Canoecopia Recap: Reports from Vendors, Organizers Report A Booming Success

Reports have come in of a super successful Canoecopia consumer show hosted in early March by retailer Rutabaga in Madison, Wisconsin, with attendance and exhibitor numbers up, as well as sales.

“Traffic was definitely up from last year, and our advanced ticket sales were up double digits, so that carried through,” says Rutabaga owner and event founder Darren Bush. “We did a lot of marketing toward younger families, so there were more strollers in the aisles. Sales were also up quite a bit, as you’d expect with increased traffic. We added a ton of new customers to our database.”

As for what was moving, it ran the spectrum, from rec boats and canoes (it’s held in canoe country, after all), to accessories. For one, camping hammocks did quite well, says Bush, as did a number of other categories.

 
“Higher-end products were in demand,” says Bush. “Entry level is still selling but less so, and I think that may have to do with some of the bigger manufacturers and some shops dumping product all winter. One larger manufacturer still has boats DTC on their website for 25 to 40% off. It’s a temporary problem, but we definitely take that into account with future buys. Lightweight is the one thing that was on everyone’s list, especially as our older paddlers don’t want to pick up 80 pound boats anymore. Now we have sub-30 pound tandems, and the people who need them don’t mind paying the price. Both composite and ABS kayaks did exceptionally well.”

Exhibitor Pyranha and P&H Designs agrees with this assessment. “This year’s show reinforced our feeling that consumers are looking for high end products,” says the company’s Mike Patterson. “P&H’s lightweight and ultralight composite range was the main attraction, followed by our premium polyethylene sea kayaks. Paddlers are happy to pay more for less weight. Weight is a big concern, and many of the paddlers we talked with were upgrading to lighter versions of models they currently use.”

Bush was also impressed with the show’s demographics, from both attendees and exhibitors. “The variety of exhibitors we invite to the show is also changing—we have more outfitters and guides coming from further and further away, including such locations as Greece, the Yukon, and Saskatewan,” he says. “We had clubs from all over the East and Midwest driving in vans and buses to the show: clubs from New York, Indiana, Kansas and more. I always walk the parking lot and while the majority of the license plates are from the upper Midwest, there are plenty of plates from Nebraska, the Dakotas, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio and others.”

One question that begs answering is does the show signal a return to normalcy for the paddling industry, after an inventory-heavy hangover from the COVID boom. Bush has thoughts on that as well. “Is paddlesports back? It never left, it just evolved, and those who evolve with it, be it retailer or manufacturer, will be just fine,” he says. “The days of showing up and waiting for new paddlers to find you are long gone. Sales wise, COVID was a windfall, but it caused a lot of problems in the supply chain, and it’ll take some time to clean that up. We need to ask questions of customers, listen to what they want, and provide it with the service you expect from a specialty retailer. If we don’t do that, we deserve the inevitable.”

And he says, above all, the general mood at the show was ripe with fun. “People were happy and joyful,” he says. “They were excited for the new season and wanted the equipment to enjoy it. One person approached me and took me by the shoulders, looked into my eyes, and said, ‘Thank you for bringing so much joy to so many people.’ Well, that’s why we do what we do. Our team is full of first-rate people who love paddling and you could feel it at the show.”

A Word from an Exhibitor’s Perspective

How’d the show go from a vendor’s standpoint? Equally well, as illustrated by the below comments from Taylor Robertson, sales and marketing director at Werner Paddles.

PL: Was the show’s strong attendance from built-up demand or a sign of recovery within the industry?

Robertson: We are hopeful that the increased attendance at this year’s show is a sign of recovery within the industry. Healthy consumer demand was evident, but we are still dealing with the issue of excess inventory in the marketplace.

PL: Were the aisles packed? Were you selling paddles at a pre-Covid clip?

Robertson: On Saturday, which is usually the busiest day, paddlers lined the booths, aisles, and halls reminiscent of pre-pandemic shows. Paddle sales were solid with an uptick in higher end paddles. The roads were clear, and the skies were blue, so there was no issue getting to and from the show. Last year there was a storm nearby which may have contributed to reduced attendance as driving conditions were not ideal.

Canoecopia Aisles and Weather

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PL: How was the energy?

Robertson: Smiles were abundant from consumers who were attending informative presentations and looking to score a good deal on a new boat or accessory. Vendors were in good spirits as all their travel and labor to exhibit paid off, with solid attendance, and decent sales.

PL: What did Darren Bush and his staff do differently to market this year?

Robertson: Reports of a strong social media campaign by the Rutabaga team, coupled with a printed show guide that was mailed to a long list of paddlers before the show, seemed to do the trick.

PL: How was Werner’s success within the show?

Robertson:: We couldn’t be happier with this year’s show. We view Canoecopia as a marketing event as it is the only place you can get your brand in front of 10,000+ people. Sales were near pre pandemic levels and show goers were certainly not afraid to buy up into nicer carbon paddles.

PL: Were there a diverse paddlesports crowd? And do you view it as one of the industry’s sole-remaining get-togethers?

Robertson: Canoecopia is the largest paddlesports consumer expo in the world; the show’s unique model has been successful for many years. It combines educational presentations on a diverse number of topics with an exhibition of products by the most top-rated brands. Some attend to learn and listen to professionals discuss topics including “Selecting the Perfect Kayak Paddle” and “The Greek Kayaking Odyssey,” and others look to upgrade their gear or buy their first kayak or canoe. One noticeable change from past years was a younger crowd in attendance. Canoecopia historically caters to the fifty and older crowd, seeing younger paddlers visit the booths and presentations was encouraging. There were also plenty of new paddlers in attendance looking to absorb and learn as much as they could on dry land.

Bringing the paddlesports Industry together, especially during this difficult time, is very important. Canoecopia provides a forum to catch up with colleagues and old friends during the show and over a beer in the evening. We need a venue to converse, bounce ideas of each other, discuss trends, and industry intel. With the newly formed Paddlesports Trade Coalition (PTC), our hope is that brands, retailers, and sales reps will soon have their own show to collaborate and further the development of paddlesports.