Author: Chris Dolnack, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer

2015 Registration Fees and NSSF Member Discounts

Your participation in the SHOT Show funds and supports the many NSSF programs that promote safety, protect our industry, and ensure the sports and livelihood we love are sustainable for years to come. However, with mounting pressure for increased gun regulation and restrictions, the NSSF’s government advocacy initiatives need more reinforcements than ever — your registration fees have a direct impact on our ability to continue our aggressive and focused initiatives on Capitol Hill.

The 2015 SHOT Show registration fees are being modified as a result of growing demand for aggressive advocacy and regulatory initiatives on behalf of our industry. You can further support these initiatives by joining the NSSF membership.

The NSSF is pleased to announce that not only does each qualifying NSSF Member company receive one complimentary SHOT Show registration, we’re also providing new, discounted SHOT Show registration fees for our valued, current buyer members:

Qualified Buyer Categories

Pre-Registration:
NSSF Members $35 (Non-members $70)
(members must register before Jan. 13, 2015 to qualify for pre-registration)

After the Pre-Registration Deadline or Onsite:
NSSF Members $70 (Non-members $140)

Registration fees for all non-buyer categories will remain the same as previous years:

Pre-Registration: $175
After the Pre-Registration Deadline or Onsite: $350

To qualify for these special member discounts, members must:

  • Register using their NSSF membership number
  • Attendee must be an NSSF member company with appropriate credentials to attend SHOT Show as a buyer. One complimentary registration per NSSF member company.

Registration for the 2015 SHOT Show will begin mid-August (specific date to be announced soon). For more information on how to register for the SHOT Show and receive your member discount, go to shotshow.org. To apply for NSSF membership or renew a lapsed membership, please click here or call 203-426-1320, ext. 209.

Chris Dolnack is Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Follow him on Twitter at @ChrisDolnack.

5 Keys for Exhibitors to Have a Successful Trade Show

There’s a sign hanging in a barber shop I once frequented that read, “If You’re Looking For A Helping Hand, Look Down At The End of Your Arm.” Truer words have never been spoken when it comes to exhibiting at a trade show. Here are five ways to help you enjoy a successful and profitable trade show experience.

1. Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan.

Open the show manual and calendar important deadlines on Outlook with reminders one week out. Seriously, you should read through the exhibitor manual when it’s received. You’ll save money.

2. Be Part of the Solution

Help show management eliminate tire-kickers by only credentialing booth staff. If vendors, customers and investors want to attend, have them register as legitimate attendees under their proper category. If your college roommate or boot camp buddy wants to attend, explain why they can’t or approach show management with an honest request for guest credentials.

3. Don’t Be Pennywise and Pound Foolish

Book your hotel rooms through the official show housing block as soon as it opens. There are a lot of poachers out there offering deals too good to be true. That’s because they are too good to be true. Booking in the block provides you with rate protection and helps the show organizer avoid attrition. I know of two major exhibitors who fell victim to these scammers and lost over $20,000. In one instance, the scammer went to jail, but the exhibitor was still out $12,000.

4. Close the Loop

Follow up on leads generated at the show. It seems so simple, but time and again attendees say that there is little follow-up post show. I mean, you rented a badge scanner, so why wouldn’t you send literature and have a sales rep contact an earnest prospective customer?

5.  Be As Loud As Spinal Tap

Don’t be another band with the volume on 10. As my colleague Bill Dunn says, turn it up to 11. Plan your pre- and in-show promotion. Use direct mail, email and social media channels to entice attendees to your exhibit. Use the show hashtag. Tell them about new products, show specials, contests and celebrity appearances.

 

Chris Dolnack is Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Follow him on Twitter at @ChrisDolnack.

First SHOT Show Exhibitor Academy a Hit

Last week in Las Vegas, representatives from 100 exhibiting companies attended the first-ever SHOT Show Exhibitor Academy to learn how to maximize their time and budgets while exhibiting at the world’s largest trade show for shooting, hunting, outdoor and law enforcement products.  Filled to capacity, our first SHOT Show Exhibitor Academy was a home run and included presentations on how to build the right booth, garner media attention, use social media, develop a show budget and navigate the show’s Exhibitor Resource Center, in addition to meeting and asking questions of the show’s management team.

Attendees were also treated to a back of the house tour of the Sands and the opportunity to experience several potential hospitality venues first-hand.  One of the highlights was a presentation on using social media to promote your exhibit by social media expert and book author Traci Browne.

Another was the opportunity to meet one-on-one with individual SHOT Show vendors including the Sands Expo, Freeman, CompuSystems, Century Security, onPeak, Venetian/Palazzo and all of the hotel partners in Las Vegas, as well as many other vendors that help produce the SHOT Show each year.

Our goal was to provide exhibitors with information that would make their SHOT Show experience more cost-effective and less stressful while increasing their ROI.  I’m pleased to tell you that 97% of the attendees said that they would recommend SHOT Show Exhibitor Academy to other exhibitors and that the experience was worth their time.

