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Outdoor Retailer Moves To One Show Per Year

Today on THE ROCK FIGHT (an outdoor podcast that aims for the head), Outdoor Retailer Show Director Sean Smith joins Colin & Producer Dave to talk about the recent announcement that OR is putting Winter Market out to pasture and moving to one June event per year.


Not pictured: Outdoor Retailer Show Director Sean Smith

Sean talks about the reasoning behind the move, the response, comments and criticism that has emerged since the announcement and how he and his team are working to ensure the future of the event.


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Episode Transcript

Colin (00:00):

Welcome to the Rock Fight where we speak our truth, slay sacred cows and sometimes agree to disagree. This is an outdoor podcast that aims for the head. I'm Colin Tru and today Outdoor Retailer Show director Sean Smith returns to the podcast to talk about the end of winter or, but first, please follow and rate the rock fight wherever you're listening on any podcast app, leave us that five star rating and please subscribe to the show. Click follow folks, that's huge for us. If you like the rock fight, you probably like gear and beer, so check out our other podcast here on the Rock Fight podcast network. It's called Gear and Beer. You can find it on the app you're listening to right now. And lastly, we want to hear from you. Send us your feedback by sending an email to My rock fight@gmail.com or reaching out on the socials, but we can be found as Rock Fight Co.


(00:48):

Alright, let's start the show Fight Rock. Fight Fight. Last week news broke that outdoor retailer would consolidate from two trade shows a year to a singular event in June. The announcement meant that or Winter market, the winter version of the show that had been held annually since 1990 would be put to pasture reaction was swift and varied with many understanding and many questioning what it means for a show that has changed quite a bit over the past five years now or is something we've covered a lot here on the Rock Fight Show Director Sean Smith came on the pod last fall and he did. So again this past summer after producer Dave, Justin Hausman and I all got back from Salt Lake, pretty impressed with the latest iteration of the show and he's here again today to talk about the move to one show a year, offer his response to the criticism to that move and what he and his team are doing to establish the show for the future. Welcome back to the Rock Fight, where today it's the Outdoor Retailer Reduction with Sean Smith. Alright, Sean Smith, it's back on the Rock fight. This is your third time here man. I think just think this all started Jacket


Producer Dave (01:54):

In your


Sean (01:57):

I would love that. Me, Paul Simon, Tom Hanks. I think we're all getting the jacket now, right? Five timers club is that


Colin (02:04):

None of them can say that they came on after I viciously insulted your show last fall that led to our first time chatting, so


Sean (02:11):

I'm kind of used to your hot seat at this point. I think I've got callouses on my ass from sitting in your hot seat so often so it feels good.


Colin (02:18):

So it hurts at first, but you start to like it after a while.


Sean (02:23):

Hey, you've got tattoos too. You know how it works.


Colin (02:26):

Yeah, yeah, you more than me, so you definitely know how it works. Well, so news came out last week that outdoor retailer is going to one show a year, which is going to be in June, and that means effectively that puts an end to what has historically been known as outdoor retailer winter market. So we just wanted have you on and kind of chat about it, hear what was going on behind the scenes. You're kind enough to join us to give the inside scoop. So let's just start with why you and the OR team thought that this was the right decision for the future of the show at this time.


Sean (02:57):

Yeah, it's a great question. I mean simply put, what we have been trying to do a better job of, and I think we proved that with the June show, is to listen to what the needs of the industry are, and we did that. It's why we introduced the hosted buyer program in June of this year and it worked. We got some great buyers there. It really changed the landscape of the show. Who was there, buyers coming to actually place orders. So big difference, hosted buyer changes, things we went after new and innovative and stopped worrying about who didn't want to come and focused on who didn't want to come. So with that, I believe we did a good job of listening. The end of the day we took a look at all the data, whether it's Ana's report, o's report, I know they work together, but June is it. I mean June is where the majority of the business is being done. It's always been that way. June has always been a bigger show and we believe that the industry just wanted to focus on June and that's what we decided to do. We're going to combine it let's a national show, can we do one big national show and really blow it out, expand it and make it bigger. That's what we're after.


