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SANDY — In a state where owning a 72-hour kit is the cool thing to do, thousands of people plan to flock to a disaster survival preparedness expo this weekend.
At PrepperCon, families can purchase food storage supplies, learn how to stitch up their own wounds, experience a Category 3 hurricane and much more, according to Ben Hansen, chief of media and entertainment.
“You gotta first motivate people to care before you can get them to act, and that’s kind of the whole idea is motivating people to care about something they know they should do, but to take the fear away from it and make it possible for them,” Hansen said.
The expo will feature a hurricane simulator, a survival food eating contest that includes delicious eats such as grasshoppers and worms, and a fashion show.
Ms. America Julie Harman will attend the event, as will Kyle and Ben Bell from the History Channel’s show "Mountain Men."
“It’s a well-rounded show that people come to see what’s the latest and greatest,” Hansen said. “There’s a lot of Utah companies that are based in the prepper industry that are in Utah, and we’re really lucky to have so many so close by.”
Between 15,000 and 17,000 people are expected to attend. This fall, Hansen is hoping to start holding the event in neighboring states.
Hansen said the state of Utah is one of the major hubs of the prepping industry, mentioning multi-level marketing companies, such as Xango and doTERRA as well as startup companies.
“It’s kind of well-known that Utah by culture, by religious background and just the way that we ... try to be self-sufficient that it’s a great place for this type of industry,” he said.
Following last year’s expo, Hansen said, they started getting calls from people in other countries regarding emergency preparedness.
“They’re really fascinated about America’s interest in prepping, and they’re telling us that the social political economic situation in Europe is getting so bad that more people are starting to take notice and they want to know how we’re doing it, how are we preparing,” he said.
"We'll have staff on hand to cast for people interested in participating in future TV shows now in development and in assisting productions with shows already filming," Hansen said. "At this time, two different German TV production companies and a Utah-based documentary will also be filming and looking for interviewees at the expo."
PrepperCon will be held Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the South Towne Expo Center at 9575 S. State in Sandy. To purchase tickets online, visit www.preppercon.com.