The exhibitor academy was something that ConvExx mentioned in their presentation to us last year and planning began soon after we selected ConvExx as our new show management partner.  That kind of creative, value-added, experiential exhibitor education makes our customers more successful in the long run and that helps make for a stronger show and industry.

Chris Dolnack is Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Follow him on Twitter at @ChrisDolnack.

SHOT Show Named to Top 25 Fastest-growing Trade Show List

The SHOT Show® has been cited as one of the Top 25 fastest-growing trade shows based on attendance growth by a leading industry trade publication — a recognition that will surprise few who have attended the record-breaking SHOT Shows in Las Vegas in recent years.

The high honor announced by the Trade Show News Network (TSNN) places the SHOT Show in elite company with many of the trade show industry’s most recognized names.

It’s outstanding that our industry’s trade show continues to grow and be recognized with the best and fastest-growing shows in North America, and this honor is shared by all the talented people who work on the show.

The SHOT Show will be honored at the 5th Annual TSNN Awards Nov. 14-16 in Cleveland, Ohio.

Chris Dolnack is Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Follow him on Twitter at @ChrisDolnack.

2014 SHOT Show Was a Hit

Records were broken at the Las Vegas trade show

Let the record show that the 2014 SHOT Show was the most successful in its 36-year history. And with an extended contract that it be housed at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, the SHOT Show’s future promises continued success and satisfaction. The 2014 SHOT Show was another one for the record books—record attendance, record sales, and record industry unity. The show also registered record satisfaction with attendees and exhibitors alike, with 75 percent of exhibitors completely or very satisfied, and 96 percent of exhibitors extremely or very likely to exhibit in 2015, according to our post–SHOT Show survey. Exhibitor satisfaction is confirmed by the record 96 percent of exhibit space renewals put under deposit onsite, and the 98 percent renewal rate we have reached within a month of the show’s conclusion.

Ditto for attendees, with 82 percent completely or very satisfied and 86 percent extremely or very likely to attend the 2015 SHOT Show. Total attendance increased 8 percent, to more than 67,000, in a year where we re-qualified attendees in the redbadge- buyer category, requiring documentation to verify purchasing authority.

All in all, the 2014 SHOT Show was a testament to the passion and enthusiasm that retailers, exhibitors, and industry associates share for our industry and the SHOT Show. It’s rewarding to know that all of our time and effort paid off, and you can rest assured that we’re working on making the 2015 SHOT Show even better.

The 2014 SHOT Show was very fortunate to have so many dedicated sponsors contribute to this record-setting year. For many of our sponsors, this is not the first time they have stepped up. Outdoor Channel marked its fourth consecutive year as the show’s Pinnacle Sponsor, the highest sponsorship level associated with the show.

Outdoor Channel’s unprecedented support of the 2014 SHOT Show demonstrates the company’s unwavering commitment to the outdoors industry and all that the industry’s premier trade show stands for.

Daniel Defense returned this year with some creative elements, including Venetian and Palazzo room key cards and pub-style tables near food vendors to facilitate quick meals and short meetings—not to mention the Daniel Defense–branded staircase in the main entry area to the Sands Expo.

Thanks, too, to Caracal for providing the shuttle service between the neighboring hotels and the show, saving many the time and money associated with taxi lines. GunBroker.com continued to be an extraordinary partner of the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the SHOT Show, sponsoring the NSSF Member Lounge and Business Center.

GunBroker .com is a great example of an NSSF member that makes the extra effort to help grow hunting and the shooting sports.

Also returning was ArmaLite as the title sponsor of the SHOT Show mobile app. This show-navigation technology enriches the SHOT Show experience for buyers and attendees, and we greatly appreciate ArmaLite’s support in this effort.

Ram Trucks returned as the official truck of SHOT Show for the third year running.

Smith & Wesson provided generous support as the Platinum Level Education Sponsor for the industry’s largest professional development opportunity for firearms retailers—SHOT Show University.

NSSF, owner and sponsor of the SHOT Show, extends its sincere thanks to all of our sponsors that contribute to its enduring success. We anticipate continued industry support in 2015.

With the Sands being an ever-improving venue, NSSF has contracted to stage the show there through 2018, adding another year to its agreement. The Sands recently completed a $37 million renovation that significantly upgraded its facilities, including redesigning and remodeling the lobby and adding escalators, new carpeting, Wi-Fi hotspots, food outlets, digital signage, and other amenities that have enhanced the trade-show experience for exhibitors and attendees. The 2014 SHOT Show is the fifth largest trade show in Las Vegas and the largest trade show of its kind in the world.

The show generates more than $73 million for the Las Vegas economy, and, more relevant to NSSF and its members, the SHOT Show provides your industry’s trade association with 80 percent of the revenue it directs during the year to promote, protect, and preserve that very industry.

Next year’s show will be held Jan. 20–23. See you there.

Chris Dolnack is Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Follow him on Twitter at @ChrisDolnack.

Banned in the USA: Federal Court Hits ‘Fair Guide’ Scammer with $9M Judgment

We’ve warned our exhibitors countless times over the past few years about scam artists Construct Data — which produces Fair Guide and Expo Guide — and its deceptive and misleading trade show directory scams.

