According to the 2024 ATA post-Show survey, exhibitors ranked the top two objectives for attending the Show as meeting with customers face-to-face and developing new accounts, leads or business contacts.
Fortunately, 91.5% of exhibitors were satisfied with the quality of retailers and buyers at the Show, and 84% were satisfied with the quantity of retailers and buyers at the Show.
Paul Clark, sales and marketing manager for Quality Archery Designs, said there are many reasons for companies to attend the ATA Show and recognized it as the best platform to create and maintain business relationships.
“The ATA Show is a great opportunity for us to see our customers face-to-face, give them some great deals and do some fun giveaways,” he said. “Our employees also get exposure to the wider archery industry, and we find that doing the Show is a great team-building experience as well.
QAD is a strong advocate for the benefits of the ATA Show and have exhibited for over two decades. Photo Credit: ATA
“The ATA Show brings together more industry professionals and dealers than any other single event that I am aware of,” Clark said. “We try to take advantage of the networking opportunities that the Show presents. Everything from conversations in the coffee shop before the Show to planned dinners afterward — these are valuable connections that are made at the ATA Show. It is the kind of relationship building that you don’t get over a Zoom call.”
QAD has exhibited at the ATA Show for over 20 years. Clark attended the last three Shows and said the 2024 event was the best Show he’s been a part of.
Nate Hicks and Devin Bole co-own Painted Arrow and exhibited at the 2024 ATA Show for their brand’s second year. They had a positive experience and enjoyed networking and working with media to spotlight their brand and products.
“I’d say the goal of any business is to make money, so our priority (at the Show) is sales dollars, but in our Show experience so far, I wouldn’t say that’s the biggest takeaway for us,” Bole said. “It’s more about the exposure to dealers and media and being seen among our peers as a company. The connections we can make and the content we can produce because of the Show are helpful and beneficial.”
Painted Arrow grew tremendously over the past year and continues to trend among dealers and consumers. The team estimated a 35% growth in order writing from last year’s ATA Show and was impressed by their ability to establish strong, long-lasting connections at the Show while gaining new accounts in the states and overseas.
The ATA Show offers brands the opportunity to be featured in the media. Photo Credit: ATA
“We’re a smaller, newer company, but any time we can get in front of dealers and media folks, it’s a no-brainer for us,” Hicks said. “People coming around with a camera and sticking it in our face to put something on social media is great exposure. We try to get on people’s podcasts, pages and products reviews as much as possible. Some (brands) see it as social media and write it off, but we see it as a viable part of our business.”
Because the ATA Show attracts over 450 exhibitors and nearly 700 retailer accounts each year, many exhibitors know the Show can help their business flourish, especially if they put forth enough effort.
“The Show is what you make it; we went bigger, doubled our booth size, invested in a new backdrop and tablecloths, and did a lot of prepping like connecting with folks we wanted to meet and scheduling meetings,” Hicks said. “We planned for a bigger experience this year, and it was for us. I enjoy the Show in general. It’s worth it.”
Both companies launched a new product at the Show and deployed other strategies to attract dealers to their booths. QAD found its dealers eager to place orders and take advantage of Show specials. Clark believes QAD’s 30-year reputation for excellence contributes to dealer loyalty and is responsible for great booth traffic at the ATA Show.
“Dealers make it a point to seek us out at the Show and return again and again over the three days,” Clark said. “Because of the trust they place in us, we want to make sure it is a good Show for them. We work hard to be welcoming and service-oriented. We want them to feel appreciated and know we don’t take their business for granted. I think that comes through in the way we run the booths and structure our promotions.”
QAD and Painted Arrow are excited to exhibit at the 2025 ATA Show in Indianapolis at the Indiana Convention Center, Jan. 8-10.
Booth selection for the 2025 ATA Show opens in May. If you have questions or are interested in exhibiting at the upcoming Show, please contact Beth Berkheimer, ATA’s Trade Show director, at bethberkheimer@archerytrade.org or Eric Dobberfuhl, ATA’s sales manager, at ericdobberfuhl@archerytrade.org.
WE ARE HERE TO HELP THE INDUSTRY, TO HELP INDIVIDUAL BUSINESSES GET THE MOST OUT OF THE INDUSTRY, AND TO HELP YOU.