Colin (04:12):

When we did first talk last year, I mean one of the things we talked about was last November show and then we touched on it again when you were on after this past summer show, and obviously that was a unique circumstance of what you guys were up against and your commitments to the contract you had to put on a show at the same time was what was the November show trending towards? Was it going to be an improvement over last year? I mean, was it pretty much like, you know what guys, this does not make sense at this time. Let's put our efforts where we know the energy is. How are things shaping up I guess as you were looking ahead towards this fall?


Sean (04:45):

I think we were shaping up for it to be a good show and I believe it would've been better, but that wasn't really the measuring stick. It wasn't a matter of well this one is going to fall short again, so we cancel it. We just looked at where we're splitting our time. We have a small team, I mean Emerald's a big company, but every show in the parent company's portfolio runs a pretty lean ship. And at the end of the day, I have always been a proponent of putting all your do something and do it great. And if you can't do that, then maybe you're doing too much. And so we believed after, especially after this June show that that's where the industry is responding. That's where the industry need is most. And so if we can focus our energy and our time there and combine these shows and make one big national event, then we're going to do a great job and let's do that. But let's do it. Well, let's do it really, really well and that's what we're out we're setting out to do.


Colin (05:47):

Yeah, I think it is important to remember too that you've only been in this chair for a little over a year. When you and I first spoke, you'd only been on the job for a couple of months. I think it's easy now to look at it and say, kind of like I said when I introduced you, it is like that, Hey, winter market is now going away. And it does feel like that path was set when the decision was made to move it to November. However long ago that decision was made, I dunno, a few years ago, whatever it was, what was the winter show? And Dave and I talked about this in the episode, it came out this past Monday about how there was something about the winter show that it was always smaller to your point, but there was a unique flavor to it. It really felt like it was its own thing compared to the summer show and then putting it in November, it kind of just became a little bit of a dingle berry. It got to sitting out there, right? What is this now? So I mean I'm sure not to say that played into it entirely, but it had to play a part in it, what the show has actually become versus what it used to be.


Sean (06:39):

Absolutely. I mean, you always have to take everything. Nothing happens in a vacuum. There's no singular answer for major decisions. There just aren't. There are a multitude of them. The winter markets changed, we all know that. I mean January moved off of January. The ski and snowboard industries, they're a bit fractured, but they also, they have their own showrooms. And so then it became, well what is it supposed to be? And look at the end of the day, and I'm going to keep pointing back to just, we know we can produce a great summer show and we believe we can produce an even better summer show than we did this last year because we had great new brands, a lot of excitement, a lot of energy and a lot of vibe. And we believe we're just going to continue down that path. So yeah, I mean everything comes into play Again, nobody makes a great recipe off of one ingredient and so there's a lot of ingredients that go into every decision.


Colin (07:34):

Well, the outdoor industry is nothing if not, I guess verbose maybe the way to place it. An outdoor retailer in its history has a lot of meaning for a lot of folks in the outdoor industry. So I don't think it's that surprising that there was a lot of swift and varied reaction and commentary to the news that came out last week. A few examples, folks like Peter Sachs who's the GM of LOA boots here in the us, he reflected pretty positively on what the winter show has meant and definitely expressed some concern for where we are as an industry, which I'm sure are concerns you've heard in your time in this chair. I felt like the coverage in SGB was fair, but definitely a little more rough. I had to sting a little bit. Reading some of that I think opens a little rough, ends a little rough, but in the middle there's a little bit of an ooey gooey middle in there that I think I kind of got where they were going with their comments. But then I also heard from a retailer who said he didn't think this voted well for the future of the show, but again, it was inevitable because of the move to November. So when you kind of see this sort of array of comments, some supportive, some sad, some maybe a little more on point about what the show should be or could be or maybe won't be, how do you respond to those comments? What comes to mind for you?


