[SPEAKER_00]: Good day, mates, and welcome to an exciting new episode of Mastering Rob Building.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I've got the man, the myth, the legend, David Ball.
[SPEAKER_00]: What's up, Drongo?
[SPEAKER_00]: Bill, fuck, and a year old, Drongo.
[SPEAKER_00]: Jesus, mate.
[SPEAKER_01]: I am a drongo.
[SPEAKER_01]: The other one of the drongo is...
[SPEAKER_01]: You got two options.
[SPEAKER_01]: One, you can Google it in Australian slang.
[SPEAKER_01]: It is what I am.
[SPEAKER_01]: Or I have an Australian slang, surehand kit, give me by today's guest and forgive the silliness.
[SPEAKER_01]: But welcome back to the Mastering Your Odd Building podcast.
[SPEAKER_01]: And part of why I'm in such a good mood is we are counting down.
[SPEAKER_01]: We are getting close.
[SPEAKER_01]: It is, you know, approximately 34 days, 19 hours, 52 minutes and 10 seconds
[SPEAKER_01]: the Super Bowl of customer odd building, the one big annual global event.
[SPEAKER_01]: And first of all, I want to tip my cap and say thanks so much to Tom Kirkman, the editor of Rod Maker magazine, owner of TKR rods, for running the show for so long and all he's done to create this awesome spectacular, one of a kind show that is a highlight for me every year.
[SPEAKER_01]: But on the exciting news front, as we covered in a previous episode, the ICRBE show is under new ownership.
[SPEAKER_01]: And that is none other than the man behind Thread Central, along with Mary Christie, the inventor of visual rap, and visual weave, Australia's most notorious rod builder, David Bull.
[SPEAKER_01]: Welcome, Dave.
[SPEAKER_01]: Did I build?
[SPEAKER_01]: How are you?
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm good thanks and it's, it's, it's great to be beyond your share.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, you know, the, the rumors of this show, there, there was so much speculation about who was going to buy it and I've heard many times that it was going to, it was going to end and it was going to get retired and mothballed and I guess the haters just going to have to wait and keep on hating because we're back, baby, bigger than ever.
[SPEAKER_02]: I like to think that the, the, the show is what you've always known it to be.
[SPEAKER_02]: plus extra added dimension of enhanced learning opportunities.
[SPEAKER_02]: So I think we've got all the elements of the typical ICRABE.
[SPEAKER_02]: We've got over 30 vendors.
[SPEAKER_02]: We've got a lot of floor space.
[SPEAKER_02]: In fact, this year we've probably got 30% more floor space than we've ever had at the Benton.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_02]: We've got dedicated seminar areas.
[SPEAKER_02]: We've got to dedicated learning center spaces.
[SPEAKER_02]: We've got chairs and tables for you to sit down and relax and plan your plan of a tech for going through and seeing all the vendors, it's going to be a great show.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, it is and I'm so excited, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, always there's a little, there can be a little trepidation with the transition year, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: The first, the first year under new management and everything, but like you said, there's already 31 vendors signed up.
[SPEAKER_01]: We're using two exhibit halls, so it's going to be, it's going to be big.
[SPEAKER_01]: There's a lot of space, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's a good
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, there's always a few that come and go from year to year, but there's a bunch of notable new people that are going to be there this year, tackle zoom and e-cork USA.
[SPEAKER_01]: This is a brand new vendor's never been there.
[SPEAKER_01]: Life on the fly.
[SPEAKER_01]: Brand new vendor never been there.
[SPEAKER_01]: This is not someone who's never been there, but Lama Glass is back, which I love.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's a big deal.
[SPEAKER_01]: The custom rod builder skill is going to be there this year.
[SPEAKER_01]: And they, you know, this is a show they haven't participated in historically.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that's a very good thing.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm looking forward to seeing those guys there.
[SPEAKER_01]: And hopefully they'll be able to sign up some new members.
[SPEAKER_01]: Either Michigan Rod Builders is going to be there, others.
