Sportsman Show

[greatwhite]

Yeah the one you didn't like nor do I. But if you want a set of tickets for it, I can see if we have any.

[MikePal]

Yeah the one you didn't like nor do I. But if you want a set of tickets for it, I can see if we have any.

I may take you up on that....or I could even meet you there and use one of your FREE tickets...could be fun !!

It's at the EY center 19-22 Feb...south end of the city which is nice, not far off Bank/Albion.

add: Look OOD will be there...maybe we can talk them into giving us a FREE hat for being "Members for Life" ..LOL...

http://www.ottawaboatandsportshow.ca/visitors/

[Kjohnson]

Good thing I saw this. Was crossing my mind to go tomorrow... Guess I wont

[MickeyKnox]

The current Sportsman Show is a joke, has been for years. Unless you live close by, - and i mean around the corner walking distance because the show is so s.h.i.t.t.y it's not worth the parking costs - i would not go. Save your hard earned money and support local business.

[6.5er]

HUGE disappointment - this one IS THE WORST EVER ! like many pointed out - it has become a flea market. I too remember when you could spend half your time in the hunting & firearms area and ACTUALLY see something worthwhile. The whole point of the show used to be to "showcase" new products - and you went there to collect information - brochures etc....good reading material ! Today there were only 3 ...that's right 3 firearms manufacturers - no ammo makers. There was one booth in the hunting hall selling medieval swords and helmets etc... REALLY???? what does this have to do with hunting ?????
This "show" is a "FARCE" ----- get with the program organizers !!!!

[Ahuntr300]

HUGE disappointment - this one IS THE WORST EVER ! like many pointed out - it has become a flea market. I too remember when you could spend half your time in the hunting & firearms area and ACTUALLY see something worthwhile. The whole point of the show used to be to "showcase" new products - and you went there to collect information - brochures etc....good reading material ! Today there were only 3 ...that's right 3 firearms manufacturers - no ammo makers. There was one booth in the hunting hall selling medieval swords and helmets etc... REALLY???? what does this have to do with hunting ?????
This "show" is a "FARCE" ----- get with the program organizers !!!!

Seems this year there was an over-representation of para-military gear vendors - there must have been 3 or 4 booths like that. Again, what do these have to do with hunting?

The only hunting stores I saw there were the Bow Shop/Shooter's choice and Lebaron. Where were all the rest?

In the days of old all the major firearms, bow manufacturers an hunting stores were all there - what the heck happened?

[Bandwagon]

Seems this year there was an over-representation of para-military gear vendors - there must have been 3 or 4 booths like that. Again, what do these have to do with hunting?

The only hunting stores I saw there were the Bow Shop/Shooter's choice and Lebaron. Where were all the rest?

In the days of old all the major firearms, bow manufacturers an hunting stores were all there - what the heck happened?

Have you seen what organizers want from a price stand point to participate in that show???

Marketing money can be spent in so many different ways these days with social media and the internet. Many vendors just dont see the ROI in participating in the show.

[GRAARG]

Don’t think it is much of a surprise why the show is different than it was. Now we have the interweb and can see Elwood Epps used inventory, check out specials at BPS, etc. And there has been an explosion in large format hunting stores – SAIL, BPS, Cabelas, etc. – whereas the show used to be an aggregator of sorts. Why go to the show when the fishing section of BPS + Cabelas > the one at the show?

As for deals, why would a retailer take extra space (essentially what the show is) to sell products for less money? If they need to clear inventory they can do so more easily now than ever.

This is not unique to hunting and is happening for all trade shows. In my industry all the shows are getting smaller and changing in nature.

[terrym]

Don’t think it is much of a surprise why the show is different than it was. Now we have the interweb and can see Elwood Epps used inventory, check out specials at BPS, etc. And there has been an explosion in large format hunting stores – SAIL, BPS, Cabelas, etc. – whereas the show used to be an aggregator of sorts. Why go to the show when the fishing section of BPS + Cabelas > the one at the show?

As for deals, why would a retailer take extra space (essentially what the show is) to sell products for less money? If they need to clear inventory they can do so more easily now than ever.

This is not unique to hunting and is happening for all trade shows. In my industry all the shows are getting smaller and changing in nature.

Agreed. We also do less trade shows in my industry and the ones we still do have a different focus. We do more hands on demo to end users but we don't actually sell to end users only to distributors and retailers. But the point that box stores have more assortment in a better merchandised setup for the same retail price sure makes driving downtown and paying parking and admittance seem counter productive. If you go to the Sportsman show to buy stuff you are wasting money. If you go to just kill an afternoon then maybe that makes sense.

[GRAARG]

Yep, Sportsmans Show is like going to the movies for me. A few hours of entertainment. If I want a deal I watch the flyers/emails/web sites. If I want to learn a new duck call or some other hunting tip I go to YouTube or the web (or these forums).