Central Oregon Sportsmen’s Show set to return, with new COVID-19 guidelines
(Update: Adding video and more information)
'It’s going to feel a little less busy ... like a VIP experience'
REDMOND. Ore. (KTVZ) -- Ten months after it was one of the first major events canceled in Oregon due to the coronavirus, the Central Oregon Sportsmen's Show is making its return this spring.
It was the first time in 80 years that O'Loughlin Trade Shows had to close one of its sportsmen's shows.
“We recognized it was a legitimate public safety issue so we shut the show down," Trey Carskadon, O'Loughlin Trade Shows' public relations director, said Wednesday. "We put people before profit. That show cost us in real dollars about $700,000.”
Carskadon told NewsChannel 21 there likely will be about 20 changes, including mandatory mask-wearing, a touchless ticketing system, tickets sold in three-hour time zones to limit attendance at any one time -- and the popular trout fishing zone will not be at this year's show.
Ticket are expected to go on sale this month. Adult tickets will cost $12, while children 16 and under will be charged $5.
More than 200 vendors have already signed up for this year's show. Carskadon said the response from vendors has varied.
“It's been all over the board, really, " he said. "It’s been everything from, 'We are with you guys and we are there to support', to like pulling teeth to get folks.
"And there have been a lot of folks who have been understandably nervous who have opted not to be a part of this year's show,” he added.
While the show may look a little different with limited capacity Carskadon expects it will add a more personal level to the show.
“The benefit of all of this is there’s not going to be as many people at the show at any one time, so it’s going to feel a little less busy. It’s going to feel like a VIP experience," Carskadon said.
