Blade Show: Why is it always Atlanta?

I'ma going to put in a vote for Chicago. We have this nice little INTERNATIONAL airport called O'hare. Lot's of convention space, lot's of hotels. Restaurants, bars, nightlife. Heck... we even have a nice big LAKE. Atlanta don't have no lake...
 
I have never been to Blade, but I thinking about checking it out in 2022. I'm only about a 9-10 hour drive with Knoxville being the worst town I need to get through in terms of traffic since I bypass Nashville most of the time, so I can handle Atlanta by the time I get there.

My plan would be to get to the hotel and call an Uber/Lyft. I'm only messing with that freeway once.

Blade is one of those events that for a knife enthusiast is a must see. Unfortunately it does have the effect of sucking you in every year after your first visit!

I'll be there next year with a full contingent of International visitors and exhibitors. Total travel time from my front door to the show will be around 30 hours of travel of which over 20 will be flying time. I'll pass through 4 major airports, US Customs and Immigration (always fun 😆) Covid crap, car rental etc........
The moment I walk into the room I realise that it was all so worth it.

Make the trip, you will forget the traffic and all the inconvenience of the trip the moment you step into the room and realise it was all so worthwhile.:)
 
Blade is one of those events that for a knife enthusiast is a must see. Unfortunately it does have the effect of sucking you in every year after your first visit!

I'll be there next year with a full contingent of International visitors and exhibitors. Total travel time from my front door to the show will be around 30 hours of travel of which over 20 will be flying time. I'll pass through 4 major airports, US Customs and Immigration (always fun 😆) Covid crap, car rental etc........
The moment I walk into the room I realise that it was all so worth it.

Make the trip, you will forget the traffic and all the inconvenience of the trip the moment you step into the room and realise it was all so worthwhile.:)
That's a looong trip! You still in S. Africa? Almost all of our family has moved away.
 
I'ma going to put in a vote for Chicago. We have this nice little INTERNATIONAL airport called O'hare. Lot's of convention space, lot's of hotels. Restaurants, bars, nightlife. Heck... we even have a nice big LAKE. Atlanta don't have no lake...

Doesn't Chicago have restrictive knife laws?-I seem to remember hearing something on that. If so, not the best location.
 
Blade isn't in the convention center, it's at the Cobb Galleria. Parking sucks. But the show is good. Atlanta is to the east coast what St Louis is to the mid-west and Las Vegas is to the West, a transportation hub. It's accessible, not too expensive, and frankly one of the nicer cities east of the Mississippi to visit.

The biggest problem with Blade is that it's not a really big show. It can't fill a convention center like SHOT or CES, and therefore it's relegated to places where the space available is less, which is a major reason why it's where it is. Likewise, because it's not a true "trade" show, the majority of attendees are, for lack of a better word, tourists. And frankly there are not that many knife people worldwide. For example, Seattle has a mid-sized convention center. It hosted the Emerald City Comic Con, which averaged 90,000 attendees. Blade can't begin to come up to those numbers. Blade would make a side room at SHOT.
 
Well, I see that Blade Show West is moving.

It appears to be moving from Portland, Oregon to Long Beach, California. West is West as far as I'm concerned, but this thinking from their web site kinda got me...

“Many exhibitors and attendees who joined us in Portland, Oregon, for the past two West shows suggested ways we could improve on the experience. We listened and started looking for alternative locations. The Long Beach area has so much going for it that this was an easy decision,” said Alicia Newton, BLADE Show director.

“Foremost in our decision is the fact that Long Beach is knife-friendly in ways that many of the other venues we considered are not. Management at the Long Beach Convention Center has been easy to work with and is genuinely excited about adding our event to their calendar. Exhibitors can expect great show traffic and hassle-free transactions."


Hmmm. Well, in Portland you can purchase, possess and carry automatic knives and balisongs.

Try that in Kalifornia... like anywhere. And before you lecture me, yes... I've lived there. And have relatives who still do.

So I'll be interested to see how "knife friendly in ways that many other venues are not" the new location turns out to be.
 
More like Blade Show West is moving back to California. I can't remember when BSW moved to Portland, but I attended one that was held in Orange County.
 
Are we forgetting all the traffic/parking issues associated with Atlanta? Ease of access- definitely not.

We typically stay in the Sheraton across the street and never have to get in the truck between arrival and going home. There's plenty of restaurants in walking distance, and the show is a short walk across the pedestrian bridge. It couldn't be easier once you arrive. I will agree the traffic coming in and going out isn't great, but it's manageable for sure.
 
I'ma going to put in a vote for Chicago. We have this nice little INTERNATIONAL airport called O'hare. Lot's of convention space, lot's of hotels. Restaurants, bars, nightlife. Heck... we even have a nice big LAKE. Atlanta don't have no lake...
I just left Chicago for Atlanta, and not just to be closer to Bladeshow. Problem with Chicago is that you can't carry most of the knives you get there, and that might be problematic for a lot of people. And it's more expensive to rent space, eat out, get a hotel, etc. Georgia just doesn't give a fuck what you do, so it works. And barbecue
 
Man I've been into knives for several years but somehow missed this blade show west...clicked the link and saw portland and thought hell yes! I live an hour away. Im definitely going. then I find out this year they are moving it to cali. Lame. Makes a lot of sense. Move it to a state where you'll be breaking half the knife laws if you buy something there and walk out of the building with it. Oregon isn't great, portland even sucks and I hate going there but we have pretty relaxed knife laws.
 
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