Category: Attendees

Video: State of the Industry Address – 2011 SHOT Show

In his address at the SHOT Show’s State of the Industry dinner Tuesday night, NSSF President Steve Sanetti highlighted the industry’s successes in 2010 and offered a look forward at the efforts that 2011 will bring.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YASUdFm5aiU

Warm Welcome for Industry from Las Vegas, Congressional Delegation

Las Vegas officials and the area’s congressional delegation have offered a warm welcome to all attending this week’s SHOT Show.

Both U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.), whose district includes Las Vegas, and Steve Sisolak, vice-chairman of the Clark County Board of Commissioners, sent letters to NSSF that we’d like to share with all of our SHOT Show attendees and exhibitors.

– Letter from U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley

– Letter from Steve Sisolak, Clark County Board of Commissioners

33rd Edition of SHOT Show Opens in Las Vegas

The masses make their way through the lobby at the 2011 SHOT Show.

The 33rd edition of the SHOT Show opened its doors this morning. This year, buyers from all 50 states and 100 countries have come to Las Vegas for the largest and most comprehensive trade show for shooting sports professionals. With more than 700,000 square feet of exhibition space, the SHOT Show remains the premier exposition of combined firearms, ammunition, archery, optics and related products.

“We come to NSSF’s 2011 SHOT Show at a time when the U.S. Supreme Court has recognized that our fundamental right to keep and bear arms as American citizens must be protected by all levels of government, and when public support for firearms ownership, hunting, recreational shooting and self-defense is the highest it has been in many years,” says Steve Sanetti, president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation. “Congress is more progun than at any time in recent memory. The mood is upbeat, even though the general economy is not. The upcoming year will be a good one, even though it would be quite difficult to top the banner years many companies in our industry have experienced since late 2008. Attendees will see an extraordinary array of innovative new products, exhibitors will meet many of their most influential and receptive customers and the outdoor and shooting media will have more to report about than ever.”

“Last year’s SHOT Show experienced attendance growth like we hadn’t seen before,” says Dennis J. McDonald, senior vice president of Reed exhibitions, which runs the show for the NSSF. “In anticipation of another great show, validated by our early registration figure’s, more creature comforts have been added, including a new escalator system for easy assess between the two floors. Exhibitor participation is strong again this year; all the major players are present, and we’ll see plenty of new products.”

The day will conclude with the State of the Industry dinner. The evening includes a cocktail reception, dinner, a State of the Industry multi-media presentation and industry awards, followed by a performance by best-selling comedian Jeff Foxworthy. Nonrefundable tickets ($100) are sold on a first-come, first-served basis at the SHOT Show booth. Booth #L221.

Reminder that ‘suitcasing’ and ‘outboarding’ are not tolerated at SHOT Show

In advance of the SHOT Show, we’d again like to remind any potential rule breakers of the show’s suitcasing and outboarding policy.

We’ve already heard of one non-exhibiting company that was planning to “outboard” the show by setting up a suite in a nearby hotel and luring exhibitors off the show floor to look at its products.

Plain and simple, this type of act is stealing from the show. SHOT Show exhibitors have invested a lot of money and other resources to exhibit at the show, and acts like this deprive NSSF (as the show’s owner) of income we use to support our many programs and initiatives. Please keep in mind, this is not just a SHOT Show policy; it is an industry standard recognized by the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE).

As a reminder, please see the examples below of suitcasing and outboarding. We also encourage everyone to review the show’s official suitcasing and outboarding policy, which is available on the SHOT Show website. We will have a response team at this year’s show looking for this type of activity, and we encourage anyone who sees a violation of our policy to contact the show office.

Suitcasing refers to those non-exhibiting companies or persons who go to shows as an attendee but “work the aisles” from their suitcase (briefcase) and solicit business in the aisles or lobby area.

An example of this occurred last year when a well-known cutlery maker sent out alerts to potential customers that while they will not be exhibiting this year they will have personnel walking the show floor and will be offering a SHOT Show Special. To protect our exhibitors and their investment, we revoked that company’s SHOT Show credentials and escorted them from the show floor.

Outboarding refers to non-exhibiting companies that set up exhibits at off-site locations — hotel hospitality suites or restaurants — and encourage show attendees to leave the show floor and spend time with them.

An example of this occurred last year when rather than exhibit at the 2010 SHOT Show, a well-known firearms maker set up a hospitality room in a hotel off the show floor and invited retailers to leave the show floor and visit their suite. To protect our exhibitors, the hotel agreed to shut down the suite, as provided for in its contract with the SHOT Show. The manufacturer attempted to relocate to yet another hotel, which refused to allow the manufacturer to outboard the show.

Review the SHOT Show’s suitcasing and outboarding policy.

SHOT Show Exhibitors and Attendees: Beware of Third-Party Hotel Scams

All exhibitors and attendees that booked hotel rooms outside the SHOT Show room block through a third-party (not directly with the hotel or the SHOT Show Housing Bureau) should contact the hotel to confirm their reservation.

We have received reports that at least one hotel room reseller, d/b/a HDMC, appears to have taken payment from SHOT Show attendees and exhibitors without actually booking the rooms.

Any SHOT Show attendee that dealt with HDMC is urged to immediately to contact the hotel directly to confirm whether or not they have a reservation and, if not, to immediately make alternative housing arrangements.