Sean (08:40):

Great question. I think if you take everything in its whole, we read everything. I read everything. You also have to be careful not to take everything personally. I appreciate fair journalism, to be honest, you I'd rather somebody, which is why I came on the show in the first place, is


(09:00):

You didn't take it to task just for the sake of taking it to task. It was not a rip session. It was not just I'm going to attack something for the sake of attacking it and I'm going to go away and let people smile and laugh about how I tore something apart, but I'd rather hear somebody's fair assessment. There's nothing worse than a glowing piece when you didn't deserve glowing peace. I mean nobody wants that. How do you ever improve if you cannot take criticism? We talk about this as a sale. You're going to walk on the show floor and you're going to have 10 exhibitors having a great show. You're going to have one that's having a really rough show and they're pissed off. You have to go spend time with the pissed off exhibitor just as much if not more than the one.


(09:43):

You can't take the great comments and then go hide from the rough comments. So you have to listen to all that. However, at the same time, what you cannot do is get in your head and think that everybody out there knows exactly what we go through and what goes on day in and day. I don't know what you and Dave go through and putting on the rock fight. Maybe you have people that send you hate mail all the time going, what's your problem? You wouldn't believe so that's my point. But you still do it, right? Of course. Where would Howard Stern be? We do it it for it and you have to be, and I do believe you improve when you listen to sometimes the voices, but you have to go through and determine which ones are hitting on a right note for you and your business decisions and which ones aren't.


(10:34):

Peter Sach's a great guy. He's a fan of OR. He wants to see it succeed. You can feel it in everything he writes and he's got some great ideas. And I actually have on my list sitting right in front of me, an old fashionable posta note to reach out to Peter Sachs from LOA to talk to him and we'll have that conversation. Owen, I'm on the phone with him tomorrow. I've already spoken to Gabe over at GOA. The ideas we're always listening to voices. So going back to the media coverage, I thought SGB was fair. I mean they've got their opinions, they've seen it from a lens that maybe I haven't because I've been here a year now, I know, or for 20 years I've been very familiar with or and how tight the January used to be a SR surf expo. You then you threw an SIA you had, or it was the most crowded month in anything action sports related.


(11:28):

So everyone is looking at it from a perspective that is their own and unique and at the same time, not everybody gets to see what we see in the decisions that we think we're making or the people that we've spoken to. So I'm not going to be critical of anybody's coverage at all. We're not looking for glowing reviews, we're looking for people to share their honest opinion. That's how we're going to form decisions. Having said all that, I do believe that there still remains out there, this feeling that or can one day get back to what it once was using the really awful and stupid quotation finger marks, finger quotation marks the end of the day and call those air quotes with air quotes.


Producer Dave (12:09):

Air quotes


Sean (12:12):

Is you can't ever go home again. Look, business changes. How many retailers are far different? How many retailers still have you buy it online, come in and pick it up on store? I mean, the way we shop changed with the pandemic. So this thought that, oh, I wish for the good old days, we do need to get past that. What do you want or to be now? And you can't tell me that you want it to be 300,000 square feet again. It's not effective. It's not the best spend of money. There are far more in different ways to do business today. I do believe getting together in person is critical. I always will. I think we've lost that to some degree. And so I am still a massive proponent for getting together in person, shaking hands, getting to know the people you're going to do business with. And that's why I believe trade shows are still extremely, extremely important. But at the end of the day, all this feedback, I'm very confident in the decision and it's tough. It's not always easy. And so you live with it and sometimes you have to take chances to get better.


Colin (13:24):

Yeah. You just highlighted something that I forget when I said it. One episode recently about that has always been kind of the heart of the issue around the trade or specifically even when it was booming is it's like no one really had a real broad deep consensus for what the show, the value of the show actually was. Right. Although it was just, again, in that show the other day when I commented on the surveys that would go out afterwards, a lot of decisions were made is probably why the show got moved in November and it never felt like there was a lot of consensus. It wasn't like 80% of everybody said we should do this. It was a lot of 20% this, 30% that. And then a lot of knee-jerk reactions and the event space in the outdoor industry. It is incredibly complicated and I don't think it's ever going to probably not be incredibly complicated.


