Paddlesports Retailer has show in its first year that it truly is the official trade show for paddlers, by paddlers. In the inaugural year, the show has already run out convention center space. Paddlers have been waiting a long time to not have to share shows with other outdoors people. So a move from the current home in Madison, Wisconsin is necessary.
Beginning in 2018, Paddlesports Retailer will be held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. “Oklahoma City gives us room to expand with a new 300,000 square foot convention center slated to open in 2020. But most importantly, Oklahoma City offers the country’s premier paddlesports venue which will be the centerpiece of our event,” says Show Manager Marcus Shoffner.
One of the many paddlesports training courses that Oklahoma City has to offer.
The Boathouse District in Oklahoma City is the official U.S. Olympic training site for paddlesports, which includes a world-championship caliber spring kayak and rowing course. Oklahoma City also built a 45-million dollar whitewater river and slalom course, as well as a high-performance training center for elite paddlesports athletes from around the world.
“We are thrilled to welcome Paddlesports Retailer to Oklahoma City,” says Sue Hollenbeck, Director of Sports Business at the Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Our community lives and breathes paddlesports and I think attendees will be blown away by what we have to offer.”
According to the press release, “Paddlesports Retailer will take place Tuesday, Aug. 28 – Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018 at Oklahoma City’s Cox Convention Center with the on-water demo on Monday, Aug. 27 at the Boathouse District. The demo will begin at 3:00 pm and run until 10:00 pm underneath the facility’s stadium lights. Show participants can canoe, kayak, raft and paddleboard down Class II-IV rapids while testing all the latest flatwater boats on the USOC sprint kayak course. The Boathouse is walking distance to the trendy Bricktown District, downtown, and the convention center and adjacent hotels.”
In addition to all of the great paddlesports-specific amenities, Oklahoma City is also a great location because it is in the central part of the U.S. It can be reached fairly easily from any corner of the continental U.S.
Madison, Wisconsin has been an excellent host for the inaugural Paddlesports Retailer. “We would like to thank Madison for being a gracious host to us this year,” says Shoffner. “Madison will always be an iconic paddlesports destination that we will all be visiting again soon.”
For more information and latest news regarding Paddlesports Retailer, visit www.paddlesportsretailer.com.
