AFFTA "Best Booth Awards"

The Best Booth awards are designed to acknowledge creative booth design and trade show marketing excellence. The key elements are: overall attractiveness, creativity, product display, company identification, and booth personnel.

Categories: 300 sq ft and smaller & 400 sq ft and larger Exhibitor's Booths will be judged on: Originality, Design (Effective use of materials, Use of space, Color, Textures, Lighting and Graphics), Flow, Product Presentation, Promotion (Creativity, Merchandising/Props and Interactive), Signage (Visible, Clear and effective corporate identity), Customer Service (On-site staff - knowledgeable, helpful, accessible, and information and resources provided) and unique features that contributed to the overall experience.

Winning Booths receive a 10' x 10' booth and 4 hotel room nights for FlyFishing Retailer 2008. Winning booths will also each receive an impromptu Happy Hour at the show, to celebrate with retailers and media. Listen for the winning booth announcement on the afternoon of Day 2.

Winners will be chosen by a combination of attendees (non-exhibiting) and the "Secret Shop's" score card. Ballots will be distributed at the Industry Breakfast and available at the AFFTA Booth during the show. All ballots must be returned to the AFFTA booth no later than 11:00 a.m. on Monday, September 17.

Win a New Set of Wheels at FlyFishing Retailer
1938 BMW K71 Sponsored by William Joseph

AFFTA Saltwater FlyFishing Trip Give Away!
Sponsored by Frontiers International Travel 
 
At this year's FFR, AFFTA has teamed up with Frontiers International Travel to offer two (2) saltwater fly fishing trips for two (2) to Boca Paila, Mexico. Wake up early on Sunday and attend AFFTA's industry breakfast. For simply rubbing the sleep from your eyes and filling up on a hearty breakfast you could find yourself being whisked away to Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Can't get moving by 7:00 a.m.? Don't worry, by attending AFFTA's free educational seminars you earn additional chances to win.

Species variety is the attribute that best defines the saltwater flats fishing on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Boca Paila Lodge embodies this diversity perhaps better than any other lodge in the region. They have been catering to Frontiers' clients for over 30 years. Many anglers have returned time after time for its warm ambience and prolific bonefish and permit. Family owned and operated, Boca Paila is blessed with an idyllic tropical location. The lodge complex sits on a narrow stretch of land, with the Caribbean surf less than 50 yards to the east, and the expansive flats and lagoons 100 yards to the west. A quintessential white sand beach unfolds for a mile north and south, where guests can walk and never see another tourist - let alone another hotel. As the lodge is in the middle of Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, there are no high-rise hotels within ten miles of this site. 7 nights, 6 days for two, Retail Value $7000.

*Air fare not included. Regular terms and conditions apply. Trip must be taken within one year of winning. *The winner of the first trip for two to Boca Paila will be announced at the AFFTA Industry Breakfast on September 16th. Winner must be in attendance. *The winner of the second trip for two to Boca Paila will be drawn from a list of show seminar attendees and announced at 2:00 p.m. on September 18th.

Cash For An Education
Sponsored by, AFFTA

This year at FlyFishing Retailer you could be paid cash to get an education. That's right! During each AFFTA seminar you will have two (2) chances to win $100 cash. With a focus on helping you grow and improve your business, AFFTA's Free Seminars already provide incentive enough to attend. But if learning how to improve your business is not enough to draw you away from the excitement of show floor we hope that the chance to win cold cash will as you must be in attendance to win! Seminar attendees also have the chance to win a Frontiers International fly fishing trip. See above for details.

For a full listing of show seminars and events including schedules please follow this link to the FlyFishing Retailer website.

2nd Annual Drake Magazine Fly Fishing Video Awards

The Oxford Hotel will be the place to be on Sunday evening, September 16th, as the second annual Drake Magazine Flyfishing video awards comes to Flyfishing Retailer. After the overwhelming response from last year's party, this is a must-see event at the show. The awards party, presented by Cloudveil, begins at 8:30 p.m., right after the industry party, 2 blocks away at the Wynkoop.

The Idea: Surfing, skiing, snowboarding, skateboarding, kayaking‹for several years, all of these sports have had video elements and video awards shows that go far beyond the instructional elements to help showcase and celebrate the fun, creative side of sport. That's what this event is about. Plus, it seemed like a good idea for a party.

Just like last year, there will be 10 to 12 five-minute films shown, with awards for best humor, best fishing, best story, and best overall film. Unlike last year, there is a $1,000 prize for the best movie. With food from McCormicks and beer from New Belgium, you won't want to miss this event. For more info: www.drakemag.com.

