INSIGHT NEWSLETTER- FEBRUARY 2009

Post-Show Edition

5 Things You'll Want to Know About the 2009 Trade Show

If you missed the ATA's Trade Show Brief, distributed to all ATA members and newsletter subscribers Jan. 23, we've recapped the numbers here, which is just one of the things you'll want to know. Other post-event notables include highlights from the Real Deal, the seminar series, ATA Great Giveaway and Outtech Innovations.

When the ATA opened its Trade Show registration in Indianapolis on Thursday, Jan. 8, the first morning of the 2009 show, people were waiting. In mass.

"Naturally, we were nervous going into the show, wondering how our dealer base would respond to the economic climate," said Cindy Brophy, ATA Trade Show manager. "We knew we would have a great show when our ‘walk-up' numbers the first day included 435 dealers, buyers and distributors. These were people who hadn't pre-registered. Walk-up numbers like those are very impressive. "

Attendance for the three-day show totaled 7,331 industry professionals, including 2,690 archery dealers and 205 distributors, who were there to conduct business with 453 exhibiting companies. The 2,690 dealers represented 986 individual stores, only 43 fewer than the ATA-record 1,029 stores at the 2008 Trade Show.

Further, the 453 exhibitors rented 152,950 square feet of booth space, creating the third largest floor in the Trade Show's history. The 2008 Trade Show, also in Indianapolis, holds the record for booth rentals with 159,350 square feet, and the 2006 Trade Show in Atlanta set a record with 499 exhibitors.
To find out what manufacturers were saying about the show, go to http://www.archerytrade.org/press_detail.html?SKU=20090128212633.

2. $170,000 in Prizes, and Then There Were None

The Trade Show's Great Giveaway, sponsored by the ATA and The Sportsman Channel, blended entertainment with $170,000 in prizes, a hearty boxed lunch, and plenty of "corner bars" with ample beverages for those wishing to wet their whistles. The event was held Friday evening, Jan. 9.

The night's biggest winner, Shayne Wilemon of Ocala, Fla., will join Kara and Keith "Doc" Ainsley of Doc's Deer Scents/Team Extreme for an eight-day, 10-species hunt with Wild Game Safaris. While there, Wilemon will hunt duiker, blesbuck, impala, warthog, blue wildebeest, gemsbuck, bushbuck, busgpig, kudu and waterbuck. The hunt, along with travel, includes taxidermy work and all shipping costs.

"I've never won anything this big before," Wilemon said. "I was pretty shocked when they pulled my number. I bought one dealer ticket and one regular ticket for myself, and I bought my friend two regular tickets for this drawing. I was shocked when it got down to both of us. This is a lot of fun. I can't believe it."

ATA Board Chair Peter Crawford of Elite Outdoors LLC and Board Vice-Chair Paul Vaicunas of Parker Compound Bows served as emcees, while country-music artist Bobby Kendall entertained attendees before the event. The evening ended with an acoustic performance by country star Blake Shelton, who was joined on stage by country star Miranda Lambert for several songs.

Other prize winners included Michael Vergona of Saegertown, Pa., who went home with a Lone Wolf Edition of the Bad Boy Buggy, valued at $12,000. Also, Payne Blanton Jr. of Oil Spring, Ky., scored a Bear/Fishing package at Driftwood Resort in Canada. The trip is valued at $7,500 and was donated by Silver Scent.
Blake Shelton appeared courtesy of G5 Outdoors, Quest Bows, Parker Compound Bows, Next Camo and FLX Digital. Bobby Kendall appeared courtesy of Mike Walston of Lone Wolf Treestands.

3. Real Deal Room Was a Great Deal, For Real

Real Deal shoppers who attended this year's ATA Trade Show received a handheld electronic scanner as they entered this dealer-only room, making product selection organized and effortless.

