Robin, It would be great if you came to the expo. We're a little far west to be on the way for Marshall lake, would be a good stop on a trip to WCPP or Pickle Lake area. Let me know and I'll give you some very biased ideas on where to stay in the area.
It is too bad that the two events have lined up. When we heard rumors that Ely was planning a similar event we took every measure possible to confirm they wouldn't overlap, and received assurances that they wouldn't. That included talking directly to their Camber of Commerce, who told us they were not having any event. It wasn't until mid Nov. that vendors told me that after we'd contacted them they got a similar invite from the Ely event over the same dates. I hope not, but it seems like the overlap was intentional.
Overlapping the two events is bad for both shows, the vendors attending, and most importantly the paddling community. I'm sure many would have liked to attend both shows, and not have to go to one at the expense of the other.
Quinn