Click here to download the catalog as a PDF file. To view this site you need Adobe Flash Player and your browser must allow javaScripts. Go here to get the latest Flash Player. Carolee Anita Boyles Attend A Trade Show In Your Bathrobe ealers, you’re invited to another trade show! Now, that’s welcome news, right? Travel expenses, overly expensive hotels, rushed meals, too many booths to visit in too little time, being away from your store for three, four, five days. Yes, just what you needed. But what if you could attend a trade show without leaving your store, visit manufacturers’ booths when you wish, yet still enjoy the benefits of a traditional trade show, including getting “smoking deals”? Well, you can if you attend one of RSR Group’s Virtual Trade Shows. “RSR pioneered the concept of an EShow, whereby a retailer doesn’t have to leave their store and can sit at home in his or her bathrobe and fuzzy slippers and attend our show via the Internet. The concept is really gaining traction,” said Bob Steger, RSR Group president and CEO. During an E-Show, dealers can visit manufacturers’ “virtual booths,” view new items, get special deals on popular products, take advantage of exclusive giveaways and place orders 24 hours a day from anywhere they have access to D “There are graphics that show different booths, giving the retailer the experience of going to an event and walking into a vendor or manufacturer’s booth, where you can see new products, specials and different programs,” Von Brocklin said. At RSR’s most recent E-Show, held last month, there were more than 35 vendors “exhibiting.” Christina Fisher, RSR’s vice president of marketing, says the company designs the shows to ensure each booth is separate and distinct so “attendees” have the sense of entering each one. “This way, dealers are able to easily select from multiple vendors,” Fisher said, emphasizing how this has contributed to the show’s success. “Since we first started these online shows, we have seen considerable growth and each one is more successful than the last.” Fisher also said dealers can expect quick fulfillment of orders placed at E-Shows. “Our team works hard to ensure we have the merchandise available for imRSR’s E-Shows feature virtual exhibitors’ booths mediate shipment during the show, and and easy-to-navigate options to view show dealers receive their special purchases specials, new products, dealer programs, exhibi- within a day or two of placing their ortors and more. ders,” Fisher said. the Internet. Jarrod Von Brocklin, RSR’s national sales manager, said the company has worked hard to give the Virtual Trade Show the feel of a traditional industry trade event. Quick & Easy Smoking Deals! G len Fuller, owner of East Main Trade Center in Farmington, N.M., is one dealer who takes advantage of the E-Shows. “The RSR online show is very useful to us. The merchandise at the E-Show has show pricing and we have it in hand to sell in two days. The trade shows we physiphysi cally go to take weeks, sometimes even months, to process our orders,” Fuller said. Dewayne Irwin, president of Cheaper Once “inside” the exhibitor’s booth, dealers can place orders and take advantage of package deals. Than Dirt Outdoor Adventures in Fort Worth, Texas, also gives the shows high marks. “The E-Shows RSR puts on are the most beneficial shows we do, even more so than SHOT,” Irwin said. “While SHOT lets us in on what’s new, it’s very hard to place orders of any significance. We have attended other dealer shows and it is always a pain, because Exhibitors offer special pricing even with great deals and pric- and package options at RSR’s ing, you have the travel issues, E-Shows. dinner nightmares and such.” These challenges were considered when RSR began developing the E-Show concept. “We took a look at, ‘What do our customers have to deal with?’” Van Brocklin said. The result: It made sense to give retailers an alternative to www.shootingindustry.com 20 OCTOBER 2008