Welcome to the American Equestrian Trade Association
Announcement as of 05-22-2020
To The AETA Community:
We are moving in a new direction and want to explain the steps we have taken to get here. We are very excited to announce that we are partnering with Dallas Market Center in Dallas, TX. This partnership will create a new, permanent home for our organization which will debut in Dallas on January 14, 2021. This is also when WESA will be moving to Dallas for the first time, creating a great deal of excitement and unification in the equestrian industry. Both AETA and WESA will be represented in a parallel style at this dynamic, state of the art trade show. Therefore, the planned August AETA in PA will move to Dallas, TX, January 14-17, 2021.
How did this happen? To be completely transparent, we want all of our AETA members to understand that we have been working for months to find a viable option for our trade show platform. Obviously, the declining attendance over the last several years has prompted this discussion. We began over 6 months ago looking at different locations, speaking to other organizations and facilities, and discussing with several business leaders what would be ideal for AETA. Adding the pandemic to this situation has only underscored the need for a decision. We were able to use this pandemic to release ourselves from costly commitments and a declining marketplace that our organization was no longer able to support.
If you recall the last survey that was sent to our AETA community, we inquired about possibly partnering with WESA and we found that responses were split but open. Following that, we investigated east coast options but the Dallas location offered so much more support and growth for our organization, not to mention, full-time employees committed to our success. The Dallas Market Center has skin in the game in that our success is their success.
Further, Dallas Market Center is very buyer-centric. They have a vested interest in contacting and communicating with every buyer on a national and world wide stage. In their continued buyer support, all buyers attend FREE.
Truly, we believe that the way to survive, in fact, thrive, is to present a unified, dynamic trade show. In addition, the delay to January, allows for business to reopen, the economy to rebuild, and travel confidence to return.
