I've been doing the Blade Show for over 20 years now.... in fact, this coming year it's the only show I'm planning to do. Unless you're already on the waiting list, it's unlikely that you will get a table for the 2018 show. If you get your name on the waiting list, and can deal with a very last minute notification (like a few days before the show), you MIGHT be lucky and get a table if someone cancels... otherwise expect to wait for at least a couple of years to get a table/booth. There are always a few people every year that don't return, for one reason or another, and always some last minute cancellations due to various reasons, but for the most part if you get a table, it's because someone has retired from or quit knifemaking.
I go the "table" route, simply because I could never have enough product to justify a booth (either the size, or the cost). Booths are almost always a combination of several people/entities sharing. What I find amazing is the logistics of the booth holders...... most come with either a large cargo trailer, or a large rental "moving" truck, and some even hire locals to help them unload/setup a booth. If you tried to setup a booth with the furnishings they offer....you'd go broke.
Cost wise, for me, as a table holder, to get there, lodging, meals, do the show, and get home is about $3,500 average...... so in order for me to just break even, I need to sell $3,500 in product.
As far as I'm concerned, if you're a knifemaker, then the Blade Show is a MUST DO show. It's is not only the largest show, but is unique in that it draws makers, and buyers from all over the planet. It's the only show that I see patrons mapping out their routes/actions months ahead of time, and when the open the doors on Friday, it's like a stampede/feeding frenzy for about the first hour of the show.
