Dominator Fireworks recently participated the spring NFA convention March 2-5 in Columbus, GA.
If you sell fireworks in the USA, the NFA (National Fireworks Association) annual conventions are a MUST attend event. Distributors, wholesalers and retailers convene to meet suppliers, see the latest products, and get important industry updates. Besides hosting the largest annual trade show, the NFA conventions also include informative presentations on the latest government regulations, industry challenges in China, and even sales and marketing seminars it’s members can benefit from.
The spring convention saw low attendance, largely due to a perfect storm of travel fears with Covid-19 spreading, Supply troubles from China resulting in delayed availability of new items stateside, and terrible weather – over 5″ of rain fell over a 4 day period making evening demo’s a challenge to set up and shoot, but all were fired almost perfectly with a nice indoor viewing area to keep onlookers warm and dry! (Check the Dominator Facebook page for live stream of the demo)
Ed Vasel presented the best attended seminar of the week on Pyrotechnic Choreography 101. It was followed by some great questions and discussion that we hope everyone learned something from. Our team has had unique opportunities to work with many companies in the USA and around the globe on all sizes of shows, sharing those experiences with other’s is a great way to network and improve industry standards. Other seminars presented by Tom Dunnaway, Bob Kellner and Steve Houser covered DOT transportation issues and 3rd party product testing.
We had some great conversations with NFA BOD members Bob Kellner and Steve Houser on the NFA’s stance and strategy on current industry issues such as proposed changes to 87-1, CPSC testing methods, and future convention sites. Something everyone needs to be reminded of, YOU are the NFA! It will be what we make it, so get involved. Whether it’s simply making a suggestion by sending an email, attending the convention, or running for the BOD, let’s all work together to keep the NFA a recognized organization for the industry.
The 2020 Fall Expo is being held in Kingsport, TN Sept 8-12 we hope to see everyone there!