Press Center
AETA Baltimore January 2009
Baltimore, MD
Click here to read about The Baltimore Convention Center's Green Initiatives.
click here to see how some of our exhibitors are going green.
click here to see our Photo Gallery of past shows
Click here to download the AETA International Fair Market Directory January 2009 in it's entirety
Feedback from the Baltimore August 2-4th, 2008 American Equestrian Trade Show
“Hi Kent and Ginger,
Thank you for putting on such a good show this past weekend! The food was great and there was something for everyone to eat too.
We wrote more than double than Orlando and we were very pleased overall with how we did considering the economy and the two competing shows! We are on the right path to getting the buyers back to one show and I'm sure the January show will be that much better!
Hope you both have a safe trip back.
Thanks again for all your hard work. See you again in January!”
Best,
Lilo and Bill
Lilo Navales
President & Designer
Leather Goods of Spain-LILO Collections
“Dear Kent and Ginger,
Thank you so much for your efforts to make the AETA/Hopper Expo a success for us! You went above and beyond the expectations in helping to track down my delayed overnight shipment! The Sunday night party was terrific and the spread of food was just amazing. We look forward to working with you again in January!
Sales were the strongest we've seen at an equestrian show in years! We saw a significant increase over last year.
Thank you for a great show; I do feel we made the right choice in selecting the AETA/Hopper Expo. at which to exhibit this year!”
Best regards,
Phyllis
Phyllis B. LeBlanc
President & CEO
Harbor Sweets, Inc.
“Hi Ginger,
I am so glad you have given exhibitors from the AETA show the opportunity to share our sentiments about the show with visitors to your website. The August AETA show was my first trade show and the launch of my new collection of Haute Cheval, Equestrian Glamour polo's, tee's and accessories. I couldn't be more pleased that I chose this show to introduce my products! It was an overwhelming success, not the least of which was being voted "Miss AETA 2008" by the buyers who attended. I credit my wonderful experience to both you and Kent! Even though I was a newcomer- a small fish in a big pond, so to speak, you both made special efforts to welcome me, immediately address any needs I had and provide me with expert guidance in the areas of the industry, which were new to me! The dinner party was a wonderful way of bringing everyone together and promotes cohesion and camaraderie in this industry.
Hopper Expositions and AETA are both fantastic organizations and I have already contracted to return for the January show and have volunteered to be a contributing member of AETA. “
Bravo, great job!
Susan R. Fox, CEO
Haute Cheval, Equestrian Glamour
“Ginger,
I have been doing trade shows for over 25 years and most comment that your organization is the easiest to work with in all of those years. I must comment that our show was exceptional. We opened 32 new accounts which totaled close to six figures in sales.”
Bob Reyers
“I thought the tradeshow was well organized and managed. Both Kent and Ginger were very helpful in dealing with any issues no matter how large or small. The partnership between Kent Hopper and the AETA is blossoming to the benefit of both the buyers and exhibitors. I received two AETA bucks and was reimbursed by the AETA at the close of the show. We wrote orders consistently throughout the show. The location of the airport and hotels to the tradeshow was very convenient. You can save the expense of renting a car and walk to the show from the Hotel. The Inner Harbor of Baltimore is just three blocks away and safe to walk in the evening after enjoying a great seafood meal. From an exhibitor point of view - the gift given by the Aeta at the close of the show for tear down was very well received. By the end of the show we are tired and the water, snacks and wet wipes etc go a long way to make it just a little more pleasant and successful.
Thank you to everyone for their efforts. We will be back in January 2009.”
Loriece Boatright
Designs By Loriece
“Kudos to Kent, Ginger and AETA for hosting a terrific show in Baltimore. Like so many others in this industry, I went to Baltimore with guarded optimism, wondering if we could possibly have a successful show in the shadow of a depressed economy and a fragmented industry. Many of my buyers had chosen to “sit this year out” until the dust clears and the victor in this ‘Battle of the Equestrian Trade Show Down’ is identified. Much to my surprise (and delight), I had a VERY successful show. The buyers who took a chance on us were equally surprised and pleased with what they found when they got there. The general consensus was that the referee could raise the hand of the victor in this battle and name AETA the champion by unanimous decision and technical knock out.
That being said, we need to reach out to the Western vendors, embracing them and encouraging them to come back into the ring with us. They too can begin to heal the wounds left by this battle and move forward in a united front.”
Frazzled, but Optimistic,
Cookie Driscoll
“Hi Ginger!
