After attending my first pen show, the SF Pen Show back in 2017, I wanted to know which pen shows I should go to next. Inevitably, folks would throw out various names of shows and then proceed to tell me caveats about those suggestions. “XYZ show is great but it’s crowded”, “I love ABC show but the hotel is a terrible place to hang out”, etc. And after attending a bunch of pen shows and writing recaps for 4 recent ones, I thought it might be useful for folks to get a sense of how the shows compare with each other, to the extent that’s even possible.
I came up with 10 categories and gave them 10 points each, for a total possible score of 100. Of course, some criteria may be more important to you than others, so keep that in mind as well.
- Size - Bigger doesn’t always mean better, but it often means more vendors, as well as more variety. There could be a good variety of modern vs vintage dealers, but also a variety of products being sold like pens, ink or paper or other accessories like pen storage or stationery. So the bigger the show and the more variety, the higher the score.
- Location - Is it easy to get to the show, regardless of whether you fly, take the train or drive? Is it expensive to travel there? Are there other things near the show that make it attractive like proximity to sightseeing, food, etc.?
- Hotel - Is it a newer or older hotel? Does it have a restaurant on site? Are the public spaces roomy? Dog-friendly? Is there ample parking and is it free? I’m not going to list all of the amenities that you’d find on the hotel’s website, nor am I going to talk about the guest rooms, just overall impressions about the hotel experience and any high/lowlights about the hotel.
- Tickets - Are show tickets expensive? Is there a weekend or trader pass? Can you prepay for tickets? What, if any, are the benefits of getting a weekend pass?
- Classes/Seminars - Are there any classes or seminars offered? Are they free or is there a cost? Is there a lot of variety in the classes? Due to the pandemic, some shows have reduced or eliminated classes/seminars for the time being. In those cases, I will give this a neutral score of 5. In cases where the show has never offered any classes, they would get a 0 score.
- Nib Worker Availability - People often save their nib repair/grind work for pen shows so they can get their pens worked on in person. Having a variety of nib workers helps ensure that you can find someone available to work on your pens. Even though I have my favorite nib workers, everyone has their preferences (or may not have any) as to who gets to work on their pens. As such, I am not giving high scores if a show has more well-known nib workers, unless it’s particularly significant (like when Yukio Nagahara came from Japan to grind nibs at the SF Pen Show in 2019).
- Overall sense/vibe - This is the feeling you get when you’re at the show. Does it feel crowded because the aisles are too close or because there are so many people? Does it feel well-organized or is there a long line going out the door? Did it feel safer because there was a mask and/or vaccination card mandate or security guards? Did it feel rushed or casual?
- Food - Whether I’m going as an attendee or working behind the table, I need to eat during show hours. I can’t skip lunch (you don’t want to see me when I’m hangry) and I enjoy a good dinner with friends afterwards. So it’s important for me to be able to find food easily for lunch and dinner. Are there food options at the hotel? Are they any good? Good but expensive? Nearby food options? Walkable?
- Outside the show/After hours - What’s the post-show experience like? Is there a bar/restaurant in the hotel that people hang out at? Do they kick you out early? Is this a “commuter show” where people drive in for the show and leave afterwards? Is it easy to find groups of people to hang out with and talk about pens and things?
- Other - Some shows have auctions, others may have raffles/door prizes, some have organizers that are active on email or social media, others require mailing in a paper form with a check. What’s the tone of their communication? Is the show kid-friendly? What time of year is it happening? Are you going to a cold place in the middle of winter? Or a hot place in the middle of summer? Does it coincide with spring break or other holidays? Lots of random, miscellaneous things that may or may not be relevant to each show - that stuff will go in here.
I thought I’d put this list to the test by re-recapping the Philly Pen Show that happened a few weeks ago. Here’s the original recap. As this is the first time I’m using this system, I am erring on being conservative in my scoring. Now, let’s see how the Philly Pen Show does!