(14:08):

Everyone seems to agree, like you said, that we can benefit from a big national event, but then everyone's critical of what currently exists and everyone's going to have to, the three examples I gave, everyone's going to have a different reason for why they want this thing or want to attend something. And then plus, on top of that, it seems lately every week now we have a new thing that gets announced, not even on a trade, but media or just a pure outdoor event or festival or something like that. So I don't know if anyone even has the ability to step up and lead the charge. I mean, do you see a world where it does shake out and it's like, okay, some things fall by the wayside and there is, so you don't really believe there could be a real national, national event again in the future? Or do you think maybe there could be one day?


Sean (14:56):

Well, I absolutely do and I believe that's what we're aiming for. But I think in everybody's mind, what is a big national trade show in your mind? What's expectation from that? So right now I believe that's trying to get the largest collection of brands together, new established. So we have some work to do there. No question about that new and innovation. I think we're now proving that we can do that and there's a lot of smaller brands that trusted in or being a launchpad for them or at least or another stepping stone getting a little further than they were before. So we've got that going for us. Education, we've got some of the best education, continuing education, industry research, all of that taking place on the show floor that our buyers love. They come out for that. And I've been to so many different trade shows before.


(15:48):

I've never seen a show where people find a way to go and sit through educational content and still get around the show floor. That's the other one is these people that say, oh, trade shows should now be one day events. I'm just like, then it's a half day event. You shrink everything. But there's so much going on in these shows and I do believe that's the mark of a national show is getting the best mix of brands there, the top retailers, there's content, there's networking opportunities, there's national media. So that's what we're working on. So the question is, is that a national show? In my mind it is. And will it get bigger as long as we deliver and as long as we continue to deliver, you've got to do that show after show and prove that it's relevant. And so I think we are poised to do that.


Producer Dave (16:41):

Everything we've talked about to this point is getting to what is ORs one line differential pitch because it's a different show today than it was. So what is that? Because another mistake could be made is trying to be all things to all people


(17:02):

To


(17:02):

Try to grab everybody all at once. That's not realistic. So what is the outdoor retailer of, let's call it future now in terms of what's, what's the pitch to brands? What type of brands? I don't think size isn't what you're talking about. It should be mindset and need of what you're looking for. So what is that?


Sean (17:30):

I think one of the best things I learned when I first started here was from Roy Turner who runs Surf Expo. He is run it for many years. I've known Roy for over 20 years. He's somebody I respect a whole lot did before I even started with Emerald. We had a great friendship business relationship of knowing each other. We have fought like we're brothers at times, but we've always been respectful of one another and it's just gotten strong as we go. I think that the main thing for a national trade show for what or needs to be is connections. We are about connecting people. We're about connecting brands and retailers. We're about connecting the media with brands and with retailers. And at the end of the day, that's what we're out to do. And those connections can then turn into business, done on the floor, business done afterwards.


(18:24):

It can be leadership positioning to make sure you're still being seen as a leader in a category or even just as a brand. But I think what we have to be is knowing shows like GOA that serve their membership. They're phenomenal. I come from a membership background of trade association, love what they do. And there's a uniqueness there that you cannot match unless you're a member organization because it's so different how you're driven. And they do a very good job of that when it comes to a national show. We're attracting big box retailers, we're attracting brands. Honestly, there's some people that we're critical with the backyard games. I don't get it. That's not outdoors well, but it is. And after the pandemic being in your own backyard outdoors became the outdoors. And right now the growth and participation is coming from the casual consumer. It's not coming from the hardcore.


(19:20):

And again, we use that term, the surf industry for years. And we had said, let's be a little careful this whole, are they core enough? Are they spending money in your stores then? Yeah, trust me, they're core enough for you because they're out to be associated with the outdoor community and outdoor people take backyard games on the road. My point in all that is there's new categories to be discovered and I think that's what we want to be is what's new, what is innovative. And if you are a brand, whether you're an established 50, a hundred year old brand or you're a 2-year-old company, if you've got something fresh and innovative that's going to excite the retailer of any channel or certain channels, then we've got a place for you to make that connection.


