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Visited the final day yesterday. Parking lot was empty and about 30 people in line to buy tickets at the West entrance. What used to be 5 or 6 convention halls were compacted into 3 with half the usual outfitters and exhibitors present.

Interesting feedback - one outfitter commented that it was "half the show at the full price" whilst another said "great show and even got bookings for late 2022" and one gunsmith commented that they had sold more guns in the first three days at Dortmund than ever before at a show in Europe!

Me, I enjoyed spending more time with outfitters, enjoyed less of a crowd, confirmed a roe hunt for August, booked a 7 day wildboar hunt in Turkey for early 2023 with my son and enjoyed riding my Triumph Bonneville to the show in sunshine and blue skies as opposed to the truck or car with the heater on full in the usual February rain or snow when Dortmund typically holds at the end of winter!

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Why the smaller attendance? Covid? War in Eastern Europe? High fuel prices? Elvis had left the building?

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Holiday season, Covid, fewer exhibitors and big factor was / is that the next one holds in Feb 2023 which is just 7 months away so a lot of people and exhibitors will hang on for the next "normal" one.

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I think a lot of people have got very used to not mixing in large crowds, going to shops etc etc and go to a large show mixing with lots of others just feels very unsettling.

And thanks to the Pandemic many vendors have got very good and doing good promotional videos and talking direct to clients via the likes of Zoom.

So why go and stress in a large crowd of people, at quite large expense, when you can find what you are looking for from the comfort of your own home?