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The 4TH Army Navy Military Expo (ANM Expo) took place in Las Vegas on February 15 – 17, 2009 at the South Point Hotel & Casino.
For the second consecutive show, the ANM Expo aligned itself on the calendar not with the ASD/AMD Military Tactical Outdoor Show, but with the Off-Price Specialist Trade Show and the MAGIC Show. Both of the latter Las Vegas Strip-based shows overlapped show dates with the ANM Expo.
This edition of the Expo featured a somewhat smaller exhibitor base than the August, 2008 version (also at the South Point). No doubt this reflected the current underwhelming state of the economy as a primary factor.
The mission of the ANM Expo is to provide exhibitors and buyers with a more focused and industry-centric show experience and to evoke the ambience of the old days of the ASD Show when it was in its Hilton heyday. Did the February 2009 Expo successfully advance that agenda? Reviews were mixed.
Harold Hirsch of Schreck Wholesale felt that the Expo compared favorably with the August, 2008 version.
“We did okay, in fact much better than the last one. Last one was a summer show, maybe this time buyers were much more aware of the show dates,” Hirsch said.
Hirsch observed though that the Expo is still in need of exhibitor and buyer numbers.
“Everybody who came in were buying but there are not enough of them. Getting some of the bigger companies in as exhibitors would help. But right now, the show is too small,” he noted.
As for the Expo’s location, Hirsch gave it a verbal shrug. “Great venue, nice hotel, but too far away from the Las Vegas Strip and the other trade show exhibit halls,” he concluded.
Jeff Daniel of Sturm was pleased with orders from a couple of large accounts, and was impressed by the hotel and the show venue.
Maurice Huffman of Swiss-Link cast a somewhat less rosy view of the proceedings.
“We found the show very disappointing, and we were surprised that more buyers didn’t attend,” said Huffman.
Although unhappy that sales did not meet expectations, he continued to stress his ongoing support for the concept of the show.
