Overland Expo -- SEMA in a field?

kmacafee

Adventurist
At Dave's suggestion, I am starting this new thread to get feedback from those of you who attended Overland Expo West.

I was unable to attend this year but had several friends who did, all of whom have attended for many years. They all say that given how big the event has become, they will no longer attend. They complained about the crowds, camping venues that were choked with vehicles and people, and a vendor experience that tended toward the ridiculous. One suggested that it looked like SEMA in a field -- vehicles and gear that clearly many could not afford that was impractical for anything but mall crawling.

I have looked at many of the pictures posted by them and others and I did see a number of well respected vendors selling field proven gear. But, many of the vehicles I saw had to easily be 6 figure builds, and apparently there were several that exceeded 7 figures.

So, has this event gotten too big for its own good? Is it time to take it to Vegas and create a whole new show that reflects the reality of what "Overlanding" has become?

I'm not trying to create any controversy -- just interested in hearing what those of you who attended think.

Cheers
 
I've attended the Expo the last 4 years in a row and agree it's growing almost exponentially. I THINK IT'S FANTASTIC! There is truly no other "overlanding" (damn I hate that phrase) venue where you can actually taste, touch and smell the products while reviewing the variety of options available side by side. From publications that centralize their content to our outdoor adventures, to displays of the newest as well as the tried and tested training and equipment, built out vehicles and gear, all the way to the spices used in some fine outdoor cuisine. It's all available for review at the Expo.

If you are expecting time for an intimate one-on-one encounter with the vendors to discuss your particular build or outdoor needs, you will be disappointed at OVX. I would recommend you get their business card, catalog or line card and arrange some time to visit their shop or a local-to-you distributor/outfitter. Camping in a secluded setting is not be had on the Expo grounds, expect more of a commune atmosphere filled with fanatics obsessed with everything offroad/offgrid/offtrail. But also remember to act surprised when a stranger offers his compressor to help with your flat tire, or when the 30 something girl you don't know comes by your campsite to offer you and your wife a refill from her pitcher of something that contains ALOT of alcohol and then stays to help you sort out that damned electrical short that popped up while you drove through Seligman up the I-40. If you want a quieter camp site then you can do what my wife and I did last year and snag a campsite at Whitehorse Lake and drive in. Did the parking and check in this year need some attention? Sure did, but everyone got in that exercised a bit of patience.

If you are hoping for the opportunity to review tons of gear and options, get inspiration for your next modification by seeing what others have done, learn how to operate your MOJO like a seasoned pro, meet people as obsessed as you are or just stand back and ask yourself "Where to begin?" then there is no venue that compares to the Expo. The Expo is kinda like Yosemite. If you only came for one day, then you didn't give yourself enough time to see it and enjoy it. Expo is definitely a weekend event.

SEMA in a field. Uh- No. Expo is friendly to the large players like Warn, Baja Designs and AEV while still being open to up and comers that are testing the waters with their new designs or ideas that started as a "You know what would be cool...". Think about Trasharoo, MOJO griddles, GFC and Turtleback if you don't believe access to this type of venue is important to folks starting a company. Is it perfect? - No. Can it improve? - Of course. I've been to SEMA and personally think it sucks. Does OVX need to happen more than twice a year? I sure hope so and can wish for it to happen in Bishop or Ridgecrest (gateway to the Eastern Sierras, Trona and some of the finest "overlanding" real estate to be found - hint/hint).

To improve or just put on an event like this takes work. Real, consumes your time, makes you cuss, makes you sore type of work. And from a 50 year old guy with a 13 year old GMC 1500. Thank you for one hell of an annual event.
 
I haven't been to Epxo in a few years, but the last time I was it was HUGE. That being said there are smaller regional ones that are more like Expo use to be in the begining.

http://www.nwoverlandrally.com/

http://www.bcoverlandrally.com/

Yes you get more than a few seconds with the big venders. There are trail rides, kayaking events, wine tasting, morning yoga, mountain bike rides, along with all the traditional clinics you would expect with a event like this.

Its overlanding, get out there and do it!
 
Apryl and I will probably never attend one again. If we do, it will be like we did last year, a 3 to 4 hour stop to see friends before we continue on our way to where we were headed. You couldn't walk 50 feet without tripping over the tongue of yet another trailer company or the wiring harness of one of the 45 companies with their name laser engraved on the same chinese LED lights.

I always tell people that haven't been to go once, experience it for themselves, once will either be enough, or it will be your thing. YMMV as with all things, but for us, having gone 4-5 times, it's jumped the shark.
 
Went last year to East for the first time after missing a few due to weather. I also volunteered which put me in touch with folks I otherwise probably wouldnt have met. They have outgrown the venue multiple times now but West is reported to be larger so I don't have a direct comparison.