Special Events and AFFTA Fly Shop University Seminars

Simms/The Drake Photo Gallery
Sponsored by Simms and The Drake Magazine

Simms Fishing Products and The Drake Magazine are proud to present the Fly Fishing Photo Gallery showcasing the finest photographers in the field. The Simms/Drake Magazine Fly Fishing Photo Gallery will display 16 to 24 of the premier fly fishing photos from the past several years at the top of the escalator at the entrance to the Denver Convention Center during FlyFishing Retailer 2007. The photos will be auctioned off throughout the course of the show via a silent auction whereby individuals and/or companies can make bids for the prints. All proceeds will be donated to a worthy fish-related conservation organization. Any photos not auctioned off during FlyFishing Retailer will be donated to conservation organizations to help support their fundraising efforts.                                                   Photo Credit: Val Atkinson



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Increasing Sales Through "Spey"
By Simon Gawesworth

In today's business environment the successful retailer must stay one step ahead of their competition. One way to do this is to embrace the latest in fly fishing and casting techniques. Not only embrace them, but be knowledgeable about the techniques, nuances and tackle, and nowhere is this more obvious than with the Spey world. Spey casting is here and here to stay. From the outside it may look like a fringe side to fly fishing, something that is only applicable to fly fishers heading to destinations for salmon and west coast steelhead and therefore "small fry." However, from the within the Spey world there is so much more and the potential in sales for any fly shop should not be overlooked. In fact, there isn’t a fly shop in the country that could not be selling some kind of "Spey" tackle and increasing sales in these difficult times.

Spey casting originated in Scotland in the mid 1880's on the big Atlantic salmon rivers that flow there. Spey casting is a form of fly casting that has little or no back cast, so is ideal for any such situation an angler finds themselves in. Loosely based on a roll cast, but with far more distance and change of direction potential, the Spey casts are a thing of beauty - poetry or ballet with a fly rod, tough to master, but very rewarding once a degree of ability is achieved. Not only are the Spey casts a useful way of casting with obstructions behind; but there is nothing more efficient at changing direction, nothing more rewarding and satisfying as a way of casting and nothing so effortless at getting great distance.

Initially, Spey casting interest in North America developed on the West Coast of the US and Canada as the waters and fish in these river systems were perfect for the Spey style; Sink tips and big flies and "swinging" techniques with mending ability are all part of catching in these rivers and the longer Spey rods have proven themselves unbeatable time and time again. However, not every fly shop is going to be selling tackle to anglers heading out to the West Coast, so where does this leave the average fly shop in the scheme of all things Spey?

The longer Spey rods are perfect for easy distance with the overhead cast. This is a huge bonus for fly fishers fishing the surf. A 13' rod for a #8 line is a marvelous tool for the striper or redfish fly fisher, giving a regular fly caster the chance of adding 30' to 40' to a cast – now that is interesting! Surf perch more likely, or sea run cutthroats in Puget Sound? Take something a little smaller, something about 12' 6" long for a #6 line – great sport and still far longer casts than with a regular single handed rod. This isn’t exactly Spey casting, but it is utilizing Spey gear, getting more sales and helping the customer get more fish.

One thing you'll need to remember; Spey is quite different from single handed. A #8 Spey rod is not going to get anywhere near close to being loaded with a regular WF8 line. You need a line around 450 grains to load a rod like this. Add that on to the rod sale, plus a reel for the bigger line, maybe a book on Spey casting techniques, or a DVD - and the sales mount up. Spey casting techniques or these longer rods are not really effective when sight fishing, so you'd be forgiven for not carrying anything "Spey" in the Keys or Homosassa. Having said that, the last trip to the Keys I was wade fishing a flat near Marathon and throwing out small Clousers blind-fishing with a 13' two-handed rod because of the overcast conditions. Okay, maybe you do need to carry one or two... just in case...

Not in a saltwater environment? Trout fishing or bass fishing more your market? Never fear! The latest development in the Spey world is a "Switch" rod. Light enough to use one handed, but long enough (around 11') and with a two-handed grip to Spey cast with these rods are an excellent way of covering the water. For swinging soft hackles, fishing streamers and for nymphing across current, these rods are incredible and devastatingly effective. True, they are less effective for the dry fly fisher, but nobody can dry fly fish all day every day and it is worth having these options available in the store. Is it time for all fly shops to embrace the Spey world? Well, it is not going to go away and as interest grows and tackle diversifies to keep up with this growth I would have to say "Yes, it is."

Want to know more about Spey or Spey gear? There are numerous sources: Websites like www.rioproducts.com, www.speypages.com, www.speyborn.com and www.speycast.co.uk are great places to start. Check out "Spey Casting" by Simon Gawesworth (published by Stackpole Books) or "Two Handed Fly Casting" by Al Buhr for the written word, or "Modern Spey Casting" (RIO Products), "Art of Spey Casting" (Miracle Productions) or "Spey to Z" (Scientific Anglers) for the more visual format of DVD.