Tom will you be sweetening the pot with any free hotel rooms or stuff at the ICBRE?

With the $8.00 admission the pot is sweet enough.This is a gift.

Freddwhy (Rapt-Ryte)

I’ll take that as a joke, but just in case you’re serious let me explain that I don’t really have anything to do with the host hotel. Therefore it’s not up to me to offer free hotel rooms - they're not mine to give. I negotiated a special room rate with them because we fill so many rooms there. And by the way, this coming year’s rate is roughly 8% less than last year’s. So the value is once again, greater than the previous year.

Otherwise, I think the pot is already pretty darn sweet as it is. Consider...

1. The largest rod building event held anywhere in the world, and by a long shot. No other event has ever been even 10% as large. More product, more manufacturers, more dealers, and better prices than you’ll ever see anywhere else in one place and at one time.

2. Tons of door prizes, ranging from a Renzetti Master Rod Lathe to a fully rigged Heritage fishing kayak (and everything in-between from rod blanks to rod wrappers to epoxy to gift certificates) and you don’t have to buy anything to be in the running to win any of it. It’s all given away for free, just for registering when you come in the door. And this year, we’re going to be giving away door prizes on the hour, every hour, while the show is under way. Again, you don’t have to buy any sort of raffle ticket/s - it’s all free just for registering when you come through the door.

3. The greatest number of rod builders ever gathered together. Take last year - just over 1500 individual rod builders all sharing ideas, tips and information. If two heads are better than one, imagine how good 1500 heads are. And nearly every one of them is happy to help you in any way they can. Just ask.

4. The Radisson has a special room rate of just $79 per night for attendees. But you don’t have to stay there - there are plenty of hotels around town and at least one is within 4 blocks of the event facility and offers very nice rooms for under $50 per night. Stay wherever you want. There are plenty of places to choose from, Motel 6’s to the luxury Adams Inn. Where you stay is up to you. The event website lists several nice hotels, from economy to luxury and everything in-between.

5. Free parking at the event facility, for the attendees and the vendors (trucks and trailers too). Free parking at the hotels listed on the website.

6. One of the very finest event facilities in North America. You’ll be hard pressed to ever attend a consumer show that is held in a nicer or more user friendly place.

7. 50 individual manufacturers and dealers (all but one of them devoted to custom rod building endeavors) in 80 booths. This isn’t the type of event where you enter, spend an hour and figure you’ve seen everything there is to see. You’ll have plenty to see and do. Better come early and plan to stay late.

8. Roughly 25 or more educational seminars that run the gamut from basic rod building to just about anything you can think of. And there is no additional charge for any of the seminars. They’re all included with the price of admission.

9. Just $8 to get in. Where else can you see so much, learn so much, gain so much, for so very little? I’ll answer that for you... nowhere. Events that aren't even 10% as large charge you 10 times as much just to get in. If this event isn’t the deal of a rod building lifetime, I don’t know what is.

That’s about all I can afford to do for you. Frankly, I’m certain it’s more than anyone else does for the industry or the builders and it’s the absolute best deal going. If you need a pot that’s any “sweeter” than this one, you’ll have to keep looking. If you find one, please let me know.

.................

By the way, it's the ICRBE (International Custom Rod Building Exposition), just in case you're interested.


.................

Not complaining at all. Just asking. The way you break it down I can't argue that it's a good deal any way you cut it. Let's just call it the "ROD EXPO" and forget all the letters. Sounds better anyway.

Well Put!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is the Big Kahuna!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

you all are making me sad and anxious at the same time cause i havent been able to attend yet haha

Jon,

I expect to meet you there in Feb!!! LOL!

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

me too!!!! im definately going and i cant wait!

I'm trying VERY HARD to save my pennys to make it!!

I'm hoping/assuming that first post was a pointed joke....

That's how I took it, but if not, I think I pointed out the tremendous value this event offers.

Yesterday I was speaking with someone who told me that they saved enough money on their purchases at the event to pay for their entire travel expense. If you build more than a few rods per year, that's a definite possibility. And if you only build a few, then it comes down to the fact that it's just one heck of a lot of fun to be able to see all this stuff and meet so many helpful rod builders.

Outside of whatever your personal travel expenses might be, it's not at all expensive to attend and enjoy everything. I've done everthing I can to make it affordable for the greatest number of people possible.


....................

i only build a few rods a year for myself...it would definately be nice to see everything in person and meet a lot of people that come to this forum

I stopped on the way home and bought an Italian Sub and a large soft drink. $7.84 or about what it costs to gain admission to the big show. The admission fee to the ICRBE is a joke. It's an afterthought. For all intents and purposes this event is free and yet priceless at the same time. Nothing else like it for sure.

so for the price of lunch you can get in to "heaven"...if thats not a deal i dont know what it

Tom will you be doing the rodmaker subscriber thing again at the show?

Yes, and more.

...........

Its getting so big its just a matter of time before it becomes a 3 day show.

Rich Matranga
Folsom, California