I think it is great for its intent. Some classes, some vendors, some socializing. Big enough to attract serious industry types but still accessible for startups. It is an industry trade show that caters to the end user depending on how much they want to commit. Drive a LR Defender 100 around an obstacle course or chat with an entrepreneur that thought up an idea around a campfire and is trying to make a living. Pretty nice concept.

Expo is right in the name, so it shouldn't be confused for something like one of the AA Rendezvous events or one of the many trail rides or club events around the country. I just went to the Great Smokey Mountain Trail Ride last week and there is no comparison. Different animals.

OEX is an awesome popup mall with great kids' rides and bad parking. For better or worse. It keeps growing and that may be a double edged sword between promoting this hobby/lifestyle and burning out a good thing.
 
Some of you may have noticed that Kris and I didn't attend or exhibit at the Expo this year. I used the excuse of my Mother's recent passing to cancel my plans to attend, but the truth is, I really didn't want to go.

Kris and I attended/exhibited at the previous four Expos The first three, at Mormon Lake were awesome! All the vendors camped right behind their booths and at the end of the day when the attendees were gone, we would all wonder around and hang out with each other and drink whisky. We were all in it together. Most of us were hard-scrabble entrepreneurs and salt of the earth who were growing their companies organically through hard work. Who can forget the trials and tribulations of my friend Kris trying to get some sleep during the Sno-expo?

Everything changed when Expo moved to the Fairgrounds. The vendors no longer camped together and the big corporations moved in. It seemed like most of the public who came to that show were tourists from Phoenix who had nothing else to do that weekend. It seemed like any socializing had to include hot chicks, keg beer and catered food. I'm guessing that this year's show was a whole lot more of this trend. My sales at the Fairgrounds were half of what they were the previous year at Mormon Lake but I sold way more product on-line this year while the expo was taking place. Hmmm...

The notion that if you want to "go camping", the first thing you need to do is shell out at least $100,000, really bothers me. Apparently, camping now means that if you don't have all the comforts of home where ever you are, it is not possible to enjoy it.

Yes, I am old school. I don't give a crap who has the latest ICON gas canisters in their suspension. I drive a 15 year old F-150 4x4 with no mods that is reliable and never fails to get me where I want to go. This whole post is sacrilegious to many of you, I know. I also know that their are many of you that have a nagging feeling that something is wrong in the Overlanding business.

Cam
 
Some of you may have noticed that Kris and I didn't attend or exhibit at the Expo this year. I used the excuse of my Mother's recent passing to cancel my plans to attend, but the truth is, I really didn't want to go.

Kris and I attended/exhibited at the previous four Expos The first three, at Mormon Lake were awesome! All the vendors camped right behind their booths and at the end of the day when the attendees were gone, we would all wonder around and hang out with each other and drink whisky. We were all in it together. Most of us were hard-scrabble entrepreneurs and salt of the earth who were growing their companies organically through hard work. Who can forget the trials and tribulations of my friend Kris trying to get some sleep during the Sno-expo?

Everything changed when Expo moved to the Fairgrounds. The vendors no longer camped together and the big corporations moved in. It seemed like most of the public who came to that show were tourists from Phoenix who had nothing else to do that weekend. It seemed like any socializing had to include hot chicks, keg beer and catered food. I'm guessing that this year's show was a whole lot more of this trend. My sales at the Fairgrounds were half of what they were the previous year at Mormon Lake but I sold way more product on-line this year while the expo was taking place. Hmmm...

The notion that if you want to "go camping", the first thing you need to do is shell out at least $100,000, really bothers me. Apparently, camping now means that if you don't have all the comforts of home where ever you are, it is not possible to enjoy it.

Yes, I am old school. I don't give a crap who has the latest ICON gas canisters in their suspension. I drive a 15 year old F-150 4x4 with no mods that is reliable and never fails to get me where I want to go. This whole post is sacrilegious to many of you, I know. I also know that their are many of you that have a nagging feeling that something is wrong in the Overlanding business.

Cam

Thank you for your no-holds barred contribution here Cam. As you know, we have no "sacred cows" here at American Adventurist, and honest commentary from a guy who has been there and done that is useful for the event organizers. I know that they read each one of these posts with interest, and an eye towards process improvement.

My first Expo was in Amado, AZ in 2009. Lots has changed since then. Personally, I had a BLAST this year as I see this as a big family reunion. There's many members, and vendor friends of mine, that I may only see once a year so it's an amazing time to catch up with people I really like. Many of the vendors still camp on site (we do, I slept in a ground tent), and we had a blast with them just like Mormon Lake. We hope that will never change.

Were there a lot of vendors? Hell yes. Were there some more "SEMA-esque" aspects this year as opposed to years past? Certainly. Big companies with big money want to play in this market because it's growing. IMHO, "overlanding" (I too eschew this worn out, misused term) is still on a rocket trajectory of growth and the size and scope of the event proves that. It's yet to even start to plateau as far as I can see. There were also a TON of "mom and pop" vendors that I really enjoyed meeting and seeing their innovations. The rising tide is certainly raising all ships here.

