Notes from the 2026 Dallas Pen Show: bigger room, four days, new Pelikan releases
The Pen Addict's Kimberly Lau has posted a recap of the 2026 Dallas Pen Show, and it is a nice window into how a big US show is changing.
The show ran at the DoubleTree Hotel Dallas, Galleria, on the last weekend of September, right after the San Francisco show. It grew from two days to four by adding a Thursday, and it moved into a new Grand Ballroom. About 110 vendors attended, with 17 in the gallery, 30 in the Cypress Room and the rest in the ballroom. Lau says Thursday was a weak day for shoppers because there was no general admission and many vendors chose not to sell, and she suggests going back to a three-day Friday to Sunday format.
On the product side, Dromgoole's showed Montegrappa pieces including a Dracula pen and a PAC-MAN Ghostwriter, and launched two exclusive Retro 51 "Over the Moon" pens designed by Marty Henderson. New Pelikan releases mentioned include the M815 Metal Green Stripes and the M200 Pen of the Year in Pyrite with matching ink. Nib work was also a big theme, with four nib workers on hand, from Matt Chen to Sunny Koh of Straits Pen in Singapore.
I enjoyed how much of the recap is about the people and the layout rather than only the pens. If you have ever wondered whether a four-day pen show is worth it, this is a thoughtful first-hand take.
Source: The Pen Addict
The show ran at the DoubleTree Hotel Dallas, Galleria, on the last weekend of September, right after the San Francisco show. It grew from two days to four by adding a Thursday, and it moved into a new Grand Ballroom. About 110 vendors attended, with 17 in the gallery, 30 in the Cypress Room and the rest in the ballroom. Lau says Thursday was a weak day for shoppers because there was no general admission and many vendors chose not to sell, and she suggests going back to a three-day Friday to Sunday format.
On the product side, Dromgoole's showed Montegrappa pieces including a Dracula pen and a PAC-MAN Ghostwriter, and launched two exclusive Retro 51 "Over the Moon" pens designed by Marty Henderson. New Pelikan releases mentioned include the M815 Metal Green Stripes and the M200 Pen of the Year in Pyrite with matching ink. Nib work was also a big theme, with four nib workers on hand, from Matt Chen to Sunny Koh of Straits Pen in Singapore.
I enjoyed how much of the recap is about the people and the layout rather than only the pens. If you have ever wondered whether a four-day pen show is worth it, this is a thoughtful first-hand take.
Source: The Pen Addict
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