Some events change over the years. I think I have a post on here (back November 2018) about how the Kane County Chicago Pet Show this past year was our best rescue-based (as in, non-AAE) expo ever! Here's the funny thing... going into it, I would never have predicted that.
At the Chicago Pet Show expos, the shows have always been just fine, nothing to complain about, but also, nothing to brag about. Actually, they've always been some of our better expos, we'd usually would sell maybe $100-150 worth of product over the two days. I used to present on chin care one day to get my booth, then it changed over to presenting twice. I wasn't complaining (ok, ok, maybe I was), and prior to the November 2018 Kane County expo, I thought, I should ask about getting a double booth (with the thought that I wouldn't whine about presenting twice, if I could have my double booth).
You see, we've done the Chicago Pet Show expos for years, and always had a single booth, and I always walk around at these expos, and saw several rescue booths with double booths. Rescue booths that I know could not afford to pay for the double booth. Not that we can either... and most rescues can't... but that made me think, maybe I should ask (because if they could get it somehow, maybe we could too!). We had once had a double booth at Kane County before, due to the booth next to us being a no-show and them asking us to spread out, but never intentionally. So, prior to the Kane County expo (like months prior), I asked if it was possible for us to have a double booth, and I explained that when we do some of our other shows and we're able to have a double, we seem to have a better expo. I was told that we could, just that of course they couldn't guarantee where my location would be, because we were a non-paying booth. That was fine, of course... that's actually always the case, so no biggie.
Are you curious why a double booth means a better expo? Let me explain. With a single booth, you get a 10 x 10 spot. At some of these expos... it may not quite be 10 x 10 (mainly on the depth end of that) because not all the spaces are the same size... so spreading out can be difficult. We always set up with two tables (minimum), so one table has the animals (which take up the majority of the table) and then the rest is supplies. Well, to fit two tables in a 10 x 10, you have to do some version of an L-shape. We've tried putting one table up front and the other going back from that, like a literal L if you looked at the booth top down... but people would tend to not look at the side table. To be fair, because of booth size, it was always a squeeze to get into the booth to see that side table. The other option was to do an inverted L, where the one table would be all the way back against the back wall, and the other would run along the side. This seems like a better option, until you consider that people tend to stand at the entrance of the booth and peer in and try to see what's in the cage and what's on the tables, from the entrance... without stepping into the booth. That sort of setup is meant to make people step in to see what's there... but many don't. So the difference with a double booth is it's 20' of space. 20' of FRONTAGE space. We have 6' tables. This means we can get THREE tables up front, with 2' on the side for us to squeeze our fluffy selves in and out of the booth. We have room for the animals, we have room for alllllll sorts of supplies, we have room for EVERYTHING. At the last Kane County, we brought (and had room ON the table for) like 5 plastic dust houses (and had more in the back). Lots of room, we can bring lots of stuff. And the added benefit is, since we have those three tables up front, no one has to walk into the booth to see the animals or see the supplies, and that actually results in more people looking, and consequently, more people buying / adopting.
So going back to the Kane County expo... I fully admit, I was in a crabby mood coming up to the expo. I don't remember why, now, but what I do remember is telling my friends before the expo how peeved I would be if the expo crew had somehow "forgotten" about my double booth. They hadn't, and actually, we had a booth up front, easily viewable when people came in, and we actually had our best rescue-based expo ever! We adopted out a ton of animals (we had previously only ever adopted out one per rescue-based expo), we had a ton of sales... I think the total for the weekend was something like $1200, which is AMAZING compared to our usual $100-150.
The thing is, and the reason I tell you all of this... is because at the previous Kane County shows, we hadn't done anywhere close to this, and I was totally unprepared for this. I went in, all crabbed up, thinking I wouldn't get the booth I had been promised, thinking it would be a long weekend, and really -- it was great! But would we have predicted it? Not with the previous experience from that expo!
So... you just never know. Could it be not-so-great next time? Sure! Could it be awesome? Sure! Just no way to know. Gotta go there and see how it is.
Also... this year, the expo crew for Kane County already approached me and asked if we want the same booth. That is a resounding YESSSSS!!!! Hopefully this upcoming year will be as great as last year, and of course, we hope to see you all there!
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