The Long Beach Convention Center became the center of the mixed martial arts universe this weekend.   IMMAE, the International Mixed Martial Arts Expo descended on our town for the first time.  It brought with it many of the biggest fighters and companies in the sport, as well as large crowds of enthusiasts.

Top athletes such as BJ Penn, Jens Pulver, Joe Stevenson, Josh Barnett, Robbie Lawler, Tim Sylvia, and others were on hand at sponsor tables to sign autographs, pose for pictures, and press the flesh.  Each of these tables drew large lines of eager fans, as other big name fighters such as Spencer Fisher, Anthony Johnson, Mike Kyle and Nate Diaz wandered the crowds.
Booths of apparel companies such as TapouT, Throwdown, Ecko, and Warrior Wear were broken up with mat space where live demonstrations of multiple martial arts styles were on display throughout the day.  In addition to the clothing there were also several less obvious industry-related booths at the expo.  There was a live broadcast of the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Savage Dog Show”.  Long Beach’s own Iced Energy was on hand to promote their unique creation, an energy drink in Otter Pop format.  Cryogel and Salonpas were both promoting topical muscle pain relief products.  One of the most unexpected, yet most logical products on display were the soaps designed to kill staph infection.

In summary, industry members present at the event had a wonderful opportunity to network, scout the competition, and form business to business connections.  It was the fans in attendance who received the best value however, as they were able to view the latest products on the market, meet some of their favorite fighters, and potentially leave with a bag filled with free samples.