Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show

The Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show was an outdoor hunting and fishing exposition held annually at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in the United States, and was the largest show of its kind in North America.[1] The event was first held in 1955 and attracted outdoor sports enthusiasts from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Washington D.C.. The annual event was known to showcase the very latest that hunting and fishing had to offer, including services, gear, expert advice, seminars and competition shooting.[1] It included more than 1,000 hunting and fishing related vendors and over 500 outfitters from around the world.[2]

On January 15, 2013 Reed Exhibitions, the promoter of the show, announced that modern sporting rifles (MSR's) and related products would not be permitted at the show. Following the announcement, hundreds of its exhibitors and most of its celebrity speakers cancelled. Following opposition by the National Rifle Association, and a statement by the National Shooting Sports Foundation that they would stop co-organizing with Reed for their annual SHOT Show, Reed announced the indefinite postponement of the ESOS.[3] The Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show was subsequently replaced with a new exhibition, run by the NRA and known as the Great American Outdoor Show, which was first held in February 2014 and annually since.[4]

Tourism Officials for the Hershey and Harrisburg Region of Pennsylvania reported the postponement and eventual cancellation of the ESOS in 2013 resulted in an estimated $80 million loss to the local economy. Officials with the Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau (HHRVB) reported $44 Million of that loss was in Direct Spending from the 1,000 vendors and estimated 250,000 visitors attending the show each year. Regional hotels reported the event accounted for approximately 12,000 room-nights during what was typically a slow period for occupancy.

References

  1. 1 2 Show information Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show, accessed February 8, 2010.
  2. ↑ 2010 Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show Features More The Outdoor Wire, accessed February 8, 2010.
  3. ↑ Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show: What Postponement of the U.S.'s Largest Gun Show Says About America
  4. ↑ "NRA selected to produce outdoor show in Harrisburg". The Sentinel. Carlisle, PA. Apr 16, 2013. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
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