Colin (20:06):

So it's hard not to think that it'll be some headwinds. There always are regardless of circumstances. Right. But is one for you guys right now, the memory of the way the show used to be? Or is that just white noise? Right, because even since we had a good experience, David and I were both at the summer show, we talked to you, we did solo pods, like wow, actually this was not what we expected. It really was a positive experience. This is a new kind of or but then you still encounter the folks who maybe weren't there in June and have their preconceived notion of what it should be and what it is. Does the


Producer Dave (20:37):

Name itself, is it,


Colin (20:40):

Is that an actual something that you're concerned about the memory of it? Or is that just like, ah, that's just what people are going to say? It's white noise. We need to put our head and do our thing.


Sean (20:48):

I think changing the name and here's my take on it. Will I change my mind to your center? I don't know, but I almost feel like a name


Colin (20:58):

Change. Shawn Smith Expo coming in


Sean (21:00):

2027. Oh, I like that. Hell no, not a chance. Who's that? No pickleball pickle. Oh my gosh. Everybody wants pickleball right now. It's crazy. Especially if it's not hardcore


Producer Dave (21:15):

Enough, Sean.


Sean (21:16):

No, it's not. It's not. Put it right next to the corner. You can't play it


Producer Dave (21:19):

Wearing a backpack then. It's not really an outdoor sport.


Colin (21:23):

Can we combine rucking and pickleball? That would be,


Producer Dave (21:26):

Oh, I think you're onto something there.


Colin (21:28):

Yeah, I think I am


Producer Dave (21:28):

Actually. That's a good idea. 50 pound pack of rocks while playing


Sean (21:31):

Pickleball. I like it. That'll weed out all the Sunday fun day mimosa people. The


Producer Dave (21:37):

Footwear and the knee surgery options are just endless.


Colin (21:41):

Okay. Orthopedic surgeons of America to endorse Endless. That's right. Sorry Sean, sorry. The headwinds and memory of the show. What do you think


Sean (21:49):

Headwinds? So let's start with the name change, but changing the name in my opinion starts to lead to an acceptance of you failed as a brand. The brand is no longer viable. And I don't believe that's the case. I believe we have to reprove the brand and I believe we have to prove relevance within the brand. Changing the name. Outdoor retailers come to the show, that's who the show is for retailers. And again, the trade show community, those that run trade shows, you do serve two masters, you've got to sell Booth to some and then others. You have to give them something exciting to come see and they're going to want to come. But ultimately at the end of the day, the show is for whoever's walking the floor, who's your audience and the audience are the buyers and they're coming to see what's new.


(22:37):

They are the outdoor retailer. And outdoors does mean it does even mean the big inflatables that go in the water, go to Shields, go to REI. It's a big part of the business and we do get complaints from people. That's not what the original or was supposed to be all about, but you know what? But back then people weren't getting dragged behind on a 20 foot diameter and flavorable thing to be thrown 90 feet in the air and laugh about it. But it is a part of what the outdoor community has become. And if the buyers are looking for that and they are outdoor buyers, I believe we have a need to try and see if we can fill that need. So I believe the name is very relevant. It will always be relevant. That's who the brands are selling to are outdoor retailers. Some of them are big box and they might not just focus on outdoor, but at the end of the day it's their outdoor sections of their show that they're buying for. It is an outdoor retailer show. And I believe in the name


Producer Dave (23:36):

While you are open to all types of outdoor brands, especially the fact, the changing nature of what it means to be an outdoor brand and you're open to everyone, you want to make a place that anyone can feel that they can exhibit at. I would still say that might be a little bit too middle of the road in the sense of what kind of outdoor brand are you really looking for? Again, this is an exclusionary, you want anybody who considers themselves an outdoor, but I think in the way that the show is being positioned, there is a certain type of brand business outlook on this outdoor space that you are looking for.


Sean (24:17):

No, it's a great point and I want to be careful to say anything in anybody because I don't think that's accurate. And if that's, I think


Colin (24:27):

And you don't want to be gatekeeper.


