Wisconsin Fishing Expo continues to grow

After a 13-percent increase in attendance in 2017, an all-time high, the Wisconsin Fishing Expo (WFE) continued its upward attendance swing with another 9-percent increase for the 2018 event, held Feb. 23-25.

In addition, the Expo area at Alliant Energy Center Expo Hall in Madison grew by 17 percent, featuring more than 150,000 square feet of space for vendors, manufacturers, retailers, boats, outfitters, electronics, lodges, accessories, and more.

“It was an interesting year with a major tournament happening and having the Olympics on, all during the same timeframe as the Expo,” said Dan Durbin, co-owner of the Fishing Expo. “We had to adjust media buys because people do tend to stray from their favorite stations and, instead, watch the Olympics. Through a combination of print, radio, TV, and social media we made the right buys and attendance was better than ever. Word of mouth was strong as well as people learned that the expo was expanding again.”

In 2018, the WFE also saw significant growth in new national manufacturer booths on display at the event, including Daiwa, Shimano, Black Fish, Clam, St. Croix and others.

For more information, go to wifishingexpo.com.