The American Fly Fishing Trade Association (AFFTA) is holding its Confluence event in Boulder, Colorado, as we speak. If you were unable to make it, or perhaps more to the point if you were completely disinterested, I’m here to tell you that this has, so far, been the most substantive, purposeful and interesting interaction I have had with AFFTA in the past several years. (And for those of you who know my track record of not sugar-coating things when it comes to my coverage of the trade organization, that should raise an eyebrow.)
It should actually get you motivated to attend the next Confluence in Asheville, NC, October 21-22, 2025.
I know… $700 is a large registration fee, and it costs even more to fly yourself there, pay for the hotel, etc. Maybe you’re having flat sales… you’re worried about how tariffs will impact you… you’re trying to keep the lights on and deal with issues like manufacturers and other retailers selling online… you have a LOT going on.
But that’s exactly what the participants here are working on… together, I might add.
“The value for me as a retailer is instead of having to travel out to 20 vendors, I have a whole room full of them, right here, and they (including most of the major brands) are specifically there to talk to me,” said Josh Nugent, of Out Fly Fishing in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. “If we don’t show up (as retailers) how do we expect manufacturers to show up?”
Let’s face it, the trade show format, as we know it, is dead. I just came back from Charleston, South Carolina, where Pure Fishing had invited a number of media professionals to visit a showroom with booth displays they had set up in their own facility. We talked product, we had fun, we wined and dined, and in the end, Pure Fishing found that to be a more effective bang for the buck than exhibiting at a trade show. In fact, the world’s largest fishing company will not be exhibiting at ICAST this summer.
To its credit, AFFTA has pivoted to a more issue-centric, personal format with the scaled-down Confluence event, and I can tell you I’ve gotten more in one day than I had ever running around under fluorescent lites in a big convention center having 30-second chats with hundreds of people.
“I think contributing to the trade organization is a responsibility,” said Ted Upton, CEO of North Point Brands. “And if you’re not at the table, it’s difficult to being part of creating any growth and solutions.”
More to follow in our next update…
K. Deeter
