Guy Expo coverage

It sounds like I helped get the word out about the Guy Expo coming to Houston:

Hey Mike,

I enjoy your blog. I read about the Guy Expo from your blog and dropped by. It was fun and it seems to be a big story in Houston. Even KHOU is covering it on their Web site. Follow this link: http://www.khou.com/news/slideshows/Images-Guy-Expo-2009-Kickoff-Event-69485492.html Otherwise keep up the good work.

Tony

Hey Mike,
I went with a buddy to the Guy Expo on Saturday afternoon around 3-ish and stayed till about 6p. We had a pretty good time, beer was good, food priced about right. Cars were awesome, good looking cheerleaders, football games on tv. Seemed to be something for every guy. Great activities from the Dynamo ( I won a shirt kicking a soccer ball), Texans with a setup to kick a field goal (very cool!) Aeros (shoot a puck), Energy (throw a football) all good things to try. Good sports memorabilia to purchase.
Brian

Looks like a good time was had by all!

Thanks to the Guy Expo Houston

I want to take the time to thank the Guy Expo Houston for being an advertiser on the mikemcguff.com blog! It was a fantastic ride.

And oh yeah, the Guy Expo Houston kicks off this evening through the weekend at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston.

The Guy Expo runs Friday, November 6th from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Saturday, November 7th from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Sunday, November 8th from 11 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Tickets are $8 for adults, free for kids 12 and under. Police, fire and military get in free, along with anyone wearing an Elvis jumpsuit.

For more information about The Guy Expo Houston, please visit www.theguyexpo.com.

Why is the Guy Expo coming to Houston and what are the Almost-Darwin Awards?

It's no secret I've teamed up with the Guy Expo Houston to let you all know about the big event coming up November 6-8 at the GRB. Did the big Flash banner up top give it away? (Thanks to those who have mentioned news about the Guy Expo via social networking due to my humble blog)

To find out even more about this big event, I interviewed the expo's producer Shawna Suckow via email.

Mike McGuff: How would you describe The Guy Expo?

Shawna Suckow: I would describe it as everything guys love under one roof. We have beer tasting, a beer garden, a tailgating zone, home improvement, 3200 square feet of indoor laser tag, all the major Houston sports teams, Hooters, and the Houston Fire Department’s Street Machines Car Club will be there too. Also the Eat more Heat Zone will feature fiery foods from Houston and elsewhere. There’s something at the Expo for every guy out there. As a woman, a lot of this stuff appeals to me too, but I have to admit that every now and then something has to be explained to me. I didn’t have a clue about MMA until we started working on the Expo.

MM: Where did the idea come from?

SS: We wanted to create an Expo that didn’t exist, something unique that we all would enjoy working on. We used to produce all kinds of other conventions for real estate and government – beer and cars definitely are a lot more fun.

MM: Why was Houston picked as the second place to hold the event?

SS: We were considering several major cities for the next Expo, and Houston was the most welcoming by far. They partnered with us from the beginning, working with us in ways that other cities weren’t willing to. It’s enabling us to give this Expo some legs in a down economy, but also benefit the City of Houston while we do it. For selfish reasons, I’m happy to be headed to Houston and getting the hell out of Minnesota in November.

MM: How will Houston's sports teams participate?

SS: The Tailgating Area is hosted by the Houston Texans, who will bring a life-size inflatable goal post so guys can try their skills at kicking a field goal, and the cheerleaders will make appearances on Saturday and Sunday. The Houston Energy will feature a quarterback toss contest in the same area, and will bring some players as well. In the Fox Sports Team Zone, we’ll have the Rockets Power Dancers and Clutch along with some interactive contests. The Aeros will have an inflatable slapshot contest and will bring the AeroDynamics and Chilly. The Astros will be featuring some contests, and The Dynamo are bringing an inflatable field and possibly some players. For some reason, it seems like everything I just mentioned is inflatable.

MM: The Almost-Darwin Awards must spark interest?

SS: It’s a completely ridiculous contest that’s a lot of fun. Guys basically get on stage and share the story about the stupidest way they almost died. We’ve had some hilarious ones, let me tell you. I can’t wait to hear what Houston brings. There will be some great prizes for all our contests, so it’s completely worth the humiliation. Contestants can learn more and enter the contests by visiting www.theguyexpo.com.

MM: What type of guy will want to come to the Expo?

