I received a letter yesterday stating that Rio will not be hosting
their Catalog-In-Motion(R) in Tucson next year. Let me preface this
by saying that I’m sure that it costs big bucks to put on that
exhibit. I have to say this saddens me a great deal. When I was new
to the jewelry- making world this was a huge help.
I met Lee Marshall who demonstrated the joys of the Bonny Doone
press, Tim McCreight, who’s rendering book has assisted me in
securing many private clients, and Blaine Lewis’ “Classroom In a Box”
has helped my stone-setting skills, just to name a few. These are
just a few of the people I met there. Although I haven’t been able to
get to Tucson in the last few years, the C-I-M was always the
highlight of my trip there.
Like I’ve said, I understand the economics of putting on a show like
this and it makes good financial sense to do demos, etc. via the
internet. This just makes me sad and I wanted to voice that.
Patricia
www.tschetterstudio.com
Patricia,
I ditto your sentiments whole heartedly! I live in Tucson and am
crushed to hear that Rio is not going to participate in our Gem and
Jewelry festival next year.
I have taken Rio’s CIM classes for years and purchased thousands of
dollars worth of equipment as a result of their presence at the Tucson
Gem and Jewelry Show. It is so much easier to feel, touch, experience
and learn from a host of Rio experts in Tucson, than to drive 16 hours
to Albuquerque and back, for a single class.
I would love to hear an honest response from Alan Bell, who authored
the letter. Is the reason for the pullout related to AZ’s Immigration
Bill? Or, is it purely related to Rio’s cost to travel and setup such
an extensive show? I’m truly hoping it is the latter.
If Rio is taking a stand against AZ due to the Immigration Bill than
I am greatly disappointed in their decision. Tucsonan’s are standing
firm and boycotting those who are “boycotting” AZ, simply because of
the Immigration Bill. It boils down to a clear cut law that if you
are in the US illegally, you are going to be asked to leave.
I lived and worked in the Caribbean for 10 years (British Virgin
Islands) and had to carry my government work permit and passport with
me at all times. It was just the way it was. I lived by their laws and
never tried to bend the rules. Same applies to others visiting the
US.
Rio, you will be GREATLY missed in Tucson in Feb. 2011.
We’d love to hear more as to WHY you made this decision.
Virginia Vivier
Patricia,
I too received that notice today, and I totally agree with you. Rio’s
Catalog in Motion was extraordinary in what it offered, and the
opportunity so many of us had to try before we buy. Many deep and
long friendships were formed there. Lee Marshall is one, Ray Grossman
another, Cindy Litchfield, Tim sheriff, Kate Wolf, Matthew Durston,
the many Rio emplolyees, the outer corridor with Blaine Lewis,
Valentin Yotkov, Alan Revere, Dana Singer, and yes, even Hanuman.
To think that this will be no more, is mind boggling and damn
painful. My mind is racing to find a solution. The free lectures,
the paid classes, all high caliber and valued by so many.
What a shame. Yes, there is always the internet, but nothing
replaces a smile, handshake, and of course the hugs.
I go to sleep tonight with a very heavy heart.
Hugs,
Sadly,
Terrie
This is truly an end of an era and very sad. CIM has been a major
influence in supporting Metalwerx which is now 12 years old, a book
which was born on the Flex Shaft, the pleasure of meeting the
amazing staff of the Bell Family, Andrea Hill, Hanuman, Ton, 3M,
Foredom, Bonny Doon, Durston, and many, many more. I have sat in your
seminars and have had the unique pleasure of being a lecturer.
I understand too the drive towards everything on the internet, but
there is nothing like human contact and customer engagement.
Webinars are the future, but I guess I am old fashion. I like talking
to people and teaching people.
Rio Grande, if you are reading this, I thank you for being a role
model for me, and teaching med where everything is possible,
learning to be better at business, learning that when you fall down
you get up and start again. I don’t know that this something I could
have learned through the internet. Talking to all of you made me a
better person and the people I met at CIM are cherished friends. You
gave me the courage to begin Cleverwerx and CIM helped me form good
ideas.
Good luck.
Karen Christians
Cleverwerx
Sad to hear but probably has to do with the cost of putting together
such a show and how much their space rent costs. Then doing a cost
analysis. Rio Grande probably never made money with the
Catalog-In-Motion but used it as an advertising tool.
I don’t know if Tucson space rentals are still skyrocketing or not. I
have heard some promoters are holding their prices down so the
dealers can have a chance to make a profit and stay in business.
Some show promoters are greedy and keep raising their prices even
though the economy is still struggling. These promoters are having
trouble getting all their spaces rented, at least in my area, and are
cancelling shows.
Rick Copeland
rockymountainwonders.com
Dear Virginia,
I can tell you, in many ways, deciding to end our twenty-four year
run with Catalog In Motion[R] was a heart wrenching decision for us
here at Rio Grande. Catalog In Motion was a tremendous amount of
work and increasingly expensive, but also huge fun and very
satisfying for us, and for the thousands of folks like you who
attended year after year.
It is not a decision we made quickly or lightly. In fact we have
known for several years that the economics of the show no longer
worked. Three factors came into play in the timing of our decision.
First and most compelling is our long-term business planning. The
way we all communicate and shop has changed greatly in the last ten
years. The business argument that made Catalog In Motion so
innovative and compelling twenty-four years ago is no longer so
compelling - and far more expensive. The money we used to budget to
shows is steadily being redirected to web-based communication, where
our reach is far greater. Is something lost in not having the
wonderful personal contact afforded by Catalog In Motion? No doubt.
The relationships we built over the years in Tucson are
irreplaceable. Is something gained by reaching out to the 97% of our
customers who couldn’t visit us in Tucson? We believe so.
The second reason we made the decision is simply that our contract
with the hotel is coming due and we had to make a decision, whether
to commit to another long-term contract or bring Catalog In Motion
to an end.
Finally, the State of Arizona’s policies did come into play in our
decision, but had nothing to do with the Immigration Bill. We are
being pressed by the Arizona Bureau of Revenue to file income taxes
in Arizona. The Bureau of Revenue’s position is, because we
participate in the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show four days a year, we
are an Arizona company and subject to Arizona income tax. We do
trade shows in many states and only Arizona has taken the position
that participation in a trade show constitutes citizenship. You can
thank the Bureau of Revenue for hastening our decision. I suspect
the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show is at far greater risk of losing
additional exhibitors based on tax policy than they are based on
immigration policy.
Again, we too feel a great sense of loss in making the decision to
bring Catalog In Motion to an end. We had another fabulous show this
year. As the saying goes, eventually everything runs its course.
Perhaps it is good to go out on a high note.
Alan Bell
I met Lee Marshall who demonstrated the joys of the Bonny Doon
press....
Since I have been mentioned in several of the posts on this thread,
I thought that I would say “Thanks for the memories”. The CIM was
always a special time and place for me, and I always enjoyed being
there. The Rio support staff, the instructors, and the classes were
always top notch.
I was fortunate to be able to introduce several knew products at the
show, and Phil Poirier continued the tradition after purchasing
Bonny Doon Engineering.
Catalog In Motion, like Cameot will live long and prosper in our
collective consciousness.
Lee (the saw guy)
knewconcepts.com