2023 OFF-ROAD EXPO POMONA, CA 9/30-10/1

[_kq_]

I had some interesting take aways from this event.
1. yes the offroad expo seems to be getting smaller, lots of open space that wasnt filled.
2. with the sand sports show so close, i asked our rep if they thought about doing 1 in spring 1 in fall, he said no
3. our rep did say that next year the two shows will be back to back weekends
4. about 4-5 of the vendors i talked to said they wouldnt be back next year.

I have a soft spot for the offroad expo.. I remember when it use to be huge. Not sure what we will do next year, but thinking maybe just sand sports show as it seems it had twice the attendance.

In my opinion, I think that having both the shows in fall makes sense due to it being the start of the ‘season’ for most. I think the sand sports show is so much bigger due to it being catered primarily to the sxs market, where as the off-road expo is more of the desert prerunner/4x4 guys. I wonder if they’ll eventually try to combine the two events? Not sure if that’ll be a good or bad thing, I feel like although there in a way kind of the same show, it’s still a different type of crowd with slightly different interest. We have to keep the garage fab, affordable budget, truck scene alive! I don’t have anything against the sxs guys, I’ve been one my self, but its kind of sad to see how sxs have flooded the market and kind of put the grassroots stuff to the side.

 

[dwphoto]

I'd really like to make a Bad Lines Good Times Grassroots prerunner/rock crawler section next year. Have a bunch of forum members' trucks on display... I bet we could fill up one of the alleys in between the buildings with 20 or 30 rigs easy.

 

[_kq_]

I'd really like to make a Bad Lines Good Times Grassroots prerunner/rock crawler section next year. Have a bunch of forum members' trucks on display... I bet we could fill up one of the alleys in between the buildings with 20 or 30 rigs easy.

Doooooo it that would be awesome!

 

[Cleandezert]

In my opinion, I think that having both the shows in fall makes sense due to it being the start of the ‘season’ for most. I think the sand sports show is so much bigger due to it being catered primarily to the sxs market, where as the off-road expo is more of the desert prerunner/4x4 guys. I wonder if they’ll eventually try to combine the two events? Not sure if that’ll be a good or bad thing, I feel like although there in a way kind of the same show, it’s still a different type of crowd with slightly different interest. We have to keep the garage fab, affordable budget, truck scene alive! I don’t have anything against the sxs guys, I’ve been one my self, but its kind of sad to see how sxs have flooded the market and kind of put the grassroots stuff to the side.

I'd really like to make a Bad Lines Good Times Grassroots prerunner/rock crawler section next year. Have a bunch of forum members' trucks on display... I bet we could fill up one of the alleys in between the buildings with 20 or 30 rigs easy.

I think as a vendor and even as a person coming from the show, if you went to sand sports, its less likely to go to offroad expo. alot of the same vendors at both. I thought it would be kinda cool to do a spring end of season sale type deal for one of the shows, but i guess that is kinda like the sand sports super swap.

I love the idea with elliot to bring back the prerunner deal at the offroad expo. Terra has a huge booth of very nice built rigs, but where are the not-so-shiny garage-built trucks... Some of the prices they charge for this stuff keep the smaller shops from being able to afford it. Would be cool to bring back some of that where its affordable for them.

 

[BFR_Built 🇺🇸]

It sounds like I should start and end of season expo. Break it up into sections for each type of rig with a Taco Truck/Beer garden festival.

 

[Mullen]

I haven't been to the expo for 15+ years, which made it seem huge to me. I don't remember there being so many nicely built prerunners there, though I could make the same comment about prerunners in general. Somehow everyone has a $100k build now.

Getting back to grassroots with a BLGT booth next year would be awesome. How about crowd fund it here? I'd throw in money for the booth to have my truck on display and get to spend a couple of days shooting the shit with desert buddies.

 

[theycallmeWALLY]

I haven't been to the expo for 15+ years, which made it seem huge to me. I don't remember there being so many nicely built prerunners there, though I could make the same comment about prerunners in general. Somehow everyone has a $100k build now.

Getting back to grassroots with a BLGT booth next year would be awesome. How about crowd fund it here? I'd throw in money for the booth to have my truck on display and get to spend a couple of days shooting the shit with desert buddies.

We'll work on it however we can...

I think we'll have a big enough following and enough evidence of what we are offering them to really sell it as a positive for their event. There was just a lot of dead space that we could fill up without 'selling' anything besides a good time.

 

[dwphoto]

I haven't been to the expo for 15+ years, which made it seem huge to me. I don't remember there being so many nicely built prerunners there, though I could make the same comment about prerunners in general. Somehow everyone has a $100k build now.

Getting back to grassroots with a BLGT booth next year would be awesome. How about crowd fund it here? I'd throw in money for the booth to have my truck on display and get to spend a couple of days shooting the shit with desert buddies.

yea I'm 100 % serious about next year like @theycallmeWALLY said we'll try to sort something out with them.

 

[desert_steve]

View attachment 15141

Always loved the OG beamed blazers. Anyone know/have any info on this one? The color looks like it could be the old Donahoe built blazer that was in off-road magazine back in the day.

