The American Fly Fishing Trade Association (AAFTA) said rates for standard inline booths at its inaugural International Fly Tackle Dealer Show to be held in Denver Sept. 9-11 will be 18% lower than those charged at the 2009 Fly Fishing Retailer show it is meant to replace.
AFFTA is offering its members a sliding discount of 2-6% off exhibition rates of $12.95/square foot for standard space and $14.95/square foot for premium booths on casting ponds or at the front entrance to the show. Open corners are an additional $100 each. To take advantage of the full 6% discount AAFTA members must pay 25% of booth space with a contract by March 31. Discounts decline thereafter and phase out completely May 14.
The trade association said it has added a feature at the show where smaller exhibitors can exhibit with a 4 ft. table and chair for $350.
AAFTAs board voted in mid-December to launch its own trade show after Nielsen Business Media announced it would merge its Fly Fishing Retailer Show into Outdoor Retailer Summer Market (ORSM) in Salt Lake City starting this summer. Nielsen said it could no longer sustain Fly Fishing Retailer as a stand-alone show, but AAFTAs board opted not to endorse either ORSM or other third- party shows and strike out on its own. Exhibition rates at ORSM, which already attracts a quarter of FFRs exhibitors, start at $24.40/sq foot. However, while ORSM has managed to remain steady or even grow in terms of square footage and exhibitors, the amount of space sold and number of exhibitors at FFR declined significantly from 2005 to 2009.
The number of buyers, stores and visitors at FFR also dropped in the low double-digit range in 2009.
