The 2013 RCX show, AirAge Media’s eleventh annual, was a first for me personally. While I’ve attended all but a couple of years in the show’s existence I had yet to experience what the ultimate RC expo would look like as a member of the RC Car Action staff, and it was quite the adventure!
The line to get into RCX started long before the gates opened…
We spent Friday setting up, going over our coverage plan, and putting together the pieces for Saturday night’s awards banquet. Watching the open concrete floor of the show sprout booths and displays was a site to see (click here for a 30-second stop motion video of setup day), but it wasn’t until visitors started lining up at the door on Saturday morning that it got real. The crowd was the whole reason that we were there, and to see them show up in droves before the start was awesome!
…and extended far outside the front doors!
Luckily, especially for those who waited outside of the convention center, the weather in Long Beach was perfect all weekend long.
Curious crowds packed every walkway and exhibit at the show, checking out new products and talking to industry celebrities from every facet of the RC hobby.
Even for long-toothed RC geeks like me it’s impossible to ignore the amount of eye candy found in every nook and cranny of a show like this. With displays for the newest in RC car gear, as well as indoor and outdoor flying zones, robot wars, hot wing eating contests…there’s truly something for everyone. I found it difficult not to be distracted by all of the different sites and toys to play with.
I spent much of the two days with a microphone in my face and a camera staring at me. Here’s an interview with Pitbull tires owner Michael Green.
I spend many weeks a year traveling to different events to put together event coverage and talk to industry representatives, but it’s rare that everyone is in the same room. Armed with our RC Show camera man, Adam, and an RCX microphone I did over 20 interviews at the show. The crowd that gathered to snap photos each time we turned the camera on was unreal – talk about pressure! Luckily I’m not one to suffer from stage fright.
Not bad for an RC geek, right? Chatting at the banquet with Tekin’s Ty (left) and Jim Campbell.
Speaking of stage fright, this year’s RCX show was also the first time that I helped the RC Car Action team present our prestigious Readers’ Choice and Editors’ Choice awards at the Saturday night banquet. That meant leaving the show a bit early Saturday afternoon and (literally) running back to the hotel to get cleaned up, change into an outfit that few RC’ers have ever seen me wear, and get back to the hall for our dress rehearsal. Once the industry insiders invited to the banquet showed up we had time to mingle and chat before dinner and the awards began. The ceremony itself went off without a hitch, we gave away some serious hardware, and headed back to the hotel for some much-needed rest before returning back early Sunday morning.
Horizon Hobby’s off-road try-me track put smiles on the faces of drivers young and old.
By far, the best part of my experience at this year’s RCX was the chance to meet so many of our readers. I was blown away by how many people stopped me just because I looked familiar, and when I wasn’t running between interviews and photo shoots I cherished the opportunity to sit down and talk shop with some really great hobbyists. By the time I got home Sunday night I crashed hard, falling asleep earlier than I have in years.
If you were at RCX this year, what was your favorite part? And if you weren’t, what was your favorite story to see online?
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