you enjoyed it, Carlos. Yes, it has it's limitations, but under the present circumstances it is a pretty good effort, and as you note, it is fun to be able to put a face to a name.

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