For nineteen years running, the Fly Fishing Show has lured more than 12,000 fly-fishing fanatics to the Denver Mart, bringing business to hundreds of exhibitors and generating upwards of $1 million for the local economy, estimates Ben Furimsky, the show's president.
But after the Denver Mart announced that it will close at the end of March, Furimsky and other event organizers were left without a venue for their 2021 shows. Under current COVID-19 restrictions, those shows would have been able to host no more than 100 visitors at a time, anyway — but Furimsky worries the closure may affect not only events in 2021, but in 2022 and beyond.