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SANDY — Vendors at this year’s International Sportsmen’s Expo held at the South Towne Expo Center in Sandy have good reason to be excited.
Not only is the expo filled with new gear, cutting-edge vehicles, and great crowds, but vendors say that the improved economy is allowing expo-goers to spend more.
For all the attendees who love the outdoors, visiting the expo can be a test of their will and their budget. Ryan Foutz, who manages King’s Camo, thinks it’s all part of the fun.
“I think it’s human nature. We all love to have a good time, right?” Foutz said.
King’s Camo is a Utah-based company that specializes in hunting apparel, and Foutz’s team has attended the International Sportsmen’s Expo for years. He said people are definitely in the mood to buy this year, and it’s not hard to figure out why.
“The economy seems to be back a little bit,” Foutz said.
When the economy takes a turn for the worse, people curb their recreational spending and tend to skip purchases like Alaskan fishing trips. Tim Twaddle from Alaskan Reel Affair Charters said his company felt that downturn — 2008 to 2011 are years he’d rather forget.
“It was tough... It was tough,” Twaddle said. “We went from being booked solid with five boats to going down, in one year, to going to two boats.”
However, things have looked much busier for Alaskan Reel Affair Charters since then, and the bookings for the coming season are right back where they used to be. Twaddle said he thanks the improved economy for better business.
For those in the RV industry, lower gas prices have been the biggest difference in increased consumer confidence.
“I think they’re having a little bit more money to spend and I think they’re a little bit more willing to go out and do those things," said Kavon Shojaee of Cruise America.
If this year’s spending habits are any indication, people are ready to get outside and play. The official numbers won’t be available for attendance until after the show wraps on Sunday, but so far it seems as though people have come willing to spend, and that’s a good sign for the economy.
