Convention demos area's. Need input.

I know a bunch of you here have been to several demos over the years.
How about some input on what you would like to see at future demo areas.
Not really interested in the actual demo as I am looking for info on the setup of the area.

Also those that have done demos in the past please chime in on the goods and bads.

Pics, especially up close please post.

I have done demos on fancy setups and plain setups. Both work just fine. A plain setup can be made with a truckload of dirt and a collection of what one would look for in the wild, stump, grass/weed clumps, bones, cowpies (preferably dried), rocks and some beaver chewed sticks will do the job. People attending the demo are (or should be) interested in how the presenter makes the set, the presenter can extrapolate as to where the set can be made. A good trapper can make an interesting Demo anywhere with about anything.
A tip on presenters, someone you have never heard of often gives a better demo than a big name trapper. Sometimes a big name trapper gets asked to do a demo on something they are not qualified to show but because they have a reputation they say sure I will do that demo for you. It winds up being a flop.
About 20 years ago I was at a big state convention, where the year before the state had opened up snaring, and a "favorite son" trapper from that state was doing a fox snaring demo. It was obvious he did not have a clue. What he was telling trappers to do I learned did not work in the 1970's. The next day I talked with him and learned he had caught 7 fox in snares the year before and that was his lifetime total of snared fox.

You Mr. Space give a great demo, lots of info and a good presentation style. When are you going to give another?......jk

I believe what's more important then the lay out is sound, I never ever have seen one with a good sound system.

We have put on many demos at the WTA and 3 nationals. The 2010 NTA we built a very large and elaborate demo site and many organizations followed that lead and created some outstanding demo presentation sites. From our experience and feed back here are my thoughts.
Most come to hear, see or meet the presenter, so very large sites with seating far away is not a good thing unless you have the camera with the large screens so that everyone gets a good seat! Sound or working mics that don't squelch out is important as is volume and clarity of sound. Keep batteries charged or new.
Make the sessions start and end on time so all presenters and attendees get what their time and what the want.
From my experience and it is just my opinion I would concentrate more on the presenter, the message given and keeping things running smoothly. Many presenters have done many demos and can handle most setups or sites very well.

Bryce

Very important, especially if presented before large groups or in a setting where the audience is at some distance.

Bryce is spot on. I've done demos since the mid-1980's and the #1 issue is typically start and end times.
When I approach the demo area for my time slot, and the presenter before me has no watch or no phone or any device to tell time.... I look at whoever is next to me, and say, "No way I start on time."

It's a courtesy thang and a few don't quite comprehend the logistics, especially if they have "oh, and one more thing I want to show you," when their time slot is already run its limit.



Blessings,
Mark

LOL,Bryce I was just going to post that ACK should contact you for information.
Ack,first thing you should do when a demo begins--Tell everyone to shut off their goll darn cell phones. Nothing worse than having your demo interrupted by a ringing cell phone or worse the person that answers it and starts talking on it.
If you do a water area and use a plastic liner,let those doing water demos know about it ahead of time. The liner can be slippery ,but if the presenter is using a stabilizer in his demo it can damage the liner.
Those that have given many demos are used to adapting to the conditions at hand. Some of my most enjoyable water demos have actually been done on dry ground.
One demo in Mo. was supposed to be at a local pond,now usually a natural setting is most desirable,but this time was not the case. It was extremely hot and there was no cover from any trees. I asked the trappers if they wanted to see a water demo while sitting in the shade. We got folding chairs,moved into the shade and had a nice relaxed--dry land water demo. Ack there are some pictures of this somewhere out there--As they were brought to my attention.
Tom

How about when you drop that load of dirt, drop a load of shale with it. Mix that together for your ground to work dirt trapping sets.
For water sets, I suggest a high bank of dirt that is kept wet with sets being made at the bottom of this embankment where it meets at least three feet of ice cold water.

Anyone have pics of the demo area from the Hamburg NTA? That one was pretty elaborate. Might be a bit much for the state convention though but we are hosting the NTA next year.

I have seen some demo areas setups that were so elaborate that the crowd could not see what was going on. Here our demo area is a manicured lawn and we don't set up anything. I have a pickup bed full of props(rocks, sagebrush, cow turds, etc) on hand and let each person set up what they need, most use very little, The audience needs to see what they are doing, The only people who use every thing I bring is a couple of cat trappers out of Nevada, but those guys don't think they have made a set unless they have constructed a slightly miniaturized replica of the Great Wall of China.

We are only doing land trapping, so that makes it alot easier than if you were also doing water demos. But I still think that a more open area is better so everyone can see.

The sound system is vital, some guys don't like it and think that they talk loud enough without it. You have to make them use it.

As stated before time is very important. I give each presenter a heads up when there is 10 minutes and 5 minutes of presentation time left. We allot an hour for each demo, but you have to stop each person in time so they can clean up and we can get the mic off them and on the next guy. That is a minimum of 5 minutes. Ending each demo on time sometimes means cutting some one off, but you just have to do it if you are going to get thru nine or ten of them in a day.

More than once I have been asked to get the demo schedule back on the right time line,as the person before me had overrun their allowed time.
I always made sure I was done on time. I always told people if they had further questions,they could come to my booth and I would be happy to answer any questions they had.
Doing demos is fun and lets you get to know more trappers.
Tom

Tom is a pro. Many of us are long in the tooth and have done so many demos, don't ya wish you saved all the buttons they used to give out for attending! I try to finish at 45 minutes, to leave time for 1 or 2 quick questions and then as Tom mentions... come by the booth.

I remember one time years ago at a state convention the trapper, who is well known, went for an hour and 35 minutes. I finally walked back to my booth after he was 20 minutes past his hour. He had sets all over that mountain and was still digging at 65 minutes... so I headed back.

If you're the person handling the demos, please cut them off or they will never stop.
It's just a demo.

Blessings,
Mark

This is what our basic setup now. Ack is the unofficial official foreman of the demo area setup. I'm guessing Ack is looking for some ways to spice it up.

Yep sniper.
Kinda got handed the job. Also looking for some "structure " oddities the demonstrators would like.

I know some of our association has discussed the sound system. I will push for any upgrades needed.

Personally, I would like to see wood bleachers as those aluminum ones are like a sounding board anytime someone in the crowd moves.

I appreciate all that have commented already.
Keep them ideas coming.

Some articulated animal mounts would be interesting. Bit pricey though.

I always thought a body camera or hat mounted camera would be a good idea, for either a skinning demo or trapping demo would be nice. That way you could see exactly what the demo giver is doing with the knife or set as their giving the demo.

first is this for 40 people or 400 people , we did a demo area in 2014 in escanaba , with a big screen and two angle shots , and had a kick butt sound system , the national ,actually hire our video guy ,for all nta convention ,

for our u p show yearly show , we don't do a lot basic outside area ,under trees ,with mic. sound system ,

this was the muskrat pond it was about 2 foot deep ,

this was the beaver pond , we had a house and a slide the beaver pond was about 5 foot in center
this was a creek that left the beaver pond and flood thru a culvert and down to the muskrat pond , we had a pump under the muskrat house that pump water back to beaver pond
this was a corn field and fence line
this was a two track road goin thru the center of demo area and over creek
this is muskrat pond done

You can sometimes get a bog landscaping company to do the demo area for free advertising. Pictures of a typical trapping area - both land and water - are helpful to the landscaper.

Thank Dahlgren.
Awesome setup