Events – Page 4 – SHOT Show Blog

SHOT Show University Adds Seats, Encourages Exhibitors to Attend

Thanks to an outstanding lineup of topics and speakers, we’ve received numerous calls from exhibitor representatives asking to attend the 2015 SHOT Show University. Though SHOT Show University is generally geared toward firearms retailers, with the number of seat requests we received, we took a look at the panels and realized that there was indeed value in many of them for exhibitors at the show. We recently sent an invitation to the full list of exhibitors announcing the expanded seating, and I just want to take a moment here to emphasize the breadth of information they’ll receive by attending SHOT Show University.

For those exhibitors unfamiliar with the forum, SHOT Show University is a one-day educational event that takes place on Monday, Jan. 19, the day before the official start of the SHOT Show. Sessions are geared toward the unique needs of professionals in the firearms business and cover such varied topics as working with the Federal form 4473 and other important compliance issues, as well as business development forums such as digital and content marketing, cash flow practices, store security, loss prevention, advertising planning, store layout maximization and more.

The day starts with an opening address by Dr. Linda Talley, one of the country’s most respected business-development leaders. After that, University attendees will break into one of four educational tracks—ATF Compliance, Drive Your Sales, Retailing 101 and Veteran Retailer—learning about developments in our industry through leading experts such as Gene Marks, Tom Shay, Larry Mersereau, Karl Stearns, Bill Napier and NSSF’s own ATF Compliance Consultants Wally Nelson and Harry McCabe. This year’s University will end with a dynamic closing address by former Marine pilot Patrick “Lips” Houlahan, a team leader with business consultant company Afterburner, Inc.

“After seeing the number of requests to attend SHOT Show University that were coming from exhibitors, we realized that they had a genuine and valid interest in knowing the business through their retailers’ eyes,” said Randy Clark, NSSF Senior Director, Business Development. “There is tremendous knowledge to be had by learning about what’s important to others in the chain of people who move product from maker to consumer within our industry. Thus it makes perfect sense to open the doors wider to the unique forum that is SHOT Show University.”

Though NSSF has added additional seats to accommodate the many exhibitors wishing to attend SHOT Show University, seating is limited and this event will sell out. We encourage everyone to register for this event now. Exhibitors interested in attending can email me at pshay@nssf.org for assistance with registration. Remember, NSSF Premium Retailers are offered a complimentary ticket to SHOT Show University. Additional tickets for both Premium Retailer members and all other NSSF members who wish to attend are $250 per ticket; non-members may attend for $500 per ticket. To learn more about SHOT Show University and its many sessions, click here. To upgrade your membership to the Premium Retailer level or to join at NSSF at the level that best serves your business needs, visit nssf.org/join or e-mail membership@nssf.org.

December Deadlines—Part III

As we told you earlier this month, December has a long list of deadlines important to SHOT Show exhibitors. The biggest date ahead for all our exhibitors is Dec. 26. Deadlines for more than two-dozen booth setup items fall on this date, and with the hubbub of the holiday week and the actual Christmas day just the day before, this is a date that could easily slip by you. Note that many of these entries are for the last date exhibitors can access certain items at the reduced advanced rate. Starting Dec. 27, those advanced rates end, so be sure to get your orders in now.

The full list of exhibitor deadlines is as follows:

Audio/Visual (Advance Rate) – Freeman AV
Booth Security Guard Service (Advance Rate) – Century
Carpet (Advance Rate) – Freeman
Catering Request – Sands/Venetian
Cleaning – Booth Order– SES
Column Drape – Freeman
Computer Equipment (Advance Rate) – NMR
Credit Card Authorization – SES
Credit Card Authorization – Freeman
Electrical Order – SES
Exhibit Accessories (Advance Rate) – Freeman
Exhibit Furnishings (Advance Rate) – Freeman
Firearms Onsite Inventory & Security Program
Hanging & Rigging Order – SES
Hanging Truss, Chain Hoist, Lighting and Stagehand Labor (Advance Rate)
Freeman Internet & Telecommunications Order – SES
Labor – Installation, Dismantle, Forklift – Freeman
Labor – Rigging 200lbs and over – SES
Material Handling – Freeman
Payment Authorization – Freeman
Payment Authorization – SES
Rental Exhibit Order (Advance Rate) – Freeman
Special Signs and Graphics (Advance Rate) – Freeman
Target Date Changes – Freeman
Utilities – Air, Drain, Sprinklers, Water – SES
Vehicle/Motorized Units Spotting Fee – Freeman

Questions about an item in the list above? Important contacts at ConvExx and Freeman can be found here and here, respectively. You’ll also find our Frequently Asked Questions page helpful.

Dave Jeannette is Senior Director, Sales for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Follow him on Twitter at @DaveJeannette.

