0730 hrs
Over 300 of the industry's shop owners, manufacturers and distributors gathered for the opening day keynote address by retail shopping science guru, Paco Underhill.
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0930 hrs
Industry reps, retail shop owners, bulk buyers, distributors and staff line up for registration to get in. |
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1000 hrs
The gates are opened and well over 1,500 anxious industry illumnites eagerly pour in to attend seminars, appointments and hobnobnicks. |
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| Scenes from the show |
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| I only have Petzl's for you: Petzl came prepared with a vast array of portable and compact lighting geared toward the outdoor enthusiast. Their booth was attractive and obviously well-lit! |
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| I'll circle back on that: William and Joseph utilized an eye-popping merchandising platform to display their attractive apparel and gear. |
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| A Retail display for retail displays: Even manufacturers of retail display stands attend the show. Adams & Sons specializes in retail space merchandising displays and fixtures. |
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| Winston Trade show Checklist Review, Let's see: Winston banner - check. Rods in place - check. Attractive display stands - check. Freshly pressed suit - check. Hair combed - check. Rental bowling shoes - check. what?! |
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| Fabrique: Would you believe - you can even order flyfishing themed fabric to make your shirts, bandanas...or socks. |
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| Hodgman Lodge: treats their guests with style, a couch under a wonderfully soothing picture of a flyfisher. An inviting homey atmosphere if I ever saw one. |
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| Under-Armor. It was football, then baseball, you saw the commercials on TV with your favorite athletes touting the benefits of athletic under-garments. Next up: Dave Whitlock streamside shooting a TV spot for UA; can you see it?! |
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| Spey Craze: All the way from U.K., this chap gracefully lays out a spey cast to the audience's delight. |
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| Gotta have one of these: Hobie's Mirage is a sturdy notch up from float tubes. Optional: a mini-fridge for keeping the cold ones cold. |
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| Ridiculously Rainbow: Don't expect the fashion sense to win you over, but you have to get a pair of these. Trust me. |
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| Tie flies? then fixate your peepers on your vise with da-lite lamps. It's uncanny how a bit of light change can make a world of difference. |
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Ebay? yes Ebay! They came prepared with Ebay-U, a seminar-based instructional series geared toward how ebay can be your next great e-commerce frontier.
Another fearless GFF prediction: We believe this whole internet thing will be REALLY big someday. |
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| Awfully inviting: after a day of walking miles within the small confines of a convention center; this couch looked like the appropriate spot to rest the dogs. |
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| Abel continues to produce reel eye candy for the flyfisher. |
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| Flies beyond your eyes. Umpqua brought out the entire inventory to treat the flyshop owner with the WOW factor before making his next big bulk purchase. |
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| Seminars on how to be better flyshop owners: greet your customer with respect; treat them like family...all the tricks to retailing were revealing in this attractive and humorous seminar on building customer loyalty. (yes, the chap on the left is a mannequin, the chap on the right is not) |
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| Would you like me to box your boxes, please? Millstream displays the latest in flybox technology, along with custom imprinting options to make the flybox your very own. |
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Sage advice:
rods for every caster, reels to match. |
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| Orvis' temporary show digs didn't look so temporary. How long does it take to build this log cabin for a three day show? |
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| Don't Hyde in my boat. These boats just don't sink and these two Hyde Reps are setting out on a journey to prove it. |
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| Get the BUG OUT! There's no bugging these ladies as they are 100% bug-proof thanks to Insect-Out's insect barrier clothing. |
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| No Smoking Inside: Ohhhhh! those aren't real!, those are spun deerhair smokes. |
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| Marketing to the cliMAX Yes, I agree, performance by design...the flylines that is...although, I see no Climax products in this advert...makes me wonder just what climax sells?!?! |
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