Todd Puleo Photo
Recap of the 2010 Spring Conference
By Connie Yingling
The Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association 2010 Spring Conference in
Wellsboro was well-attended and if you were unable to be there, here’s a
short recap on what you missed in Tioga County.
Speaking as a tourism industry professional, I was most impressed by the
friendly spirit of hospitality extended by the merchants on
gaslight-lined Main Street. Several shopkeepers engaged me in
conversation, and when they discovered I was a visitor they went out of
their way to recommend other places to see while in Wellsboro. As
conference organizer Don Knaus explained to me, “It’s like everyone has
been hired by the Chamber of Commerce to promote the town.”
Robin Sharpless of Redding Reloading Equipment agreed, saying that,
“Wellsboro was welcoming and an outstanding venue for POWA to meet.”
Staying at The Sherwood Motel, POWA’s headquarters hotel for the length
of the conference, Sharpless further stated that “activities were very
good and the accommodations were outstanding (I had a suite).”
Friday, May 21 dawned a warm sunny day in the “PA Wilds” and new
supporting member Mike Gogal of Gogal Publishing (a Warrington,
Pa.-based company that provides Garmin GPS programming leading to Class
A and wild trout streams throughout Pennsylvania) and Jonathan Sauers of
ASA/Eastern Fishing & Outdoor Exposition (who joined POWA in 2009)
bonded over a brook trout stream, while other POWA members hunted
turkey, tracked down rattlesnakes or biked through the Pa. Grand Canyon.
At noon a delicious grilled luncheon (sponsored by the Tioga County
Visitors Bureau) was served by the proprietors of Nature Quest, Inc. an
eco-tourism company founded in 1998, who joined POWA in 2010. “We felt
our first POWA conference was a very positive experience,” said Jill
Maier, owner of Nature Quest with her husband Pat. “On Friday morning we
provided a wagon ride to several writers and their wives then handed out
packets of information to everyone who came to the luncheon. This was
great exposure for our company.”
When a scheduled scenic train ride had to be canceled at the last
minute, several enterprising supporting members made lemonade out of
lemons by arranging other activities for the remainder of the afternoon.
According to Sharpless, several writers substituted “very good sporting
clays shooting” at a local range. Returning supporting member Hobie Cat
Company carted fishing kayaks to nearby Hamilton Lake for an
on-the-water demonstration. Strategically, Hobie Cat also placed the
kayaks in the swimming pool at the Sherwood Motel for people to try out
during the Friday night barbeque (sponsored by Reed Expositions).
Saturday’s breakout day for all POWA members was held at the
Pennsylvania College of Technology, located a short drive the conference
hotel. The breakout site allowed for both indoor and outdoor displays
which worked to the maximum benefit of the supporting members who
participated. For example, Hobie Cat and the Pennsylvania Game
Commission, who provided archery shooting to promote their youth archery
initiative, both set up in the college’s upper parking lot, while
Sportman’s Table, the Maryland Office of Tourism and the Oil Region
Alliance of Business, Industry & Tourism were among those with tables
inside.
Following breakout, new supporting member Gogal commented that he was
fascinated with the diversity of the active member styles and their
focus on very specific aspects of the outdoors. “It opened my eyes to
the very broad range of outdoor activities and what POWA writers wish to
cover in their articles.”
In a post-conference interview, Knaus was pleased to point out that
several supporting members also provided craft improvement seminars
prior to breakout, including Redding Reloading (who returned due to
popular demand), the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Quality Deer
Management Association and Woodcock Limited of Pa. Sharpless commented
that “Penn Tech provided a perfect atmosphere in which to teach.”
The annual awards banquet and auction (sponsored by the National
Shooting Sports Foundation) on the Mansfield University campus concluded
the conference in high style. Journalists and photographers gathered
deserving accolades for their work, supporting member donations raised
funds via a lively raffle (including items from Coleman Company,
Delorme, Otis Technology, Inc. and new supporting member Beechwood Vista
LLC, maker of Stringer Fingers©), and active members furiously bid on
fine framed artwork and a POWA 50th Anniversary commemorative rifle.
Gogal summed up his first-time conference experience by saying,
“Attending a conference that is not just business sessions, but one that
included the ability to get out in the field and interact one-on-one
with writers was a huge benefit.” He elaborated, “You can hear about a
product all you want, but it is invaluable for someone to actually
experience the product in real time. I’ll be back again next year.”
See you there Mike!
(This column also appears in the Spring 2010 PowWow newsletter.) |