The Federal Trade Commission has announced that a federal court has banned the Slovakia-based company from the trade show directory business and entered a $9 million judgment against them.

That’s great news for everyone in the trade show business, and we’re pleased to pass this news along to all of our SHOT Show exhibitors.

Read more from the FTC.

Chris Dolnack is senior vice president and chief marketing officer for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Follow him on Twitter at @ChrisDolnack.

The Value of Trade Shows – Guest Blog from Timothy Schneider, Publisher, Association News

Appointment-only and reverse trade shows have grown demonstrably in popularity of late. Though these types of events have their place and can seem to be more cost-effective, the traditional trade-show format has inherent value that no other format does. As both an exhibitor at and organizer of trade shows, Timothy Schneider offers a well-rounded perspective and outlines three reasons why traditional trade-show exhibits help bridge gaps between customers and exhibitors.

The Value of Trade Shows, by Timothy Schneider

Attending, exhibiting at or sponsoring a trade show or conference can involve significant expense. In the past year, our company participated in a total of 50 different trade shows and conferences. When staff and travel expense is factored in, this level of live-event marketing can quickly dwarf the expense of the other forms of marketing our company utilizes.

In recent years, there’s been tremendous growth in the number of live-event marketing opportunities in practically every segment of the economy. There’s also been an increase in the number of appointment-only and reverse trade shows. In our experience, both as an exhibiting company and as an organizer of trade shows, we believe there’s a value in adding components to live events that help facilitate deal making. However, we also believe that the traditional trade-show format provides value that no other format can.

Read the full editorial on the Association News website.

Chris Dolnack is Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Follow him on Twitter at @ChrisDolnack. 

2014 SHOT Show Sees Positive Trends Continue in Exhibitor and Attendee Satisfaction

The 2014 SHOT Show at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas was another one for the record books — record attendance, record sales and record industry unity.  The show also registered record satisfaction with attendees and exhibitors alike, with 75 percent of exhibitors completely or very satisfied and 96 percent of exhibitors extremely or very likely to exhibit in 2015.  Those intentions are reflected in the record 96 percent of exhibit space renewals put under deposit onsite, and the 98 percent renewal rate we have reached since we left Las Vegas a month ago!

Ditto for attendees, with 82 percent completely or very satisfied and 86 percent extremely or very likely to attend 2015 SHOT Show.  Also remarkable is that total attendance increased 8 percent to over 67,000 in a year where we re-qualified attendees in the red badge-buyer category, requiring documentation to verify purchasing authority.

All in all the 2014 SHOT Show was a testament to the passion and enthusiasm that retailers, exhibitors and industry associates share for our industry and the SHOT Show.  It’s rewarding to know that all of our time and effort paid off, and you can rest assured that we’re already working on making the 2015 SHOT Show even better.

Chris Dolnack is senior vice president and chief marketing officer for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Follow him on Twitter at @ChrisDolnack.

Thanks to the 2014 SHOT Show Sponsors for Their Steadfast Support

The 2014 SHOT Show was very fortunate to have so many dedicated sponsors contribute to this record-setting year. For many of our sponsors, this is not the first time they have stepped up.

Outdoor Channel marked its fourth consecutive year as the show’s Pinnacle Sponsor, the highest sponsorship level associated with the show. Outdoor Channel’s unprecedented support of the 2014 SHOT Show demonstrates the company’s unwavering commitment to the outdoor industry and all that the industry’s premier trade show stands for.

Daniel Defense returned this year with some creative elements including Venetian and Palazzo room key cards and pub-style tables near food vendors to facilitate quick meals and short meetings — not to mention the Daniel Defense-branded staircase in the main entry area to the Sands Expo.

Thanks, too, to Caracal for providing the shuttle service between the neighboring hotels and the show, saving many the time and money associated with taxi lines.

GunBroker.com continued to be an extraordinary partner of NSSF and the SHOT Show, sponsoring the NSSF Member Lounge and Business Center. GunBroker.com is a great example of an NSSF member that makes the extra effort to help grow hunting and the shooting sports.

Also returning was ArmaLite as the title sponsor of the SHOT Show mobile app. This show-navigation technology enriches the SHOT Show experience for buyers and attendees and we greatly appreciate ArmaLite’s support in this effort.

Ram Trucks returned as the official truck of SHOT Show for the third year running.

Smith & Wesson provided generous support as the Platinum Level Education Sponsor for the industry’s largest professional development opportunity for firearms retailers — SHOT Show University.

Sincere thanks to all of our sponsors that contribute to all of the elements that ensure the continued success of the SHOT Show, your industry’s premier trade show.

Chris Dolnack is Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Follow him on Twitter at @ChrisDolnack. 

Keep an Eye on Your Inbox: SHOT Show Surveys Being Sent This Week

All SHOT Show attendees and exhibitors should keep an eye on their email inboxes in the coming days. We’ll begin sending our post-show surveys this week.

Each year, we continue to make many improvements based on your feedback, and we’ll do so again for next year’s show.

Please take the time to provide us with your feedback. What did we do right? What could be improved upon? Please let us know. All of your input will be heard.