There recently was a thread regarding the Woodworking Show I just received the following information from Ron Brown who is a vendor at those shows. It may explain a few things and if what he says is true, we may have a good show once again.
"The Woodworking Shows Inc. has been undergoing some major changes. The ownership actually changed in mid-September as the shows were sold outright. The new owners are current Woodshow vendors and have an extremely keen interest in seeing that the shows turn around, expand and grow much larger. They have an exciting vision for the true potential of the woodworking community and will be implementing major changes and expansions as soon as possible.
That will take a little time. Many vendors had abandoned the show due to poor management practices by the previous personnel and due to the uncertainty of the show's future. Those vendors will be back bigger and better than ever beginning in January along with new vendors you haven't seen before.
We are in kind of a catch 22. More attendance will bring more vendors will bring bigger attendance will bring even more vendors and so on. It is a rebuilding process which has already begun in earnest. This past weekend in Chicago the show was very small. The new owners used that time to shoot film footage for an infomercial which will be broadcast for a full 30 minutes beginning about 3 weeks in advance of each show in that market. Obviously, there will be a lag time to get the video edited and the time slots booked.
You can help by passing this information along to others and by encouraging your woodworking friends to support the Woodworking Shows during this critical rebuilding period."