Sean (24:29):

Well it's true. I mean you cannot win. That's right. What I will say we have and continue to turn down some companies that reach out and there was one this past week, and I won't say who it is because it's not really outdoor, and they reached out and said, we are thinking about exhibiting. And we just said we appreciate it, but it's not a fit for our show. And I looked through everything. I mean the idea was somebody wants to spend money, great. But there are, we do turn down more than people probably think that are just not a fit. And there are certain show categories that I will just say there's certain areas of health and wellness that can be a fool's path if you let it. And I will just leave it at that because there are a lot of shyster companies out there that they're not there to make connections. They're not there to open new doors, they're not out there to help an outdoor retailer be better, be stronger, offer the consumer something that's more interesting. They're just out for a quick buck and it's not who we are. So there are definitely companies that we have turned down and said we appreciate the question, the inquiry, but it's not a fit for our show.


Colin (25:48):

This episode of the Rock Fight is brought to you by the great Malden Outdoors and outdoor enablement campaign and the city of Malden, Massachusetts and the brains behind this initiative. Darren Josie. He's here with me right now. Darren, first of all, what is an outdoor enablement campaign?


Darren Josey (26:01):

An outdoor enablement campaign provides four things, advertising, resources, programming and youth development. These are the four things that I believe are really important to getting more people outside.


Colin (26:12):

So why is this campaign important to DEI efforts in the outdoor industry?


Darren Josey (26:15):

We have to start by getting more people outside and that can start their journey from one becoming someone who just enjoys outdoor recreation as a lifestyle, but two, a path for a job. No one told me that going outside and rock climbing could lead to a job one day or fishing or bike riding. Didn't know that was a thing until I got into the industry and I want to change that and start that journey a lot earlier for way more people in our society.


Colin (26:42):

Hey man. And lastly, how can outdoor brands and retailers help or participate?


Darren Josey (26:46):

Go to the great malden outdoors.com, click on the contact button and reach out. We are always looking for donations for gear, funds and expertise. You can lend your existing staff to lead an online course or if you're in the New England area, come on down and lead a class. We're looking for more programming.


Colin (27:04):

Head to the great malden outdoors.com and click contact to build a partnership today. But what about the old school, the Gen Xer white men like us who have been going to the show for 20 years and think it should be a certain way and have not gone to experience the new version of it and just going to continue to say like, ah, it's not what it was. So


Producer Dave (27:22):

I'm not it stopped presenting at the show. See, I don't think you get to be sad about nostalgia if you're no longer presenting.


Sean (27:28):

There's always headwinds. There's never a time in business you're not doing something. Look what Nike's going through new CEO come in. They were facing a lot of headwinds over D two C then change that. Now they've got a new guy coming in. You're never out of the bullseye. You're always going to be in the bullseye, especially in the trade show community. That's just part of doing the show where you have so many people coming, exhibitors and attendees, the world is not short of opinions. So you're going to hear it all day long as far as dealing with what it once was. And is that a headwind? I think it's a distraction and I think it's easy to get caught in that distraction, but I don't see it as a headwind unless we allow it to concern us. And then the tail wags the dog. Here's an analogy, might be a really stupid one, but I really don't give a shit. So I'm going to use the analogy because I like it. So in my years at sema, one of our better guests we ever had for our summit down in Cabo San Lucas where Robert Trujillo and


Colin (28:34):

You, you're speaking my language, please keep talking


Sean (28:36):

And oh my gosh, Kurt Ham Hammett.


Colin (28:40):

Okay, keep


Sean (28:41):

Going. We from Metallica, they're big surfers. Robert,


Colin (28:44):

You should have led with this last November. We'd have had you on way more times if we're going to do Metallica talk. I was like, anyway, keep going. Sorry.


Sean (28:50):

So Robert is a big time surfer, grew up Santa Monica, boys of dog town era. He got Kirk into surfing Kirk by Robert's own admission was essentially a vampire at that point. Not getting up till four in the afternoon and staying out till five in the morning. Pale never ate well, just junk food and lived the rock and roll lifestyle. Robert introduced him to surfing. They came down to be our guest as our opening our keynote address. And I sat on stage with 'em and interviewed them, did a conversation with Robert and Kirk and a lot of people were like, well this phenomenal to have 'em here, but what does this have to do with surfing? And what does then, does this analogy have to do with the headwinds of wanting it to be what it once was? The key question we asked that we really delved into is being in Metallica is not a whole lot different from being a popular surf brand or a popular outdoor brand or even a show that once was something and is now not. And the hardcore Metallica fans started to abandon the band because they felt they had sold out. And there's a famous line, somebody said, yeah, we're sold out, we sell out every effing show we play.