- Size - Philly is a smaller show, but had a good variety of vendors including both modern and vintage, custom makers, vendors selling other stationery goods/accessories. As such, I’m giving it a 7 because of the variety, not the size. Score - 7/10
- Location - Philadelphia is pretty easy to get to, unless you fly United (which I do), in which case it wants you to take a train there. Still, there’s a lot of history and cool museums in town, and of course, the infamous Rocky Stairs! It is also a 10 minute ride from the train station to the hotel, and is located in the downtown area , where there are a lot of food options within a short walking distance. Score - 8/10
- Hotel - The hotel greets you with a large lobby area that has a lot of open seating (perfect for after hours). There is also a restaurant/bar as well as a small gift shop where you can grab snacks, drinks and souvenirs. They used to be dog-friendly but don’t appear to be any longer (though I did see some dogs at the show, they do not allow them in the guest rooms). I liked their gym which was spacious and had a large variety of workout equipment. I actually made use of the gym 3 times during my 4 night stay! I wasn’t thrilled about the fire alarm that went off several times that weekend, including during the show, but these things happen. I am going to ding them one point for locking the stairwells during the fire alarm, preventing people from leaving their hotel rooms. The show rate for the rooms was $132/night, which is neither cheap nor crazy expensive as hotel rooms go. Score - 7/10
- Tickets - Tickets for both general admission (GA) and weekend pass were available online, which saves you time and money. GA tickets were $13 online/$15 at the door while the weekend passes were $35/$40 respectively. The weekend pass got you into the show an hour earlier each day and would save you $4-5 over buying GA. Score - 8/10
- Classes/Seminars - Due to the pandemic, no classes/seminars were offered this year. Score - 5/10
- Nib Worker Availability - There were 4 nib workers at the show (and would have been a 5th had there not been a last minute withdrawal), which is a lot, especially for a smaller show like this one. Score - 10/10
- Overall sense/vibe - The show spans two adjacent ballrooms and tables were spread out so that there was never a sense of crowding of the aisles or between tables (except maybe briefly at the Franklin-Christoph table during opening, lol). There were also non-vendor tables available so people could take a break and try out pens/inks. The feeling was casual and laid back, while still having the energy of a pen show. Proof of vaccination as well as masks were required to attend the show, so many folks remarked that they felt a bit more relaxed as a result. There seemed to be a good mix of weekend pass folks as well as GA folks who just came for the day. Attendance seems to have been lower than in past years due to the continued pandemic, but spirits were still high. There was a significant theft at the Luxury Brands of America booth during the opening hours of Friday which made folks feel a bit uneasy but the outpouring of concern and sympathy for LBA as well as people keeping an eye out for each other’s stuff brought folks together. While it wasn’t the show’s fault that this happened, it did put a bit of a damper on the mood at the beginning of the show, and for that, I reluctantly knocked down a point. Score - 7/10
- Food - As mentioned above, there is a bar area that also serves food for lunch and dinner. The food was pretty good and not too outrageously priced, though I did get a little bored of the menu after staying there 4 days. There are a lot of food options nearby. In the past, I’ve walked to get hand-cut Chinese soup noodles (yum!) and friends have gone to the Reading Terminal Market nearby to grab food from a large variety of food stalls. My one foray outside the hotel for food was to a nearby pub where I had a delicious mac and cheese. Many of the restaurants also offered takeout/delivery (I had some amazing Italian food via delivery one night and some friends really liked their pizza takeout) which was great for folks who were leery of venturing outside the hotel. Score - 8/10
- After hours/socializing - related to what I mentioned in the hotel and food sections, there is plenty of room in the lobby (and a few tables inside the show too) for folks to hang out and relax, or meet other like-minded pen people and play with pens. The hotel bar/restaurant staff were friendly and served food until pretty late (10pm, I think?) while the bar stayed open even later. When I didn’t feel like hanging out at the bar, I went to the big comfy chairs in the lobby and sat with friends while pens and inks were being passed around a large coffee table. Score - 8/10
- Other - The show happens in the middle of January, which usually means it’s cold af, especially for this California Bay Area gal, lol. This year, the threat of an incoming snow/ice storm kept some folks from making the trek or shortened others’ stay at the show because they were driving. Weather aside, the show is well-organized and well-run. It was not uncommon to see Eric Orozco walking around and checking in with people to make sure everything was going smoothly, even during the fire alarm, he was calm and ensured people got out safely and the room was secure (to prevent any potential theft). As I already mentioned, proof of vaccination and masks were required and he ensured that his team of volunteers checked for that and wristbands at the door. I think they could’ve used some more Instagram and website updates in the couple months leading up to the show but other than that, I think Eric and Scott did a good job pulling off the first show of the year. Score - 8/10
0-50 - Oof, do not attend
51-70 - Show is alright
70-80 - Show is solid
80-90 - Show is pretty darned good!
91-100 - REALLY good show and not to be missed
In summary, the Philly Pen Show scored 76/100, which sounds kind of low, but when you factor in that they only got a score of 5 because of lack of classes, it’s actually a pretty good score. Some of the dings are out of the show’s control, like the hotel’s handling of the fire alarm, while other things like the show’s smaller size isn’t necessarily a bad thing. And as I said before, what’s important to me might not be as important to you, so take all of this with a grain of salt. As we have more pen shows and more ratings, we’ll be able to see how the shows rate against each other.
One last thing to remember, the pandemic is still out there and continues to affect pen shows differently. So how a show is right now might be a little different or a lot different from how they were before March 2020. Or a show during last summer when all seemed hopeful, might be very different than a show happening in the middle of Delta or Omicron. All we can hope for is that things continue to improve so we can safely continue to see each other at pen shows. Until the next pen show, stay safe and stay inky!
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