[SPEAKER_01]: And everyone, you expect to be there.
[SPEAKER_01]: Everyone you've come to know and love all the big names is going to be there.
[SPEAKER_01]: So, very, very exciting, you know.
[SPEAKER_01]: And, and I'm interested because you like me have been a consumer of this show for several years, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: And, and you have attended, you have taught you facilitated the learning center.
[SPEAKER_01]: And that will continue.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, I think I was going to say, what is your favorite part of the show because I'll talk about what the favorite part of the show is for me, but me, it's the people in all my
[SPEAKER_02]: dealings with the show and dealings with the software, it's all about people, it's about helping people, it's about meeting people and the quality of people that you meet at the show and an in-road building in general is fantastic.
[SPEAKER_02]: One little thing I'd like to mention, so I've got 31 vendors signed up for the show, which is awesome, it is fantastic.
[SPEAKER_02]: And obviously some people
[SPEAKER_02]: can't make it through various circumstances.
[SPEAKER_02]: I've contacted by one vendor in particular, Archie, who has typically attended the ICRBA and sold his wooden grips.
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, Archie really wanted to be there this year.
[SPEAKER_02]: He's unable to, for various reasons.
[SPEAKER_02]: They said, David, I'd still like to support and I'm going to send you a dozen grips and you can use them for giveaways at the show.
[SPEAKER_02]: To me, that's, you know, a vendor who isn't even going to be there and he's offering their support.
[SPEAKER_02]: That's totally humbling and indicative of the quality of vendor that we have in Yeah, it's indicative of the community.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's an awesome community and all these people that come Make the show what it is and and all the work they do.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's it's awesome, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, the people are great.
[SPEAKER_01]: I like to I guess now you've got me my mind spinning
[SPEAKER_01]: one of the things that Tom Kirkman and I used to talk about a lot one of the things I got to trade shows all the time that's part of my job now right but this one's different and the number one thing is different about this one to me is like the level of person who's there you know what I mean so uh
[SPEAKER_01]: NorthFork will be there and ownership and production management will be there.
[SPEAKER_01]: You can log them talk to them.
[SPEAKER_01]: Same with Lamb of Glass.
[SPEAKER_01]: Foundation outdoor group will be there and the people who design the products and bring them in, Roko Leave, like the presidents of companies will be there, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: You've got when Tommy Farmers Carolina Caspero Tommy will be there, address Jack Ryan Wyatt will be there and I can't name everybody.
[SPEAKER_01]: Mike Warl be there from
[SPEAKER_01]: Chuck and Debbie from decal connection like it's it's not just that who's there, but it's like the owners of these businesses and your ability as a rod builder to sit and have a conversation and talk about the product or the Sammy Nichols going to be there with you 40.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, it's just it's such a rare opportunity that you can actually you don't have to get past.
[SPEAKER_01]: some gatekeeper or something and trying to get on someone's busy schedule.
[SPEAKER_01]: You want to talk about specific CTS blanks, Steven and Galene Pratt are going to be there.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know what I mean?
[SPEAKER_01]: Like you can walk up to them and have a blank conversation.
[SPEAKER_01]: I love that.
[SPEAKER_01]: Although it tends to cost me money.
[SPEAKER_01]: But I love that.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I also kind of love
[SPEAKER_01]: We do so many shows that are seminars that are really education-focused, which is great, but she managed those a certain way, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: And most of the people are there to learn new techniques and be in that classroom environment and then you pick up some social after hours and kind of meals and things like that.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's really neat to me that this show can be whatever you want it to be, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: If you cam to learn and you want to do the learning center and you want to sit through every single seminar, awesome.
[SPEAKER_01]: If you want to shop, there's going to be screaming deals.
[SPEAKER_01]: Everybody's bringing a ton of merchandise.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's the best and only place that I know where you can literally have every meaningful rod building product available in one room at one time and see it all.
[SPEAKER_01]: Put it in your hand side by side.
[SPEAKER_01]: Pick your thread colors with your own eyes, not off the photo on your computer screen.
