Our revamped web-site is up and running. We received 50,000 individual visitors
the first six months. The site appears to be popular with the major Search
Engines; Google, Yahoo and MSN (the three most popular search engines)
sent more than 45,00 of those visitors to our site.
See our 2009 Advertising Rate Card for details on banner advertising and the
special Business Directory advertising program. This latter program is available
as a combo ad with our Deer & Turkey PREVIEW magazine.
The Roller Hockey Building, where trophy contest deer are measured and displayed,
is now a regular show building, with an open floor. The roller hockey association
moved to an arena downtown and are skating on ice. Rink walls have been removed,
creating an additional 8,000 square feet of exhibit space.
Twelve booth spaces have been added, bringing the total in that building
to 25. The booths are in facing rows. Attendees will be required to travel
down
the aisle between the facing exhibit booths to get to the trophy display entrance. There now are 335 booths in the three exhibit buildings.
Gary Clancy, who has used deer decoys in many productive ways as part of his
deer hunting bag of tricks, and who has written extensively about the effectiveness
of the combined use of grunting, decoys and rattling, will be the official
host and resident expert on deer decoy use at our new Deer Decoy Demo & Display
Area.
Clancy also will give ‘how to’ seminars at every expo on the tips
and tricks he’s learned that make decoy use productive.
This young expo continues to grow. The 2008 expo saw a 25% increase in attendance
and a solid buying crowd, plus a 40% increase in trophy big game contest
entries.
For 2009 there will be: a) More promotional efforts to school phys ed departments,
4-H Shooting Sports programs and first-year hunters; b) Laser Shooting Range
has been added, offering attendees more hands-on fun; c) Wall of Shame trailer
from the Minnesota DNR will be there; d) advertising will be increased over
last year, when it was doubled, and there will be more hands-on, face-to-face
promotions conducted in the market area.
Special low booth rates appropriate for a young, developing expo, will remain
in place. They were introduced for the 2008 expo.
Ron Spomer, a nationally known outdoor writer and gun writer, and host of a
couple of outdoor television programs, will be our first “Firearms
Answer Man”. He will available at a specially designated area
for attendees to chat with him and ask whatever questions they may have about
firearm selection for Midwestern and Western hunting, bullet selection and
efficiencies, optics, and anything else they want to ask on any related topic.
To create a more-visible presence, a group of traditional archery bow and accessory
manufacturers will be exhibiting on the same aisle near the Bow Tryout Area.
Byron Ferguson will be located in this area, too, as a traffic builder. |
Certified instructors in the National Archery in Schools Program will operate
a NASP free instructional archery range at every expo.
Begun last year, this event was an instant hit. Entry totals at each expo were
higher than expected, and the unusual nature of many of the photos created
considerable discussion. Things like a doe eating a rabbit carcass; a predator
photo with six species present on a deer carcass; a doe walking on its hind
legs because its front legs apparently had been shot off. And on and on.
This event should continue growing and creating viewer interest.
This is a bonus opportunity for optics (binoculars, firearms scopes, spotting
scopes) manufacturers, reps and retailers to get their product into prospects’ hands
for tryout and personal inspection. In today’s market, the faster you
can get your product -- especially a new product -- in a potential customer’s
hands, the better your marketing and sales promotion program works.
Wildlife has many values -- observation, hunting, and food on the table, as
the main three. The cooking seminars immediately follow the venison butchering/processing
demonstrations, adding value to both of them.
This has been a strong, high-interest display for several years and will continue.
We will build on it in 2009. We hope you do, too.
This is a bonus to all exhibiting manufacturers, reps and retailers. Display
your new products twice -- once in your booth AND once in this special table
display. Many people want the opportunity to examine a product before talking
with a factory representative.
Each product is identified by name, manufacturer and booth number. Interested
prospects will come to your booth for details.
Participation and interest continue to grow, aptly demonstrating the wide range
of outdoor activities hunters and their families enjoy.
Click here to see the full list of market promotion
opportunities and other details.
Friday features a mini-tradeshow for all dealers of shooting and hunting equipment
throughout each expo’s multi-state market reach. This is a good place
for manufacturers, reps and other exhibitors to meet dealers who probably
didn’t attend a national tradeshow.
Fewer than 25% of all shooting/hunting dealers attend national tradeshows.
Many dealers never or seldom see people “from the factory”. This
is a market you can reach easily at NO EXTRA?COST.
All participating exhibitors’ booths will be identified; there will be
a directory of manufacturers and reps participating in this special sales effort,
and all visiting dealers will have identification badges.
It’s a BONUS OPPORTUNITY to write orders.
This will be the second year for the firearms auction. It’s another attraction
for firearms users and a place to get a good buy. |
