Cowboy Christmas Shows Rope Buyers
Diane Taylor -- Tradeshow Week, 12/12/2008 2:12:00 PM
In December, when it traditionally is slower in Las Vegas, before the mega shows come stampeding into town starting in January, consumer shows – such as the three that are associated with the Natl. Finals Rodeo – keep venues busy.
Cowboy Christmas was held in the first part of the month at the Las Vegas Convention Center, along with Country Christmas at the Sands MegaCenter and Cowboy Marketplace at Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino.
Las Vegas brought the rodeo to town in 1985, and, in 2005, representatives from Las Vegas Events and the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Assn. announced they had reached an agreement to keep it in Sin City through 2014.
Michael Mack, director of marketing for Las Vegas Events, which operates Cowboy Christmas, said that although final figures weren’t available yet for the 10-day, Dec. 4-13 gift show, he was hopeful that last year’s attendance of 190,000 would be matched this year.
Cowboy Christmas is the oldest and largest of the three gift shows, which run during the same time frame, and is called “the official gift show” of the rodeo. Cowboy Christmas made its debut in 1986 at Cashman Center and, because of growth, moved to the Las Vegas Convention Center in 1998. “This year, we occupy 300,000 square feet with just under 400 exhibitors,” Mack said. “And we still have a waiting list.”
Waiting lists for Cowboy Christmas is what prompted Chris Woodruff of Group W. Productions to launch a second show, Country Christmas. “Our first Country Christmas at the Sands was 15 years ago, and I had hoped for 100 booths. Instead, we had 400,” Woodruff said.
Five years ago, Woodruff’s company also added Cowboy Marketplace at Mandalay Bay to the gift-show lineup. He said he expected attendance of 100,000 at both shows, and that they were fully booked.
With the economy taking its toll on other consumer shows, people still seem to be interested in making buys at the cowboy-themed shows.
Attendees Matt and Tonya Bartlett from Mountain Green, Utah, attended all three gift shows. They said they wait and do much of their Christmas shopping in Las Vegas at the shows, adding, “And we always spend way too much.”
Exhibitor Jeff Shaffer of Martin Saddlery said his Aurora, Colo.-based company brought two big trucks and seven people to handle business at the show. He added that he didn’t believe the economy would affect his business, “because we’re somewhat high-end – our saddles are in the $2000 to $5000 category – and money seems to be available for our products.”
