How many people will attend the 2027 Arkansas Outdoor Expo?
It’s probably the question I get asked more than any other, especially by exhibitors considering whether the Arkansas Outdoor Expo will be worth their time and investment.
And my favorite answer? 200,000.
Of course, I’m joking.
The honest answer is much less definitive: I don’t know.
And I think that’s important to say. Mainly because we’re not going to oversell, or outright lie about what we’re establishing with the Arkansas Outdoor Expo.
The 2027 Arkansas Outdoor Expo will be a new event, taking the place of the Fort Smith Boat & Tackle Show, and the River Valley Adventure Expo. Both had good runs and amazing numbers.
There is no crystal ball that can tell us exactly how many people will walk through the doors of the Fort Smith Convention Center on January 15–16, 2027.
But if you’re asking me what I realistically expect? Our target is approximately 5,000 attendees.
Could we have fewer than 5,000 people attend? Absolutely.
Could we attract more than 5,000? I believe that’s possible, too.
That’s the reality of launching an event.
Why Do We Believe 5,000 Attendees Is Possible?
The Arkansas Outdoor Expo isn’t being built around one particular outdoor activity.
It’s designed to bring together a broad range of people who enjoy the outdoors—including hunters, anglers, boaters, campers, and people simply looking for something fun to do.
And we’re not marketing the event exclusively to people in Fort Smith.
The Arkansas Outdoor Expo is designed as a regional outdoor event for the Arkansas River Valley and surrounding areas, with the potential to attract visitors from all over. Our goal is for the Arkansas Outdoor Expo to be THE EVENT to attend.
Fort Smith provides an excellent location for that audience, and the Fort Smith Convention Center gives the Expo the space necessary to build a large-scale event.
But here’s something important:
Having a big building doesn’t automatically mean people will show up.
People do.
That’s why attendance is going to come down to one thing above all else: Giving people a reason to come.
What Will Attract People to the Arkansas Outdoor Expo?
We’re working to make the 2027 Arkansas Outdoor Expo more than a building full of booths.
The goal is to create an experience.
Visitors can expect to find businesses, brands and exhibitors connected to Hunting, Fishing, Boating, Camping, Off-road recreation, ATVs and outdoor vehicles, Outdoor equipment and gear, Conservation, Outdoor recreation and destinations, and plenty of things people want to see and experience.
That’s intentional.
An outdoor expo shouldn’t feel like a shopping trip where you walk around looking at displays.
It should feel like something you want to experience.
Is 5,000 Attendees a Guarantee? NO!
And we’re not going to pretend it is.
We’re not going to tell exhibitors that 5,000 people are guaranteed to attend simply because it sounds good in a sales pitch. That’s not who we are.
Five thousand is our realistic working target, not a promise.
That’s an important distinction.
If we attract 3,000 people, we’ll know we have work to do.
If we attract 5,000, we’ll consider that a strong event.
If we attract 7,500 or more?
Well…that would be pretty exciting.
And if we somehow end up with 200,000 people?
I’ll be the first person to admit that my joke became a little too accurate.
What Should Exhibitors Expect?
If you’re an exhibitor considering the Arkansas Outdoor Expo, my advice is simple:
Don’t make your decision based solely on a promised attendance number.
Instead, look at the opportunity to put your business, products and brand in front of a concentrated audience of people who already have an interest in the outdoors and are begging for an event such as this.
We’re building the Arkansas Outdoor Expo around exactly that.
Our job is to promote the event, create excitement, build awareness and give people a reason to make the trip to Fort Smith.
Our exhibitors then have the opportunity to turn that traffic into relationships, customers and future business.
That’s the part we’re focused on. But, our work goes far beyond the event itself. Our promise is to maintain those trusted relationships through social media, and where we can assist them in growth where ever that may be. That’s our promise!
The Goal Isn’t Just 5,000 People
Here’s the bigger picture.
I don’t want the 2027 Arkansas Outdoor Expo to simply have 5,000 people attend.
I want those 5,000 people to enjoy being there.
I want them to discover businesses they didn’t know existed.
I want kids to see something that gets them excited about the outdoors.
I want an angler to find a next trending fishing bait.
I want a hunter to discover a new outfitter.
I want families to find something they can do together.
And I want exhibitors to leave Fort Smith thinking:
“That was more than expected, and well worth the time. We’ll be back.”
Because that’s how an event grows.
Not by making one big attendance claim.
By creating an experience people want to repeat.
Again, How Many People Will Attend the Arkansas Outdoor Expo?
If you came here looking for an exact number, I’m afraid I can’t give you one. And, I won’t Nobody can.
But if you want my honest estimate today:
We’re planning for approximately 5,000 attendees.
Maybe we’ll have fewer. Maybe we’ll have more.
We’re going to do everything we can to make the number as large as possible while making sure the event itself is worth attending.
And honestly? That’s part of the excitement of building this brand.
We don’t know exactly what will happen when the doors open.
But we’re looking forward to finding out. Come see what we’re building.
The 2027 Arkansas Outdoor Expo (Facebook Event LInk)
January 15–16, 2027
Fort Smith Convention Center
Sincerely,
Jason Baggett