Ten years ago I could not have even imagined the variety of platforms and products that would be available to the consumer in North America, designed from the ground up to enhance the outdoor and offroad experience for this community of interest. Much of it spawned by the demand signal exemplified by the very existence of Overland Expo.

Change is constant. We can choose to evolve, or not. To each his own I say. But for me I get a lot of value seeing what's new, seeing what's hot and what's not. We'll be back at West next year, and we'll be at East this year. I hope to meet more of our members there!
 
Dave -- I know I speak for others when I offer thanks for you creating a very civil place for discourse.

Thank you. I can't take all the credit though, we have an amazing group of people here that make it all very easy :)
 
I have always wanted to go, its a long haul, and hearing how big it has gotten has kind of put me off. Sounds fun, but overwhelming.

But I heard they had a DIY rig area this year (and that it was hard to find?) but that may have swayed me to find a way to make it down. I have followed a lot of DIY "overland" builds through the years online, and I would love to poke around some and show mine off too :)
 
I have always wanted to go, its a long haul, and hearing how big it has gotten has kind of put me off. Sounds fun, but overwhelming.

But I heard they had a DIY rig area this year (and that it was hard to find?) but that may have swayed me to find a way to make it down. I have followed a lot of DIY "overland" builds through the years online, and I would love to poke around some and show mine off too :)

That’s good feedback.
 
I have always wanted to go, its a long haul, and hearing how big it has gotten has kind of put me off. Sounds fun, but overwhelming.

But I heard they had a DIY rig area this year (and that it was hard to find?) but that may have swayed me to find a way to make it down. I have followed a lot of DIY "overland" builds through the years online, and I would love to poke around some and show mine off too :)
I have been to only one OVX east and by far the best part is seeing good friends and seeing the creativity that comes from the DIY rigs. There is remarkable ingenuity out there.
 
2017 was my first year attending Expo West, and I went all in with the Full Experience pass. It was so worth it as I learned a ton of new things/skills from all of the great instructors! Each teacher wanted to pass on a bunch of knowledge plus see the light bulb go off with us students. The knowledge learned, in my opinion, was worth the extra cost for the entrance pass.

In 2017 I also helped my friends at Deadman Off-road in their booth as the company was launched at the show. Good times being in trade show mode and talking to people when we just had a prototype Deadman Earth anchor on display and hope/drive to have a successful Kickstarter program. Many 2017 Expo West attendees took a chance on this start up company, believed in the product they were selling, and now in 2018 - Deadman Off-road celebrated their one year birthday at Expo West. This year was great to have product on hand (we pretty much sold out!), and that people knew about us from videos and online reviews. It was great talking to folks in the booth as everyone has a common love of being active outside and using some sort of vehicle to travel around in.

For 2018 in order to get into the show for free, I decided to be a volunteer. Three four hour shifts later, and I have huge appreciation for all that the Expo staff do, deal with, and get done to make the show as best as possible! Cyan, Kelly, Linda, Jed, Eva, and Bill were staff members I dealt with, and they all were motivated to try and make things right and enjoyable by all. Also they know things can be improved each year. Perhaps on Thursday afternoon getting onsite, I checked you in and gave out your wristband. Everyone was pretty cool with me regarding the wait to get in as they understood Expo West is like Disneyland for camping and off-roading.

Sure there are lots of fancy (expensive) rigs to look at, but hey - those folks/vendors are just playing the game. You may not like the game, but I feel it's here to stay due to social media. No need to compare / worry about what you drive as compared to what you see around the parking lots. Also it was great to speak with the vendors in person, get questions answered, touch/feel/inspect items rather than shop through a computer screen. I even got pictures with a number of online personalities that I follow; it was cool to meet them all in person! I say Expo West is totally worth it and look forward to 2019's show.
 
Went last year to East for the first time after missing a few due to weather. I also volunteered which put me in touch with folks I otherwise probably wouldnt have met. They have outgrown the venue multiple times now but West is reported to be larger so I don't have a direct comparison.

I think it is great for its intent. Some classes, some vendors, some socializing. Big enough to attract serious industry types but still accessible for startups. It is an industry trade show that caters to the end user depending on how much they want to commit. Drive a LR Defender 100 around an obstacle course or chat with an entrepreneur that thought up an idea around a campfire and is trying to make a living. Pretty nice concept.

Expo is right in the name, so it shouldn't be confused for something like one of the AA Rendezvous events or one of the many trail rides or club events around the country. I just went to the Great Smokey Mountain Trail Ride last week and there is no comparison. Different animals.

OEX is an awesome popup mall with great kids' rides and bad parking. For better or worse. It keeps growing and that may be a double edged sword between promoting this hobby/lifestyle and burning out a good thing.

Very well said. Sometimes is better to jump ship before the ship jumps the shark....
 
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