Photo Report: Recapping BLADE Show Texas
Just one week after our second Windup Watch Fair in Dallas, I returned to the Lone Star State for my first-ever BLADE Show Texas. BLADE Show Texas marks the start of the Blade Show trilogy, held annually in Fort Worth, Texas, before the show travels to Atlanta in June, and ends the season with BLADE Show West in Salt Lake City in October.
In typical fashion, I hit the ground running after landing in Dallas, only pausing briefly to drop my luggage off at the hotel before heading to the show venue. After picking up my pass, I spent a bit of time catching up with Rikki and Sam (better known as Capt.Rikki and Raven_the_pirate on Instagram). They were kind enough to let me know about a community barbecue happening later that night, which I couldn’t pass up. While not officially part of the show, these after-hours events are how I’ve managed to meet so many stellar people in this community. After a hearty helping of Texas Barbeque and some good times, we called it an early night, excited for the show to officially start the next day.
Heading into the venue for day one, I was absolutely blown away by just how many people had already lined up, even though the show wouldn’t open for a few more hours. I know there’s always some die hard fans who will do so, but seeing several hundred people already in line at 8am was a bit unexpected for this show. I happened to overhear someone mention that they had been in line since 3 AM on Thursday, vying for a few very specific and rare pieces of gear.
With my gear safely stored away thanks to our friends at GiantMouse, I positioned myself to capture the grand opening for the show. As soon as the doors officially opened, several people SPRINTED by me at full speed, doing everything possible they could to snag those desired items before the flow of people settled into a reasonably paced, steady stream. While most people hunted down their desired exclusives, I spent the better part of each day walking the show, connecting with vendors I hadn’t met and catching up with old friends while keeping an eye out for iconic moments you see here. Throughout the show, I saw people smiling and laughing, catching up and reliving memories while also making new ones. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: we come for the gear, but so many of us stay for the people.
While I was able to see some really amazing gear at the show, I’m always impressed by the watches I spot at these events. Of course, there’s always people with Rolex, Omega, Hublot and other large Swiss brands, but I also happened to spot quite a few pieces from brands discussed within our community. Among those were a Marathon JDD, Victorinox Dive Pro Automatic, even two Elliot Browns (Holton Nivo and Beachmaster Nivo), both of which were purchased just one week earlier at our very own Windup Watch Fair Dallas. Oh, I would be remiss not to mention that all of the GiantMouse crew were sporting the Zodiac x GiantMouse collab watch.
I’ll admit that I’m not a trade show expert by any means, but I’ve learned a few things that I’ll pass along in case you’re considering coming to a BLADE Show in the future, or anything like it: wear comfortable shoes that you can stand in for hours, as there is usually limited seating and you’re often on concrete floors. In addition to shoes, having a small pack or tote will allow you to carry more items and keep your hands free, while not significantly hindering your (or others’) movement around the show floor. Lastly, I can’t stress the importance of bringing a good water bottle with you, as food and drinks inside trade shows are often very expensive and might be inconvenient to access. Thankfully that wasn’t the case here as this venue had a wonderful concessions vendor and ample space to sit down while eating.
While I think I still prefer the Atlanta show due to the sheer number of vendors and new releases, I can certainly see just why this show is such a fan favorite. With its smaller size, I found that I felt less rushed and didn’t feel the same pressure to speed through the show, allowing me to spend more time at each table and have deeper conversations with attendees and vendors.
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