Attracting travelers to the region for overnight stays and promoting the region’s tourism assets is the mission of Pennsylvania Great Outdoors Visitors Bureau. One of the best ways to promote the endless adventures available to potential visitors is interacting with them face to face, and some of the best places to do this are sports, outdoor, and travel shows.

Winter is show season in the tourism industry, and in 2018, the Pennsylvania Great Outdoors staff will speak with thousands of people at six sports shows and attend two shows for bus tour operators as well.

“Show time” begins in mid-January with the Northeast Ohio Sportsman Show at the Mt. Hope Event Center in Millersburg, Ohio. Next on the schedule is the Tri-State Outdoor Expo at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, followed by the largest sports show in world, the Great American Outdoor Show at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg. After that, we’re back on the road to the Allegheny Outdoor, Sports, and Travel Show at the Monroeville Convention Center near Pittsburgh. Central Pennsylvania residents can find the Pennsylvania Great Outdoors booth at the Jaffa Sports Show in Altoona in late February. March brings the Western New York Sport and Travel Show at the Fairgrounds Event Center and Casino near Buffalo. To attract the tour operators to the region, two new events have been added to the 2018 show schedule: the Pennsylvania Bus Association and Maryland Bus Association trade shows in late March.

“I feel the entire staff takes pride in our region, and we really enjoy talking to show attendees. It’s fun to share information with people and help them plan a visit the Pennsylvania Great Outdoors region,” says John Straitiff, executive director of the Pennsylvania Great Outdoors Visitors Bureau.