Disappointed review of The Arnold Expo

I have stated before I have really been wanting to to either, The Arnold of The Olympia in Vegas. Ashley_the_amazing gave a bad review for The Arnold Expo, saying it was just an energy drink show case. Also if anyone’s been to either The Arnold or The Olympia in Vegas, message me. https://www.instagram.com/p/DGtU03KP-O8/?igsh...

I've never been to the Arnold expo, but I have been to the Olympia competition and expo several times, though I haven't been to the expo for awhile due to many issues that Ashley raised.

Back at its "peak" years ago, the Expo was fun because while it was busy, it never felt overcrowded, and there were so many exhibitors that with the exception of the more mainstream companies and athletes, lines were either nonexistent or very short for most of the booths. There was a lot to check out and do, and many of the exhibitors were very generous in the samples that they would give.

I stopped going because the last time I went, it was much more expensive to get in and it also felt over-crowded. Many of the vendors were also a lot stingier with samples, and it was harder to interact with athletes (I also lift so I like to talk about training and competitions.) I don't necessarily blame the expo or the vendors: things are so much more expensive now and they have to make money somehow, but it felt disappointing because of how much the attendee experience degraded compare to over a decade ago.

Don't let that discourage you, though. If you have never been to either, I highly recommend going (more biased toward the Olympia because I think there is more to do in Vegas than Columbus,) especially if you're also into strength training and strength sports.

Oh, wow. Thanks for posting that. As Ashley is an East Coast girl, I would have assumed she would have gone to the Arnold multiple times and several years ago. If there's a significant line for a meet-and-greet, I'm out. IFBB pros should get some consideration when it comes to being able to meet their peers.

I think my first Arnold was 2000, and it was THE event of the year. Relatively few people went to the actual competitions compared to the thousands who attended the Expo each day. It was as exhausting as it was exciting. For sale were supplements, apparel, and equipment. Same as today. :)

Back then, the Olympia was much smaller by comparison. In fact, attendance was so meh that the Olympia Expo was free.

At that time, in addition to being a "reunion" of sorts, the Arnold was a great place to meet unknown musclegirls as well as muscle stars I'd grown up admiring in the magazines, like Anja Langer. Somewhere in an old DtV archive is one of the first fan pics of a young Nikki Warner. I met Sarah Hayes there in 2008, I think it was. We even hosted a booth 2-3 times. Now THAT was work. We did megashoots multiple years. Jeff, Simon, TK, JP, and others all pitched in. I still relive the horror of the dropped hard drive one year on my way back home. lol

I think my last Arnold was 2013. Although I enjoyed hanging in the Convention Center lobby with friends, I wasn't enjoying the close contact crowds as much anymore. And it was difficult to work like we used to. Many were just way too busy to make time for shooting. It felt so inconvenient. And everyone was tired. It was work to have fun.

That's my story, though. People coming to the Olympia in Vegas are reporting they're having a great time in recent years, even though LVCC traffic is a bitch. I would highly recommend giving one or both of the Expos a shot if it's something you have always wanted to do. There will be a sensory overload, so be prepared.

We don’t support the Arnold because of his bias against muscular females. For pros it’s just a T&A show.

We went to the Olympia once in 2018 (I think) when my wife’s coach was competing. We were all disappointed that (at that time) she performed on a small stage at the expo rather than a real stage. I heard it may be different now.