DonO wrote: >>I think also the politics is interfering with the fun, which in turn affects >>the trade. (This is also my take with the FFF at present- politics and $$.) >>Why they hold the show in Denver every year is a mystery to me, even if it does work out well to be within driving distance of me. They had it in SLC a few years ago, and I guess that didn't work out.<<
A partial clue is in the name, it's no longer the International Fly Tackle Dealer Show (the name when it was run by Fly Rod & Reel), but the Fly Fishing Retailer show. One year there were two shows, IFTDS in Denver, FFR in SLC. The big boys deserted the first for the second so the first closed. FFR was held in SLC for another year, but Denver is considered a better location, both physically and with respect to services. While Chicago might be the most central, Denver is closer to the ff destination market. They did hold one, maybe two, in the east (the first one was in PA I think), but they didn't draw. I have no real basis except gut feel, but I'd bet there are many more "fly shops" west of the "mid-west" than east (including Canada). "Fly shops" being the market, that explains the location. It also explains the problems. "Big box" retailers, catalogue, and on-line sales, take ever larger shares of the market, so the number of small retailers shrinks, and those that survive buy less. cheers, Paul http://www.galesendpress.com -- Paul Marriner Outdoor Writing & Photography. Owner: Gale's End Press. Member: OWAA & OWC. Author of: A Compendium of Canadian Fly Patterns (co-author), Stillwater Fly Fishing: Tools & Tactics, How to Choose & Use Fly-tying Thread, Modern Atlantic Salmon Flies, Miramichi River Journal, Ausable River Journal, and Atlantic Salmon.
