bonsaiTALK Community - View Single Post - Bonsai Exhibits

Matt:

Your article raises many good points, which many clubs fail to address effectively.

It is clear to me that the public is curious, if misinformed, about bonsai. Last week, at the Philadelphia Flower Show, with its huge crowds, there was almost always a line to get in to the Pennsylvania Bonsai Association (a group of clubs) show. Chase Rosade's exhibit always had good crowds, when someone was working on trees .

What seems to be needed is a "grabber" to get folks out of their cars. Since the "million dollar" giveaway is beyond the budget of most clubs, we need to find a "stopper" to get folks near the door.

Once in, they will enjoy demos of almost any sort. It seems that the best ones are simple, by our standards. At Chase's booth, they found that it was best not to do anything that required too much concentration, as this work would be interrupted with questions. The simple creation of a bonsai from a nursery stock plant was fascinating to many.

16-Mar-2005	#2
Bart Thomas(deceased) Perpetual Novice Join Date: Jun-2003 Location: Bridgewater, NJ Country: United States USDA Zone: 6 AHS Heat Zone: 5 Posts: 1,367	Matt: Your article raises many good points, which many clubs fail to address effectively. It is clear to me that the public is curious, if misinformed, about bonsai. Last week, at the Philadelphia Flower Show, with its huge crowds, there was almost always a line to get in to the Pennsylvania Bonsai Association (a group of clubs) show. Chase Rosade's exhibit always had good crowds, when someone was working on trees . What seems to be needed is a "grabber" to get folks out of their cars. Since the "million dollar" giveaway is beyond the budget of most clubs, we need to find a "stopper" to get folks near the door. Once in, they will enjoy demos of almost any sort. It seems that the best ones are simple, by our standards. At Chase's booth, they found that it was best not to do anything that required too much concentration, as this work would be interrupted with questions. The simple creation of a bonsai from a nursery stock plant was fascinating to many.