SleepyC
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Oh guys, I am starting to eyeball all the video I shot this weekend, and I'm drinking a cup of coffee and thinking about the Toledo Show. And guys what I have come up with is, "The times, they are a changing."
As wonderful as it is to see a lot of old friends to kind of start the season off, I don't think the expo's have the weight they used to have. For example through out the entire weekend, I did not see one mind blowing announcement from any vendor. No major new radio releases, no new mind blowing new engine technology, no press stopping airplane releases. It seems to me at least that most companies recognize that with the speed and ability of websites, Facebook, twitter and even Instagram there is no reason to hold important information/releases back from people and wait months for expos any more. With the ease of online sales, and online news outlets the hobby expo becomes more of a luxury than a necessity. And from what I saw this year attendance shows this. Don't get me wrong the guys from the Weak Signals club still do a world class job of setting up an event and the social aspects are still amazing, and if you look hard enough you may find a nice deal here or there but comparing this past weekend to say ten years ago, it's a drastically different show. Even the "lay people" off the street have much more common knowledge about RC than they did in the past. So even the RTF stuff, and bargain off brand stuff was not flying out the door as much as it used to.
Another thing surprising was the lack of Giant Scale RC airframe manufactorers on the floor. Sure there were some great ones, OMP, RedwingRC, Aj Aircraft, SIG, H9, GP, and a few others, but many of the show's staples like Aeroworks, EF, 3DHS, PAU and others were not in attendance. Obviously as any businessman knows the ROI has to justify the trip and for a lot of these companies, that's a LONG trip to fund if your only going to move a few airplanes. And most of the companies that did attend were pretty local or part of larger companies that have to be there. But again something was lost with these brands not being there. I remember a few years back seeing younger kids meeting their sponsored pilot hero, this year, not so much.
I wonder if the expo circuit can adapt and thrive once again in the new modern climate where releasing exclusive news to the masses is an email, a post to GSN and a link on Facebook away.
So share your thoughts, can the expo's survive? Can they adapt?
The one thing they still offer than no online experience can rival is the meeting and greetings and flying with your buddies in person that takes place each year. But is that enough to keep them going?
My brain hurts, I'm going to read the Sunday funnies.
As wonderful as it is to see a lot of old friends to kind of start the season off, I don't think the expo's have the weight they used to have. For example through out the entire weekend, I did not see one mind blowing announcement from any vendor. No major new radio releases, no new mind blowing new engine technology, no press stopping airplane releases. It seems to me at least that most companies recognize that with the speed and ability of websites, Facebook, twitter and even Instagram there is no reason to hold important information/releases back from people and wait months for expos any more. With the ease of online sales, and online news outlets the hobby expo becomes more of a luxury than a necessity. And from what I saw this year attendance shows this. Don't get me wrong the guys from the Weak Signals club still do a world class job of setting up an event and the social aspects are still amazing, and if you look hard enough you may find a nice deal here or there but comparing this past weekend to say ten years ago, it's a drastically different show. Even the "lay people" off the street have much more common knowledge about RC than they did in the past. So even the RTF stuff, and bargain off brand stuff was not flying out the door as much as it used to.
Another thing surprising was the lack of Giant Scale RC airframe manufactorers on the floor. Sure there were some great ones, OMP, RedwingRC, Aj Aircraft, SIG, H9, GP, and a few others, but many of the show's staples like Aeroworks, EF, 3DHS, PAU and others were not in attendance. Obviously as any businessman knows the ROI has to justify the trip and for a lot of these companies, that's a LONG trip to fund if your only going to move a few airplanes. And most of the companies that did attend were pretty local or part of larger companies that have to be there. But again something was lost with these brands not being there. I remember a few years back seeing younger kids meeting their sponsored pilot hero, this year, not so much.
I wonder if the expo circuit can adapt and thrive once again in the new modern climate where releasing exclusive news to the masses is an email, a post to GSN and a link on Facebook away.
So share your thoughts, can the expo's survive? Can they adapt?
The one thing they still offer than no online experience can rival is the meeting and greetings and flying with your buddies in person that takes place each year. But is that enough to keep them going?
My brain hurts, I'm going to read the Sunday funnies.
