I haven’t been to a Suffern show in a zillion years and was wondering if it was worth the trip in its present configuration?
I’m not adverse to seeing non-fly tackle so that part of it doesn’t scare me.
I know all about Somerset but it is just too small and crowded for my taste.
Thanks in advance for any info.
I haven’t been to Suffern in a couple of years but everytime I’ve gone it seemed to be the same as the year before. Same vendors, same Hawg Trough, same worm bar. It doesn’t excite me anymore. If you think Somerset is too crowded, don’t even think about Suffern.
Somerset small? Crowded,yes but small?. You can easily fit a football field inside it plus their sideline benches…LOL. You must be thinking about the November Somerset International…
I guess after doing quite a few trade shows there, in addition to attending a few Fly Fishing Shows; the place just seems small to me especially when they have to cram exhibitors into the lobby areas.
BTW, the 66,240 square feet of a football field with sidelines and team benches won’t fit into Somerset. 
Bam, if you have had a booth or tie at all these shows (or if you mean by ‘do’ that you attend) I am sure we must have run into each other but I just can not put a face with the handle. What shows do you do now? I’ve had to cut back on the number of shows I tie at. Twenty some years of major shows plus other smaller venues wear on you after a while. I have to say though that although I have only been to one trade show which was quite spread out and actually was in several buildings I have never seen a ‘strictly’ FF show larger than Somerset. Of course I mostly tie at shows on the East Coast, NY, NJ, MD, MA, PA, CT, NC plus Michigan, Il. and Wisc in the mid west and haven’t checked into the shows out west although some of my tying buddies have done Tx, COL, and CA , and say they are all smaller and much less well attended than Somerset. When Somerset first opened 20 years ago they had to have fire marshalls keeping people out until people left. Now instead of 25 plus thousand trying to get in (down to about 14 or 15,000 last year) it is still the show that everyone gets healthy at The reason some are out in the halls is because they are still on the waiting list to get inside. Some however, like Fly Tyer’s Variant prefer the wide entrance area because they catch people on the way in and the couple of hundred who come early before the show opens who are waiting to get in the actual convention center main room, but can still get inside the building out of the cold. The lobby/hallway is also where many “free” tables/booths are that TU/FFF/Guild and other clubs sell raffle tickets, tie flies and pass out their literature from…
I’ll check out the square footage for you end of the month when I am there but I am sure it is a LOT bigger than 200X300. (60,000) I think maybe because it is so crowded that it may seem small to you. I know when I want to take a break it is sometimes a hassle to get through all the people. Sundays are the best time to go if you don’t like crowds tryt Sunday afternoon .
I think the last time I tied at the Suffern Show was in the mid 80’s. Not ‘overly’ huge back then compared to shows these days. I think the dates conflicted or something so I stopped going. I think because there are so many shows now, one about every weekend January through April, that attendance is down form the early days.
So stop over and say ‘Hi’ the next time you do a show.
Mantis:
I only WISH I was a good enough tier to interest anyone in my work at a fly fishing show! Possibly I could do a demo like: How to Screw up Quill Wings in One Easy Step OR Giant Fly Heads, Not Always a Bad Thing.
The shows I’ve “done”; both at the Garden State Expo Center and other places are all related to my day job. I’ve attended the Fly Fishing Show just once; that day it felt like there was 25,000 people there. It seemed like we were parked in New Brunswick with the walk we had to the entrance.
I guess I just am nostalgic for those old shows at Suffern when you could stop by the booths of all the major manufacturers including H.L Leonard, Thomas & Thomas and Orvis not to mention a few guys like Hoagy Carmichael, Peter Phelps, (Bedford Sportsman) Ron Kusse and Walt Carpenter. Back then that show just didn’t seem as mobbed or cramped, at least to me. I don’t know for sure but the SUNY Rockland CC gym just seemed bigger. Maybe it was the higher ceilings or youthful exuberance.
If I decide to brave the crowds at Somerset I’ll look you up.
BTW, the Expo Center main hall is 208 X 280.
Yes Bam, please do. I am always to the left as you enter and around the corner where the tyers are lined up againt the wall. Gartside, Baltzie, Donnie Bastian and then me and Brandt. Last couple of years at Somerset Chuck, the promoter, has been ‘selling’ more and more tyers tables until there are now only 3 or 4 'FREE" half tables left. Between guys having so much stuff to sell(and they rarely tie) and a few that perhaps think if they didn’t ‘buy’ a table they might not be asked to tie 16 or 17 of the 8 foottyer’s tables have been gobbled up. As I figure I am part of the entertainment I don’t believe in ‘buying a table’. The free tables that are left now usually have to ‘split’ the day with two other tyers. This, being the most popular show, is the only show this happens at. Dave and I may have only one guy to split the day with so what I will do is tie all day Friday and half a day Saturday and then give up my spot to the third guy leaving my tying buddy there the whole show. Once I break down I don’t want to have to set up again, and it also give me a chance to wander…I rarely get to sneak away for a slide show and this lets me do it. Also time to visit Jeff, Dr Fish and hopefully make it ovver to Jerry , Dot Man. Every year I try to get over there and get way laid talking to people on the way…lol. Seeya…