I spent some early morning time with my cup of coffee looking through the emails I hadn't got to in the last few weeks. Between school and the doc appointments I've been out of my normal routines. Emails are mostly useless, a lot in Spanish, I have going through and unsubscribing so the stupid ones are filtered out. I did however find a few fly fishing related ones.
So it's almost October and that usually measn the fall run is going to start, when who knows, followed by the start of winter and the fly fishing shows, and then the lull with the cold waiting for March 1st and the arrival of migratory fish.
I have always enjoyed The Fly Fishing Show. I'm not going to get into it again, but I went from being a wide eyed attendee, to a booth worker, to having a booth, to doing some lectures, to now back to being an attendee. I have a love/ hate relationship with a lot of things fly fishing, and TFFS is included.
But my emails as of late have been about the TFFS and getting in your reseverations. As you can see the show is in late January, the 27th, 28th and 29th. I took a peek to see how much it costs to have a booth at the show. For a 10 x 10 its $1200, and most have 2 booths, if not more. Add that to the gas, tolls, food, lodging and the hang tab and you're talking about a lot of money. I know there's a cost of doing business but man that must sting, no matter how far in advance you pay the tab for the $100 discount.
Last year I waited outside two of the Destination Theater "rooms" to hear some presentations. They were no-shows. What I always found interesting was the audacity of TFFS to not compensate the speakers for the program they were presenting. The presenters should be paid, or a sharp discount applied to their show fee. They are providing the content and entertainment which puts people in the seats and walking the floor. THEY ARE NOT DOING YOU (the presenter) A FAVOR. But they think they are, here's what you get if you buy a projector, a camera, take and edit photos, share your knowldge and expertise, and put together a 45 minute presentation, according to TFFS.
Oh please. That was like when I used to work as a photographer. Didn't matter if it was for The New York Times, The New York Post, The Star Ledger or a magazine, I was competing with folks who would provide images, (fishing, fires, famous people) for credit and not cash. Content makes money for other people, why shouldn't the originator get paid, first!
I do provide content from time to time without "compensation". Regularly I provide the New Jersey Fishing Reports from Raritan Bay down to Island Beach State Park. You can see who and where is reported
HERE. I have went from an Orvis customer, to an Orvis Endorsed Guide, to currently part of their Orvis Pro Guide Program. I've always been an Orvis guy, even though, again,
I have a love/hate relationship with them. But they don't care what I think as lomng as my payment information is up to date. But the Orvis Endorsed Program, that is another expense. Back in 2011 when I was accepted,
HERE. Back then that cost me $1,375 a year, which gets added to TFFS booth, and every other business expense that you incur.
And then there's my favorite email. I won't get into what I feel about Pro Programs, but they are really sad these days. It used to be "guides" that manufacturers sought, not added to that, are "influencers". It used to be you were on the list or had an account and got a small to decent discount on gear or apparel. Now it is a sign-here-in-blood legal and binding contract that you must follow
or you will be "terminated". Now I'm not going to mention names, but this came into my email account unsolicited, so I can share it on my blog. Let's look at Pro (me) Deliverables and General
Conduct. I have to first conduct myself with the "utmost respect", and disrespectful behavior "online or in person" will result in "termination". So if on my social media account I post a fish with a popper in its mouth on Tuesday, but put up a cartoon about Trump, Biden, Pelosi, Graham or whoever on Wednesday, watch out, the conduct police will be watching and ready to act. Then I
provide, for free, content, 48 pictures or videos per year, of HIGH RESOLUTION, "to be used on COMPANY social media channels, websites and printed media". Such as advertisements, which make the company money. This is the best, put their company logo on my company business pages! Then I must tag said company on social media, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. One more thing before you sign, you must go, at your expense to one industry event "per annum". And what do you get for all of that? The below....
Are you kidding me? Save a dollar on a package of popper heads to provide all of that....for free? No thank you, that email, and ones like it, will go straight into the Trash folder.
Good luck to all of the people I know that truly make a living in the fly fishing industry. No second carrer, no trust fund babies, no pension from another gig, but just making in past all of the above bullshit and turning a profit and supporting a wife and kids doing it. I couldn't, so I tip my hat off to you all.