[SPEAKER_01]: Flex your blanks.
[SPEAKER_01]: Pick your color of blank whatever it is.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's such an awesome shopping opportunity, but you could also go and just like hang out and talk and learn nothing I mean you'll learn something by virtue of talking to people within the community, but it's just kind of cool to me that it can be all those things and you can kind of make to show whatever you want it to be right you want to take classes take classes you want to listen to seminars do seminars you do learning center do it, but there's going to be a ton of other stuff going on if you want to just be there and be social.
[SPEAKER_01]: Awesome.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's it's all they're for by Chuck and Debbie or Chuck will probably do this prayer breakfast thing on Sunday morning right like there's our Bible study there's like a little bit of something for everybody and I just I love that about the show and I I look forward to it let's fuck logistics for a second yeah and be specific right so dates and times the show starts on Saturday February 28 right so tell me about the schedule for Saturday.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, so on Saturday, you can turn up at the show from 8am, you can buy tickets at the door.
[SPEAKER_02]: You've also got the option to see for the first time ever with buying tickets online.
[SPEAKER_02]: So if you go to icabee.com or.net or rodxbode.com, you've got the option of pre-purchasing tickets.
[SPEAKER_02]: Saturday goes from eight to five, Sunday goes from eight to five as well.
[SPEAKER_02]: So you've got two full days there.
[SPEAKER_02]: Saturday night, it's not run by myself.
[SPEAKER_02]: It's run by Tom Kurtman.
[SPEAKER_02]: We have the Rodmaker reception.
[SPEAKER_02]: And if you're a subscriber to Rodmaker magazine, Tom puts on a very nice session with some finger food and some giveaways.
[SPEAKER_02]: It has been eaten.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, it's been a whole lot socially for for each of the I see diabetes on me.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, it is the social highlight and he gives away a ton of stuff at this at the reception.
[SPEAKER_01]: Again, you have to be a Rodmaker subscriber to participate literally it's the the subscription is worth it just to go to the event if you're going to IC RBE and it's like the magazine is free for you when you do that.
[SPEAKER_01]: So.
[SPEAKER_01]: highly recommended and in Sunday, just for everyone keeping score at home and to make it absolutely plain.
[SPEAKER_01]: For Sunday, March the 1st to talk to me about the hours on Sunday.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, similar hours on Sunday, doors open 8 a.m.
[SPEAKER_02]: They'll be the show we're running until 5.
[SPEAKER_02]: On on both days, we have seminars and
[SPEAKER_02]: running throughout the day on visit icre.com.net or whatxware.com to see what the latest seminar and learning center schedules are.
[SPEAKER_02]: With with the seminars we will have industry experts talking about techniques.
[SPEAKER_02]: And various other topics of interest, for example, history of rod building, also the creative process.
[SPEAKER_02]: Talking to some really fascinating speakers about how do they get inspired about custom rod builds?
[SPEAKER_02]: What mistakes have they made along the way and how they learnt from it?
[SPEAKER_02]: So, kind of long to the seminars to sit back, take notes, you know, soak in the information.
[SPEAKER_02]: And then running in parallel will be the learning center where we have
[SPEAKER_02]: vendors and experts demonstrating techniques, which you can sit down at the table and follow along with products, with equipment, where else can you sit down in front of half a dozen different types of similar equipment and try each one, see which one works for you, where else can you learn how to use the
[SPEAKER_01]: to gear and then walk out into the show hall and buy the gear with a client at a show special price right yeah I'm used to I know how to do it and I can get it at a bargain yeah yeah and it's such a good point I mean I mean there's really not another place I mean you might get lucky and you go to an advanced class or something where you could sit down and mess with multiple but literally every every bats and alps
[SPEAKER_01]: CRB, Renzetti, Flexco, whom I miss and like every HFF, everybody's rapid devices will be there.
[SPEAKER_01]: You can try it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Correct.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes.
[SPEAKER_01]: That and have itself is invaluable if you're relatively new in a market for equipment stuff like that.
