Bluefield Coal Show Is Dedicated to Marvels of Underground Coal Mining
“A Coal Show for Coal People”
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The Bluefield Coal Show – this year Sept. 14-16 – can be likened to a festival for underground coal mining. Industry movers and shakers, amazing products and services, and food for thought lure attendees from near and far to the Brushfork Armory-Civic Center.
Local lore has it that the Bluefield Coal Show got its start in the mid-1970s, when the Greater Bluefield Chamber of Commerce envisioned resurrecting an industrial trade show that celebrated the region’s railroad and coal heritage back in the 1940s.
The chamber targeted Charles A. Peters to lead the effort, “because he was such a good businessman and so well thought of in the mining industry,” says M.T. “Marc” Meachum, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Bluefield Chamber of Commerce since 1997. After much cajoling, Peters agreed.
“When I started, I didn’t know any better than to make it a total selling experience for our exhibitors only, eliminating all but what pertains to mining coal, so miners could see what’s available,” says Peters, the founder and retired general chairman of Peters Equipment Co. L.L.C.
Thus, the “Coal Show for Coal People” was born and its exclusive industry-only focus has become the hallmark of its success as “the premier coal show in the eastern United States.”
Select Companies Only Under the Big Top
The Bluefield Coal Show has grown to become a sold-out international show, with a cap at 235 exhibitors and a long waiting list. The limited space and selective nature of the show provide a built-in sense of urgency to register early, and that is compounded by a growing pool of exhibitors.
In 2009, exhibitors represented about 400 companies from 32 states and four foreign countries. “Any more, the mining industry is international, doing business all over world,” says Meachum.
This year, activity leading up to the 2011 show tops that of the 2009. In early February, the chamber had more than 140 signed contracts in hand.
“The response this year has been phenomenal,” says Meachum. “Absolutely, we’ve never gotten in this many contracts by this time of year, which we see as a real positive for the mining industry, in general, and the respect people have for the Bluefield Coal Show.”
To reward their loyalty, 2009 exhibitors were the first to receive contracts last November. Those who may have been exhibitors in the past but missed the show in 2009 are on the chamber’s prospect list. They received applications and contracts in December.
Availability is now first-come-first serve and booth space is assigned once 50 percent of the deposit is received. “A lot of exhibitors like to split the expense over two years,” Meachum notes, adding that it also helps the chamber pay for upfront expenses, like the massive $25,000 100-foot-by-150-foot exhibit tent. The earlier a contract is received, the greater the advantage an exhibitor has in selecting premium booth space.
According to Meachum, exhibitors seem to appreciate having the year off on odd-numbered years. The biennial schedule was set years ago to alternate with MineExpo’s forerunner, which ran in even-numbered years. “Oftentimes, exhibitors take advantage of the show to introduce something new and they wouldn’t necessarily have something new every year,” he explains.
Get Your Hot VIP Invitations!
Of the 5,000 to 6,000 visitors who attended the Bluefield Coal Show in 2009, there were several international contingents. “Those coming from other countries take advantage of the opportunity to learn a whole lot in one place in a short period of time,” says Meachum.
Whether from foreign soil or U.S., coal show attendees are a well-qualified lot with purchasing influence, says Meachum. They include superintendents, office people and, “just as importantly,” miners.
“Companies send busloads of miners to the show. Here, they can see the new equipment and then report back to their bosses about something that’s really unique and could be an advantage. Their recommendation can go a lot further, oftentimes, than what a salesman has to say.”
Those who would like to attend the Bluefield Coal Show must register through the chamber website at www.bluefieldchamber.com. Exhibitors will be contacted several months beforehand for their contact list of 20 VIPs.
The chamber then sends between 1,200 and 1,500 hand-addressed show invitations to those contacts. “Mr. Peters loves that we do this,” says Meachum, explaining that the invitations are a marketing tool for exhibitors. The perceived level of prestige that comes with the personal invitations helps strengthen client relationships, he says.
Moneymaking Economic Force
The Bluefield Coal Show has grown to contribute greatly to the economy of a region fueled by coal mining and the railroad that transports it.