SS: We’ve got 12 different themed zones, so I believe there’s something of interest for almost any guy. If they like beer, then it’s a no-brainer. It’s also completely interactive wherever you go, so there are things to do, not just to look at. Any guy wanting a few hours of complete guy-ness should come and check it out. If they’re worried about missing the game, we’ll have 7 big screen TVs, including an 82-incher, in the Hooters Novemberfest Beer Garden.

MM: Anything else you want to add?

SS: Yes – the Houston Women Fire Fighters have put together their inaugural calendar, and they’re unveiling it at our Expo, so come on out to meet them and get signed copies of their calendar, all to benefit charity. We’re also giving away certificates for free beer for a year every night of the Expo. No catch, except we encourage everyone to donate to the Houston Fire Fighters Burned & Crippled Children’s Fund. Also, the Houston Habitat For Humanity is building the Ultimate Tricked-Out Garage, and auctioning off the materials at the end to benefit their organization. Tickets are eight bucks, but you can get in for half price from 5-6pm on Friday,10-11am on Saturday, and all day on Sunday. Fire fighters, police and military all get in free with their ID.

theguyexpo.com

Top guy movies - this is a tough list

In anticipation of the Guy Expo coming to Houston (I'm helping get the word out), I thought about the top guy movies of all time. This is a tough list to assemble. You have to get in the action, comedy, music...etc. (Should you slip in emotional overtones and admit {gulp} you might be able to cry?)

In no particular order, I banged this list out. No thought, just banged on the keyboards like a real man - then scratched.

Scarface
Al Pacino as Tony Montana...classic. He has the swagger and the attitude to go down in a hail storm of bullets and 1980s excess.

Fight Club
Fighting + insomnia = cool

Caddyshack
Loud golf clothes, a gopher and dynamite. Sounds like an afternoon.

Star Wars
The classic epic tale with blasters and spaceships. Then there was that weird sister/brother and father thing.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off
I just like this movie. No more explanation needed.

First Blood (Rambo)
The kick off to the 80s war hero that cannot be killed!

Terminator
A killer robot with an Austrian accent and a liking for Philip K. Dick themes. Time travel is the bonus.

Die Hard
A smart ass cop with guns and no shoes who destroys a building during the holidays. His adversary is an evil German man played by a British guy.

Animal House
What you want to be in college but are afraid to totally embrace because you want to be able to make a living one day.

Pulp Fiction
Out of order scenes, snappy fast food talk and guns.

*BONUS: Office Space
The average dude trying to escape the average corporate world and live.

Naturally I can't attempt something like this alone. That's why we have social networking so I can ask the late night question, "DUDES...What are the top guy movies?"

@dellbillings Depends. Crazy stupid fun: "The Warriors"..Sports: "Rocky"..Movies we cannot ever mention: "Brian's Song" "Field of Dreams"

@texasnate 300

@mattbramanti Big Lebowski. Chicks hate that movie. Also, Spinal Tap.

@robmd21 Top Gun has gotta be on that list.

Wes Hohenstein commented on your status:
"Swingers, Office Space, Beaches....I mean Die Hard."

August Endsley commented on your status:
"Godfather series, Goodfellas, Heat, Full Metal Jacket, Ferris Bueller, Mr Mom, Raising Arizona, Braveheart, Bourne series, A Christmas Story, Anchorman, Real Genius, Office Space, Unforgiven."

Steven Safran commented on your status:
"Stripes."

JVConcep RT @texasnate: // Agreed!!

@ThatEricMiller The Goonies, I love you man, d

Mario Segura commented on your status:
"Animal House, Blues Brothers, Anything with Clint Eastwood."

Andy Garcia commented on your status:
"Top Gun, Fight Club, Swingers, Godfather, Reservoir Dogs, Usual Suspects, Apocalypse Now, Scarface, Easy Rider, American Pie..."

TJ Aulds commented on your status:
"Godfather 1. Goodfellas. Caddy Shack. Original Oceans 12 with Rat Pack. "

Brian Holson commented on your status:
"Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, Raging Bull, Rocky 1-3. The Holy Grail."

Mark Garay commented on your status:
"Spinal Tap, Animal House, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Blues Brothers, High Fidelity and Goodfellas. "The Godfather" has too much crossover appeal, and therefore doesn't qualify enough as just a "guy" movie. But it is worth an honorable mention."

I think we have our list!

