{"id":63441,"date":"2024-08-13T15:20:04","date_gmt":"2024-08-13T19:20:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ripped.topps.com\/?p=63441"},"modified":"2024-10-17T01:22:33","modified_gmt":"2024-10-17T05:22:33","slug":"card-shows-becoming-popular-in-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ripped.topps.com\/uk\/card-shows-becoming-popular-in-europe\/","title":{"rendered":"Card Shows Becoming Popular in Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"
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London is Epicenter of Events in Europe<\/h2>\n
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Date:<\/span> Aug 13, 2024<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\tAuthor:<\/span> Greg Bates\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
Topics:<\/span> Cards and Culture, Education, Greg Bates, How To Collect, London Card Show<\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Length:<\/span> 899 \tWords<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
Reading Time:<\/span> ~5 Minutes<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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When Harry Reynolds organized the first London Card Show in July 2021, it featured ten tables and 40 attendees.<\/p>\n\n

It didn\u2019t take collectors in Europe long to latch onto the quarterly show. At the most recent London Card Show, held in mid-May of this year, the two-day event had 275 tables per day, and attendance topped 4,400. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe growth has been quite substantial,\u201d said Reynolds, a 27-year-old entrepreneur.<\/p>\n\n

London has become the epicenter for card shows in Europe. Under the direction of its founder and CEO, Reynolds, the London Card Show has become the largest card-related event overseas. Shows are becoming quite popular over the pond. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cThree years ago, they were just simple tables with a tablecloth and cards,\u201d said Ian Foster, Topps\u2019 senior director for marketing and digital content in London. \u201cThe guys selling are probably in their mid-20s to mid-30s, which is very different from what we saw at The National in the United States.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

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Taking Advantage of the Boom<\/h2>\n\n

The growth in The Hobby overseas \u2014 similar to the United States \u2014 really boomed during the pandemic. When everything started opening back up in England, the London Card Show became the go-to place for card collectors. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cThere was absolutely nothing like it in the UK,\u201d Reynolds said. \u201cMaybe there were local fairs with one or two tables. But in terms of shows, there was nothing.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

The London Card Show has received a great response from the European card community. The more collectors hear about the event, the more newcomers are flooding into the space. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe good thing is, this past show, we had more new people coming than returners,\u201d Reynolds said. \u201cI think it was 55\/45 in terms of attendees. Vendors as well. We\u2019re always getting more and more vendors saying they\u2019d love to come along or they\u2019re new. We don\u2019t just get vendors from the UK. We get vendors from Germany, Belgium, and Holland. We had a few from Hungary, Switzerland, all over Europe.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

The second-largest show in Europe pales in comparison to the London Card Show. The German Cards & Collectibles Show features around 125 tables. The Scotland Card Show has also become a hotspot for collectors. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe mature shows are in London and Germany; they are very well advanced,\u201d said Patrick Rausch, Topps\u2019 chief marketing officer for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.<\/p>\n\n

According to Rausch, Topps will attend 40 European card shows this year.<\/p>\n\n

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Show for All Ages<\/h2>\n\n

The London Card Show, which utilizes 29,000 square feet for its venue, attracts dealers and collectors of all ages. But, in general, the young population is making their way out to the shows. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe average age at the London shows is about 32,\u201d Foster said. \u201cThere\u2019s a range between 21 and 51, you could argue. People are prepared to travel from Europe. So, guys from, say, Germany will come over to London, and vice versa. People will go to Budapest. It\u2019s fairly close and fairly easy to do. They\u2019re quite keen to see other cultures and other card shows. They might find a hidden gem of a card that they\u2019d love to invest in.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

The London Card Show is held at Sandown Park Racecourse in Esher, an outer suburb of London. It\u2019s the perfect location in Reynolds\u2019 eyes. Since it\u2019s outside of London, it avoids congestion. Also, parking is free. The venue is just 20 miles from Heathrow Airport, there are plenty of hotels in the area, and it\u2019s just a 10-minute walk into town to grab food. <\/p>\n\n

Along with pulling in collectors and dealers from all over Europe, corporate presence at the London Card Show is picking up. At the last show, third-party grading giant PSA took on-site submissions for the first time in the history of European card shows. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s kind of a sign of where we are as a business, the kind of reach we are getting,\u201d Reynolds said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just local businesses, it\u2019s these monsters of the hobby. We\u2019ve got Topps setting up at every single show. Goldin now said they don\u2019t want to miss a show because they\u2019re so happy how it\u2019s been.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

Reynolds wants to continue growing the London Card Show at a sustainable rate. Even with 4,400 attendees at the last show, there were collectors who couldn\u2019t make it through the doors. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cI think selling a show out is far better than having it too big and people thinking, \u2018Oh, there\u2019s still tickets available. Why are there still tickets available?\u2019\u201d Reynolds said. \u201cI can tell you this for certain: as soon as we say that it\u2019s sold out, we get the most questions. \u2018Oh, can you put us on the waiting list? Is there any chance we can have a table?\u2019 People feel like they\u2019re missing out now.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

Putting on the London Card Show is quite a large undertaking. Reynolds has two full-time employees who assist him: his sister is the COO, and his brother-in-law is the marketing director. A move to a larger venue could be in store down the line, but Reynolds is being cautious. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cWe just want to make sure what we\u2019re doing is good and to the best of our ability,\u201d Reynolds said.<\/p>\n\n

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More Card Show News<\/h2>\n\n
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