Conferences

This Sunday will be the beginning of the 2008 fireworks conference season. Our owner and sales staff will be making the trip to PGI in Gillette, WY this weekend. For those of you not familiar with PGI, it is a convention focused on the end consumer of fireworks, the people who truly enjoy lighting (or e-firing) the fuse. There will classes, competitions, vending, and open shoots all week. Our graphic designer and photographer Michael Richards will be there snapping THOUSANDS of pictures, and we will also have a couple guys there writing articles for '76 Pyro.

The next convention will be the NFA in Billings, MT. The NFA Expo is focused mainly on the business end of fireworks, with product demos for three nights and a great trade convention. However, there are unfortunately no fireworks for sale at the event. It is a great event though, in that it allows wholesalers a chance to meet with most of their suppliers, as well as give prospective suppliers a chance to show their products and meet with buyers. It is also when we will start seeing all the 2009 products, receiving 2009 catalogs, and hearing all the news and events effecting fireworks for 2009.

I believe the last event will be the APA in Orlando, FL. I have volunteered to go down and play lots of golf meet with suppliers, but I don't think our company will be making the trip this year.