As shoppers walked Real Deal aisles, they scanned the bar codes on items they wanted to check out at the exhibitors' booths. As they left the Real Deal room, each visitor received a print-out of everything they scanned, along with the exhibitors' names and booth numbers. The scanners also allowed exhibitors and Trade Show organizers to collect data on product placement and interest levels.

"Data shows that although many exhibitors placed their best deals in prime positions near the entrance, a product's location did not seem to affect how many times it was scanned," said Bob Ives, ATA's director of member services and Real Deal coordinator. "The determiner seems to have been the actual ‘deal' itself. Shoppers placed more value on pricing and the "deal," and not so much on its location. This is valuable information to share with exhibitors for future Real Deals." After the show, exhibitors with products at The Real Deal also received a printout of all dealers who scanned their company's product. This allows for thorough dealer follow-up after the show and an opportunity to identify purchasing trends.

The Real Deal featured 81 products and they received more than 3,000 scans. Scans by day are as follows:

Thurs., January 8: 1,716 scans

Friday, January 9: 1,104 scans

Sat., January 10: 246 scans

A Few Words About Dealer Bucks

The Dealer Bucks drawings, which offered certificates for retailers to spend at the Trade Show, enjoyed the support of 30 exhibitor companies that donated over $23,000. Top winners included:

Tom Colvin of Archer's Spot & Pro Shop in Bloomfiled, Indiana: $500 from Horton Manufacturing

Chris Boucher of Critter's Wolf River Sports in Winneconne, Wis.: $250 from The Bohning Co.

Ron Hale of Hale's Hardware in Dowagiac, Mich.: $250 from Primos Hunting Calls
Tommy Downey of 4-D Archery in Bethlehem, Kentucky: $250 from Spot-Hogg

4. Attendees Prove Studious As Seminars Drew Crowds

The 2009 ATA Trade Show also enjoyed its largest attendance ever for its increasingly popular seminar series. In addition to daily seminars each morning, this year's schedule included a full slate of presentations at noon Saturday for the first time. Attendance for the daily seminars was a record 1,100, up nearly 16 percent from the previous-record 951 who attended the 2008 seminars. U.S. Olympics Coach Kisik Lee attracted the largest crowd, 87, to his seminar Friday afternoon.

"We tried our best to give archery dealers more than one crack at the most popular seminars this year, and they obviously took advantage of it," said Bob Ives, the ATA's director of member services. "It's clear they want to provide quality customer service in their stores, and learn efficient ways to improve their bottom lines. During the next few months we'll review the seminars, study our attendee evaluations, and seek ways to make our seminars even more beneficial in 2010.

ATA Board Chair Peter Crawford said the seminars are one of many important factors that make the ATA Trade Show a huge attraction. By combining business and entertainment through seminars, The Real Deal, Dealer Bucks drawings, Featured Products, the Great ATA Giveaway, and musical entertainment by Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton, the Trade Show is a can't-miss event for thousands in the archery and bowhunting industry.
"Its success will always rely on the many things we've done to make the ATA Show a celebration of archery," Crawford said. "It helps generate more business for everyone. It's good business for dealers and manufacturers, and it allows everyone to have a good time each evening after the show."

5. Outtech Gears Up with a Gal Named Miranda

More than 2,100 archery early-birds packed the "Outtech Innovations XI" party Wednesday night, Jan. 7, for their first look at the new year's most innovative gear. In addition to the gear preview, guests also helped singer/songwriter Miranda Lambert kick off the 2009 ATA Trade Show at the Indiana Convention Center.

The Outtech event - now in its 11th year - has come far since its inaugural event in 1999, which featured a modest crowd and about 40 individual products.

"This started as a home-theater approach and now draws world-famous entertainers like Miranda Lambert, Craig Morgan and Jeff Foxworthy," Outtech President Jay Scholes said. "It creates so much buzz and excitement that dealers leave here and run to the booths in the morning to take advantage of the specials. All together, we're showcasing somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000 products for our clients."

