For a lot of people, change is met with skepticism and resistance but for others, it’s an opportunity for improvement and advancement. Change is necessary to evolve because we all know what happens when you stand still—and the ATA is moving ahead with purpose.

Next week, we will announce how the ATA Show is transforming to meet the changing landscape of the archery industry and the way companies market and sell products. For years, the ATA Show has been the premiere event in the archery industry. When modern archery was still young and major product advancements seemed to be happening annually, the place they were announced was the ATA Show. Accordingly, the ATA Show had the attention of the industry and the energy to go with it.

As compound bows, crossbows and their accessories have matured and product advancements have become more incremental, the attention given to the ATA Show has waned. New product releases are still a big attraction, but not like they were 10 years ago. Additional strain on the Show has come from the lasting effects of COVID on product ordering, the shift by bow companies long ago to release new products in the fall and the impact the internet has had on sales channels.

The ATA Show must evolve to meet these challenges.

The first step is recognizing the shifting needs of our members and the industry. The second is to listen to our manufacturer and retailer members when they tell us what they want from the ATA Show. Lastly, we must institute changes that will address as many of these factors as possible—and that’s exactly what we have done.

Next week, ATA will announce what’s new and what’s next to better meet the current landscape of the archery industry. These changes won’t address every issue, but they will provide greater opportunities for success for our retailer and manufacturer members and restore the energy and excitement to what will be the biggest week in archery.

Stay tuned, we’re excited to share our big announcement next week.