Episode #73
Building Action Sports Festivals with Jackalope Founder Micah Desforges
Micah Desforges on Jackalope, action sports tourism, and building a community brand Micah Desforges , Founder of Jackalope and CEO of Tribu Experiential, speaks with Trade Show Talk host Danica Tormohlen about how Jackalope grew from a backyard idea into a multi-city action sports festival and community platform. Desforges explains how free events, destination partnerships, and athlete-led content can bring together tourism, media, and local economic impact. Also in this episode is our monthly advocacy update with Tommy Goodwin, president and CEO of the Exhibitions and Conferences Alliance. He talks about ECA Votes and current policy developments relevant to the events industry. Tommy explains how listeners can learn about key issues, get involved, and find voting information, then shares updates on association tax status, terrorism insurance, tariffs, and upcoming industry events. In this interview with Micah: Micah's event portfolio: Jackalope, Apik , and Barbegazi . Why free admission helps make action sports more accessible and can drive spending to local businesses. How destination partners evaluate the tourism, marketing, and community value of an event. How a chance meeting led to the Virginia Beach partnership—and how the event grew. What attendees can experience in Ventura and Virginia Beach, from skateboarding and BMX to motocross and highlining. How athlete collaborations, social media, and live webcasts support event promotion. Micah's experience navigating event safety, weather, and the pandemic. The planned Jackalope Pass, designed to connect fans with participating sports venues. In thi s interview with Tommy : What ECA Votes offers through its "learn, engage, vote" approach. How listeners can explore issues, prepare questions for candidates, and check voter registration. Tommy's take on the election landscape at the time of recording. Policy updates concerning nonprofit status for associations, terrorism insurance, and tariffs on Chinese-built ships. Upcoming opportunities to connect with Tommy at industry events. Chapters 00:00 – Welcome to Trade Show Talk 01:39 – Meet Micah DeForge and Tribute Experiential 02:26 – Jackalope, APIC, and the action sports event portfolio 04:12 – Free admission and the action sports tourism model 05:53 – How free events generate value for local destinations 07:35 – Why city and destination partnerships matter 08:54 – Destinations as co-producers of signature events 10:11 – Building a destination brand through events 11:15 – Virginia Beach becomes a long-term partner 12:03 – The chance meeting that started the Virginia Beach deal 14:18 – Room nights, economic impact, and advertising value 15:37 – The goal of a 10-stop Jackalope tour 16:30 – Ventura's launch and the 2028 Olympics opportunity 18:31 – What an event weekend feels like for attendees 20:45 – Virginia Beach's 12-discipline festival 22:19 – Sponsors, vendors, and the Jackalope community 24:16 – Social media and athlete-led promotion 26:47 – Security planning and working with host cities 28:45 – Micah's lessons from 15 years in events 30:43 – COVID, content, and buying back company equity 33:10 – International expansion and the Jackalope Pass 37:03 – Turning event attention into a broader community 39:48 – Micah's wish-list destinations 41:10 – What Micah carries when he travels 42:06 – Stepping into the spotlight and building a personal brand 43:28 – The idea of adding live music and emerging artists Tommy Goodwin on ECA Votes and policy issues affecting the events industry Chapters 00:00 – Advocacy update introduction 00:22 – Why elections matter to the events industry 00:42 – ECA Votes: learn, engage, and vote 01:13 – Resources for getting involved at any level 01:42 – Voter registration and ballot information 02:12 – Finding industry issues and candidate questions 02:59 – Tommy's election outlook 04:07 – Policy updates from Washington, DC 04:32 – Association nonprofit status and events 05:13 – Terrorism insurance legislation 05:32 – Tariff pause and potential cost impacts 06:46 – October and upcoming industry events 07:56 – Closing the advocacy update
