17 Apr Set up Instructions by Judge Smails
Subject: April 24–26 Setup Instructions — Let’s Keep This a First-Class Operation
Dealers,
I trust this finds you well and preparing—properly—for the April West Palm Beach Antique Festival. This is, after all, not a pickup game. It is a premier event, and it will be conducted as such.
Let’s review expectations.
SET-UP SCHEDULE
Thursday, April 23 — 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Early Buying begins Friday at 9:00 AM sharp. That means your booth must be complete, presentable, and professional by that hour. Not “almost ready.” Not “just a few things left.” Ready.
We are not running a rummage sale—we are presenting a show.
WHERE TO ENTER (kindly follow instructions the first time)
- Gate 12 – West Expo dealers
- Gate 8 – Buildings 6–10 dealers
Do not line up at Gate 10.
Do not improvise.
Do not assume you’ve discovered a better way.
You haven’t.
If you arrive early, you will line up in front of West Expo in an orderly fashion.
THE DISPATCH SYSTEM (this is not optional)
If you require tables, walls, showcases, or electric, you will call or text:
📞 561-410-2560
You will not:
- flag down staff in passing
- wander into the office
- create your own “system”
There is one system. This is it.
And you will use it only during setup and show hours. Not before. Not after.
Efficiency requires discipline. Discipline requires compliance.
ON PRESENTATION (a matter of standards)
If your furniture has wax buildup, you will buff it away with a fine chamois. If your glass is cloudy, you will clean it. If your display looks like it was assembled in a windstorm, you will correct it.
We are not curating clutter—we are presenting merchandise.
ON CUSTOMER FLOW (a brief lesson in perspective)
Some of you will inevitably look around and decide—incorrectly—that one area is “busier” than another.
We have multiple entrances. We have distributed traffic. We have a large, growing audience moving through the buildings over the course of the weekend.
In other words: do not confuse your immediate field of vision with reality.
Focus on your booth. Present it well. Engage properly. The customers are there.
A FINAL NOTE ON CONDUCT
Any dealer found sitting idly behind their booth playing Go Fish while customers are walking the floor should reconsider their priorities—and quite possibly their participation.
This is a marketplace, not a card table.
FINAL REMARKS
This show has grown because we treat it with a level of seriousness that others do not. That standard will be maintained.
Be on time.
Be prepared.
Follow instructions.
Present your merchandise in a way that reflects the quality of the event.
Let’s keep this operation where it belongs—at the top.
—Jon & Team