We reported in the last issue that Emerald Expositions, organizer of the summer and winter markets of the Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City, had invited suppliers of paddlesports and other water sports equipment to exhibit at a new Summer Expo of outdoor products that would be held in conjunction with Surf Expo, whose next edition is scheduled for Sept. 7-9, 2017 in Orlando, Florida. This is because suppliers of this kind of equipment did not agree to continue to show at the OR Summer Market when it will move its dates to June 11-14 in 2018. A watersports expert, Darren Bush, is now proposing to organize a new Paddlesports Retailer fair as of Sept. 12-14, 2017 in Madison, Wisconsin. The exhibition space has already been booked through 2020, and it will reportedly be half as cheap as the space at OR. Bush has been running a consumer-oriented show, Canoecopia, in Madison since 1994. The location is close to five lakes, making it easier to organize demos.

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