Colin (29:57):

But Jason Stead said that.


Sean (29:59):

Yeah. So the question then became how do you handle that? Is that a headwind? It was the same question.


(30:07):

How do you feel about that? You've been doing this a long time now you're widely accepted. You've got Hollywood stars that have probably never listened to a single song of yours. Wear their T-shirts so they can look and feel cool and you were once disgusting metal heads and you're now part of pop culture. And they said, as long as we're making music we like, we don't give a shit and that's what we're going to continue to do. And the metallic of fan base is just as strong. Is it different than when they started out, have some left and refuse to come back because they're not the same band? Yes. Are those four guys happy doing what they're doing? According to them, they're very happy because they're playing music they like and that they care about. So I feel like it's the same analogy. Are we going to produce a show that people who are there say, I was happy about this. It felt good to be here. I felt energized. I felt like I did some business. I felt like I made some strong connections. I networked. I am better off as a business and a person for being here. That's what we've got to work on. Not worry about the headwinds, the detractors, the people that say you sold out or the people that say you're no longer what you want. Were are we putting on a show that people can say, I feel good about being here.


Colin (31:17):

Dave, you have any last questions?


Producer Dave (31:19):

I just really now hope that the official song of the show becomes Enter Sandman or


Sean (31:25):

Battery. That's a good one. Creeping Death I think. No, that's funny. That's the song we use to enter them on stage when they came on death and it was live from Brazil. It's a great version of creeping death. It's


Colin (31:37):

Pretty easy. I was going to end with what makes you feel optimistic about the future of R, but I'm going to let the Metallica story to stand on its own because now


Producer Dave (31:44):

There'll be quite an interest though coming up the hallways of the Salt Palace to hear that. Come on. I dunno, it might be worth the quarter million dollars it would take to get the rights for 30 seconds of that.


Sean (31:57):

No kidding.


Colin (31:58):

Sean, thanks as always for coming on the show man. I'm sure we'll have you on again as we get closer to June. Appreciate your time today.


Sean (32:05):

Yeah, thanks for having me on. Always appreciate it. Black Eye and a Bloody Nose from Colin and Dave. Oh, come on. Getting a little easier


Colin (32:12):

Every


Producer Dave (32:12):

Time,


Sean (32:13):

Isn't it?


Producer Dave (32:14):

It's never a problem. Had the bruises wouldn't show, but there it is. Always a pleasure.


Sean (32:21):

I appreciate the time.


Producer Dave (32:22):

Thanks Sean.


Sean (32:23):

Alright, thank you guys.


Colin (32:25):

Alright, that's the show for today. Big thanks to our guest, Sean Smith. And as always, we want to hear from you. Send your feedback about outdoor retailer or any topic we hit here on the Rock. Fight to my rock fight@gmail.com. Tomorrow, that's Thursday, you'll get a new episode of Gear and Beer over on that feed. So check that out, follow, subscribe, listen to Gear and beer. And then we have another rock fight scheduled for Friday, so come back for that. Our producer today was David Kasad with Art Direction provided by Sarah, Mr. Chevy, celebrity Genser. I'm Colin True. Thanks for listening. And here to take us out. It's The Voice of the Rock Fight Podcast network. He almost got his ass beat. It's Krista Makes with the Rock Fight Fight song. We'll see you next time. Rock fighters rock. Fight


Chris DeMakes (33:15):

Into the rock bike where we speak our truth, slay sacred cows and sometimes agree to disagree. We talk about human power outdoor activities and pick bikes about topics that we find interesting. Black Five, culture, music, the latest movie reviews, ideas in for the head. This is where we speak our truth. This is where we speak our truth. Welcome to.

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