MTS2000des
5B2_BEE00 Czar
Atlanta hamfest cancelled
- Thread starter MTS2000des
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AB5ID
Member
COVID-19?
ecps92
Member
Tariffs on imports into Georgia
MTS2000des
5B2_BEE00 Czar
My guess is they didn't sell enough tickets/tables to offset the rental cost of Jim R Miller park:
3 grand a day for the "civic" rate is 6 grand for the whole weekend.
This is the second or third time they have pulled the plug the week or so before. Not a good look and maybe time for a new venue.
3 grand a day for the "civic" rate is 6 grand for the whole weekend.
This is the second or third time they have pulled the plug the week or so before. Not a good look and maybe time for a new venue.
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- Feb 22, 2007
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I'm very curious about this and just did quite a search of Atlanta news stations and any information I could get and it seems very odd to cancel the hamfest with 2 days notice. "For unforeseen reasons"
It seems like violent crime is as it normally is, murders, a local manhunt etc etc that's not going to keep hams away.
Maybe it's financial, not enough vendors signed up to cover the costs.
One other thing happening in the Atlanta area is severe weather is coming in this weekend but they should say that to save face. Nothing wrong with siding with safety if the severe storm is coming during the setup times and while the Fest is going on but they should say that.
Several social media posts have said, I will never go back there again. Maybe more information will come out, getting refunds doesn't make up for all the hardship and preparation that vendors and participants are going through here.
It seems like violent crime is as it normally is, murders, a local manhunt etc etc that's not going to keep hams away.
Maybe it's financial, not enough vendors signed up to cover the costs.
One other thing happening in the Atlanta area is severe weather is coming in this weekend but they should say that to save face. Nothing wrong with siding with safety if the severe storm is coming during the setup times and while the Fest is going on but they should say that.
Several social media posts have said, I will never go back there again. Maybe more information will come out, getting refunds doesn't make up for all the hardship and preparation that vendors and participants are going through here.
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2007
- Messages
- 6,701
I think I remember there was a problem in 2019.. is that charge of $6,000 refundable when they cancel 2 days before the event? The announcement was made Thursday.
MTS2000des
5B2_BEE00 Czar
Cobb parks generally work with civic groups and aren't out to gouge.
As far as the crime comments, this is miles from the Stadium Crime Zone aka Truist Park and is generally safe. Cobb PD rangers are on site. The jail and sheriff's office are 1 block over. Other than some five finger discounting, crime is virtually non-existent. Cobb=Count On Being Busted. This isn't the City of Atlanta.
The Atlanta hamfest has been on the rocks since the 1990s, they've been at:
Atlanta City Hall East (before it was demolished and replaced with Ponce City Market)
The Airport Hilton (Alanta HJIA)
Cobb Galleria Centre
Jim R Miller Park (on and off since the late 1990s) when they "combined" with the Kennehoochee Amateur Radio Club (who always used JR Miller since the beginning of time)
Honestly the ARC has a lot going on. Their repeater is also failing and the landlord isn't exactly warm and fuzzy (which is why hams need to be good guests when on free rides on vertical real estate). Not saying they are at fault, just stating facts. The ATL hamfest has been in decline for two decades.
trimmerj
Member
Last hamfest I went to was nothing but tailgaters.
They have canceled four of the last five now.
MTS2000des
5B2_BEE00 Czar
The reason, as posted by one of their club officers on social media, is allegedly because Cobb county fire requires an inspection for special events that costs and additional $1000 and the club refused to pay it so hence, the cancellation as Cobb county parks will not allow and event to take place unless all requirements are met.
This is standard fare with any event held at any county event hall where food trucks are in used, RVs or motor vehicles are in use (including motorcross events), etc. Their application clearly tells you that.
Why the club refused to pay and wait till the last minute is poor decision making. Any event venue of this size and scope requires an FMO to sign off and yes, gov's charge fees. City of Atlanta makes Cobb county's fees look like a bargain.
This is standard fare with any event held at any county event hall where food trucks are in used, RVs or motor vehicles are in use (including motorcross events), etc. Their application clearly tells you that.
Why the club refused to pay and wait till the last minute is poor decision making. Any event venue of this size and scope requires an FMO to sign off and yes, gov's charge fees. City of Atlanta makes Cobb county's fees look like a bargain.
wgbecks
Active Member
I had a couple of friends who attended Sea-Pac at Seaside, Oregon that were disappointed with the turnout and apparent lack of vendor exhibits in stating they wish they'd stayed home. I didn't hear the attendance numbers from Dayton this year, but it makes me wonder if
ham fests across the board are in decline.
ham fests across the board are in decline.
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
I only have experience with one.
Over the last 20 years, they've shrunk. Used to be big events that took a few hours to cover. I sold some
Used to be finding good used radios was the goal of new hams attending their first few hamster fests. Now they probably just buy CCR's off Amazon. No luck on selling several Motorola's I had, although my brother in law sold a Kenwood TM-D710.
I suspect that ^ only applies to Cobb County. I know of Many other counties in Georgia that do not, and have not required something like this as a precursor to a similar get-together.
MTS2000des
5B2_BEE00 Czar
Can't say that Orlando Hamcation is in decline.
HamCation Sets Attendance Record
Hamfest received more than 25,000 attendees over 3 days.
daily.hamweekly.com
"From February 9 to 11, 2024, the Orlando Amateur Radio Club hosted the 77th annual Orlando HamCation at the Central Florida Fairgrounds and Expo Park in Orlando—an 87-acre lakefront fairground. HamCation enjoyed splendid weather throughout the weekend, with temperatures hovering around the mid-seventies and no rainfall. This year's attendance reached a record high of 25,321, making 2024 the largest attendance in HamCation history."
I'm about ready to take others off my list, like Melbourne, as they aren't worth the drive. I just buy what odds and ends I need off of Amazon or Ebay.
kayn1n32008
ØÆSØ Say it, say 'ENCRYPTION'
There are 3 'big' flea markets a year in Alberta, it's the usual suspects peddling their junk. What ever sells at one, usually just goes for sale at the other later in the year.
I haven't been to either in the last couple of years, it's usually either just junk, or stuff people are asking too much money for. That and the vendors sell all the good stuff to each other before the doors open to the public.
I use to go for the social aspect, but even then, the umber of people I actually want to talk to has plummeted.