The Guy Expo runs Friday, November 6th from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Saturday, November 7th from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Sunday, November 8th from 11 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Tickets are $8 for adults, free for kids 12 and under. Police, fire and military get in free, along with anyone wearing an Elvis jumpsuit.

For more information about The Guy Expo Houston, please visit www.theguyexpo.com.

Mike McGuff teams up with Guy Expo Houston

You might have noticed the big red flash banner I added near the top of this blog the other day. I have teamed up with the Guy Expo Houston promoters to publicize the big event November 6th to the 8th at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

It's going to be big:

The Guy Expo hits the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston November 6-8. It’s all about guys and it’s all in one spot. We’ll have beer, chicken wings and chicks at the Hooters November-fest beer garden. We’ll have Fox Sports Houston, fiery foods, home improvement gear, pro sports teams, a NASCAR race car and a tricked-out garage. Not to mention contests, prizes and autographed sports memorabilia.

Houston is the second city to host the event; it debuted in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It caters to the guy’s guy and there’s nothing wimpy or soft spoken about it. It aims to be fun, loud, entertaining and slightly irresponsible. Want proof? The Almost-Darwin Award goes to the guy with the best story about the way he almost died.

“The Guy Expo is a cross-section of every cool show that comes to town,” says Shawna Suckow, event organizer. “We have twelve different themed zones full of demonstrations, food and fun. There’s literally something for everyone who walks through the door.”

The Elvis portion of the program is “The King’s Wings” chicken wing eating contest, sponsored by Hooters. The twist is that contestants need to wear an Elvis jumpsuit. The Miss Guy Expo contest asks participants to wear a tool belt, slam a beer and answer guy trivia. November-fest, the Expo’s beer garden, lets you sit back, enjoy a cold one and watch your game of choice on eight big-screen TVs, after visiting the Houston Texans Tailgating Zone, of course.

Habitat for Humanity will create a tricked-out garage: think plasma TV, hydraulic lifts, bar area and tool bench. Speaking of tools, you do-it-yourselfers needing to start just one more project might want to see the Home Improvement Zone.

Like sports? The Texans, Rockets, Astros, Dynamo, Aeros and Energy will host contests, games and giveaways. A few players are scheduled to show up, too.

The Guy Expo organizers are a group of fried food-eating sports fans who came up with the idea when they realized expos for just about everything existed – except one that brought all things guy-related together. “Guys have all dabbled in home improvement, envied their neighbor’s grills and wanted bigger, better electronics,” says Suckow. “We wanted to give guys a glimpse of the coolest stuff we could find.”

The Expo runs Friday, November 6th from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Saturday, November 7th from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Sunday, November 8th from 11 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Tickets are $8 for adults, free for kids 12 and under. Police, fire and military get in free, along with anyone wearing an Elvis jumpsuit.

For more information about The Guy Expo, please visit www.theguyexpo.com.

Guy Expo coming to Houston

I got a DM on Twitter from theguyexpoTX which said it wouldn't mind if I tweeted on the hour about the upcoming Guy Expo coming to Houston. Had no idea it was coming. So I asked more more info from the group:

The Guy Expo hits the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston November 6-8. It’s all about guys and it’s all in one spot. We’ll have beer, chicken wings and chicks at the Hooters November-fest beer garden. We’ll have Fox Sports Houston, fiery foods, home improvement gear, pro sports teams, a NASCAR race car and a tricked-out garage. Not to mention contests, prizes and autographed sports memorabilia.

Houston is the second city to host the event; it debuted in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It caters to the guy’s guy and there’s nothing wimpy or soft spoken about it. It aims to be fun, loud, entertaining and slightly irresponsible. Want proof? The Almost-Darwin Award goes to the guy with the best story about the way he almost died.

[snip]

The Guy Expo organizers are a group of fried food-eating sports fans who came up with the idea when they realized expos for just about everything existed – except one that brought all things guy-related together. “Guys have all dabbled in home improvement, envied their neighbor’s grills and wanted bigger, better electronics,” says Suckow. “We wanted to give guys a glimpse of the coolest stuff we could find.”

The Expo runs Friday, November 6th from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Saturday, November 7th from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Sunday, November 8th from 11 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Tickets are $8 for adults, free for kids 12 and under. Police, fire and military get in free, along with anyone wearing an Elvis jumpsuit.

I wonder if I am man enough to attend?

http://www.theguyexpo.com/