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's just
[SPEAKER_01]: It's such a fun community.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, we all have so much in common.
[SPEAKER_01]: We love to fish, we were makers, we love rod building.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's just it's like a sea and old friends every year with the regulars that always go.
[SPEAKER_01]: And you know, just I'm looking forward to going and showing up and having a cup of coffee and a crispy cream with Chuck and Debbie and the decal connection booth.
[SPEAKER_01]: It wouldn't be ICRBE without them and without that.
[SPEAKER_01]: So looking forward to all those little things.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I'd like to make a special call out to the Learning Center sponsors.
[SPEAKER_02]: HFF is the major sponsor of the Gold Sponsor.
[SPEAKER_02]: Gold Sponsor, they've provided an immense amount of support.
[SPEAKER_02]: I speak with Joe Reggie Lee about the set up what we have in mind.
[SPEAKER_02]: He's great.
[SPEAKER_02]: They're both great guys.
[SPEAKER_02]: We have mudhole as a major sponsor.
[SPEAKER_02]: They're providing equipment.
[SPEAKER_02]: They're providing support.
[SPEAKER_02]: We've got batons as a major sponsor.
[SPEAKER_02]: Again, they're providing equipment.
[SPEAKER_02]: but anglers resource as a as a sponsor providing equipment and support as well.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, saving the best for last.
[SPEAKER_00]: I like it.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, we're delighted to participate.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's such an awesome thing.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I love seeing the kids in the learning center too.
[SPEAKER_01]: We've sort of had this growing group of young rod builders that have gone from children to sort of pre-teens and teens before our eyes.
[SPEAKER_01]: And they're all becoming really, really good rod builders.
[SPEAKER_01]: I know I'll be seeing them there at the show too.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so if you have a youngster who is interested or who likes to rod builder,
[SPEAKER_01]: They're hanging out with the grandparents in the area for the day.
[SPEAKER_01]: One of those days bring them by.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, it's a, it's a very wholesome atmosphere and environment.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's, it's very cool.
[SPEAKER_01]: So tickets, we, we've got through all the details, the time location.
[SPEAKER_01]: All of these details are on icrbe.com or icrbe.net or rod show rod is a rod expert.com.
[SPEAKER_01]: We'll put all the links in the description.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's all there.
[SPEAKER_01]: Very easy to find.
[SPEAKER_01]: It pops right up on Google if you, if you search
[SPEAKER_01]: And let's talk about admission and again this is another one.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's like I can't believe you get all this for this money, but it's only a single day ticket is 15 bucks and a ticket to the both days is only 25 right so 12 50 a day to get the access to it.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like if you can't save $12 the decents on the stuff you're buying and components on this show, you need help and I'd be happy to help you just come see me.
[SPEAKER_01]: Let me know.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'll tell you what to buy.
[SPEAKER_01]: but it's awesome.
[SPEAKER_01]: Concessions are available on site, actually pretty decent hamburgers, hot dogs, and chips, the soft drinks, and all that kind of stuff.
[SPEAKER_01]: A number of things walking distance right around the show area, like you said, the Rodmaker reception on Saturday night.
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's talk about the lodging and hotels, because I forget I assume everybody knows this, and this is all on the website again, but you've got kind of rates in blocks at a couple
[SPEAKER_02]: At the embassy suites and at the marriots, we had set up blocks of special show right with basically sold out.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, probably, okay, yeah, being so close to the show.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, one stage I did increase the allocation and that's gone as well.
[SPEAKER_02]: So we expect a pretty good turnout.
[SPEAKER_01]: and you can buy tickets online for the first time ever this year, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: If you want to.
[SPEAKER_02]: That's right.
[SPEAKER_02]: Visit the website.
[SPEAKER_02]: You can buy tickets online and we'll have a separate line at the door for ticket holders, pre-paid ticket holders, so you can skip the line.
[SPEAKER_02]: You can also buy tickets at the door.
