What are the parameters of an Outdoor Expo?

An Outdoor Expo should:

• Focus on educating families with emphasis on young people about outdoor skills and natural resource conservation through hands-on learning.



• Emphasize hands-on education versus being a typical sports or trade show.



• Be a statewide or regional event involving multiple communities, organizations, agencies and businesses, as sources of volunteers, presenters and sponsors.



• Be free or of nominal charge to participants.



• Be structured to attract a wide audience. Attendance may start out with less than 5,000 people; however, growth, evolution and diversification should be projected for subsequent events. These are not community clinics or workshops.



• Strongly associate the value of acquiring skills in hunting, fishing, the shooting sports and related activities with conservation education.



• Provide equal opportunity for all to participate. Assistive technology should be provided for the disabled.

How can my agency, organization or business benefit from an Outdoor Expo?

An Outdoor Expo will:

• Extend education and outreach to all sectors of society.



• Enhance public relations and marketing efforts.



• Introduce people to organizations, agencies and businesses committed to help them learn more about conservation, practice good wildlife stewardship and increase their participation in outdoor activities.
  
  
• Create new markets for hunting and fishing licenses and outdoor recreation products and services.



• Allow organizations, individuals, agencies and businesses to come together as a community to share their knowledge and experience, and help others learn about the outdoors and conservation.



• Provide the public an opportunity to learn about the important role of hunters, anglers and wildlife watchers in conservation.



• Provide a link between individuals’ basic interest in outdoor activities and their actual involvement.



• Showcase conservation agency management programs and education program opportunities.



• Provide a variety of learning opportunities for those more advanced in outdoor skills and to help them improve their proficiency and ethical conduct in the outdoors.



• Introduce youth, women and the disabled to organizations and mentoring pathways which can help further their learning about and participation in outdoor activities.



• Provide outdoor recreation-related businesses an opportunity to demonstrate and utilize their products in the outdoors.