Had another great time at the annual Orvis Guide Rendezvous. Got up to the corporate offices at Sunderland on day one and we started off with Dave Perkins giving a presentation about the family business and where the company had been, is now, and where they hope to take it. That was followed up by more good presentations over the next two days between there and in Manchester. It amazes me how much analytics and research goes into the business end of fly fishing. It was great to hear about the advances about the Orvis website and social media pages as well as information about current and products that are in development. Yes, we were clued into a few exciting developments- but we were sworn to secrecy, or death! My favorite was the tour of the rod shop, it's incredible the research and development and then all the work and different steps it takes to make each rod.
This year the Orvis store fishing managers attended and we were able to meet and greet and exchange cards with the hopes of starting working relationships and friendships with each other. I know this has worked for me and Rob from the Orvis New York store and I hope I can do the same with the Marlton, Yonkers, and Doylestown stores also.
We had a great pig roast and local brew barbeque with a local bluegrass band playing while we ate and drank on the first night day and at the end of the second day they let us cast to some monster rainbows and browns in the pond next to the store.
The only other thing worth mentioning was that while on my way up there a 200 pound turkey flew into my car cracking the windshield and ripping off the side mirror, besides scaring the living s$%t out of me when it hit.
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