[SPEAKER_02]: Awesome.
[SPEAKER_02]: awesome.
[SPEAKER_01]: Man, I'm excited.
[SPEAKER_01]: We're counting down.
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, here's all the vendors.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to just read these real quick.
[SPEAKER_01]: And you can find these on the site, but all around fishing, regi in the guys, anglers resource, back creek custom rods, balance rods, bats and enterprises, Tommy Farmer and Carolina Caspero, composite ventures, which is North Fort composite, striker rods, ed rods,
[SPEAKER_01]: Cork for us, CTS, Steven Gailene, coming all the way from New Zealand.
[SPEAKER_01]: Custom Rod Builders Guild, as we mentioned, custom fish grips, bill blues, beautiful work, decal connection, EPs, custom rod and real or any herbath, E.S.
[SPEAKER_01]: Loers, HFF custom rods, Josie's gift, Lama Glass, life on the fly.
[SPEAKER_01]: Michigan Rod Builders, Mud Hole Custom Tackle, Red Wolf Laser Works, Rod Maker Magazine, St. Croix Rod's Tackles Room, E-Cork USA, the Decorative Studio, Fred Central, E-48 Hesis and Coding, and Yold English Fileshot.
[SPEAKER_01]: Awesome.
[SPEAKER_01]: So a lot of great stuff.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: A lot of great people going to be there.
[SPEAKER_01]: All kinds of good stuff.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's all on the website if you want to go look.
[SPEAKER_01]: And my personal request of folks is if you
[SPEAKER_01]: If you heard about this on the podcast, do you listen to the podcast?
[SPEAKER_01]: Please come by the English resource booth and say hello.
[SPEAKER_01]: Please go introduce yourself to David.
[SPEAKER_01]: We love getting to put names of faces and meet people.
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's going to be a great show, man.
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm really looking forward to it.
[SPEAKER_02]: Catch up with some old friends.
[SPEAKER_02]: Make some new ones.
[SPEAKER_02]: If I'm into a drunk hour or two.
[SPEAKER_01]: You leave me out of this.
[SPEAKER_01]: If only we could get royalties on people looking up Australian slang.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to bring I'm going to bring if y'all need help with Australian slang so you can get fair dinkin with David here.
[SPEAKER_01]: You can just like I have a card thing he gave me to try to learn to speak English properly when we first met several years ago.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a little slow on the take a couple of things of stuck drongo has stuck, but that's about it.
[SPEAKER_01]: What else should we cover anything else?
[SPEAKER_02]: On that list that you read out, I haven't updated the website with Hatterstrec.
[SPEAKER_01]: So he's all right, Ryan White and Hatterstrec will be there.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, Dave, how many days ahead of the show are you coming to the States?
[SPEAKER_02]: uh... will be there a little bit in advance uh... will be setting up a few days before so uh... yeah looking forward to can't can't wait to be there i'll be coming from hot humid Queensland weather you need to hopefully crispy North Carolina scars hopefully hopefully we'll see that they're they're in for a big storm this weekend but i think it's going to be clear and looking good by the time you get here for the show but there's there's no weather that can mess it up for me i'm going to matter what it'll be awesome
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, thanks so much for all the work you do to put this on Dave.
[SPEAKER_01]: I can't wait to see you, can't wait to be at the show.
[SPEAKER_01]: People have questions, feel free to reach out, hit ICRBE.net, ICRBE.com, RodX.com.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's all out there, and really this is the event.
[SPEAKER_01]: It is the Super Bowl of Custom Rod Building, international and its draw.
[SPEAKER_01]: The best opportunity to have everything in one place, and I hope if you're on the fence or thinking about it, you'll decide at least come for one day and come say hi when you're there.
[SPEAKER_01]: We'd love to meet you.
[SPEAKER_01]: Thanks everybody for tuning in and listening to me.
[SPEAKER_01]: Please remember to like, subscribe, and download, wherever you get your podcast content.
[SPEAKER_01]: We'll see you next time on Mastering Rod Builder.