December Exhibitor Deadlines, Part II

We are now down to just a little more than five weeks before the opening of the 2015 SHOT Show. With that comes multiple exhibitor deadlines in the month of December.

In this post, I’ll focus on the deadlines for December 19. I’ll follow that with another post reviewing the numerous December 26 deadlines.

December 19 Exhibitor Deadlines:

Exhibitors utilizing third-party labor for duties outside those that must be handled by official show contractors (e.g., SES—Specialized Event Services—or Freeman) must submit their Exhibitor–Appointed Contractor (EAC) applications to ConvExx by this date. EAC’s include exhibit installers/dismantlers, decorators, booth hostesses, videographers and photographers, florists and others. Click here for the online applications. Information and a sample of exhibitor insurance can be found here, while rules and regulations for EACs, including show activity dates and times
are located here.
All U.S. exhibitors wishing to receive their badges by U.S. mail must have completed their credential submission by this date. Complete information regarding required credentials and booth badge allotments can be found here. Note: Online registration closes Thursday January 16. After January 23, everyone must register onsite.
December 19 is the final date that exhibitors renting the automated, computerized Lead Retrieval systems from CompuSystems may receive the discounted advanced rates. CompuSystems offers 2015 SHOT Show exhibitors a variety of handheld, smart device and desktop products that collect full contact information from every scanned badge, thereby eliminating the problems associated with handwritten notes and lost business cards while providing additional functionality such as lead qualifiers and note taking. CompuSystems also provides in-booth setup and training for its devices. Click here for CompuSystem’s rental application, including a full listing of the advanced rate discount.
This is the last date that exhibitors can receive the advanced rate from CSS (Convention Staffing Solutions) for temporary booth personnel such as greeters, business card collectors and product presenters. Click here for the application.
The last deadline for December 19 is for exhibitors to finalize food and beverage sampling for booth catering. The online order form for samples can be found here. For more information, contact Tricia Hanisko at thanisko@convexx.com or call 702-216-5865.

For the full list of show deadlines, click here. Remember, the Exhibitor Resource Center at shotshow.org/erc can provide the answers to many questions exhibitors have regarding deadlines, contractors, booth services, media and more. Need to contact someone with a specific questions? See the list of all 2015 SHOT Show contacts here.

Dave Jeannette is Senior Director, Sales for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Follow him on Twitter at @DaveJeannette.

NSSF Welcomes Business Expert Karl Stearns to 2015 SHOT Show University Speaker Lineup

KMS_2014_WKC_cropped Entrepreneur and small business expert Karl Stearns is the newest addition to the growing list of highly respected individuals lecturing at NSSF’s 2015 SHOT Show University. Stearns will conduct two sessions for this year’s University:

The Four Pillars of Digital Marketing—During this presentation, retailers will learn how to “get found” in today’s vast world of cyber presence. The session will focus on ways to nurture relationships, grow contact lists, increase customer loyalty, and utilizing dedicated digital campaigns to drive customers to your business. Attendees will also learn how use and understand digital analytics to make better decisions for their businesses and their customers.
Tactics to Improve Your Ecommerce Plan—Give your website, online store and digital marketing plan a tune up with this exciting and insightful presentation.

With a background of accounting skills, sales and marketing expertise and the advantage of owning several small businesses, Stearns “walks the walk and talks the talk” of small business people. A winner of numerous automotive industry awards, Stearns writes for a number of industry trade journals and serves as a marketing consultant to clients nationwide. As a speaker for Tom Shay’s Profits Plus small business seminars, he addresses groups throughout the United States on a wide variety of small businesses topics from pricing strategies, getting better results from employees, business management and reading and understanding financial statements. He also is a Platinum Solution Provider for Constant Contact, one of today’s most-used business client mailing list platforms, having attained certification in presenting programs on digital marketing.

“We are extremely pleased to have someone like Karl, who’s knowledge of digital business marketing—how to plan it, how to analyze the results, how to make it work to grow any retailer’s client base—is so important to meeting the demands of retailing firearms in the 21^st century,” said Randy Clark, NSSF Managing Director, Business Development. “Our retailers’ visibility absolutely depends on a digital presence these days. But in the lightning-fast pace of the Internet, it’s a mistake for today’s retailer to think that a simple web page with a picture of their staff and the store’s hours and phone number are enough to get people into your store. The web is the place where business is happening, and whether you’re actually taking and fulfilling orders via the web or merely utilizing its inherent functionality to drive more foot traffic into your store through the creative use of advertising, blogs, newsletters and more, Karl’s sessions will provide the foundation to do both.”

SHOT Show University is the premier event for firearms retailers. Seats are limited and this event will sell out, so retailers are urged to sign up now. Remember, NSSF Premium Retailers are offered a complimentary ticket to SHOT Show University. Additional tickets for both Premium Retailer members and all other NSSF members who wish to attend are $250 per ticket; non-members may attend for $500 per ticket. To learn more about SHOT Show University and its many sessions, click here. To upgrade your membership to the Premium Retailer level or to join at NSSF at the level that best serves your business needs, visit nssf.org/join or e-mail membership@nssf.org.

