AFFTA reveals what new trade gathering will look like

The American Fly Fishing Trade Association (AFFTA) has released further details about its new-look trade gathering, announced last year on this website.

The association has made additions to its traditional trade show (IFTD) to create the Confluence, which it describes as ‘a must-attend event for every member of the association and the industry’.

“AFFTA’s trade show has always been a place for doing business,” said AFFTA Show Director Kenneth Andres. “We recognise that in order to continue providing value, the show must evolve to accommodate the current ways of conducting business.”

New elements of the Confluence, which takes place in Salt Lake City from September 26th to 28th, include:

• Taking the show outside on the last day for competitions, demo opportunities, food and live music;
• The addition of an Artist’s Alley;
• A much larger focus on conservation through the AFFTA Fisheries Fund;
• Condensed trade show hours to allow manufacturers to participate in round-table discussions;
• The presence of AFFTA’s Member Benefit Partners to help attendees save money and make better business decisions;
• AFFTA’s Strategic Partners will be available to network and demonstrate the connectivity among those with a similar ideology;
• An exclusive first look at TrackFly’s Market Trends Report with individual dealer and guide education tracks;
• The opportunity for industry-wide conversations around the issues facing the fly fishing industry.

“AFFTA works all year long to provide many different tracks of value to its members,” said Lucas Bissett, Executive Director of AFFTA. “Now all of those tracks are coming together in one place at the Confluence.

“We want attendees to walk into the Salt Palace (main picture) and not just see a trade show but the full scope of what our trade association has to offer to this industry. Most importantly, we want them to have the ability to capitalise on the tools we will now have at the show.

“By including access to all of AFFTA’s benefits in one place, our members can now leave Salt Lake City more educated, better prepared and ready to take full advantage of the member programmes we provide. We are excited to add our own party to the line up of happy hour events because we know there needs to be a balance of work and play.”