It truly is the most wonderful time of the year. Yes, I include our traditional holiday celebrations in this sentiment with Thanksgiving upon us and the rush toward Christmas and New Years. But in our world, there are other wonderful things occurring as well.
The rut has been on fire, and now with the onset of some snow, the deer are moving. This week I saw a waterfowl migration map teasing some great hunting days ahead. And of course, in middle America, hunters are in the fields knocking down pheasants. These are the days that remind us why we exist in this outdoor space.
I am a big believer in measurables. Progress. Stepping stones. Feeling good about things is a vagary that an organization cannot afford, and POMA is no different. Our goals in 2024 were as follows: hold a quality Annual Meeting that also bolsters the financial strength of the organization, provide members with tangible takeaways whenever they encounter POMA, and set the table for a successful and noteworthy 2025 Annual Meeting.
While everyone loves to see a singles hitter become a slugger overnight, in most cases progress takes time. It takes time to build trust and to create a new culture. This is more likely to resemble turning a barge than a speedy bass boat. In either case, the key is to turn in the right direction.
POMA has begun this journey. Through the great generosity of the South Carolina Waterfowl Association and key sponsors like Palmetto State Armory, POMA is able to finish 2024 healthier than the previous year. Our finances are a little stronger. Our membership is a little stronger. And our quality is quite a bit better.
The strength of our core leadership is key to this modest progress and to the future. This fall we relaunched POMA Insight Sessions, hosted by former POMA president Michelle Scheuermann. Michelle has designed both a fall and spring schedule that is already sparking comments from viewers. Our goal in each episode is that our listeners can walk away with either something useful for their craft or something that will produce or lead to some quality content.
Our slate so far has provided key education on Advanced Podcasting Techniques with Cody McLaughlin, Getting the Most out of SHOT Show with NSSF’s Bill Dunn, and what editors are looking for with Fair Chase Magazine’s PJ Delhomme. All of them generated positive comments to POMA on the quality of the discussions. Michelle deserves our compliments for conceiving the “Chat with an Editor” series, which continues with our second installment with Jade Moldae of Shooting Industry Magazine, scheduled for Monday, December 9 at noon EST.
Speaking of SHOT Show, the Insight Session with Bill Dunn left everyone scrambling to check off the to-do list we discussed during the show. For POMA, it means putting the finishing touches on our most important POMA Meet-Up of the year. While every meet-up host is valuable to our mission, no single event attracts as much media as SHOT Show does, so we were especially focused on delivering at this first POMA Meet-Up at SHOT.
NSSF has been incredible to work with throughout the process, providing a premium location in the Unity Boardroom in Caesars Forum, which is just down the hall from the outside entrance to happy hour. Why is this important? Because our POMA Meet-up at Shot Show runs from 4:00–5:00 P.M. on Wednesday, January 22 right before the Industry Networking Reception in the Great Outdoors Plaza.
What can you expect at the Meet-Up? Well, our first mission is to send our members home from SHOT Show with some potentially useful content. Attendees will get a private briefing from NSSF’s Senior Vice President & Chief Customer Officer, Chris Dolnack and the organization’s Vice President of Marketing, Bill Dunn. In addition, attendees will hear from the Boone and Crockett Club on how the conservation community is preparing for good dialogue and a working relationship with the incoming Trump Administration.
Because all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, the Meet-Up will also feature some adult beverages and a chance to win a great prize. More details on both of these to be announced soon. The POMA Meet-Up will be open to all registered media at SHOT Show.
Right before SHOT Show, POMA will open registration for the 2025 Annual Meeting, which will be at Maumee State Lodge in Ohio on the banks of Lake Erie. This is an event you won’t want to miss, with some major attractions such as island hopping, walleye fishing, shooting at historic Camp Perry, and a visit to a state-of-the-art indoor shooting facility for an incredible content creation day.
While all this is coming together, POMA will be wrapping up locations for the 2026 and 2027 Annual Meetings. And while all of this is quite a bit of progress, 2025 and 2026 will showcase even more, as POMA resumes working with key partners to provide outdoor opportunities for our media members to attend and interact with our Corporate Partners.
Because it is Thanksgiving, I need to offer my gratitude to our staff: Communications Director Stephanie Spika Hickey, Accountant Courtney Swanson, and although she is not staff, POMA First Vice President Britney Booth who pours her heart and soul into this organization purely as a volunteer.
Speaking of volunteers, I need to thank Michelle Scheuermann for planning, organizing and hosting our Insight Sessions. And of course, thank you to the entire POMA Board of Directors for the chance to work together to build POMA into the vision of its founders nearly 20 years ago.
To all our Media Members and Corporate Partners, we appreciate you very much. We welcome your feedback and wish you a happy and successful holiday and hunting season!