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Get Questionnaires About Conventions
OLLOWING the comments which
were made in the columns of THK
REVIEW in August and September, re-
garding the Convention which was held
in July in Chicago. William R. Card.
Executive Secretary of the National As-
sociation of Music Merchants, sent a
letter to the presidents of the National
Piano Manufacturers Association, the
National Association of Musical Mer-
chandise VI holesalers and the National
Association of Musical Merchandise
Manufacturers, in which he asked five
questions, among which were whether
or not the association holds too many
meetings during the Convention, wheth-
er they would like to have the registra-
tions reported daily of dealers only
rather than the total registrations of
the day. and several other questions of
that character.
Mr. Card also requested that the
presidents of these associations take
these questions up wilh their members
to determine how each association fell,
and then to inform their representatives
on the Trade Show Advisory Commit-
tee so that he would be equipped to
present each associations idea at the
meeting of this committee which is to
lie held in November.
Therefore, these associations have
sent out a questionnaire to their mem-
bers, so that when the Trade Show-
Committee meets, there can Ive a liberal .
discussion of whether there should be
changes made in the conducting of the
Convention and the Show.
In commenting on this question, Mr.
Card states. "The five questions were
primarily of an administrative nature,
and following our meeting in Novem-
ber if there were any meeting of minds
on these matters, we would adopt them
in our Trade Show administration of
next year. I am also interested in the
question of whether or not these groups
feel that alternating the month of the
show, holding it one year in July and
the next year in June, might be of any
service to certain manufacturers.
"After these associations consider
these questions and following the meet-
ing of the Trade Show Advisory Com-
mittee in late November, we can then
issue an appropriate account of what
the general consensus of opinion is and
specifically state any changes in the
general procedure which we might de-
cide to ?dopt at that time.
'In my questions, I did not go into
the matter of costs for that is a prob-
lem of each manufacturer. The basic
F
costs of exhibiting are by far the small-
est ones and what the manufacturers
spend in the entertainment of their
dealers and in the issuance ol blank
checks to their traveling men for deal-
er entertainment is something over
which the Association has no control.
It is interesting to note that the exhibit
fees of the Association have not been
increased since 1948 in spite of the
rising costs. All hotels have increased
their room rates, primarily due to the
fact that their labor costs have risen,
as we all know.
"I think that if each manufacturer
adopts a sound altitude of weighing his
values and his results in relation to
his expenditures, each one can intelli-
gently adjust his activities to the point
where he finds them economically feas-
ible."
Regarding the latter comment, one of
the letters T H E REVIEW received after
the September issue was published was
from a dealer who states. "My wife
and 1 did attend the Convention and
had a pretty good time. My one and
only complaint is the elevator service.
It was rotten. Sometimes I wonder why
they don't hold it in a smaller city at
least once. You will find that those
who do attend will find the expense
not near as much as in Chicago. Most
piano men do not have enough to pay
$9 and up per day for a room. Also,
the two of us to pay SI to $6 per meal.
So my wife and I. we went 20 miles
out of Chicago to be able to stay three
or four davs."
Believes Conventions in East, West and
South May Be Practical Solution
In view of the present controversy
about the IN'AMM Convention THE RE-
VIEW takes pleasure in presenting the
following letter which is self explana-
tory:
Ivoryton. Connecticut
October 5, 1953
Carleton Chaee. Editor
The Music Trade Review
510 RKO Building. Radio City
1270 Avenue of Americas
New York 20. N. Y.
Dear Carleton:
Your article appearing in the Sep-
tember issue under the title "Some An-
swers to \\ hy More Piano Dealers
Don't Attend the NAMM Convention"
has once more stirred me up on my
favorite theme and I should like to
make some comments.
I believe conventions to be a neces-
sary part of our industrial and sales
picture but I think that we should give
some consideration to the question of
the purpose of a convention. It seems
to me that the basic purpose from the
manufacturers' viewpoint is to instruct
the dealer in the product he will sell,
teach him how to sell, teach him mod-
ern business methods and above all
give him the cooperation and the urge
to increase his sales.
In the old days the conventions were
truly an annual affair and as far as
pianos were concerned, it was quite the
thing to place a year's business after
the dealer had inspected the makes of
instruments and decided what he would
buy. That has largely disappeared
thru increased efficiency of the piano
manufacturers themselves by constant
contact with their customers.
Your article points out that there
were 1460 dealers and to wait upon
these dealers there were 2990 individ-
uals representing exhibitors, manufac-
turers, distributors and publishers. I
suggest that you make a guess as to
the average cost per representative to
attend that convention. I think you
will be appalled at the figure, which
does not of course consider the cost of
transportation, rent of quarters nor the
setting up and taking down of exhibits.
If all of this was done for 1460 deal-
ers. I would say that from a cost per
dealer standpoint we have the most
expensive conventions in distribution
history. Our conventions, therefore,
would seem to totally fail in their ob-
ject of achieving more sales as a result
of service rendered to dealers. I do
not know the number of piano dealers
in the United States but it would ap-
pear that the number we reach thru
the conventions percent-w ise can hardly
be computed.
It seems to me that the vast sum of
money invested by the music merchants
and the piano manufacturers could be
much better spent in other directions.
I have consistently advocated two or
preferably three conventions a year,
divided between east, west and south
and there is a difference between what
I propose and a so-called regional. If
we selected the cream of the many
meetings which we hold, the many
speeches which we make at the con-
(Tun to Page 15)
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, OCTOBER,
I953