New US exhibitor hails ‘super positive’ European debut

By its own admission KastKing is in a hurry to establish itself in Europe.

And if its first ever appearance at the region’s tackle trade show is a reliable indication, it won’t be long before anglers are getting their hands on the US supplier’s award-winning rods and reels.

Eric Knickerbocker (pictured above right with colleague Rex Nelson), Business Director at KastKing Global, told Angling International: “Overall we felt EFTTEX was very good for us. As a new brand in the EU market, our main goal was to try and see as many wholesalers as possible in each respective territory. Armed with a list of meeting details, we can determine which companies are going to offer the best opportunity to represent our brand in their respective markets.”

Knickerbocker added that he was energised by the response from visitors to the KastKing booth. “It was super positive. As most wholesalers had heard about KastKing, but not seen our products, we were knocked out by their response.

“Initially visitors were slightly apprehensive, but once they touched and saw our technology they were completely blown away. Having the strongest, smartest, lightest and fastest fishing reels on the market certainly made a difference.

“Putting this technology in the hands of decision-makers gave them an air of confidence that KastKing is truly a market leader and pioneer in the industry.”

This was underlined when KastKing’s Kapstan Elite (above) was named best spinning reel in the New Product awards.

“To win was truly an honour and a huge achievement,” acknowledged Knickerbocker. “Winning reinforces that we are doing all the right things to develop unique products that bring a new level of quality and technology to the industry. It is a true testament to our team’s diligence, hard work and efforts in making products that anglers want to use.

“There really is no other testament to the company’s success. Our CEO, Tate Cui, was originally planning to attend the show with us until other priorities came up forcing him to stay back at the factory. Although disappointed to not have him with us, we were thrilled that we could bring the good news back to him after winning this award.”

One of KastKing’s most talked about products – the iReel2 smart reel – made a lasting impression on visitors. “The technology behind this reel drives home our commitment to having products that are truly ahead of the field,” added Knickerbocker.

“Having a reel that can provide an angler with many analytics such as casting distance and retrieve speed, but also one that you can digitally change and customise from your phone, certainly drives a clear message that KastKing is an industry leader.”

On its appearance at EFTTEX, Knickerbocker commented: “There is no doubt that the overall attendance is off from where it was ten years ago, but it is important to know that despite lower numbers, we were very happy with the results and the quality of the attendees. In fact, we were told by many people that we had one of the busiest stands at the entire show.

“It’s also relevant to note that EFTTEX has always been an appointment show. If exhibitors are not busy, then perhaps they didn’t do a thorough job in arranging meetings beforehand.

“By setting up meetings every hour, we stayed very busy and at times were even short staffed to handle the overflow of customer enquiries.

“We have already booked a stand at the next EFTTEX in Barcelona and are looking forward to evaluating our wholesale partners’ successes.”

T: +1 970 296 0454
eric@poseidon.com
www.kastking.com