LIVE from the 2024 San Francisco Pen Show!

[@sherrywest8566]

Thank you for such a comprehensive walkthrough! I am a professional artist who uses many types of pens for research sketching. Your video has helped me find the "pen people" and the pens that I need. I have never been to a pen show. Your excellent coverage, however, made me feel as if I had been to my first one!

[@ysnotes]

Thanks so much for stopping by and featuring us!

[@mandiewrites4936]

2 and a half hours! Thank you for the hard work, Mike! I've been doubly excited for this because at least I can see it if I can't be there.

[@inkdependence]

You’re very welcome!

[@jeannieNYc]

Thank you for always doing the walk through. I look forward to watching them each year. 😊

[@jadec2180]

I totally missed the Pilot aisle and Traveler's Company table. I was trying to avoid the weekend crowds but it was also pretty crowded on Friday afternoon. Thank you for doing the live stream, it allowed me to see the tables I missed. I've already made my list of vendors that I will visit next time.

[@gordonb9316]

Thanks for doing this. I felt like I attended from afar.

[@erincarmack4815]

Thanks for the walkthrough Mike. Really appreciate being able to experience the SF show vicariously. 😊

[@stevenkidwell2417]

Awesome coverage and incredibly helpful. Thanks Mike! Hope to see you in Dallas.

[@Shak-MD]

Thank you Mike! Great coverage. I enjoyed it in bits, and have to go back to a few.

[@blktauna]

Thanks again for your coverage of the show.

[@inkdependence]

You’re welcome!

[@dexteryang1164]

Thank you so much Mike for doing this for us. I have never been to a pen show and it's not easy for me to attend one. Your live streams really brought the experience home to us. We appreciate your hard work. Somehow I enjoyed this one even more because you are in the same time zone as me this time! (Oregon) :-) Enjoy your weekend in SF.

[@Stitchxavi]

I so agree! I had been looking forward to the DC pen show last year, and couldn’t go. Mike’s video made me feel like I was there!

[@inkdependence]

Aw, thanks y’all!

[@roderickfemm8799]

I clearly made a mistake in coming at opening time -- parking was already full up, huge line to pick up my pass, and the show was already jammed with people so I could barely walk around. And it was hot, even though the weather was quite mild outside. I had to give up for the day after a couple of hours. Now I see you in the afternoon, and it looks quite reasonable. Now I know how to handle it next year.

[@inkdependence]

It was SUPER busy right when it opened, and then it sort of evened out. I don’t know what makes SF so busy in the morning on Friday, but it was no joke.

[@lucchese20]

Indeed. I attended Saturday afternoon and it was much worse. 👍🏻

[@harlankilmon998]

I see the pen I bought at 30:50! Love it!

[@christinet7227]

Thanks for covering the show in detail! I arrived before 8 and the lobby was jam packed.

[@zeroseas]

Great coverage! I don’t know how you sustain so much energy to get through the show like that. It’s nice to see how much the vendors appreciate all you do for these shows. Hope you found some nice treasures to bring home. Well done!

[@rygregory]

That’s me waving at 2:06! With the Pilot/Namiki folks!

[@JessicaCEP]

I think the Monoc with the satin rainbow nib is top of my list.

[@willk4599]

Thanks Mike.

[@AndrewWertheimer]

Thanks for the cool walk around.

[@doesitpost280]

Another great show Mike, thanks! Saw some great new stuff that I want to order! Audrey was funny during her mini interview. Also, sorry to hear about Mr. Nose. I got such a kick out of the lamb chop appearances.

[@BrandiIsLost]

I accidentally stepped in front of you once, apologies, that show was packed!

[@ssfoster95]

Excellent video. Can you clarify the brand of the pens at the 2:17:27 mark that were $35 and could switch nibs with Pelikan M200 it sounded like you said Scribo but they are very high end pens.

[@21tamuril]

I’m glad I got to talk to you Mike. One of the few pleasant things to happen at what proved to be a frustrating and overcrowded venue. I will not be returning next year if the venue does not change.

[@frantasticpins]

Thank you SO MUCH for this video! I wasn't able to watch live due to being at work, but I'm attending the show tomorrow for the first time ever and this video is very helpful to ease my stress of being able to navigate registration and all the tables. I'm assuming tomorrow will be just as busy due to it being a weekend, but I wonder if it will be less busy since it's the 2nd day instead of the first? Either way, excited to experience and take it all in!

[@Atalinay]

Have a great time!

[@inkdependence]

Usually Saturday is the busiest day. 😬😵‍💫 This is a really fun show, so don’t be afraid to dive in and out to take breaks as you need. Sunday is generally quieter than the other two days.

[@ZippyZil]

That's good to hear. Going to try and go for my first time tomorrow. Thanks for the video. Helps me get an idea of what to expect. ​@@inkdependence

[@jaystone4816]

The SF Pen Show had a much larger weekend pass registration than last year. Lines were extra long to confirm pre-registration and obtain passes and early access. Even then It was still possible to traverse the show, stop and talk to vendors and view and handle pens with a measure of comfort. Problem: At 1:00pm access was opened to the general public, and they completely transformed the show into overcrowded, difficult to navigate aisles, including vendor spaces outside the main ballroom itself. A number of general public attendees wore backpacks, increasing the congestion, and one could not make it to the vendor tables, talk to the vendor or examine pens without being bumped more than once by the surging throng behind you in every packed aisle. Traversing the show was a exercise in continual dodging and negotiating other bodies every few steps. The overcrowding raised the temperature in the main room, adding to the discomfort. As you can imagine, this was very unpleasant. The SF Pen Show needs to implement a much more active crowd control procedure to limit the number of people inside the show at any one time. This is even more important as the show venue space is in a suburban hotel just outside the San Francisco International Airport and the show and convention spaces are middle-sized. Effective crowd control would make the experience much more pleasant for everyone attending, including the vendors and the general public.

[@writing_desk]

I saw you yesterday-

[@mysharyna1741]

Having SERIOUS fomo...but my wallet will lighten up next month in Dallas :)

[@martham9980]

Last year I drove 1.5 hours on Friday to get to the show and when I got there an hour early there was no parking in either lot and no street parking is allowed in that industrial area. I didn’t even try this year.😢

[@bobak5126]

Greetings, was Karas Pen. Company at this show too?