Expo feedback

Aussie Pythons & Snakes Forum

Help Support Aussie Pythons & Snakes Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Status
Not open for further replies.
Canberra's Expo held by ACTHA is on at the start of the year and is only a display of reps and not a bad selection either. Previous Snakes Alive Expo last yr here ;)
 
i wish the home bush one wasn't with the Easter showthat was my favorite one :(
 
Of course expos are for more than just buying or selling. Even tho the first animal is more relevant as to impulse buying than subsequent ones, I still disagree that the long wait and hassle associated with getting a licence should be actively preserved to stop impulse buying.
 
What about one near Canberra?


Cheers Brenton

Illawarra Reptile Society is on the 15th April 2012. Don't go telling me it is too far from Canberra as it isn't. I would go that far for lunch LOL

How about asking to see a licence before entry and allow only licenced people access to the breeders for the first part of the day?

I do not agree. You need to get the 'new to the hobby' enthused and to see what is out there that they can purchase in the future. Get info and phone numbers from breeders that they can contact later etc.

It is up to the licenced sellers to make sure that they do not sell to unlicenced people. Not up to the club to police. If any sellers are found to be doing the wrong thing they should be kicked from ever having a table.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Just a thought but maybe its time to investigate having some of the common, easy keep species, that are very prolific in captivity, on an exempted species list.
 
Last edited:
Just a thought but maybe its time to investigate having some of the common, easy keep species, that are very prolific in captivity, on an exempted species list.
the mexicans (victoria) have that for turtles, blues and marble geckos and it works. thou i do think that it might just be to much work for decc to do anything about it.
 
I'd like a Central Coast Expo as most of the Sydney ones are in outer Sydney where it is harder to get to and I end up missing the SOFAR expo every year due to another annual commitment.
I think a central coast would have a lot of potential, there are a fair few people on the central coast and it is an easy travel distance from both Sydney and Newcastle. I don't think increasing expo amount will make expos less packed, in fact probably the opposite as people tend to like coming to as many expos as they can not just the one and a new expo will get more new people interested it just increases the amount of people coming.

I love that idea but who will organise, maybe we can start a central coast herp socity or have a sub branch of say AHS or SOFAR??
 
How about asking to see a licence before entry and allow only licenced people access to the breeders for the first part of the day?
Sounds good to me say the EXPO starts at 9am from 9am till 12 the doors can be open for license holders then after 12 anyone can come in.
 
People with manners at the expo would get my first vote.
 
There seem to be enough expo's, but having them spaced out a bit more would be good. Venue size at times seems to be a problem, especially last year with the Illawarra show. It was over packed. It is frustrating if you do want to buy something with the amount of people crowding the tables, especially if you can't even see what's available, but sometimes you just have to be patient and wait :)
 
Illawarra Reptile Society is on the 15th April 2012. Don't go telling me it is too far from Canberra as it isn't. I would go that far for lunch LOL

it's closer to go to penrith. I ment like Queenbeyan


Cheers Brenton
 
There seem to be enough expo's, but having them spaced out a bit more would be good. Venue size at times seems to be a problem, especially last year with the Illawarra show. It was over packed. It is frustrating if you do want to buy something with the amount of people crowding the tables, especially if you can't even see what's available, but sometimes you just have to be patient and wait :)

This year we have hired another part of the Racecourse to sell reptiles. So, more room.
 
From a breeders perspective I'd like to see them more spaced out. Howabout one every 3 months to really build up the hype!
 
in regards to vic i would love to see 2-3 expos a year, it would be great but in reality it comes down to it being financially viable for the people running the expo, any one no if the expos in vic and nsw were a success financially ?
 
The Vic expo once again was too crowded. I was there 5 minutes and wanted to leave due to the rude mass of people who seem to have been taught no courtesy or manners!
 
From a breeders perspective I'd like to see them more spaced out. Howabout one every 3 months to really build up the hype!

The club ones have animals from members on show. We need to coincide with breeding/hibernation etc. So, from March to April is the best time for us. January and February is usually too hot. Oct- November etc hatchies are either still incubating or not ready to go. So there is a limited window there.
Castle Hill is not a club, but they just have to be first cab off the rank lol
 
I should probably start this post by saying that I have kept numerous herps in the past, though it's probably been 10 years since my licence has lapsed. Back then there was no such thing as an expo - The closest we got was (an almost drug deal type) exchange in the carpark at the local herp society meetings. Given that and what I was to discover at my first expo leads me to declare myself as "new to the hobby".

So anyhow, a couple of weeks ago whilst driving my daughter to work I noticed a sign posted to a telegraph pole that read something like "Reptile & Wildlife Expo - Hawkesbury Herp Society". I was a little intrigued by what an "expo" might be, so I asked my 11yo son if he'd be interested in going, which he was so we decided to make the trip out to Penrith on the day to check it out.

We arrived at the doors around 9:50am, and were in the line for maybe 10 minutes before we got inside. The first thing I noticed was some tanks in the middle with what looked like juvenile turtles, so I grabbed my boy and we shot over there. Of course, he thought this was awesome, then when I noticed the price tags written on the tanks I was completely astounded - Are these things for sale ? :shock:
So upon further investigation and browsing I discovered that these were actual breeders offering their livestock for sale. Unreal, and totally unexpected by me. Then I checked some of the prices out - $80 for maccie hatchie's - Are you guys serious ? It wasn't long before my boy expressed interest in purchasing a new pet. Given that I still have most of the housing equipment already I decided to enquire about the current licencing requirements, though I should point out that at this stage the tables were nowhere near packed, and the lady at the Peter Birch table was more than happy to discuss things with me. Incidentally, she was very informative and friendly - A real credit to the hobby, IMO.:D As she went through the process I discovered that it was pretty similar to what I knew, although I don't remember the "Companion" licence being available back then. I then explained to the boy that we couldn't purchase a new pet today, but we would have a look around and then look to getting one in the near future.
So then we had a look at the retailer side, and I found a substrate material that actually looks good, and can be cleaned by a paper towel ???? You guys are kidding !;) The guy told us that we could get our licence on the spot, by doing it online at one of the booths. When I enquired further I was told that this wasn't possible, to deter impulse purchase's. So we had a look at the numerous retailers and then by the time we got around to the breeders section again it was like the easter show, it was impossible to even get close to the tables now and as we weren't going to be buying anything we decided to leave knowing full well that we would be attending to SOFAR expo in two weeks time, and more than likely getting a new pet.
Once I got home I applied for the licence online, received the number straight away and was also emailed the licence in pdf format to print out - I am assuming they will also mail a copy along with the record books.

So all in all, I was very impressed with the expo experience. I think it was well run, had a good mix of retailer's and breeder's. Yes, it did get crowded at the breeder tables and I'm sure that had a lot to do with the n00bs like myself, though I reckon if any serious buyers were waiting a quick flash of the cash would have gotten them the attention they desired pretty quick !

As for the impulse buys/n00bs, well it's a tough one. Perhaps several breeders could do a section specifically aimed at this area, and offer complete starter packs that would include the licence, all the necessary housing equipment (along with detailed care instructions) and the animal. At least this would give the animal the best possible start in it's new home. I don't think you'll ever stop the people who lose interest in 6 months - Though this can apply to those who have received their licence before the animal, too, not just impulse purchases.

tl;dr summary: A BIG thumbs-up from this n00b ! :D
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Back
Top