Paint and Powder Coating Expo in Minneapolis March 19th

[Guest]

Hey I just found this url, it looks pretty interesting. Only $35 for the 2nd day if I am reading this thing correctly. Some of the talk stuff might be fun, but I am thinking the vendors tables would be great to check out. Anyone going to it? PBTB I don't see you guys in the list!!

http://www.mntap.umn.edu/PaintExpo/index.htm

[wiseguyz]

Re: Paint and Powder Coating Expo in Minneapolis March 19th

I don't see you on the PBTP get-together list yet either. C'mon...you and X-Link. How many of you MN guys are going to join me there?

[Guest]

Re: Paint and Powder Coating Expo in Minneapolis March 19th

hehe I have to see if I will be able to afford it. I really want to go. Who all is up in the area here? I would love to stop by someones shop and annoy them with weird questions for an afternoon

[Guest]

Re: Paint and Powder Coating Expo in Minneapolis March 19th

ug yea thats a good 5 hrs. afternoons up here are only about 25 minutes this time of year

[wiseguyz]

Re: Paint and Powder Coating Expo in Minneapolis March 19th

Hit up Dan (X-Link Coatings). He's in St. Paul. We've collaborated on a couple of his bike projects already, and you're a lot closer than I am!

[rbroker]

Re: Paint and Powder Coating Expo in Minneapolis March 19th

I didn't know about it, but I'll have to check it out. Its only 15 min from me.

[Guest]

Re: Paint and Powder Coating Expo in Minneapolis March 19th

the web site says you have to pre register by the 4th. I got the guys number and am going to call him on Monday. I am up for the $35 1 day thing for sure, I don't think I want to pay the $125 or whatever it was for the symposium. For $35 you get donuts and coffee, a bunch of lectures it looks like, lunch and into the expo. Sounds like a bargain to me.

Here is the powder coating guys info at MNTAP if anyone else wants to contact them. I talked to someone else there about the expo, but apparently this guy is the guy who knows all.

paul pagel
612-624-4638
10am-4pm

[Guest]

Re: Paint and Powder Coating Expo in Minneapolis March 19th

haha yea I can see your point I will ask the guy Monday if you can pay at the door too.

rbroker where are you? I am way out in the western burbs, Lake Minnetonka area.

[rbroker]

Re: Paint and Powder Coating Expo in Minneapolis March 19th

Im in North St Paul, 694 and hwy 36. Tonka's a 50 min drive

[Guest]

Re: Paint and Powder Coating Expo in Minneapolis March 19th

rbroker I was working for a couple of days out there on the cable referendum you guys are about to have. I know the area for sure.

Harleydad I am about 10 miles west of her

[ultimatecoatings]

Re: Paint and Powder Coating Expo in Minneapolis March 19th

I went to this expo about 2 or 3 years ago and the vendor show was worth checking out, they had new equipment set up and were letting people try it out. I only went to a couple lectures and they seemed to be geared towards companies who were running a conveyorized line system.

[Guest]

Re: Paint and Powder Coating Expo in Minneapolis March 19th

Yea the industrial guys always get the headlines at trade shows, that is where the huge money is. I am interested in the vendors mostly myself, just to see what all is out there. I want to see all the toys I can't afford to get

[rbroker]

Re: Paint and Powder Coating Expo in Minneapolis March 19th

I want to setup a vendor booth at the weekly car show 5 blocks from my house this summer. Maybe you heard of it. Every Friday night from May to Sept. there is about 300 cars lining 6 or so blocks. Pretty cool event.

Of course North st paul wants there cut. They won't let me put up a booth without having $500,000 liability coverage. I priced it at $900-1100 a year. Not worth it yet. I just go and solicit with my business cards. Hoping I don't get a ticket LOL.

I'm gonna pass on the vendor show. This will be geared towards the industrial market. I'm sure I could learn a few things but I'm counting pennies right now.

[Guest]

Re: Paint and Powder Coating Expo in Minneapolis March 19th

Yea I understand. Me too!

That insurance policy would be a decent deal I think in the long run. They would let you set up a booth for free then? I would think a couple of jobs would pay for that. Maybe find out if you can get a policy just for a month to try it out. That is pretty low overhead if you can get a few jobs a month from it. Even if the jobs only covered the insurance at first, it gets your work out there. As far as talking up your work and handing out biz cards, that is free speech mon! They can't stop you from doing that really at all anywhere unless the property owner asks you to go. I actually met the po-po out there when I was working and they seemed to be pretty good guys, I wouldn't think they would even try to mess with you.

man $1000 for 5 months of fridays is about $50 a night. 1 job covers that and even if you dont get a job a night you got a lot of face time with potential customers walking away with your info, that's a bargain!

[rbroker]

Re: Paint and Powder Coating Expo in Minneapolis March 19th

Its very tempting, Its hard to justify spending $1100 when this side biz will only bring in maybe 4-5 grand a year. I'm gonna revisit it again this spring, and try to get a 3 month policy.

You have to pay vendor fees to North St Paul too. Which wern't much but you have to have the business license, tax id, and a bunch of other crap. You know how the gov works. They have to get their share too.