So I found out via my local ink supplier Friday that ISS is coming to my home city of Nashville in May 2014! Jonathan, would you be interested in coming? I am going to see if our friends at RhinoTech are planning on coming. I would love the opportunity to meet everyone and help out however I can. This is very exciting for myself as a screen printer too since it will be my first ever show of its kind.

That's great information. I live by Knoxville so I may take a trip down to check it out. I've never had the opportunity to go to event like that either. Would be interesting:-)

I’d love to come but I am doing ISS January in Long Beach I tend to go to shows close to me and RANAR is near Long Beach so I always go there and get stuff to bring back.

Trade shows are very expensive for me to do and honestly give little return. I admit they’re mostly for me to get away from the office and have some fun. I have more fun meeting and talking to people than anything.

But if one of my suppliers wants to pay for the airfare and hotel I would go...

Catspit Productions wrote:I’d love to come but I am doing ISS January in Long Beach I tend to go to shows close to me and RANAR is near Long Beach so I always go there and get stuff to bring back.

Trade shows are very expensive for me to do and honestly give little return. I admit they’re mostly for me to get away from the office and have some fun. I have more fun meeting and talking to people than anything.

But if one of my suppliers wants to pay for the airfare and hotel I would go...

Ahem, RhinoTech??? Plus they can put me to work for free!

We'd have to see if they are going first. I know they are skipping ISS Long Beach 2014.

You can always submit a request to RhinoTech

Is anyone going to be at this show from here? I'm disappointed that Ranar & RhinoTech won't be there but Saati is and the company I get screens from, GM Graphics among others. If anyone will be there we need to meet up! Excited to go to my first trade show!

Really enjoyed the show...it was a small one, only about 100 booths but nice for that small. I was disappointed that Ranar was not there showing off their equipment, M&R, Workhorse, Brown, Lawson, Anatol, Ryonet & Vastex all had presses on display so it was awesome to see options in person. I fell in love with the Vastex 6/6 2000HD they had on display and live printing...sadly for Ranar not being there they may have lost my potential business...that Vastex print head was very nice and overall I loved the press. Vastex were by far the most informative and were very helpful answering all my questions with Lawson being 2nd and Ryonet 3rd. The M&R and Workhorse did not seem interested to help much since I was not at a position to buy immediately.

The LED exposure units are very nice. Pretty neat to see in person.

The show itself was heavy in embroidery, rhinestones and digital printing. I took 5 classes, learned a lot and will hopefully be able to expand my business with some new avenues and products. I also met a lot of cool people.

I’m glad you had a great time at one of the smaller shows. They are a lot of fun and you can learn a lot about what is out there for screen printing. But you have to understand doing those shows is extremely expensive. RANAR and Catspit Productions are smaller companies run mostly by family and lifetime friends. Sometimes we do not have the finances or the personnel to attend every trade show. There are many throughout the year all over the country. Some of these larger companies have the extra cash to do as many shows as they want without worrying about a return on investment.

I am simply at the point where I can’t afford to do every show all over the country. I do the shows in Las Angles, Las Vegas and once in a while Texas because they are close to me. Leaving Catspit too frequently would also cause customer service to suffer. You have to remember I am basically one person; with minimal assistance from my family, running Catspit. I am working from home and I am not making the kind of money Ryonet or Vastex pulls in daily.

I am at a huge disadvantage against these mega corporations and this is an example of that. I’m sorry Catspit and Ranar could not be there for you at the show. But I am here online for you 24/7, 365. I would hope my lifetime of free advice, tips and assistance would out weight an afternoon with Vastex. Please call me to discuss any of the Vastex features against the Ranar presses. Remember once you buy your press from one of these larger companies you will get corporate customer service.

With me my personal reputation hangs on your satisfaction. I guarantee any purchase you make with me and if you not happy I will refund your money and take the items back. Please call me anytime if you have anything I may assist you with.

480-899-9089

Please don't take my comments as derogatory, just being honest. I am right there with you Jonathan, I certainly understand the limitations of being a smaller business. We all need to remember you are a screen printer first, otherwise you would not be able offer us all your awesome advice! When the time comes to being able to buy my next press Ranar could certainly get my business over Vastex if the product and pricing is right! I just had a very good time speaking with Vastex and didn't feel pressured, they wanted to hear my story and where I want to be...they were not in a hurry to go to someone else when I told them I am not buying a press now, they were invested in me...the others made it clear I was wasting their time. Being small like you, my budget really does not allow me the opportunity to go to the other shows where Ranar would be. But who knows what the next year or two will hold!

Your advice does carry weight and I look forward to being able to compare companies and presses when the time comes, hopefully sooner rather than later! As always, thank you for all you do Jonathan!

No problem, just know that I am the least pressure salesman you will find out there.... LOL. So much so I lose sales because I don’t pester people endlessly. It’s not my style. Also you will find I am the most willing to help out. Even if you buy Vastex I’m still here for you anytime, forever or until I am dead....LOL. I help everyone. I still help people by phone who quoted equipment with me but bought elsewhere. That’s right; I pretty much do customer service for other companies that are less accessible to their customers. Not because I want to help the competing company rather I want to help the people.

You’re very welcome for everything. It’s what I do. I’m here when you need me just ask.