 

[DialedShockPrep]

That Blazer was built by Russ Wernimont way back in the day. It used to be a Prerunner for Arciero i believe with A Arms up front. Somewhere along the way that Blazer got the beams up front and linked in the rear. If you look closely at it you can tell the front engine cage are more of a shock hoop setup for 2-3 white rockets that the cut all the tabs off and added tabs for the coilovers. It’s definitely a cool blazer, very old school with some modern suspension, but it is different than the red/grey beamed one.

One of the Camburg kids owns the blazer and uses it as a play truck/mild Prerunner, Eric Hampton was the previous owner and cleaned it up/painted it that grey cement color.



As for the expo, I haven’t been in a couple years and I was impressed with the turn out. I really hope they keep the two event seperate because it’s less SXS people and overall a more relatable crowd. I don’t see any issues with this forum trading advertisement for space since that’s what DR used to do every year for their spot, even when we had the huge booth indoors with 7 trucks. There were a few “budget” Prerunner builds there but even the simple trucks would now cost 25k + to duplicate now. Everything is very inflated and it’s not hard to have a 100k Prerunner even with doing majority of the work yourself. Marcels Ranger is a solid example of a budget build but most guys don’t even look twice at his truck because it’s very low key

 

[AiiRaciing]

Black male ( ) for later....

5:30 Sunday loaded up and hit the pike home... no trailer needed Yea, drove it there and back haha
and

Good Times !

I also Got some good blackmail photos

I had some interesting take aways from this event.
1. yes the offroad expo seems to be getting smaller, lots of open space that wasnt filled.
2. with the sand sports show so close, i asked our rep if they thought about doing 1 in spring 1 in fall, he said no
3. our rep did say that next year the two shows will be back to back weekends
4. about 4-5 of the vendors i talked to said they wouldnt be back next year.

I have a soft spot for the offroad expo.. I remember when it use to be huge. Not sure what we will do next year, but thinking maybe just sand sports show as it seems it had twice the attendance.

We
Stopped doing both shows for this reason, yeah it’s a different Democratic, but insanely stupid doing it this way. They REALLY should do SSSS, go to Arizona 2 weeks later than return to Pomona 2 weeks after that. At least this way it’ll break it up a little. And to be honest, the Az show absolutely F-ing sucks and should be canceled all together.
As far as the show goes, it’s by far my favorite show we do all year, but if Terra didn’t come out with such a big showing last weekend that show is done with.

 

[85Yota]

Was a great time seeing the trucks and catching up with a lot of people. Expo used to be huge when I worked for polyperformance. But the owner doesn't even go anymore since he said it costs a lot of money, nobody goes to buy parts, and as a retail company it's basically just advertising the same stuff everyone else makes.
It did seem smaller than last year and the outside area between a couple of the buildings didn't even have anything out there so went back in the building. I like seeing the chassis of the TT trucks because as a builder I admire the design and flow of everything to get ideas how to do things on my own projects.

 

[59sled]

A BLGT area would be rad. My sons and I would chip in. My kid and his ranger would be down.
Terracrew area was the best thing about this past show. But now it seems like the Terracrew team has moved on from budget builds to more high end builds. Very few leaf sprung trucks in there. Also to me its the budget kids that are supporting a lot of Terracrew. Be cause we all have dreams of owning a beamed and linked truck at some point. So a budget area would be sweet. Most everyone starts at the bottom with a midtravel Ranger or Chevy. That's one reason I walk the entire parking lot at every Expo. You see rides more on my kids level of builds. Unfortunately the parking lot was filled with new Jeeps this year.

 

[FENDERFAB]

I would like my truck at the expo next year. DW and Wally- i am down to pitch in a portion financially to help make a BLGT booth happen.

 

[dwphoto]

A BLGT area would be rad. My sons and I would chip in. My kid and his ranger would be down.
Terracrew area was the best thing about this past show. But now it seems like the Terracrew team has moved on from budget builds to more high end builds. Very few leaf sprung trucks in there. Also to me its the budget kids that are supporting a lot of Terracrew. Be cause we all have dreams of owning a beamed and linked truck at some point. So a budget area would be sweet. Most everyone starts at the bottom with a midtravel Ranger or Chevy. That's one reason I walk the entire parking lot at every Expo. You see rides more on my kids level of builds. Unfortunately the parking lot was filled with new Jeeps this year.

I would like my truck at the expo next year. DW and Wally- i am down to pitch in a portion financially to help make a BLGT booth happen.

Appreciate it dudes! Probably be sometime after KOH 2024. I'll start working on all of this.

 

[WW_RANGER_X]

I am willing to get in on the action, and help financially if I can get a spot for the Raptor next year. I feel if we make a Bad Lines Good Times/Clean Dezert combo presents with a ton of budget friendly trucks the whole section would be a hit because its so relatable to the average enthusiast. I say we flood one of those outside areas between the big buildings if possible.

 

[_kq_]

I’d be interested in helping make this happen as well, maybe we can get some of the other buggy guys together and get a buggy dork section haha