“Today the Bluefield Coal Show is the biggest and most all-encompassing coal show that happens in this region, bar none,” Meachum. “There is nothing like it that generates the economic benefit to the area that the coal show does.”
When the show is in town, restaurant and convenience store patronage increases, and fuel sales at Mercer County Airport 10 miles away soar. “September is the biggest month they have all year every other year, because of all the companies flying in and out of here” for show business, says Meachum.
“We used to talk about the time twice a year when hotels were all full – the races in Bristol in the spring and fall, and again every other year when we have the coal show. We literally have everything booked from Wytheville to Beckley,” says Meachum.
Although the Bluefield Coal Show is not open to the public, it might as well be. It is located in the heart of the southern West Virginia coalfields. While there are no active coal mines in Bluefield’s surrounding Mercer County, there are in neighboring McDowell County.
“There are a lot of people in the bluefields that work either directly in the mines or, in a lot of cases, in mine supply businesses,” says Meachum. Peters Equipment Co., Joy Mining Machinery, PEMCO Corp. and RISH Equipment Co. are among the major employers.
“There are 10 times that many or more little machine shops, with five or six employees, throughout this area that you don’t hear about but are still an important driving economic force. Many make one specific part. There are repair shops, like motor repair, that may not manufacture anything, particularly, but provide a service,” Meachum says.
Head of the Show
By most accounts, Mr. Peters – as he is respectfully referred to – has run the Bluefield Coal Show like he did his business, with hands on. At age 88, he stays active by maintaining office hours most weekdays at the company he sold in 1997.
He is up on the latest show numbers. “We have had exceptionally early interest this time. I think it’s just a good reflection of the coal show and especially the exhibitors we have had in previous coal shows.”
As for lining up this year’s speakers, “it’s a little early,” he says. Those decisions will be made closer to the show in order to best reflect what’s going on in a rapidly changing industry.
Peters was born 50 miles northeast of Bluefield in Union, W. Va. After high school, he was drafted into the Army at age 19 and fought in the Battle of the Bulge at age 21. The experience was frightening, he says, and toughened him for tackling most anything. He went on to earn his industrial engineering degree from the University of Alabama in 1950, when it was only one of three schools offering the degree.
Peters moved to Bluefield to work for The Daniels Co. from 1956 to 1978. He started Peters Equipment Co., serving the coal and coke industries, in March 1978. The coal washer manufactured there is now in every mine, he says.
Peters shares his thoughts on the state of coal mining: “It’s a good industry and it’s here to stay. We have to have the coal industry; that’s our major form of energy. Coal is what put (America) where we are now and we haven’t come up with anything yet to change it.”
Chamber Volunteers and Ferris Wheels
“What we’ve done to the show is always put emphasis on an exhibitor’s ability to sell and promote his product in the best way he possibly can,” says Meachum, with a big nod to the more than 200 volunteers involved in the 10-day process of setting up and dismantling the show.
“Some people have volunteered since 1976. They will take vacation time to volunteer for the show. Some will kill themselves on Monday and Tuesday to set up, which is organized chaos of the first order, and then come Friday and Saturday for tear down, and they won’t even see the show.”
Debbie Maynard, executive vice president of the chamber, has been involved with the show since it began in 1976, and Karen Dehaan came on board the next year. They, along with two other staff members, coordinate all of the many aspects of putting the show together.
In addition to the Bluefield Coal Show, the Greater Bluefield Chamber of Commerce and its staff host a number of other annual events for the area’s business community, all while managing day-to-day administration and numerous other networking and professional development events for members. They will present the 11th Four Seasons Women’s Conference this month, the 32nd Better Living Home Show the last weekend of April and the 28th annual Mountain Festival in May.
- By Heidi Ketler, staff writer, MiningConnection.com
Heidi Ketler, APR, is an accredited public relations practitioner and writer living in Roanoke, Va.
For more information, contact the Greater Bluefield Chamber of Commerce:
Phone: 304-327-7184
E-mail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Website: http://www.bluefieldchamber.com
