A Report From Sport Shows 2016

The 2016 Sport Show season has come to an end for the Red Lake Publicity Board and what a season it was! We attended a grand total of 4 shows this year, 3 of them being All Canada Shows in Minneapolis, Green Bay and Chicago and one mixed show in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The All Canada Shows had a special Red Lake feature where we had a huge booth for people to walk into and discover Red Lake.

Here is a report from Bill & Mary Lou Paryniuk who attended the All Canada Minneapolis Sport Show 2016:

After a hiatus of not having an “All Canada” sport show in Minneapolis, promoters decided to try this area again. The venue was held at the “Canterbury Downs” center which is at the south end of
Minneapolis in a less populated area.This was a four day show with shortened hours. The opening day saw what I would consider a modest turnout, but, increased as the week progressed.

Young & Older attended in great numbers. Here is Dar Wood`s great grandson

The major difference was that a good percentage of the show attendees were actually shopping for a fishing/hunting trip to N.W.Ontario. Being a representative for the Red Lake area and a representative for the members of the Red Lake Publicity Board we conversed with many prospective visitors as they felt we were impartial and would steer them in the right direction or, confirm, their choice of resort/outfitter.  To us, there were a more than normal amount of “”New”” bookings taken on the floor by varied resorts and in general, operators were quite pleased. These days, taking a “new” booking on the floor is rare.

The Prospectors tent, local memorabilia and artifacts were a big hit with people.This booth was a key attractant and provided a location where potential visitors could come and chat about their wants, misconceptions, opinions and expectations of what Red Lake had to offer. This proved to be invaluable environment where we could eliminate some misconceptions people had,

In conclusion, this was a very well run show and brought in a more than normal amount of vacationers who were actually shopping for a trip and some “did” book trips at the show. That was impressive. Great Show and Great Booth…..

Now for Richard & Sophie Castonguay`s report on the Eau Claire, Wisconsin show...

People in Eau Claire love Canada! So many people told us how much they love our country and can`t wait to get back to our lush natural environment! In addition to the general love of Canada, so many people stopped by our booth to chat about their experiences in Red Lake, Perrault Falls and Ear Falls. They spoke of hot summer days fishing on pristine and expansive lakes, shore lunches on untouched islands and the peace of hearing a loon`s chant as the sun sets on another gorgeous Canadian day. Some old timers told us tales of coming up to Red Lake before there was even Highway 105! There are some dedicated Red Lake and area fans in Eau Claire! We absolutely loved chatting with these people who were very interested in coming up to delight in our natural environment this summer..

The show itself was held at the Menard`s Convention Centre and was the perfect location for the show. It was a three day show and all three days saw lots of traffic although Saturday was definitely the busiest. As there were no other camp owners from Hwy 105 region with their own booth, it was so important that we were there to represent our camp owner members.  The show was very well marketed and as a result, people came from all around Eau Claire to attend the event. The weather was ideal and brought people out in droves. 

In conclusion, the show was quite successful due to the fact that we represented Red Lake in a community that otherwise would not have thought of coming to the Hwy 105 community although they were already hooked on the fact that Canada is an awesome area to vacation in. The people were very open to suggestions and we handed out many Adventure guides and individual pamphlets from our members. Eau Claire Wisconsin will definitely be a good area to return in the future due to the openness of the people and their love of our True North Strong & Free!

Finally, let me conclude with a word from one of the organizers of the All Canada Shows, Steve Cegielski....

It was great to have Red Lake tourism a part of the All-Canada Show 2016.  The Red Lake Historical display brought much attention to the Red Lake, Ontario tourism area at the All-Canada Show. Thousands of All-Canada Show guests toured the Red Lake Historical display.  Many artifacts from past generations of mining, fishing, and forestry sparked questions about the Red Lake area from the past to current tourism opportunities that exist today.  

All-Canada Show 2016 has seen a growing interest in Canadian Hunting and Fishing adventures from Americans.  Show guest numbers have been increasing over past 3 years, with 2016 being the best attended shows in over 10 years.   All-Canada Show strives to bring attention to the outdoor adventures Canada has to offer, by offering show features like the Red Lake Area Historical display in 2016.

Thanks for all the support at the 2016 All-Canada Show....looking forward to working with the Red Lake, Ont. area in 2017.