The Hopper Show in Baltimore was well-run! The convention center was about the easiest in and out I've ever done! I was a bit concerned about that but it was about 5 minutes in line for me, then load and go! Unloading was easy too. Actually drove IN the building to unload?!?! The Inner Harbor was terrific place for dinner and great to walk to. The first trade show that I got some exercise! The party was terrific, thanks Kent and Ginger. The food was GREAT! I look forward to this trade show growing and hope it will be the place to be in the years to come! Also, loved the opportunity of the Miss AETA contest...lots of creative fun. Looking forward to doing that again! See you in January! “
JUNE EVERS
Horse Hollow Press
www.horsehollowpress.com
“Hi Ginger,
We really enjoyed the location. Everything was in walking distance, which saves money on rental vehicles and certainly makes moving large groups of people around a lot easier. The venue itself was as nice as a convention center can be and although the union caused us a little concern, overall it went very smoothly. The equipment we stored showed up on time and in good condition—effortless for us, really. The only negative experience we had, aside from our brief encounter with the labor steward, was the long wait during tear down to receive our crates. We were sitting around for an hour before our crates showed up and we were second to last to receive our equipment, although we had one of the biggest booths. Consequently, we didn’t get out of the building until 8:30-8:45 at night.
The hotel was adequate—it had great atmosphere, the rooms were comfortable and the staff courteous. However, they seemed to be understaffed and the restaurant service was abysmal to non-existent. There was no shortage of great restaurants to choose from but the convenience would have made the hotel our first choice for business meetings if the service had been better.
What we really appreciated were the efforts that both Hopper Expo and AETA put forth to make the event successful for both retailers and exhibitors. The AETA bucks and the golden tickets were great incentives for the retailers. We know that Kent, Ginger and a lot of AETA members worked hard—thank you to all of you. Regardless of the locale, we are confident that these two organizations working together will produce many successful shows in the future. This show was a great example of what a cooperative effort can accomplish. “
Thank you
Judy Auble
Sales Manager
“Some thoughts about Baltimore . . . .
It could have been a lot of things. It could have been located in the midst of a ghetto - it wasn't. The show name could have changed on opening day - it didn't. Our customers and fellow vendors could have been upset with the apparent off-spin of our organizations' original idea - there weren't. At the end of the show we could have all been wondering what would happen next - we aren't, and we know our direction.
What we did have was a pleasant, well organized show. There is no doubt that it has room to grow, and grow it will. Like most good, solid businesses, there is room for growth and when there is growth, there is success.
What we did have . . . lots of smiles, organization to the nth degree, a willingness to overcome all obstacles and sincerely connected attitude. We had a good show. We had pleasant customers. We had decent orders. We had really great hotel rooms and food. We had a really good experience and look forward to the next show in Baltimore.”
Best regards and my personal thanks,
Lorelie Carter (Lori)
"Absolutely loved the buffet and party! The food stupendous, the music fabulous, and we really had a great time with our clients & colleagues!"
Dorrie Carters
“Show was great, We did great, Party was great,,,”
Regards,
Izzy Strauss
“Dear Ginger and Kent;
This was my first trade show as the new owner of Serendipity Equestrian. My experience with you two and the show exceeded my expectations. You were both helpful and courteous and went out of your way to service me, making the show experience easy and routine. We placed a good percentage of orders at the show, met a many of our existing customers, and added new customers. The hall, although dimly lit, was clean, well maintained and had a good traffic flow pattern. The Baltimore center was easy to access, and the “load area” parking you provided next to the booths made loading and unloading a breeze. The hotels were close to the Center, the dinner for the vendors was delicious, and the event was planned down to the detail of a break-down gift basket for each booth. I am excited about attending the January show and hope that others in our industry would see the need to make this show “one” so we can all benefit from the trade show venue to show our product, meet our customers, mingle with our colleagues, and place orders! This trade show was run so smoothly and expertly-it was a pleasure.”
Thank you,
Renee Fahan
“Ginger
Thank you and Kent for the hard work and the show you put on. It was the best vendor turnout in several years. It was so great to see everyone in one place. I am looking forward to Feb.”
Trudy Owens
Browbands by Design.com
“Kieffer definitely can see the AETA trade show is going to develop to be THE trade show for the Equestrian retailers in the USA. We are convinced it is going to attract even more vendors as well as buyers. Kieffer is definitely going to stick with it, as we had lots of success, gained new customers and attracted a lot of buyers. It seems like the equestrian business is going to be unified again.”
Dagmar Kinter
Kieffer
