Buyers wait to enter the AETA International Trade Fair, produced by Hopper Expositions, Inc. Photo © Christopher M. Pfeffer
The recent American Equestrian Trade Association (AETA) International Trade Fair held January 30-February 1 in Oaks, PA, was deemed a great success by the organization, buyers attending the show and exhibiting manufacturers. Continuing a trend of growth, the AETA International Trade Fair featured more than 70 new exhibitor companies and a record 907 buyers and 438 stores attending the show from across the United States, Canada, England, Ireland, South Korea and Brazil.
A sold-out exhibit floor featured 250 companies utilizing 607 booths, representing a diverse range of product lines ranging from performance riding apparel to equestrian lifestyle décor and everything from tack, supplies and trunks for the barn to horse-themed jewelry and sweet treats.
A new concept debuted at this show was “The Territory,” an area that featured Western-oriented manufacturers so that interested buyers could easily locate those exhibitors. AETA also offered a drawing for a Weber gas grill complete with cooking tools and a $200 gift certificate for Omaha Steaks to all buyers who completed a Territory “Passport” by obtaining a stamp from 15 manufacturers in that section. The winner was Carrie Grooms of The Tacky Horse in Beavercreek, OH.
Buyers entering the exhibit hall were greeted by a multitude of mannequins dressed by participating exhibitors for the Mannequin Fashion Pageant, with buyers voting for their favorite mannequins in both the Traditional and Non-Traditional Categories. This year’s winners were English Riding Supply in the Traditional category and WillieBakery in the Non-Traditional category. For the booth awards, an independent panel of judges selected the winners; Two Fair Mares, Phoenix Performance Products and Charles Owen took home the Best Stand awards for the Small, Medium and Large Exhibit Categories, respectively.
Another popular program at AETA International is the Survival Bags—which are filled with promotional offers and items generously donated by exhibiting companies—and handed out to the early buyers arriving each day at the trade fair. A full list of manufacturers who participated in the program is available on the AETA website.
Along with their Survival Bags, early buyers on Sunday and Monday had the opportunity to attend seminars with retail marketing professional Rick Segel, who presented “Seven Essentials of Successful Retailing” and “The Essential Online Solution,” respectively. At the end of Monday’s seminar, Segel critiqued a number of websites submitted by participants, which was very well received.
Generating much excitement again this year were the AETA raffle prizes for buyers, which included a 42” Vizio LCD HD-TV, a Lenovo netbook computer, a Kindle and a digital camera. Raffle tickets were provided by AETA member manufacturers to buyers when placing an order. AETA member retailers were able to increase their chances of winning by receiving double raffle tickets before placing them in the raffle bin. Exhibitors were also eligible to enter a drawing for a 42” Vizio LCD HD-TV and a Lenovo netbook computer.
AETA hosted a General Meeting on January 30, following the close of the trade fair, to introduce the 2010 board members and discuss future plans for the organization. AETA President Don Warren led the discussion and took questions and comments from the audience. The organization also recognized Chesapeake Therapeutic Riding for their support leading up to the trade show with a donation for $2,000.
The next AETA International Trade Fair will be held August 14-16 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA. For more information or to see photos from the recent trade fair, please visit www.aeta.us and www.hopperexpos.com.
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