It was a flurry of activity around the exhibit space for ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® and beyond. Trucks being unloaded, tables being arranged, boxes being opened and even tablecloths being ironed were among the sights and sounds Thursday at Ohio’s Greene County Fairgrounds as hundreds of ham radio manufacturers, retailers, clubs, and organizations prepared for Friday’s opening of the 2025 Dayton Hamvention®. To the eye, it was organized chaos, but the word we heard most frequently among vendors and visitors was “anticipation.”
Inside Exhibits volunteer Rob Lindsay, W5MRL, drew a mental picture for us. “Early in the day,” he said, “there’s a flurry of activity from hundreds of vendors setting up their booths in anticipation of all the visitors they’ll see on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We’re already seeing visitors from around the world, including Japan, the UK, Germany and Italy. As a volunteer, it’s interesting and great to give back to the hobby, but the most important part is interacting with the visitors and vendors, and making their visit enjoyable.”
ARRL Great Lakes Division Director Scott Yonally, N8SY, said some of the chaos is internal. “You know in your mind how you want it to set up but then you get here and say ‘I can do this’ or ‘I can do that.’ You have to be flexible to make changes while staying true to your basic plan. It’s utter chaos.”
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