Global Sporting Expo, Not Too Big Or Brassy

If you think the traditional hunting conventions have gotten too big and perhaps a bit too brassy, you'll want to know about a new outdoor sports show. It's called the Global Sporting Expo, and it is scheduled to take place at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, January 20-22, 2005. What makes this show different? Global Sporting Expo President Sandra Encinas says her event is designed to appeal to the most discriminating, high-end sportsmen in the world. Only companies offering very high quality products and services will be allowed to exhibit. "We're looking for the best of the best," she says. In fact, Expo exhibitors must undergo a juried review to be on the show floor. They also must submit references and be a member of a professional organization, such as PHASA or some other association that holds members to the highest of standards. Encinas, who served as Assistant Convention Director at Safari Club International for many years, says the Expo's show floor will have a "boutique" feel to it, with only 350 booths. And because of her selection process, she says the exhibitors will be quite diverse, with no one segment being over-represented. Encinas says this approach is good for everyone, since it allows for a more intimate event where attendees can find who and what they want more easily, and exhibitors get the attention their products and services deserve. It also eliminates low-end operators and "fly-by-nighters." The show is geared to the "sporting life," so it will include exhibits related to big game hunting, fishing and the shooting sports, as well as other aspects of outdoor sportsmanship. There will be pavilions featuring the latest technologies in these fields, a gallery of fine art and celebrity signings and sightings. In addition to the carefully selected business exhibitors, Encinas says she has invited all the conservation organizations (such as FNAWS) and has worked out a number of cross-marketing efforts designed to raise funds for those groups, including various raffles and live and silent auctions where a percentage of the proceeds will go to the conservation group........(continued)