Well I know that out here people seemed to be "orchid starved". It might be a combination of a Covid response, cabin fever, pure lunacy or something else.
The sales area at the Grand Rapids Show in late January did a pretty good business from what I understand. In Lansing, 80% or more of the sales area sold out on the first half day of the show!!
Now both the Akron Show and the Michigan Show got off to slow starts, but I think that by shows end, the vendors did fairly well.
Now this most recent show I did in Strongsville Ohio, out near Cleveland, with many of the same people from Akron, did very well!! I went in the sales area and my goodness, I have "seen more meat on the bone after vultures have been on a roadkill!! There were 10 vendors which is a lot for out here, and several of those had huge holes in their sales booths!!
I judged with someone who is a Big Wig in the AOS, I asked about overall membership. When I was in Florida up until 2018, membership nationally in the AOS was back over 9,000. It had bottomed out at just over 8,000 in around 2012. Now gaining one thousand or so members is not a big deal, It is better but not great. There was even talk at its low point that the AOS and its judging system might disappear at that point. So drumroll please.................. Membership now sits at well over 11,000 and is climbing steadily post pandemic. I was happy to hear that!!
I couldn't afford to lose my volunteer job as a judge if they folded!!!
