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Chicago iHobby Expo - Oct 19-22

Chicago iHobby Expo - Oct 19-22

Old 10-14-2006, 12:37 PM
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Default Chicago iHobby Expo - Oct 19-22

The Expo is coming up next weekend, Oct 19 - 22.

For those in the Chicago area planning on attending, The show is open to trade attendee's on Thursday and Friday - October 19th & 20th and to both the TRADE & PUBLIC October 21st & 22nd 2006.

I plan on being there Thursday and Friday. Let's use this thread to discuss this event.
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Old 10-14-2006, 05:41 PM
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I hope Team Losi displays the new Micro-T, that way hopefuly we can get some under body shots.
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Old 10-14-2006, 07:14 PM
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Maybe Losi will be represented in the Horizon Hobby Booth but it doesn't look like they have their own booth. Team Associated (Associated Electrics) isn't there either and I now think Thunder Tiger owns them.....which means Reedy and LRP aren't there. Xray/RCAmerica/ Hudy aren't there...neither is Schumacher as far as I can tell....Tamiya either....Kyosho either.....which makes me wonder why the big names aren't there? They were all here in 2004.

Actually none of the vehicle manufacturers of all the vehicles I own are going to be there.

There's a huge amount of loyal customers here in the Midwest for all those brands. Is it that the "big guys" don't give a rat's butt about their customers in the Midwest?

Here's a list of the RC companies in the exhibition as per the ihobby expo website:

# A123 Racing
# AA Portable Power Corp.
# Abell Hobby & Mfg
# AeroBalsa
# Air Age Media
# Airborne Models LLC
# Al's Hobby Shop
# Atec Models
# Axial / Robotronic USA
# Billing Boats
# Boca Bearing, Co.
# BP Hobbies LLC
# Byron Originals
# Castle Creations
# CEN Racing (Genka Trading Corp)
# Century Helicopter Products
# Common Sense RC
# Compass Model Mfg
# CorallyUSA
# Daron Worldwide Trading, Inc.
# Dickie Toys Hong Kong LTD
# Donegan Optical Co. Inc.
# E3 Enterprises, Inc.
# Electric Jet Factory & Electric Powered Products
# Electronic Model Systems
# Endless
# Foshan Tianjie Model Ltd.
# Four Pi, Inc.
# FullyMaxUSA/Sureflite
# Fusion Motorsports / Novarossi
# Fuzhou Hong's Bearing LTD.
# Generation Guns (G2)
# Guang Zhou Chi Yuan Electronic Co., LTD
# Guillow, Inc.
# Hangzhou Wanma High-Energy Battery Co., Ltd
# Hao Ye Model Parts Supplier
# Haoye Model Parts Supplier
# Hi-Velocity Technologies LLC
# High-End Technology RC Asia Pacific LTD
# Himoto Racing
# Hitec Radio Control USA, Inc.
# HobbyTown USA
# Hobbytyme
# I-Lap Timing Systems
# ICARE
# Ikarus USA
# Imex Model Company
# Interactive Toy Concepts, Ltd.
# K & S Engineering
# Kawahara & JP Racing
# KoKam America, Inc.
# Kulist Ideas
# Magma Int'l, Ltd./APS Racing
# Maplegate Media Group
# Maxx Products International, Inc.
# Midwest Products Co.
# Model Rectifier Corporation
# Model Shipways
# Molzer Mowery Racing
# Nikko
# NKOK, Inc.
# Outerwears, Inc.
# Palco Sports
# Panache Place, Inc.
# Parma International, Inc.
# PFM Distribution Inc. - Apogee Battery
# Pro-Line USA / SoReal Concepts
# Pulsar
# RailCam by ATS Chicago
# RC Expert - Nobbicom Ltd.
# RC Guys.com
# RC Solutions
# RCP-Tracks, Inc.
# RCV Engines Ltd
# Revell-Monogram LLC
# Robotis Co., Ltd
# Shanghai Dualsky Models Co., LTD
# Shen Zhen Awing Roc Industry Co., LTD
# Shen Zhen Flying Push Electron Co., LTD
# Shida Global Power
# Skyartec USA, Inc.
# Slimline Products
# SmarTech Racing
# Soaring Arrow Electronics Co., LTD
# Technical Products Enterprises
# Technosports
# Tekin, Inc.
# Think Omnimedia LLC
# Thunder Power Batteries
# Thunder Tech Racing
# Traxxas
# Truck Stop Racing
# Ucetech, Inc.
# Vantage Racing Inc.
# Venture Hobbies
# WingTote
# Xtreme Racing / RC Spec Racing LLC
# XUS Hobby
# Yichang Triones Aeromodel Co., Inc.
# YUNTONG Power Co., Ltd.
# ZAP Adhesives
# Zhuhai Shenzhou Model Co.,Ltd

Last edited by chicagokenji; 10-14-2006 at 07:17 PM. Reason: spelling errors
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Old 10-14-2006, 07:17 PM
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Well, I know Tamiya will be there...it's already listed on their site...maybe the list just isn't complete.
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Old 10-14-2006, 07:28 PM
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Originally Posted by chicagokenji
neither is Schumacher as far as I can tell
Schumacher will be there fully supporting it's dealers and customers!!!
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Old 10-14-2006, 07:33 PM
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http://www.ihobbyexpo.com/floor_maps.cfm

I just ran my cursor over all the exhibitors in the above link and "Tamiya" doesn't show up...but Trinity does..as does Schumacher, and Trinity and Schumacher aren't on ihobby expo's list of exhibitors...and you are correct Tamiya's USA website does say they will be there. Maybe Tamiya will be in either Horizon's or Great Planes distributor's booths?

