Ironmaker, thanks for your kind words. I'm saving my money for Chicago. Sure you can be by second bodyguard. Again, thanks.

Mazz...You are so very welcome. Glad I could post it for you. If you PM me with your email address I will send you the picture and you can decrease the size to make it your avatar.

Oh my goodness....

Thanh Thanh, did you talk to the woman standing behind you (me!) in line about the PME petal powder and petal glue? And we were saying how you could make your own? We were asking each other what we were buying?

If that was you....you're lucky I didn't know it was you - I would've hugged you to death.

Thank you Serenatea. i was able to copy your picture for myself. I will have my son help me resize it when he gets home.

In regards to people being rude or pushie it happened to me twice. Once when the vendor doors opened and people wanted the free give a ways and at the booth that had all the cutters and magazines 50% off the minute the doors opened. I was stuck in the vendor room and couldn't get out to go to one of the demo's I signed up for. Another time while in line for a Demo someone started pushing me - I didn't want to say anything and make a scene - but the nice people I met that were alittle to the right of me told the lady to stop pushing me that I could get hurt and that the seats were numbered and there was no need to rush to get in. It was very nice of them. Otherwise every thing went great. The people I met were terrific and the instructors were all very approachable.

Thank you to Gayle and her family for graciously holding some of my packages so I could take care of a few things. And yes Gayle you were right - you can't go into the cake room and come out quickly. There was just too many beautiful cakes to see.

[quote]As for the Food Network "stars", they were: Mike McCarey or Mike's Amazing Cakes, Norman Davis of "The Sweet Life", Kerry Vincent, Bronwen Weber, and Nicholas Lodge.[quote]

Have to say you forgot one more Challenge people that was at the convention.. but he is not known until one of the Sept shows...

hi,just to tell you ,that it was my first ices, and i only can say that i took like 13 demos wich were good but some of them thint even got the recipies ,or the paper of instruction,and ilost some of the things i got,to me it was painful because my husband is diyng of alzeimer,and all my friends chip in there time so that i could go,idint get to know anybody neither met ith people like edna ,pushing and shoving was crazy.getting to vendors it was like if you will never was going to get the item again, or the end of the world,there was beautiful displays,to me congratulations to all those that had a good time ,to me it was painful frustrating and the sacrifice that i make to have my things stolen or lost and some vendors just becuse i dont look european, or rich,the way was treated,i dont think ill never never again go back to one of those convenctions,most of pople very rude ,iam just house wife that needed to see something else than my dearest dying husband. and i make my little money making cake ,and iam allways looking for new ideas,

someone in the CakeCentral.com Espa�ol forum put up photos of the cake gallery:

http://forum.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=596470&postdays=0&postorder=asc&&start=0

take a look at the photos they look great.....

Oh Danizabe..Im sorry for your experience..I say this..if someone pushes me..I will push back. I think is rude . Someone did that to me and I stop her on her tracks . Im very sweet to people but I dont take people being rude very well. I'm pretty tall specially with heels ..Next year if you come..stick with me. I'll protect you
Edna

[quote="aholtz"][quote]As for the Food Network "stars", they were: Mike McCarey or Mike's Amazing Cakes, Norman Davis of "The Sweet Life", Kerry Vincent, Bronwen Weber, and Nicholas Lodge.

Oh I know! I know!!! hehehehe! And he is the nicest person you will ever meet!

I am sorry that many of you had a bad expierence at the ICES convention. My family are vendors at the convention and I have to admit, even I (not speaking for anyone else) am overwhelmed with the crowds that come at one time. I have learned the best time to see vendors are during demo times or at the end of the day. At times the best thing to do is just to eye shop the first day then do your serious shopping after that. Many of times you do not realize who is there until you fully go threw all of the vendors. Or you spend all your money at one place, and not realizing someone might have had a better deal. Always, always have a larger bag with you, Rolling bag to put your stuff in.

Any goer will tell you that the last day of convention (vendor area) is always nuts. Some vendors drop their prices so low just so they do not take product back. And the people (conventioners) are then expecting everyone (vendors) to drop their prices.

For the demos, I can not speak about that for the simple reason I have not been to a demo in over 10 years. The best thing I can say is, find a partner before you register for these conventions and tag-team the whole thing. Between Vending and Demos you will be able to help each other in what you are looking for.

Please, write ICES, they did start a ethical committee, or even contact your representative of your state; because they do go to Mid-year meetings.

this was my first ICES convention also and i had the best time. Spent way to much money.

Favorite buys: petal crafts purse DVD and formers, Jem cutters, a pirate patchwork cutter, and well all my purchases were my favorite.

Took some great demo's and hands on classes. Learned alot about stencils, sugar, and mold making.

The girls who put the show together i know didn't get to enjoy it as much as we have and i appreciated their time because it was truly amazing and flawless.

i did went to vensors after my demos ,i dint have time to wait till last moment and i spend1700 hundred dollars that i have been saving since the beginning of the announcement of ices,praying that my husband dint get any worse for that particular time .i bought things from or the clasess or demo itook.particularly i felt ridiculous with first impressions i made an order of over two humdred dollars and they not only lost my sleep i have to do all over again in and they were lellllling other people spin the weel spin the weel and when iasked but can i do it too that lady look at me like if i was begging just like a kid like everybody else i want to have a chance to get that little molde and i ask her if she coul sell me one and she said there is no more but another lady came and yes she was white and beatifull and not old like me and she gave her like 10 of the even do if her order was 1000dollar mine was only202

I am sorry to hear that happened, but I can not say it does not happen that way.. Many times, it is said "we are sold out" but in reality they had them hidden. Some of the vendors do have prefered customers and they sometimes do get better treatment. I am able to hold my head up high and say my family is not that way. We have many customers that drop off their orders with us and we try to fill them right away. Or they pick them up after their demos.. We have a system going, since the beginning we started. I can not speak for other vendors, but I am truely sorry you had to go threw that. I hope you do not judge all vendors in that manner. If you wish to contact me please do so... and I will give you all the information to contact us and will try to help in whatever way possible.

the other FN star some of you might know, because someone posted about this person earlier. No this person is not the one you are thinking about .. maybe... but Sept will be a lot of new shows... I think some of them are starting in Aug as well...

Well...Aholz...share more!!!!!!!!!!!!you are not saying much I am intrigued!...
Edna

Yes more...I never said who I was thinking about. They are just a new competitor right? Is it a secret?

It's CC we share secrets!....

I believe you met him Edna!

OOOOOOOOhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....Jacque..I can guess!!!!...lol

I had no problems with pushong or rude peole in the vendor area; in fact it seemed less crowded to me than usual. But maybe i just went in the right room at the right time. I did hear on the first day lots of epole did not know there was a 2nd room, so the forst room was very crowded.

Yes, I always wait until the first big push to get into the vendors is over.
Then the shopping experience is very pleasant!

I didnt had problems at the vendors area..I even expected that a little.. But in the demos..OMG!..people did push!..like I want to take that picture now!