Outdoor living and recreation enthusiasts convened in Las Cruces, New Mexico this past weekend for the three day Mesilla Valley Outdoor Expo which featured a large number of outdoor and recreational equipment vendors strutting their stuff with a wide range of trade show display and equipment exhibits available to view.
The expo was held inside the Las Cruces Convention Center and open to the public who had a ball watching chainsaw artists, taking part in indoor fishing and enjoying the wide variety of products at each trade show display which ranged from new RV’s and fishing equipment to high-tech sleeping pads and camping gear.
Exhibit design at most trade show displays was decisively less flashy than at the recent CES 2013 convention which also just wrapped up and featured all the high-technology companies had to offer. In contrast, the Mesilla Valley Outdoor Expo trade show display design was much more reserved to match the products on display.
Chainsaw art was one of the main draws of the expo.The tone of the expo was also more relaxed and featured more interactive exhibits aimed at the public, which unlike at CES, was welcomed in to see the new products on display and take part in indoor fishing, scuba diving classes and more. Some of the trade show displays had other interesting attractions, including a remote control deer that is used by law enforcement in sting operations designed to catch poachers and a chainsaw artist who turned a block of wood into an owl.
The chainsaw artist, named Mark Chavez, was perhaps one of the most impressive showings. Carving wood pieces into full sized bears and more, he attracted a large audience which stood in awe.
Laser tag was also available for children and adults for an additional fee on top of the $8 admission cost.
(photo by Kristymp via Flickr)