The Kansas City show addmission fee is $8-9.00 then parking at about the same amount and there are only 5-7 vendors. I may go tomorrow and have my husband drop me off. He doesn't care about the orchids and I don't care to pay for parking. I guess I'm a cheapy too!
Joann

I know of 13 upcoming shows in California. 6 of them charge admission, 4 are free, and the other 3 have not provided information on admission price, but I believe they're free:

Pacific Orchid Exposition - $12 online /$14 at event
Santa Barbara International Orchid Show - $12
San Diego County Orchid Society Show - $7
Sacramento Orchid Society Show - $6
South Bay Orchid Society Show and Sale - $5
Five Cities Orchid Society Show - $5
Central California Orchid Society Show - Free
San Jose Orchid Exposition - Free
Santa Barbara Orchid Estate International Orchid Fair - Free
Fascination of Orchids Show - Free

The free shows are certainly worth visiting, but the shows with the highest admission prices tend to have the most vendors, and the most spectacular displays.

There is a really great little orchid show put on by the Heart of Texas OS. There's a car charge but I don't recall an admission charge (I have usually worked it, so I may have just not had to pay admission). The WOC in Miami charged $20 per day, unless you registered for the conference. Do any of the judges' fees get reimbursed by the societies when they come judge shows?
Free or not, folks who really want to come will and the maybes won't. If the orchids in the big box stores attract someone's interest, they'll soon join the dark side.....:evil: and be willing to pay any price just to be near these beguiling plants!:faint:

Our OS, until last year, didn't charge admission to our annual show as we didn't get charged to use our local hall provided we didn't charge admission.
Last year, our local government (to try to recoup lost $'s after a state government decision to amalgamate local authorities) put a hire charge on the use of the hall so we charged $2 admission and came out about square.
Most of our neighbouring OS's charge $5 or less.

Baz

I dont think orchids attract your casual house/green/patio plant lovers, even as much as they are marketed as "EASY to Grow".

Orchid people are very few and far between anyway. Even in my big town I personally know only 1 who actively collects and grows orchids. ME. I know many "pothos" ivy lovers though.

I think its just the fact that the population as a general whole group just aren't interested in them enough to pay 5 to 10 bucks to take a look.

You have to sell the Shows to the groups that arent interested in them...A marketing oxymoron :) :biggrin:

Vanessa, the judges are considered show staff, so they do not have to pay admission. I believe any travel expenses are the responsibility of the judges, unless other arrangements are made with the society.

The Central California Orchid Society does not charge admission, and we have our show in one of the local shopping malls, so we get a lot of visitors who did not know about the show in advance. (and those "maybes" will show up, if they have any other shopping to do) the orchids put on display also bring in much more interest than the big box stores ever could. the fees we charge vendors cover all of our expenses, and people still get orchids for less than they could at a big box (and there's a wider variety available).

LOL and that is what I paid for the same show ....but we also got admission to the Botanical garden included in the fee ...and my cousin who had never been to a Botanical garden much less a orchid show was totaly awed by the climatron and made the 3 hour drive and the $26 admission more than worth it ...Plus LOL I got to meet Jewel as well and was totaly awed by her knowledge of orchids.In fact Have one new chid that I probably would never see except in a picture because she recognized what it is and said ....oh wow you need one of these they are hard to find....

Orchid show admission fees
 

The Houston OS show will be held in April in the Museum of Natural Science and the admission is free. We had it there last year too and the consensus of opinion is that is was a success.
I am willing and have paid the admission to the Climatron and the grounds when we were there but I am a little reluctant to pay admission otherwise.
Is an admission fee charged to shows like Redlands?
Beverly A.