Lowri Davies

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Photo: Lowri Davies

With the BCU’s contract with the Outdoors Show ending last year, Brookbank (the UK’s biggest canoeing retailer) decided to organise a show dedicated to paddling. This was met with mixed responce; paddlers always seeming to find fault in anything people do. Admittedly, the show being organised by one retailer does mean that all sales go through their tills, but there were a wide variety of manufacturers displaying their goods with? their staff and sponsored paddlers on hand to give out top notch advice and information.

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Photos: Lowri Davies

Canoexpo also included a range of talks and seminars on topics ranging from recent expeditions? (both inland and at sea)? to video analysis and tarpology. I was humbled to be slotted between two stunning presentations by Gordon Brown and Duncan Murrell in the Main Theatre. There were four talks on at any one time so it was often a struggle to decide which to go to -? I was glad I was there all weekend!

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Left: Pyranha crew rocking some cool sombreros
Right: Jamies Burbeck
Photos: Jamie Burbeck

Saturday night hosted a Mexican party with appropriate fancy dress, food and a rodeo bull. The parties at these events are usually pretty subdued due to the long hours and early starts expected of all of the exhibitors, but? Saturday saw? hundreds of ponchos, fake tashes and sombreros being sported by company directors and? scruffy? paddlers alike. The bull? didn’t? go lonely? all night.

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Photos: Jamie Burbeck

The Outdoors Show is happening? in March and there will still? be a section devoted to paddling, though probably smaller than in recent years. There will be a canoe pool, which is something I think Canoexpo lacked to allow people to try out boats. The advantage of the Outdoors Show is that you get all the camping, hiking,? climbing and diving stuff within the same complex – which allows a much broader spectrum of people to be exposed to our sport as well as allowing us to take a look at theirs. It could be argued that better discounts are available if there are several retailers, but some of the deals on offer this weekend were pretty impressive (e.g. £150 worth of kit free with a new? boat).

Overall,? the exhibition seemed both busy and well recieved with the talks generally getting excellent feedback.? Most exhibitors seemed happy with how the weekend had? gone, but? I guess we have to wait? to see whether it appears in next year’s calendar to decide if it was a true success. I for one had a good weekend.