I have been to 2 small shows recently selling my rods. When I set up at both shows, after I got there I found out there were other custom rod builders there. At first, I wondered if there would be a competition there. I could not be more wrong! At both shows, I made new friends, I gave out Rainshadow catalogs, and gave them this website. We exchanged ideas, secrets, problems, & solutions. If there were more people like rodbuilders, this world would be a better place!
Brian Althouse

Multiply that by 100 times or more at Charlotte. I have not been to past "Big Shows", but I'm not missing this one. Too much education to be had to pass up.

Bill in WV

Every show I do I meet lots of people who have an interest in "How is a rod made?" "What's 'special' about a custom rod?" If there are other rod builders there - all the better because we can usually refer customers to each other based on locality, distance from the customer or experience with different types of rods. In 5 straight years at 4 shows per year I have yet to run into anyone who felt there was a "competition" for customers. There are always as many attendees as you are willing to take the time to talk with to turn them into customers. One of the things I like to when things are slow in the aisle is pick someone from the passersby and let them participate in a "hands-on" either picking thread colors, designing a layout or sitting down and wrapping on a guide. This seems to work well with wives and girl friends. They can stop off while their "other" wanders the aisles. At the last show there was a young lady in the booth across from me who was there helping book charter fishing trips. I got her to come across the aisle to do a hands-on marblizing. She had a great time playing with the colors, changing the patterns and her enthusiasm had other folks stopping to take a look. Oh, and it certainly didn't hurt that she was young and pretty. She was so taken by the whole process that she wound up going to see Jesse Buky, picking out a nice resin cast foregrip and then coming back to pick her rod blank, guides, reel seat, thread colors for her own rod -- and had her boyfriend the charter captain do the same. You just have to enjoy working with people 'in real time'.