Many exhibitors at the ATA Show in St. Louis, Jan. 11-13, had exceptional sales and productive interactions with dealers and other industry members. ATA members left the Show satisfied with their business outcome and the industry forecast for the year ahead.
“We measure the success of the Show in order volume and order value,” said Brian Bychowski, president of Pine Ridge Archery and Du-Bro Products. “This year was one of our top years, and it was way better than last year. The Show opened at 8:30 a.m., and I couldn’t even go to the bathroom until after 1:30 p.m. because I had dealers in my booth constantly talking, writing orders and getting a pitch.”
Pine Ridge launched the Kwik Stand Tripod Mount at the Show and gave away a free product through a Goody Bag promotion. Bychowski said those offerings contributed to the majority of attention and traffic they received and that the company doubled the number of orders they received compared to last year’s Show.
“We got a good return overall,” he said. “The ATA Show also always seems to be a good barometer for how the year’s business will go. You can only get so much from an e-newsletter or spreadsheet but by being face to face with reps, dealers, distributors and other manufacturers, you can have candid conversations and get honest feedback. You can also see how other companies are doing and gauge the industry. You have to experience that to trust it.”
Bychowski hopes the positive Show outcomes for many companies help regenerate interest in future ATA Shows.
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“We went (to the Show) with a very reserved idea on what was going to happen,” said Steve Greenwood, sporting goods division director for Victory Archery. “We were up 229% in order writing compared to 2019 and 2020. Our booth was packed from start to finish. That’s why we come to the Show. We’re beyond pleasantly surprised by the turnout.”
Because of company commitments and time constraints, the Victory Archery team didn’t launch a new product, have a Big Buck Tags coupon or hold a Super Deal promotion in St. Louis. However, they did offer Show specials with big margins and pushed order completion on the Show floor.
Jayson Bentcik, national sales manager for Victory, said attending the Show is about making sales and increasing brand exposure. This year’s Show had a broader geographic dealer base and in his opinion, a more manageable Show floor which helped them achieve their goals.
“The ATA puts on a Show for us to show up and sell the product,” he said. “The foot traffic was there and we were aggressive in our approach to completing order writing onsite. People didn't feel rushed and the Show gave us quality one-on-one time with dealers. The more we can be in front of dealers, relay our brand messages, and answer questions or prove ourselves over our competition, the better off we’ll be.”
FeraDyne's order writing went back to pre-COVID levels at the 2024 ATA Show. Photo Credit: ATA
“For our brands, we really wanted to feature new products, get press and buzz from attending media and write orders, and we achieved all those goals at the 2024 ATA Show,” said Chris James, general manager of archery for FeraDyne Outdoors. “We wrote a substantial amount of orders compared to the previous Show — about three times more than last year — and were back to 2019 order-writing levels.”
James sensed a lot of optimism on the Show floor and said businesses seemed really healthy. He believes attending the Show in person is the only way to pick up on industry vibes and get genuine feedback from industry members.
“There’s no way to see the number of accounts and people you can see in three days without attending the ATA Show,” he said. “The ATA Show is the one time that all parts of the archery community have access to every level of an organization, including sales reps, product engineers, vice presidents and CEOs. If you want to get a pulse on what’s going on and collect feedback from so many levels, you must attend. ”
All three companies plan to attend the 2025 ATA Show in Indianapolis, Jan. 8-11, 2025, and you should, too. Mark your calendar, renew your ATA membership, and stay tuned for more information and post-Show coverage.
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