Scholes said the party allows Outtech and its partners at Media Direct to work collectively with the ATA to make the annual Trade Show a success. "It helps the ATA because a lot of dealers maybe wouldn't arrive the night before the show if they didn't have this to look forward to," he said.

Bear in mind, comprehensive post-show coverage will be highlighted in upcoming issues of Inside Archery and Archery Business. If you have questions about the '09 show or would like information on the 2010 show, visit http://www.archerytrade.org/tradeshow10/index.html, or contact Cindy Brophy at 866-266-2776, x 205, or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Membership letters, Booth Selection Warrant Action

The ATA will mail membership renewal letters to all members March 1. Membership categories have been updated for 2009. More information about the changes will follow, first in a news release set for February distribution and then in a letter scheduled to mail March 1. For more information about membership renewal, contact Laura Shields at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or by phone at (866) 266-2776, ext. 201
Meanwhile, the ATA's trade show team is prepping for exhibitor booth selection. Booth selection begins in early March. Watch for mailed information as well as updates on the ATA's Web site at archerytrade.org. For more information, contact Cindy Brophy at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or by phone at (866) 266-2776, ext. 205.

Archery-Related Job Available in Michigan

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is leading a job search for a shooting range manager. The manager will oversee the Demmer Shooting Sports, Education and Training Center, now under construction on the Michigan State University campus. The job posting's closing date is Feb. 15.

Salary is negotiable. The manager will oversee financial, technical, personnel and operational functions. The manger will also develop and implement operational policies and procedures, create a marketing plan for the center and manage other staff, including a Firearms Director and Archery Director. For a detailed list of requirements and qualifications, please download the position information or click here to apply.

Michigan Shooting Sports Facility

The $3.5 million Demmer Shooting Sports, Education and Training Center is under construction on the Michigan State University campus.
The $3.5 million facility will include a 30-meter, 12-lane indoor archery range and a 15-meter, 16-lane indoor firearms range, which can also be used for archery. The project also includes the first outdoor archery park in Michigan.

The Michigan DNR partnered with MSU in 2006 to develop the center, with a large contribution provided by the Demmer family. Archery became a viable part of the facility through contributions from the ATA and Easton Sports Development Foundation. In 2008, the ATA provided its first $100,000 installment toward its $500,000 pledge to support the center and its outdoor Humphries Archery Park. The ATA recently contributed another $100,000 installment for 2009.

Michigan currently has 315 schools participating in the National Archery in the Schools (NASP) program, reaching an estimated 60,000 students. At least 20 schools have joined NASP in the Lansing area, and at least four communities near the facility offered archery recreation programs last summer. ATA provided $50,000 to infuse archery into schools and recreation programs in the area. As a strong supporter of the state's archery programs, the ATA also provided $80,000 the past three years to the Michigan DNR to help fund archery or shooting sports coordinators. Their task is to create archery programs and opportunities across the state.

For more information about Michigan's job opening, contact Mary Emmons, Michigan DNR's archery coordinator, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (517) 241-9477. For more information about Michigan's archery programs, contact Michelle Doerr, ATA's director of archery and bowhunting programs, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or (866) 266-2776, option 5.

Michigan, Arizona Step It Up

ATA members from Michigan and Arizona turned out big during the 2009 ATA Trade Show in Indianapolis for meetings designed to put folks from the archery and bowhunting industry into the same room with their state's wildlife agency. With 40-plus attendees from Michigan and nearly 15 attendees from Arizona, each meeting set a precedent for aligning the two fronts in other states.

"This is a new arena we're trying out," said Mitch King, ATA Director of Government Relations. "It's giving way to good, productive conversations between ATA members and their state wildlife agencies."

The dialogue centered around community archery programs and other opportunities to make archery and bowhunting more available. The goal is to boost participation and increase purchases of archery and bowhunting products.

Mary Emmons, archery coordinator for Michigan's Department of Natural Resources, represented the agency at Michigan's meeting; while Denise Raum, archery coordinator for the Arizona Game and Fish Department, attended the Arizona meeting.