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Edison Flyfishing Show review

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Having spent the weekend at the Edison show I thought I'd share the experience. Parking was no problem at all. At the Somerset show, all the seminars/guest fly tiers were free...you had access to them without having to pay admission. This is no longer the case. Everything is set up beyond the admission doors...including the bathroom. Same amount of vendors. There were 2 casting ponds which were nice , but when there was a seminar casting on the pond, you could not hear them even with a mic. This was also a problem when attending seminars...areas were set up but they were divided by curtains which cannot block out the noise from the seminar being held next door. Unless you sat next to the person speaking, you could not hear them. I sat in the second row & couldn't tell you what the person was talking about. There were less featured fly tier seminars than last year , & the one I wanted to see was being held on Sun....that would have cost me another $18 & again, problems with the noise. The Beer Garden was small & in the back of the show. The aisles were set up wider so you didn't have to bump & grind your way through the show....didn't seem too crowded. What was missing was the camaraderie which was always at the Somerset location....everybody socialized whether they knew you or not ...there was no 'hang out 'spot...everyone seemed to go to the show & go separate ways. I heard complaints about the main hotel -Sheraton- being old & very dirty....they won't stay there again. I stayed at the Extended Stay hotel (also old) which had a small kitchen with no cups, or coffee pot but I bring my own...won't stay there again. I heard no complaints about the Marriott. I've attended the Somerset show for years & change is always hard...& I saw co director Chuck Furmisky walking around taking notes & being aware that he has his work cut out for him for next year . But I think I'll just make it a day event next year. Any one else here attend ? Opinions ?

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I was there, I thought it was great. Went all day Saturday, had a great time. I agree, parking was very good, just like Somerset. Last year when I was at Somerset all the tiers were free but there were some pay per view seminars just like this year at Edison.

I didn't attend any of the pay seminars but I did get to see Gary Borgers casting seminar at one of the casting pools, that was free. ....and I could hear him fine, he wore a mic and the speakers were plenty loud enough.

I'm only 90 minutes away and didn't stay so I can't comment on any of the area lodging.

Overall I thought it was a great venue and set up quite nicely. (nothing like the fly tying symposium that was held in Lancaster this past November, which I thought absolutely stunk) Edison had plenty of room, good lighting, and an incredible amount of things to see. I wasn't expecting on site gourmet food and I wasn't disappointed, but it was good enough to keep you alive for the day. Vending machine drinks were a bit expensive. I'm not used to paying $4 for a flavored or carbonated drink or $3 for a bottle of water.

All the vendors (and there were plenty of them) I spoke with were quite cordial and friendly. I didn't find a lot of bargains but there was SO much to see (you can't see it all in one day) and I didn't spend a lot of time looking to spend money. All the factory booth guys were very friendly and helpful. Plenty of talk about their newly released or soon to be released products. Watched a bunch of different tiers for a while, cast a few new rods, sat in a free tying seminar, and looked over a ton of different "toys".

I thought the show was a perfect respite for a lingering winter. Kudos to all those who made it happen. I'll for sure be headed back there next year.

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Permit me to correct a few misconceptions. The Somerset Show always required attendees to purchase a show ticket to attend the seminars and visit over 60 tiers. There were a few tiers demonstrating in the lobby before you bought your show ticket, but they were with volunteer booths. Maybe that was confusing. Inside were two 1OO ft. rows and another 5O ft. row of great tying demonstrations. In the Doubletree Hotel were all the seminars, over a dozen to chose from every hour, and you could attend as many as you wanted on your show ticket and hand stamp. If you thought they were free perhaps you forgot to purchase your ticket and get your hand stamped. We didn't have enough staff to main every seminar door to check your hand stamp and just depended on loyal attendees to realize the price of a show ticket helped pay for the finest celebrities in fly fishing to be hired to share their knowledge with you.

As for the complaint about not being able to hear the casting demonstration that can be easy to correct. Walk closer to the speakers. The ponds were 80 ft long and I saw one person at the end of the pond say " turn it up". That would blast those standing next to the speakers, so to please one demand and make many uncomfortable I went with the majority. Since I have been introducing our casters for 30 years I must admit in all those times it is difficult to get the perfect volume for everyone. Sorry, but did my best.

And I was very aware of the closeness of some of the Destination Theaters. The giant velvet drapes in between the rooms

were promised to be sound proof. They were only semi sound proof and we are working on that for next year.

But for the first year, with everything under one roof, and twice the size of Somerset, I must have had over a hundred customers thank me. Give my son the credit for all the hard work in putting together a show that was the largest ever in fly fishing show history. I used to do a good job, but he did better. Remember I was supposed to be semi-retired. Couldn't miss this one and will want to be back next year.

Chuck Furimsky

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Welcome to the site, Chuck. Thank you for the input/explanations.

I hope you can stay and become an active member?

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Appreciate you welcoming me. I noticed you have 11,733 posts. I'd say you are a very active member, but not sure if I have the time or enough ideas worth sharing to reach a plateau like that. But I will follow and read the posts that might get me more active. I grew up communicating with phone calls, and even writing letters. So my first post was a learning experience and I hope I explained some incorrect comments without acting like a know it all. Just wanted to set the record straight with correct facts.

Looking forward to following your posts and others. I can feel like I might surprise myself and retire my pencil for my iPad. Ha!

Chuck

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@chuck

Might want to check out February Flies from the Vise to get your toes wet. Sounds like a nice event you & now your son put on.

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Appreciate you welcoming me. I noticed you have 11,733 posts. I'd say you are a very active member, but not sure if I have the time or enough ideas worth sharing to reach a plateau like that...

Chuck

That's all right. Mike doesn't either but he fakes it a lot.

 

Welcome to the site and with your background I'd love to hear some of your stories about the complexities of putting together big shows and the bloopers you've had to deal with.

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