The Calgary Boat and Sportsmen’s Show was our first trade
show ever. Of course we’d been to lots of shows before, but always on the
customer side of the booth. Being on the other side was an awesome time.
Derrick went down on Wednesday night to set up. Although it killed me, I stayed
behind to finish up at my day job. While we had some minor drama with business
cards not being printed on time, all was sorted out when show time hit on
Thursday afternoon.
For the week before Calgary, we were shaky with happiness,
although it’s a tough feeling to describe. It was quite surreal to think about
what we were actually doing. There we were, standing in our booth, faced with
the cold, hard truth of owning a lodge and having to do something concrete about
it.
Luckily, it all came very naturally. Turns out it’s easy to
sell a product when you’re speaking from the heart and honestly intend for each
client to have the best trip possible. We know the fishing is awesome. We also
know that by the time we’re through fine-tuning the accommodations, and Derrick
is done in the kitchen, the lodge itself will match the great outdoors.
An unexpected bonus was listening to other people’s stories.
Standing in our booth wasn’t just about selling a fishing trip to people. In
fact, having them share their fishing stories with us was one of the best
parts. We should have expected it. Storytelling is a major part of being an
angler (everyone’s caught “the big one,” right?), but it wasn’t until we were
actually listening to the funny, the sad, and even the seriously twisted
stories that we realized how great that part of working a show is. We loved it
all—from the couples who have been fishing together for 25 years to the dads
seeing their sons’ eyes sparkle as they consider their first fly-in fishing
trip together.
At some point, I didn’t even want to sell trips anymore
because talking with everyone brought back so many fond memories of fishing with
my grandfather. It really brought home the reality that he’s gone. I have a new
fishing partner, awesome memories to cherish of my first 25 years of fishing, and
new ones to make for the next 25, but life is relentless and just keeps going
whether you’re ready or not. It gives and takes away, sometimes at the same
time. Not sure why I became a philosopher in the middle of the show, but there
you have it.
Calgary really sorted out that owning a lodge is not just
about us. In the end, it’s about sharing stories with people, even those who
may never come to Lloyd Lake. We all share that universal feeling of “I was
there,” and that feeling never gets old. It buzzes through us each time we
reflect on our once-in-a-lifetime trips. What a great privilege to steward a
place that can create such powerful emotion.
