Tailgating Times - The Best Times are Tailgating Times!

Friday, February 19. 2010

It doesn't seem possible that nearly a month has passed since Scott Free and I got back from the Sports Licensing & Tailgate Show 2010 at Mandalay Bay. It was an awesome show this year, almost double the size and attendance of the 2009 show. On the licensing product side I saw everything from team logo baby shoes and sunscreen to ceramic jack-o-lanterns for your home. There were so many products I didn't even have time to see them all.

Mandalay Bay's Convention Center is a great location and with the nasty weather that weekend it was great to be able to stay in one place for most of the show. Our rooms at THE Hotel were awesome as well. There's even a Starbucks just outside the convention center hallway. Of course I was even more happy when I walked in the front door of the Show and saw Freedom Grill right up front with one of their famous tricked out tailgating trucks, the Freedom Grill Canyon and of course one of their equally famous Freedom Grill Girls.

Just past Freedom Grill's booth was the Margaritaville Party Bus and their booth really was something else. In addition to showing off the Margaritaville Tailgating Grills and the whole line of Frozen Concoction Makers they Radio Margaritaville spinning tunes and plenty of samples from Margaritaville Foods, Margaritaville Spirits, and even Landshark Lager. Not only was this booth the place to find the party throughout the show, they hosted a sweet party at Margaritaville on the Strip that was a blast. It's just too bad the rain kept us off of the rooftop patios.

What I love most about the Sports Licensing & Tailgate Show is the mix of products for tailgating and showing support for your team. Sports fans love their teams and manufacturers are continuing to find new ways of helping consumers show off their team colors with pride. Just a few of the things I saw included NCAA logo women's underwear from Miss Smarty Pants USA, winter hats in team colors from Tundra Gear (founded by Survivor winner Aras Baskauskas, NCAA Snuggies, and even Margaritaville Frozen Concoction Makers and Tailgating Grills customized with team colors. Another company with team licensed grills was Son of Hibachi with charcoal grills that go into a "snuff out pouch" complete with team logos. You can bake cakes & muffins and even make ice cubes shaped like your team logo with silicon molds from FanPan.net. Pangea Brands was showing off a toaster that will sear your team logo onto your morning toast. Now that's dedication. One of the coolest (pun intended) products at the show was from Cooler Coozies and these guys actually started their company after walking the 2009 Sports Licensing & Tailgate Show looking for the next big thing. This year they were it.

Of course in addition to all of the terrific products there were two lunches and a breakfast for retailers to hear from tailgating experts and manufacturers on the best ways to get into the mind of a tailgater and create displays and promotions that will keep fans coming back to their stores over and over for tailgating supplies and geat. These sessions featured a collection of some of the best known names in tailgating. Joe Cahn "The Commissioner of Tailgating", Jay "The Tailgate Guy" Di Eugenio , Dave Lamm of TailgatingIdeas.comJack Smith, founder of Sports Authority, and of course myself and Scott Free. A lot of information was provided and somehow Joe managed to wear jersey from all 32 NFL teams on stage in just one presentation.

I'm sure all of the attendees came away with a greater appreciation for what sports fans want and you couldn't help but be impressed by many of the booths. Instant Tailgate had a great booth with a sample of their inflatable living room and I have to say I was impressed. It sets up quickly, it stores in a convenient carrying bag and it was pretty comfortable. (That's me resting my feet with my Fan Can Hand after a few samples from the Margaritaville booth.

I had hoped to get a bit more video but there was so much to see and so many people to catch up with I only got a few clips. I was quite thankful that the weather cleared up before the drive home. You see those tailgating trucks we show off aren't really made for rough weather and when it comes to Vegas shows driving is always cheaper than shipping. At least I got a rare glimpse of snow just past State Line.