“2026 has been a particularly good year for the Sportsmen’s Shows in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska”, said Peter O’Loughlin, show manager of the Washington Sportsmen’s Show, Pacific Northwest Sportsmen’s Show, Central Oregon Sportsmen’s Show and the Great Alaska Sportsman Show.
“We saw double-digit growth in attendance in two of our four shows and were up in attendance in all our shows this year. Considering the scale of our shows, a 5% gain in attendance is significant in our business …so we’ve been very pleased with this year’s results. More importantly, our exhibitors reaped the benefits of not only increased attendance but attracting the right people who supported our shows with historic purchasing.”
“You never know from one year to the next what to expect — and the climb out of COVID has been slow but steady. This year felt like the ‘good old days’ with strong attendance, lots of positive energy and strong buying at all our shows.”
Sportsmen’s shows balance a mix of fishing, hunting and outdoor recreation which attract diverse audiences to the shows. “Our sales team has done an exemplary job of landing the right exhibitors tailored to each show’s market. No two are the same and it requires a strong sense of the market to land on the ideal mix of exhibitors for each show.”
Space renewals for 2027 have been strong thanks to this year’s results. The Pacific Northwest Sportsmen’s Show in Portland saw a 30% renewal rate which is a new high for this show.
Sponsorship Manager, Trey Carskadon added, “The exhibitors across all our shows did a phenomenal job of supporting the shows through their own social media channels which helped us to communicate the shows more effectively and keep each of them top-of-mind in their respective markets. There’s a strong media mix we employ along with a three-month ramp-up going into the shows but the added exhibitor support absolutely energized our efforts.”
O’Loughlin continued, “We’re already working on next year’s shows and fully expect to continue the momentum that was created this year. The positive feedback we’ve received from exhibitors and attendees is refreshing but we know we’ll need to bring it even bigger and better next year.”
The Washington Sportsmen’s Show, Pacific Northwest Sportsmen’s Show and Central Oregon Sportsmen’s Show are all presented by Leupold and sponsored by Progressive. All four shows are produced by Marketplace Events.
