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This is personally my opinion:
A while back you posted about cleaning out drums of end pieces from rods. People asked you if you'd sell these at a discount via mail-order. And you answered that it really wasn't feasible.
I mention that because if you offered "odd" or special unique one time offer discounts, I would spend money at the booth even though I try very hard to deal strictly with one of your distributers since she's "local".
You'd have to offer something very specific for me to buy something I could come home to purchase. When I'm at Bead and Button, I try to spend my money on things or artists that are new to me, sellers who don't use Etsy or maintain much of an online presence. Or big pieces that I've been lusting for, for several months.
Also, because I do try to support my local glass supplier, I wouldn't buy general production glass. The most I'd do with common colors is buy by the rod if I was going to use it the next day. But since the show is half over by the time the floor opens, you're limited in that regard.
However, having a small selection of low cost glass (by the rod, or mixed bundles in 1/4lb sizes) and Double Helix would be a wonderful idea because you do have glass classes going. I prefer the option of bring my own glass colors if I'm not going to be in a studio if color isn't crucial to the outcome of the class. But again, it'd only be for Friday and Saturday class so the number of people here would be a very small number.
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We did offer some of these packs of short glass, we had about 10 or 12 of them for sale, they weighed around 14 pounds each and we sold them for $20 plus shipping.
Because Frantz mailorder discounts glass and for a long time has provided free shipping, we can not afford to bring common colors to trade shows and provide any discounts. So what I will do is pick the newest colors which you may not be able to find anyplace else but Frantz Art Glass. I will also look for some small lots of rare colors that have not been for sell for a long time.
Unlike a beadmaker selling their beads at Bead & Button who only need a few tables and will carry their beads in a suitcase, we have the problem of shipping 1,500 of glass to a show at $.85 per pound and then being charged $.85 for the show company to move my glass from the back dock to my booth. With the expense of a show as high as $10,000, it makes it hard to justify doing trade shows.
Mike