MK Shows and Dalton Convention Center Set the Bar for 2021 Events

Originally published March 2021 · pp. 1–6

Publisher’s Note: People photographed in this article were asked to temporarily remove their protective masks for photo ops. DALTON, Ga.—As the Chickamauga (Dalton) Civil War Show drew to a close on January 31, MK Shows President Mike Kent was overheard saying “Wow – glad that one’s over!” When asked to elaborate, Kent stated that this particular show had been one of the most difficult ones he had produced in his 30 years as a promoter. Although the show was a huge success with all 500 tables filled and attendance slightly off from previous years, every facet of the planning process had been hampered by the pandemic known as Covid-19. While venue contracts are usually signed a year in advance and event planning starts in earnest six months out, that is no protection against an unknown factor such as Covid-19. Kent had seven of his seventeen shows cancelled in 2020, either by the venues themselves or local and state government officials, even with signed contracts in place. With that in mind it was a leap of faith for Kent to decide in late August to go ahead with the Dalton show after discussions with the Dalton Convention Center. After sending out flyers and receiving a strong initial response, Kent began to critically gauge the number of tables he anticipated selling, knowing he would likely lose some tables due to dealers not wanting to participate during the pandemic. While a number of regulars opted not to attend, Kent was surprised at the final tally of dealers who did sign up. In fact, most were folks who normally went to the Richmond and Franklin shows, but since those events were cancelled chose to participate at Dalton instead. With that being said, every single table was filled two weeks before the show; an astonishing fact in light of the current health crisis. Selling tables for this show ended up being the easy part, according to Kent. The hardest part was getting permission to hold a large event and jumping through all the hoops required to do so, issues that discouraged many promoters

Jenny Toole and Marsha Luttrell manning the Mercer University Press table.

Huge venue with 50,000 square feet of Civil War-WWII treasures! All photos by Jack Melton. from attempting events during the last ten months. As only one example, in South Carolina where MK Shows holds nine gun and knife shows annually, an exemption must be requested from the governor’s office to hold an event where more than 250 people are likely to be present. The form is online and consists of five pages ofquestionsand actionsthat must be addressed before the event can be approved.

These items include:

Size of the venue in square feet Venue attendee capacity as determined by the Fire Department Plans for social distancing Placement of hand sanitizer stations Cashless methods of taking admission Appropriate signage throughout the venue Face masks Plans to operate at 50% attendee capacity Emergency plans if anyone gets sick Plans for sanitizing common areas periodically Isolation rooms if anyone has a fever or becomes ill Periodic announcements to attendees and vendors Plans for minimal contact in concession sales

Plans for social distancing in parking areas

After submitting the event plans, the governor’s office reviews them and either approves, disapproves, or asks for additional information. They may request different approaches to any issues that concern them. Kent was fortunate to get all 2020 events he requested approved as well as his first events of 2021. This was due in large part to Kent’s attention to detail when it came to the safety and well-being of vendors, staff, and attendees. Kent estimated that attendance at the seven shows he has produced since September 2020 exceeded 25,000 people with no reports of Covid-19 transmission or symptoms from the venues, dealers or attendees. For the Dalton show, Kent was required to complete a Covid-19 safety checklist as well as participate in a conference call with facility management to go over all aspects of the show itself and determine what items MK Shows would be responsible for and what areas the Dalton Convention Center would handle. During setup in on Friday, all table holders and their helpers were temperature checked and issued wrist bands prior to being allowed into the exhibit hall. Access was limited through two locations instead of the four normally used to better control temp checks and issuing wrist bands. Vendors were temperature checked again Saturday and Sunday morning; different color wrist bands were issued each day to indicate no fevers were noted. In the lobby, pipe and draping was used to change the normal traffic flow so that immediately upon entering the facility, a person’s temperature was checked, and a hand stamp was given to indicate their temperature was normal. They were next directed to the admission table and then down the lobby, paying attention to floor markings indicating correct intervals for social distancing. This was important as the lobby is normally a gathering place for attendees an hour before the show and can get crowded. Due to the cold weather and with Covid-19 precautions in mind, most folks sat in their cars until opening time or planned their arrival a little later than normal. Masks were required of vendors and attendees and were available at no charge if needed. Extra precautions were taken everywhere, even to the point of removing the drawing box where attendees can sign up for door prizes since so many people handle the pens and pencils used to fill in the slips. In normal times the public can come and go freely through the sliding glass front doors of the facility, but during this show the front doors were used for initial admittance only; attendees leaving the building were instructed to exit at the far end of the lobby to keep with the social distancing plan. The Dalton Convention Center also periodically utilized an electrostatic disinfectant mister in common areas such as the lobby, bathrooms, and seating areas to prevent transmission of the Covid-19 virus. Particular attention was paid to door handles in multi-person areas. Finally, all concessions were sold in individual to go boxes instead of the normal buffet style dining in the past. Of all the venues Kent has worked during the pandemic, he praised the Dalton Convention Center and their management staff for their standards of safety, cleanliness, attention to detail, efficiency, and customer service. He stated that their model for safety during the pandemic should be adopted by all venues hosting large events open to the public. As is normal for the Dalton show, a distinguished panel of speakers was organized to present

Nikki and John Walsh of Fort Donelson Relics.

talks on Saturday. Gene Andrews was up first and recounted his experiences in Viet Nam as a new Second Lieutenant in 1969 which included an impressive slide show taken in country. Next up was Brad Quinlan who spoke about the project he is currently working on “My Journey to Honor,” the 2021 burial of a Civil War soldier who was recently discovered, identified, and who will be interred with military honors this summer. Last up was the well-known speaker, author, historian, and flag expert Greg Biggs whose topic was “From Secession to War – Confederate Flags of 1861.” Many thanks to the speakers who gave up their valuable and limited show time to share their knowledge with the public and answer their many questions. No Civil War show would be complete without some rare, unique item which makes you scratch your head and wonder where it has been all this time. This year the title goes to Ed Birnbaum who showed up with an antique French Perrin revolver that had been presented to Czar Alexander 1st of Russia by Kaiser Wilhelm of Prussia! There was no doubt about its authenticity since the names were engraved on the barrel and inlaid with gold! Kent went on record to state how fortunate he was to be able to have the Dalton show this year when so many other events, including Civil War shows, have been cancelled. While online sales and auctions have been busy during the pandemic, our customers have missed out on the opportunity to see items in person, discuss their provenance, haggle over prices, trade items, and enjoy the social aspect of doing business face to face. The Dalton show seemed to have brought that back, absent a lot of handshakes and hugs. When all was said and done, dealers were packed up, moved out and headed home, numbers were tallied, and inventories taken, Kent had a final comment. While he originally stated that this was the hardest show he had ever produced, he tempered that by stating that this show was the one he was most proud of; not in terms of number of dealers, crowd size, profits, or accolades, but simply because of what had to be overcome to even make such an event occur. He graciously gave thanks to all the vendors, attendees, Dalton Convention Center, Peggy

A small sample of Vin Caponi’s revolvers for sale.

Assortment of edged weapons from Shiloh Relics who always attend the Dalton show.

Melton (MK Shows advertising executive), and a host of other people working behind the scenes to make the show happen. In spite of a worldwide pandemic, onerous travel restrictions, masks, temp checks, social distancing, and everything else, Kent was able to pull off a major show and has set the standard for operating a safe, sane, enjoyable and profitable event during trying times. Thanks to Mike and Cathy Kent for their efforts in keeping our industry and hobby alive and well. For future shows please visit mkshows.com.