Pittsburgh Mills Gun Show - Eagle Arms 2/19-2/20

[VooDoo1VooDoo1]

Saw a listing for this show.

Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills
590 Pittsburgh Mills Blvd
Tarentum, PA 15084

Contact: Eagle Shows
Phone:6103933047
Hours: Sat 9-5, Sun 9-4
Admission:$10.00
Website

Email us

Directions


The Pittsburgh Mills Gun Show will be held on Feb 19th-20th, 2022. This Tarentum gun show is held at the Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills and is promoted by Eagle Shows. All federal, state and local firearm laws and ordinances must be followed.

[ScotsGuards]

Several very good dealers are going to give this new one a try. Among the ones I know of are: Baker's Militaria, Bloodhound Arms, Kenzie's Optics, Woodall's Guns, Gunner's Ammo and Accessories and us; Highland Arms Co. There will be others I'm sure. These are just the ones I know about so far. Let's hope it goes well.

[JoshIronshaft]

First one here in some time, right? I think I went to this one in 2012 or 2013.

[shagreobe]

may have to pop on down there

[ScotsGuards]

Just finished setting up at the show. It seems to be filling nicely. Not as large as the Monroeville show but many of the same dealers. There seems to be a higher ratio of firearms dealers to accessories than Monroeville as well. See you all this weekend I hope.

[Noah_Zark]

In the former J C Penny facility.

Noah

[Emptymag]

In the former J C Penny facility.

Noah

So as you exit rt 28 and head up towards the mall, turn right at the light (mall entrance) and bear right towards Smokey Bones restaurant and you will be headed in the direction of the old JCPenny location.

[Noah_Zark]

Some after-action comments to the new promoter:

You need to learn a lot about running gun shows.

1) Saturday AM the show wasn't going to open to vendors until 0800, and some irate vendors called either the promoter or his staff, who then had the mall people open up at 0745 so that vendors who came Sat AM could get set up. They had 75 minutes to do so before opening to the public; that's not enough. Note: Most shows are open at 0700 on Saturday to vendors for an 0900 public opening.

2) The promoter had no on-site security overnight Fri-Sat, telling vendors that mall security would make rounds. Note: Either pay for rental security, or let trusted vendors stay/sleep overnight inside.

3) Lack of advertising. There were no billboards on PA 28 from Kittanning south to Pgh Mills, and I did not see "election signs" closer to the venue on PA28, or on the Pgh Mills service roads. Note: You must spend on advertising to have sufficient attendees to make your admission income goal and to ensure sales for the vendors, who make your shows possible.

4) That last bit bears repeating: You won't have shows without vendors. You need to draw quality vendors to your shows and keep them satisfied so that they draw attendees in conjunction with your advertising. Having two shows a weekend makes some of your vendors have to choose between your venues. There were vendors who went to Bloomsburg who ordinarily would have gone to your competitor's Monroeville show if Monroeville was the only choice. Waiting a week to have the show at Pgh Mills may have saw you with more vendors, because this coming weekend the only nearby show is Ellwood City. That would be about as much competition as Pony Farm was this past weekend, which was no competition.

Friendly advice / constructive criticism to help you be more successful.

Noah

[cellboothmgr]

Some after-action comments to the new promoter:

You need to learn a lot about running gun shows.

1) Saturday AM the show wasn't going to open to vendors until 0800, and some irate vendors called either the promoter or his staff, who then had the mall people open up at 0745 so that vendors who came Sat AM could get set up. They had 75 minutes to do so before opening to the public; that's not enough. Note: Most shows are open at 0700 on Saturday to vendors for an 0900 public opening.

2) The promoter had no on-site security overnight Fri-Sat, telling vendors that mall security would make rounds. Note: Either pay for rental security, or let trusted vendors stay/sleep overnight inside.

3) Lack of advertising. There were no billboards on PA 28 from Kittanning south to Pgh Mills, and I did not see "election signs" closer to the venue on PA28, or on the Pgh Mills service roads. Note: You must spend on advertising to have sufficient attendees to make your admission income goal and to ensure sales for the vendors, who make your shows possible.

4) That last bit bears repeating: You won't have shows without vendors. You need to draw quality vendors to your shows and keep them satisfied so that they draw attendees in conjunction with your advertising. Having two shows a weekend makes some of your vendors have to choose between your venues. There were vendors who went to Bloomsburg who ordinarily would have gone to your competitor's Monroeville show if Monroeville was the only choice. Waiting a week to have the show at Pgh Mills may have saw you with more vendors, because this coming weekend the only nearby show is Ellwood City. That would be about as much competition as Pony Farm was this past weekend, which was no competition.

Friendly advice / constructive criticism to help you be more successful.

Noah

Hey Noah


1) We had told vendors we were going to be there at 8. No one had mentioned wanting/needing to get in earlier. We will adjust for the future.

2) We had on site security. Fire code requires the main doors to be open if people are in the building. We opted to keep everything locked down over night with the mall security making a few passes through the night. I decided this is more secure than having both sets of outside glass doors open all night.

3) We absolutely advertised. We advertise for every single show we do. We have been setting attendance records at several shows over the last couple of months. We definitely want and need to advertise the Pittsburgh show more. We are actively working on finding a new location. The mall charges an extreme amount of money for the venue. It would fit our program if we could get 500+ vendor tables reserved. We took a flyer on this location because I'm a fan of "you never know until you try." I lost a pile of money for this show but we see the potential of what it will ultimately turn out to be.

4) There are almost always 2 shows a weekend. Maybe an Eagle show and a showmasters or an Eagle show and C&E. We understand that some dealers cannot do both. If we waited for to put Pittsburgh this weekend, then it's up against Allentown. As a vendor myself, I always recommend getting a 2nd crew trained up to be able to do whatever shows are going on.

We appreciate feedback. We can't always accommodate but we strive to be responsive to vendors and attendees.

[leadhead2]

You may also want to consider having some place for older people to be able to sit down for a spell.
I know I can't walk around all day like I used to.
leadhead