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AQS Says No Fall QuiltWeek Next Year

AQS Says No Fall QuiltWeek Next Year
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By Tim Brockwell
Oct. 11, 2019 | PADUCAH
By Tim Brockwell Oct. 11, 2019 | 01:08 PM | PADUCAH
There won't be a fall QuiltWeek next year in Paducah. 

American Quilter's Society Executive Show Director Bonnie K. Browning says attendance is down more than a third since fall QuiltWeek began in 2017. She said local hotel prices, which can approach $400 per night during the show, are mostly to blame for the slump. 

"Last year our attendance dropped about 34 percent. It dropped another 10 percent this year. What that tells us is that both the vendors and the quilters have voted with their pocketbooks not to come and pay the hotel prices that we have here," Browning said. "For the vendors there have been some increases at the convention center in electrical and internet services, so they've chosen not to come here for that fall show."

Browning said AQS hosts several quilt shows across the country, and it's unusual to see hotels charging these kinds of rates. 

"A number of the hotels charged $200 or $250. We had one hotel who charged $380 a night. And so they really have made the choice for the quilters by having the rates that high. At no other quilt show that I know, maybe the Houston show with their downtown hotels that would be in the $200 range, but I've never heard of a show that had a hotel that had a $380 a night hotel rate." She said.

Browning said AQS staff have met with management from local hotels to let them know attendees have complained about the price of lodging during QuiltWeek, but she says they were not willing to lower their rates.

"We've had a number of meetings with them, however we've basically been told that and they don't need us. We can't tell them what price to set because that's illegal, but basically what they've done is they've caused us to have to cancel this show." She said.

Even though the fall show is canceled, Browning said she still looks forward to seeing everyone downtown for spring QuiltWeek in April.
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