Huntex 2022

[Dementorium]

I have not made up my mind yet, but think that I will not be attending - think most stores have their own specials and will rather support them. Last time there were not really any worth while specials or discounts, lots of previous regulars withdrew. Lots and lots of people just walking and walking and walking. Looking at what they want to charge for floorspace... Can't see that too many things I'm interested in is going to be there. Hope my local shops have their own specials instead.

[Davidc]

It’s not just about going there to spend money. It’s about seeing what is out there. Meeting up with old friends and making new ones and about showing support for something most of us are passionate about.

Next year when there is no Huntex due to lack of interest someone will post here on GS that there is nothing gun or outdoor related happening and what a shithole SA is.


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[MohamedD]

I will be attending, nice outing for the kids, enjoy walking around and checking stuff out. Sometimes get lucky with ammo specials.

[Antlion]

It’s not just about going there to spend money. It’s about seeing what is out there. Meeting up with old friends and making new ones and about showing support for something most of us are passionate about. Next year when there is no Huntex due to lack of interest someone will post here on GS that there is nothing gun or outdoor related happening and what a shithole SA is.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Absolutely. Theres people I bump into once a year, have a good chat, and that's at Huntex. And it's good seeing outdoor, archery, hunting, SD related stuff in one place. From a retailer point of view,I understand why so many have opted out and rather run specials from the stores and online .

[oafpatroll]

My wife has been a supplier to the conference and expo industry for 20 years or so. She reckons that even before the lockdowns it was in decline Ito of exhibitor numbers locally. Having been on the exhibitor side of expos previously in the form of Decorex and similar I can see why. It's hellish expensive and resource consuming so if you don't see substantial benefit after a couple of years it becomes hard to justify.

[Steven001]

My wife has been a supplier to the conference and expo industry for 20 years or so. She reckons that even before the lockdowns it was in decline Ito of exhibitor numbers locally. Having been on the exhibitor side of expos previously in the form of Decorex and similar I can see why. It's hellish expensive and resource consuming so if you don't see substantial benefit after a couple of years it becomes hard to justify.

I wonder how much money Wildman, Safari Outdoor, Spartan Arms, or any of the big gun shops have to fork out for a huge stall at Huntex, and does the sales generated even come close to warranting it...

[Bundu Ric]

It is not just always about making money from the event to cover event costs.

It is part of marketing your store, products, services for down the line as well. What do you have that the next guy does not have or cant provide when you as a client are ready to buy or make use of that service.

Marketing on the day very rarely translates to revenue, it creates revenue over time once you have planted the seed for the need.

[oafpatroll]

It is not just always about making money from the event to cover event costs.

It is part of marketing your store, products, services for down the line as well. What do you have that the next guy does not have or cant provide when you as a client are ready to buy or make use of that service.

Marketing on the day very rarely translates to revenue, it creates revenue over time once you have planted the seed for the need.

Needing to cover costs is what drives the things to being like flea markets imo. When I was involved in doing expos we sold nothing from the stands so it was all about marketing. We very carefully tracked our sales sources over years (3 or 4) and came to the conclusion that magazine advertising was substantially more effective in the retail sector. The true trade shows were a different story but they were more about contact making for me. This was 20 years back so I doubt if the magazine part would be true but suspect that well run social media and a reasonably good website would outperform a show on a marketing budget rands spent basis now.