Back in Wadena for the 2025 convention demos. The crowd was good. We did have a few cancellations, but the crowd was understanding and just moved on. We used both ends of the Show Arena, a perfect location centered on the grounds for this year’s thirty-six scheduled demos. Eighteen in water and eighteen on land. Maybe one hiccup is we had some sound transfer when the wind blew, and if were go back, we will tweak a few things to correct that. Thanks to Cory Van Driel for taking charge of demo area scene prep and take-down. Awesome work. A big thank you goes out toe Gary Jorgensen for helping me with the sound system, and congratulations on being selected for an MTA Presidential Award, very deserving. His expertise was greatly appreciated, and the sound system served the crowd all convention. Our new system is compact, easier to set up and I can attest that the crowd appreciates hearing the presenters.
The lineup of demos gave a good variety. It has been my thought to give any vendor a chance to do a demo to promote their products. Then I move on to individuals. Five new presenters did their first demos for the MTA. I do appreciate all the presenters. It was also good to have Paul Antczak (The Mountain Man) take the time to do a demo and talk about his experiences. I did have vendors thanking us for the vendor shopping slots that were scheduled. This is where we shut the demos down for customer shopping, and encouragement is given to tell the vendors Thank you. During the course of the weekend, five slots were schedule. Additional feedback is more time should be allotted. This has come out of our dealer survey from years back. If you want to share your methods and want to do a demo in Little Falls next year, 2026, give me a call. 507-276-6322
This year I sent eight Field Training course sheets to Shawn. It was awesome to see the kids lining up to have their presenter sign off on their course taken. I am guessing about twenty plus participants have taken advantage of the Field Training Program at our convention this year. Congratulations of all participants. Thank you to the presenters who helped with writer’s cramp. Thank you to the DNR for agreeing to quiz kids on four major questions. It is so well worth the effort. Another pleasing note is that we had girls and guys doing the classes.
Pass it On
Brian Fischer
Demo Coordinator
