The 2006 National Rod Builders Show Recap
Posted by:
Anonymous User
(Moderator)
Date: February 28, 2006 11:18AM
I’m going to leave this up for a day or so in order that the many good companies and people who made this event the tremendous success that it was can be recognized. But I do ask that you not respond to this thread or we’ll wind up with a hundred posts and end up knocking all the rod building topics off the first page. If you want to bring up a specific issue, please start a new thread or email me directly - any replies to this one will be removed. Thanks.
As with any event, for anything, there are always upsides and downsides. This year's event was no different. Overall I feel that the show was a tremendous success for everyone involved. I want to take a moment and cover a few things I think deserve special mention. I apologize beforehand if I have left anyone out - there is just so much going on right now it is very possible I may overlook someone. If I do, it is unintentional.
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ATTENDANCE: The Rod Builders Show attendance was up over last year. And last year was nothing short of fantastic. We had more builders and more vendors than either of the previous years. Everyone I spoke with, builder or vendor, seemed very pleased with overall size, scope and quality of the event. I will have some numbers in a few days.
SALES: You can't get vendors to come to a show like this unless their bottom line sales figures can justify it. While I have not heard back from all the vendors as of this morning, the three who have crunched their numbers and spoken with me all said that their sales figures this year were about double that of last year. Fantastic. That's what I had hoped, but frankly, even I'm shocked that their bottom lines increased that much. However, I'm still going to be very cautious about adding more retail vendors until I am positive we can continue to increase attendance each year. I want those that have been with us these past three years to continue to reap sufficient sales benefits so that they can continue to attend, display and go home with a better bottom line than before.
SEMINARS: I was very happy with how the seminars came off this year. All the presenters did a first class job and each session began on time. Most of the seminars (save for mine on the excise tax) drew from 75 to 80 people. This included Sunday’s sessions, which are generally a bit smaller due to smaller attendance on the last day of the event. There were a few seminars that settled in at only about 40 to 50 people, but considering that two seminars often ran at the same time and that hundreds of folks stayed on the exhibit hall floor, I think the numbers were quite good. And... regardless of the number of people in the rooms, the information presented and shared was nothing short of phenomenal. The best in the business, by the best in the business, in my opinion.
I want to mention and offer a special thanks to our seminar presenters, who did an outstanding job. Many builders made a special effort to stop by my booth and tell me just how much they enjoyed a particular seminar or presenter. I really hope these folks know just how much their efforts were appreciated.
Ralph O’Quinn
Rich Forhan
Mike Barkley
Joe Emig
Mark Crouse
Jim Upton
Andy Dear
Bill Stevens
Randy Parpart
Every one of these guys went above and beyond the call of duty and I hope to see them back next year. Guys, your presentations were very much enjoyed by the builders. Believe it.
VENDORS: You can’t do this sort of thing without a good turn out from the rod building supply manufacturers and vendors. We had plenty and their presence was essential to the success of this event. A special thanks to the following:
Batson Enterprises (Rainshadow Forecast)
FishSticks 4U
Pacific Bay
Donart
CTS Rod Blanks
Lamar Fishing Products
Mickels Custom Rods
NERBS (NorthEast Rod Builders)
Goodwin Manufacturing (Zebra Lighting Systems)
Trondak U-40
Mud Hole
Lamiglas
Decal Connection
St. Croix
Angler’s Resources (Fuji)
Custom Tackle Supply
G. Loomis, Inc.
Sticks and Bones (J.P. Timberlake)
Easy Weave Looms (Stan Lothamer)
Ken Preston
Renzetti, Inc.
REC Components
Cheasapeake Cork Products
Gudebrod
American Tackle
Swampland Custom Rods
A special mention must be made about both Ken Preston and the NERBS - Neither expected to come to the event and make money. They did it because they enjoy being a part of the event and working with the rod builders. Their presence made this a better event.
Although Hiro Tanaka was not an official part of the program or vendor list, I do want to thank him for coming all the way from Japan. His work has been admired by many over the past few years and I think it was an honor for many of us to actually meet and speak to him in person.
Italo Busi came over from Italy and as always, it was a pleasure to have him at the event.
These people contributed in their own way and made the event that much more special.
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Now the downside...
RODMAKER RECEPTION: I greatly underestimated how many builders would be on hand for the Saturday evening reception. This meant a very crowded room and not enough food to go around in the quantities I think were needed. I have already decided to rent a larger reception area for next year and to increase the amount and quality of the refreshments provided. A few of the vendors who had promised door prizes forgot to bring them upstairs. Not a huge deal, but next year I’ll coordinate this better so the “loot†will all be on display at the actual event. Overall, it was certainly a great success, but I wasn’t satisfied. Next year’s reception will be better.
I want to thank Matt from Renzetti and Mark from C&G Tackle for helping out with getting everyone a name tag and their door prize tickets. These guys made my job a lot easier.
ADMISSION FEE: We advertised the event as $12 for one day or $20 for two days. Sometime before Saturday morning, the convention center decided that wasn’t enough - they bumped the fee up to $14 for one day, and $24 for two. You have no idea how upset I am at this. While a couple bucks is no big deal, telling people one price and then charging a different price is a very big deal as far as I’m concerned. I feel bad about this and sincerely apologize for the unannounced increase. I have already had words with the people responsible for this.
Frankly, I feel that the admission fee has grown too high. It makes no sense to take a good horse that is performing well and ride it into the ground just because you can. A lower admission fee is going to be one of the major talking points I’m going to pursue with the venue before next year’s event. Count on it.
SEMINARS: I said the seminars were great and they were. But... we still need good audio visual equipment so that people in the back of the rooms can see the presentation as well as those in the front row. This is very important when we’re dealing with reel seats, thread art, etc., where small items and up close hand work is involved. I promise to have cameras and large viewing screens in place next year. It costs money but this event generates enough revenue that it certainly can and should do more to make these outstanding seminars easier to view. I’ll take care of this - next year every seat will be the best seat in the room.
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Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 03/28/2006 08:52AM by Tom Kirkman.
