On Saturday, December 1, I attended my first NAMMAE North American Mixed Martial Arts Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center.
I looked at the website and noticed that several of my favorite fighters were going to be there, as well as some vendors and brands that I'm interested in, so I had to go.
Upon entering the Expo hall, I was impressed with the work that must have gone into putting all of the booths together. Don't get me wrong—it's not like CES, where there are million-dollar booths—but this is an industry that is still in its infancy. Each vendor did a great job displaying their brand and products.
I'm very interested in this industry, as I think it has the greatest potential for exponential growth of any sport in the world today. As with every industry, MMA is not only comprised of various promotional organizations. There are fitness apparel, nutritional supplements, gym equipment, and training centers that all stand to gain from the exposure that a show like this offers.
A few of the highlights of the day were Extreme Couture's booth, where Randy "The Natural" Couture sat, signing autographs and striking a pose with his many fans. I'm sure he had the longest line of fans for the day.
The other big draw for the day were Tito Ortiz and his Punishment exhibit. Tito showed up to greet a long line of fans which had been waiting over an hour to meet him.
The Tapout crew was also in attendance. The motor home, made popular by their hit TV show, was perfectly positioned in the corner, right across from the food vendors. The line was so long you had to stop for a snack.
I got my photo with many of my favorite fighters. A few of these were Brandon Vera, Mike Swick, Jon Fitch, Joe Stevenson, Gray Maynard, Mark Coleman, Don Frye, KJ Noons, Tyson Griffin, and Diamond Dallas Page.
Although he's not an MMA fighter, I was happy to meet Diamond, and I have to say, he was a wonderful dude. He spoke with me as if we were old buddies that had been out of touch for awhile. I was very impressed with him.
Another unexpected highlight was my conversation with Lisa "The Black Widow" King. She was one of the representatives attending the Fatal Femmes Fighting booth.
Source: bleacherreport.com
Community arts expo & musical performances 2/23
by kearnystreetworkshop A cd release!
artist tables!
live music! (GOH NAKAMURA! EE! GOLDA SUPERNOVA! DJVNA! SAMBASIA! DJ TORO! others!)
drinks & things!
ksw store!
djs & stuff!
FREE ADMISSION!
reasons to justify the otherwise obnoxious overuse of exclamation points!
celebrate ksw community on thursday, february 23rd at commotion.
join ksw and local artists for ksw's 7 years of APAture cd release and community arts expo event. featuring musical performances by:
Goh Nakamura
Ee
Golda Supernova
DJ VNA
SambAsia
and DJ TORO
you'll also have the chance to browse the wares and artwork of ksw and local artists throughout the evening, while enjoying the vibe and imbibing fine liquid concessions
INDIE ARTS EVENTS
by Italiansingercomp IF YOU ARE AN INDEPENDENT ARTIST / MUSICIAN , FASHION DESIGNER , DANCER , FILM DIRECTOR / FILM STUDENT , BOOK WRITER , PAINTER , LOCAL PROMOTER , SPOKEN WORD ARTIST , MERCHANDISE VENDOR ,OR ANYTHING ELSE UNDER THE INDIE ARTIST UMBRELLA THIS MAY BE OF GREAT INTEREST TO YOU !
WHAT : ONE WORLD
INDIE ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EXPO
MUSIC~ART~FASHION~FILM~DANCE
SPOKEN WORD~DJ ,
CULTURE~WORKSHOPS~BOOKFAIR
WHEN : SATURDAY,JULY 2ND & SUNDAY,JULY 3RD 2005
12 NOON-MIDNIGHT (SATURDAY)
3PM-MIDNIGHT (SUNDAY)
ALL AGES EVENT
WHERE : THE ART TEMPLE
MULTIMEDIA ART CENTER
7141 INDIAN CREEK DRIVE
MIAMI BEACH,FL
INDIE ARTS EVENT registration this Saturday!!!
by Italiansingercomp ATTENTION ALL INDEPENDENT ARTIST( music,fashion,film,theatre,dance,spoken word,etc.)
ONE WORLD INDIE ART & FASHION EXPO
SATURDAY,JULY 2ND(12 NOON-MIDNIGHT)
SUNDAY,JULY 3RD (3PM-MIDNIGHT)
ALL AGES EVENT
ADVANCED TICKETS:$15/1-DAY PASS,$25/2-DAY PASS TICKETS AT THE DOOR:$20/1-DAY PASS,35/2-DAY PASS
CHILDREN UNDER 12 ARE IN FREE WITH PARENT OR GUARDIAN
Registration day for the ONE WORLD INDIE ART & FASHION EXPO will be held on Saturday,June 4th 2005 inside THE ART TEMPLE ART & ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX on Miami Beach at 2pm . Registration fees for all artist are as follows