Something is weird....you'd think the organizers would make it a bit clearer....

It's going to cost me at least 40 bucks for all of us to go plus the parking fee....I spend thousands of dollars a year on this hobby. They should be paying me to go and attend just for my opinions as a racer and a customer....
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Old 10-14-2006, 07:35 PM
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Originally Posted by chicagokenji
. They should be paying me to go and attend just for my opinions as a racer and a customer....
Well, that's not gonna happen anytime soon.lol

I grew up in Chicago and have been to the Expo before...as I remember...a lot of the big companies weren't listed then either. I wouldn't worry about it. Go, and have fun...they hand out tons of free stuff...and you will see some cool stuff.
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Old 10-14-2006, 08:02 PM
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I want to see two of Tamiya's newest cars...the 4WD electric buggy and that 2WD 1/10th rear wheel drive car that mounts touring car wheels.

Now that we are Xray owners I want to see them too.

Also those RCP tracks....I might be convinced to get back into Mini-Z's.

Also MRC...I'd like to see their newest SB 4WD drive elecric buggy.

I also want to ask the magazines this "big question", that no one seems to be able to answer for me:


What's the approximate total gross revenues of land RC vehicles for the whole industry? ...and this one too:

What vehicle is the number one seller based on total units sold?
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Old 10-14-2006, 11:59 PM
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Kenji- Just to give you an idea, the hobby shop I work at services an area of about 100 000 people and we sell about $400 000cdn worth of RC equipment a year. New multiply that by the number of hobby shops in North America, and I think your looking at a billion dollar industry. Not to mention all the business the rest of the world!
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Old 10-15-2006, 07:56 AM
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..but what makes it more difficult to understand is now we also have the internet....heard a story in the pits the other day:

Guy runs a RC club at his school...he wanted 20 really basic stock motors. He sees a Tower sale flyer where stock motors are 5 bucks. He gets 20 of them. Three months later he wants another 20 as back ups cause he likes them so much, calls tower and they are out of stock. He talks with the front office and in passing they tell him no they don't have anymore and that they sold 30000 of them at 5 bucks. That's huge...!
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Old 10-15-2006, 11:33 PM
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i wanna see tamiyas aniversary porsche!!!
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Old 10-16-2006, 12:56 AM
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Not everybody realizes it, but trade shows can be a HUGE drain on a company, especially a smaller one. It really takes quite a bit to pre-assemble a booth, ship it to the show, pay to have it constructed, get your staff out there with accommodations for a week, work it, tear down, ship back, travel, etc. It's a lot of money without an obvious amount of return.

Look no further than the recently deceased E3 expo in Los Angeles. Video game publishers were spending millions of dollars to be at this show every year, and it had become the "be there or else" event. You pretty much had to go, bring a big booth, etc., if you wanted any press whatsoever. Finally the publishers and studios got together and said enough is enough, we're not going back, and the show declared itself dead.

Back in the mid 90s, Chicago was THE show to be at, and everybody was there. Product announcements were scheduled around the show so they'd all hit the magazines in time for the holiday issue. But then what happened? The internet! Now, a company can announce its stuff for free, email the press releases to the magazines (and to everybody else), and it costs them nothing. Going to a show has a lot of behind-the-scenes benefits (wheeling and dealing with other companies, making ad deals, and so on) but the actual direct-to-consumer portion is more of the companies taking care of a localized group of customers more than anything. A road show, if you will.

So definitely props to those who do go and show their stuff, but I wouldn't outright bash those who don't (or can't) show up.
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Old 10-16-2006, 05:56 AM
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I think Associated/Thunder Tiger can afford to be there.......Same thing with Hudy/Xray. I wouldn't expect it of Bolink......

I'd assume that any of the big companies who choose not to be there probably spend the same amount of money that they's spend in Rosemont, on some other marketing expenses like printed materials, ad space, holding races.....

I was talking to a guy who owns a local hobby shop and he mentioned trains. There's a train show in Milwaukee that's trains only. Lot's of the manufacturers show up for that, but not iHobby. The reasoning, he guesses, is that iHobby draws 10000 people for the two public days, but the 10000 people's interests are spread over all the different hobbies showcased at the show not just trains.
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Old 10-16-2006, 06:12 AM
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shane

will you be at the show???
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Old 10-16-2006, 02:44 PM
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Originally Posted by chicagokenji
Maybe Losi will be represented in the Horizon Hobby Booth but it doesn't look like they have their own booth. Team Associated (Associated Electrics) isn't there either and I now think Thunder Tiger owns them.....which means Reedy and LRP aren't there. Xray/RCAmerica/ Hudy aren't there...neither is Schumacher as far as I can tell....Tamiya either....Kyosho either.....which makes me wonder why the big names aren't there? They were all here in 2004.
Source say LOSI will be there....believe or not, even MUGEN will be there, it is very odd..........I have never seen MUGEN on the show before the past 10 years in Chicago...don't know that is true or not.

Back like 5-6 years ago, I believed HPI was the first big one officially pull-out their booth from the Chicago hobby show and listed their reason onto their website.....the reason is, only 1 show in USA about this industry and the LOCATION (Chicago) does not give any advantage to them (or others)....Thats why we see RCX over at LA and some other related shows over at Vegas....

I have to agree.....why CHICAGO? Like to see the snow? Or the BEARS?
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