The Recap & Excitement2021 East

Oak Ridge Estates

Arrington, VA

Overland Expo East

Event Statistics

  • 14,000 attendees from all over the world
  • 180 registered exhibitors
  • 77 presenters, instructors, and VIPs
  • 24 media outlets 
  • 65 staff 
  • 254+ classes, seminars, demos, activities, slideshows, and films; totaling 310+ session hours of instruction
  • International attendees came from as far away as South Africa
  • Most U.S. states were represented; in highest attendance were Virgina, North Carolina, Maryland, and Florida; others came from as far west as California, Oregon, and Washington, and from as far north as Alaska and Idaho.

Event Highlights

  • Event attendees raised over $8,400 in raffle ticket sales for the Overland Expo Foundation.  Exhibitors donated thousands of dollars in prizes.
  • Ford hosted attendees for ride and drive opportunities in the all new Bronco and Bronco Sport on a private trail system outside the event grounds
  • Harley-Davidson threw the keys to its new Pan America to attendees with motorcycle endorsements for a test ride
  • The Motorcycle Industry Council hosted an Intro-to-Riding Demo
  • Ford chose OX East 2021 to make a global debut with the Expedition Timberline Off-Grid concept
  • Overland Film Festival presented by Yakima showed the latest collection of overland-centric films from the industry including  the premier of Tim and Marisa Notier’s  “Why We Roam” short film.
  • Overland  Expo donated a portion of the Rider Justice Moto Party raffle proceeds to Rally For Rangers

What People Are Saying

From Sponsors:

Brian Graber – Rhino–Rack USA

We had an absolute blast at EAST this weekend! Always great to meet attendees from different regions of the country as we wrap up the Overland Expo season. Got some invaluable feedback from consumers and it’s great to hear about how much people love the brand. All in all, very successful weekend.  I’m looking forward to coming back next year!

 

Stan Kennedy– Four Wheel Campers

Thank you, Overland Expo staff and volunteers for another great show!  Four Wheel Campers has been attending since the very first Overland Expo show back at the racetrack in Prescott, AZ. The show has come a long way and continues to amaze us. Customers & staff are polite, attendance is always good, and lots of qualified buyers are at hand. Keep up the good work. See you next year. Happy Camping.

 

 

From Exhibitors:

Aaron Copeland — Thunderbox USA

We attended our first Overland Expo East in October 2019.  We were newcomers to the industry having started in 2018.   For those unaware, we import high quality Australian-made portable camping toilets.  For our first East show, around 30 or so units were shipped out for us to sell.  We did not sell out, however, we had no expectations being that it was our first show.

Fast forward to October 2021.  Leary of expo attendance on the east coast, we shipped out 32 units, about the same as our first show, for this year's show.  With our freight shipped we flew into Virginia from California.  Everything was going smoothly until we learned that our crate did not arrive as promised.  The show kicked off Friday morning and our booth remained empty.

After some strenuous telephone calls we learned our crate would arrive Friday, and thankfully it did.  We set up shop Friday after the show closed.

On Saturday we were eager to start.  We had a great amount of sales and interest.  To our delight we completely sold out by 2pm!  Now what?  Not wanting to disappoint attendees, we decided to honor our special discounted show price and ship for free all units pre ordered at the show.  Sunday sales were vigorous as well.

Needless to say, we have a lot of shipping to complete upon our return.  With the preorders we nearly doubled our sales from the 2019 show.

 

Chad Warner, Host - Wailin Wayne Weekend

“I want to express my gratitude to the Overland team for organizing all the educational seminars. All the attendees in my seminars were engaging and grateful for the learning opportunities presented to them.”

 

Sonya Staples, Staples InTents

“This is the first year that Staples InTents (Sonya and Necota) has participated in Overland Expo East as instructors, and we are so glad we took the opportunity to share our perspectives and stories.  Although we still have so much to learn, it was very refreshing to get feedback from so many people that what we shared was not only relatable, but also helpful.  As we gain more experience and learn more, we look forward to continuing to attend as instructors and share our knowledge and experiences with our fellow overlanders. 

 

Stacey Pierce - Co-Founder/CEO, OME Gear

We are still living in the "afterglow" of the Overland Expo...exhausted but still smiling. 

We drove 8 hours to the Overland West Show just to walk the show and see what it was like and if it would be a fit for our company/product. The minute we walked in the gate we knew we were "home". We immediately went on the website to find out if there was room for us at the East event. We booked plane tickets, rented a box truck, loaded Wanderrs up from our manufacturer in Harrisburg, PA, and found ourselves at the EAST show 2 weeks later. This was an amazing event for us, not only to sell Wanderrs, but the exposure and contacts we made were immeasurable. Big shout out to the Expo Team and all the volunteers who help us make our first event super successful. 

We would love to offer $50 off to Expo attendees by using code OVEAST50 on our website. Valid thru 10/20. 

Can't wait for the next show! 

From Volunteers:

Thomas Horner, Volunteer 

“Volunteering for Expo was great this year, the interaction with the staff and attendees was as expected in a word FANTASTIC. Chelsea, Shawn and Anthony made the whole weekend fun and memorable. So glad that we can assemble in person again.  Looking forward to volunteering at all three in 2022.”

 

Alfred Chin, Volunteer 

“Thank you for the volunteer opportunities at Overland Expo East.  It was awesome to meet new friends at the expo.  I had a blast working with the team and can’t wait to come back next year.” 

From Attendees:

Candice Alinovich - Overland Expo Foundation Grantee + Overland Experience Pass Holder

Expo weekend left me full of inspiration, having met some wonderful folks with incredible stories and some amazing solo lady travelers. I spent as much time as possible (when not drooling over all the cool rigs) at the driving experience course to soak in as much knowledge to make me a more confident driver when out alone, as well as when on a trail with friends. I really got out of my comfort zone and hopped on a motorcycle for the first time in my life with Ride With Us, which may have sparked a new obsession in the search for a perfect camp moto to hitch onto my truck. I'm super excited to get back out there and start using some of the knowledge gained over the weekend.

 

Matt Misicka - Presenter + Weekend Pass with Camping Pass Holder

Always good to see the new products on display, including a couple I had never seen before. The films were good, and the Q&A with Tim and Marisa Notier - the couple traveling the world two-up on their motorcycle - after their short on Friday was especially nice. As always, I enjoy meeting the people we are camped near and learn a lot just wandering the campground looking at attendees' rigs.

 

Ed Baldi  - Performer With @WeatherAmes

Overland Expo EAST ’21, was a tremendous experience overall. As a band, we were thrilled to play music for such a passionate and friendly gathering of people. The afterhours jam session was just as fun as the on-stage performance. Thanks to you and the team, we felt welcomed and cared for the entire time. Please pass our sincere thanks onto everyone involved.

Featured Media Coverage

More than 24 journalists, including broadcast, from around the country attended Overland Expo East 2021, including Overland International, Men’s Journal, Cycle News, TrailRecon, TFLTruck, and more.

News

Best Gear of Overland Expo East 2023

Overland Expo East once again brought some of the coolest and newest gear to our community. We searched the aisles to find the gear that can increase your capability and comfort in the backcountry.

Best Rigs of Overland Expo East 2023

No matter where you looked at Overland Expo East 2023, you were bound to find awesome rigs. From the exhibitor aisles to the campground and in the day parking area, overland rigs of every shape, size, and model were there to be inspected.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

Title Sponsors

Additional Sponsors

Our History Discover the excitement

Photo by Brett Willhelm, Willhelmn Visual Works

Photo by Brett Willhelm

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