FFL Retail Expert Marily Haley Joins NSSF’s 2015 SHOT SHOW Diversity Panel

Marily Haley Headshot NSSF is pleased to announce that Marily Haley, manager of highly popular Shoot Smart ranges in Texas, has joined the list of speakers educating today’s retailers on the issues of diversity during the 2015 SHOT Show special Diversity Panel, sponsored by NSSF. Haley will be joining Don Adair, president of the African American Hunting Association, and husband and wife team Lilly Gibbs and Frank Manuel, founders and developers of the Montgomery Indoor Shooting Complex.

Haley brings a wealth of front-line, bottom-to-top retail experience to the panel’s discussion. As a founding member of the Shoot Smart staff, Marily’s cordial and friendly personality set the standard for customer service at the company, quickly earning her a reputation for taking a room full of impatient customers and making each of them feel as if they were the only one being served. Those abilities saw her quickly rise through the ranks at Shoot Smart, moving first to head cashier, then shift supervisor, trainer, assistant manager and manager in quick progression.

Through her leadership skills and abilities to communicate to a wide variety of people, Haley streamlined customer service procedures at Shoot Smart, developed best practices for customer service and a created a formal customer service training program for the Shoot Smart staff.

This string of successes saw her promotion to range manager of the second Shoot Smart range, which opened in Grand Prairie, Texas, in 2013. That range, just one year after opening, earned NSSF’s prestigious Five Star Range Rating under Haley’s tutelage.

“Marily is a dynamic individual making a noticeable mark in the shooting industry,” said Patrick Shay, co-creator of the 2015 SHOT Show Diversity Panel and NSSF’s Director, Retail Development. “She was raised in both Texas and Mexico, attending Brookhaven College in Dallas. She has strong communication skills in English and Spanish, and that duality, combined with her reputation among both her customers and peers, positions her uniquely to speak about diversity in the shooting industry. Her insights on how to engage customers of different cultures, races, beliefs and needs will be invaluable to any retailer or range owner looking for new ways to reach new customers and expand their businesses.”

Created to provide retailers with a fresh approach to connecting with new customers, the 2015 SHOT Show Diversity Panel will take place Wednesday, January 21, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

“The face of today’s recreational shooter is not what it was even five years ago. It’s younger, includes more females and is much better represented across multiple ethnicities than in the past,” explained Shay. “It’s time for firearms retailers and range operators to realize that their best potential for growth and long-term viability in the coming years is in discovering how to reach these new shooters and provide them with goods and services they need. We think this Diversity Panel will provide essential information for making those connections and turning them into happy, loyal customers.”

Tickets for the 2015 SHOT Show Diversity Panel are $20 for both NSSF member and non-member retailers and range owners, but seating is limited, so we urge you to register now for this important event. To register, go to the shotshow.org website, click on the “Apply” button and follow the directions on the page. Anyone already registered to attend the 2015 SHOT Show may revisit shotshow.org, click on “Apply,” then click the “Check Status” button on the bottom left-hand portion of the screen. Once there, scroll to the bottom of the page to “Access Your Attendee Dashboard” and provide your email and password to enter. For more information, contact Patrick Shay, pshay@nssf.org.

December SHOT Show Deadlines

December is a hectic month for nearly everyone in the firearms industry. Retailers are dealing with fast-paced seasonal sales, distributors are working to fill last-minute orders and meet yearly quotas, and all of us are making plans for the month-end holiday visits with family and friends.

On top of all of this, SHOT Show preparations are in full swing. There are just seven weeks left until the 2015 SHOT Show. That means December has dozens of deadlines important to exhibitors, advertisers and attendees. In fact, we have so many, that this month we’re going to break them into a couple blog posts here, to better help all going to SHOT better organize their pre-show planning. You can always keep abreast of the deadlines by printing out the Deadline Checklist located in the online Exhibitor Resource Center and reading the weekly Exhibitor Update that is emailed to the main show contact and posted online in the Exhibitor Resource Center.

Before I get started with the most important upcoming deadlines, I need to emphasize two things. First, the names and unique email addresses for every staff member of each exhibitor attending the 2015 SHOT Show must be submitted, for qualification, through their Registration Dashboard immediately. Rules and qualifications for exhibiting staff have changed from past years, so it is important that appropriate submissions are made in advance to avoid confusion or waiting onsite. As we’ve said before, it will be very important to book your hotel rooms early. While some have sold out, there are still many hotel options available through our official block.

Now, on to the first half of December’s deadlines.

December 12—Six Deadlines

New Product Guide Advertising Deadline: This is the deadline for anyone wishing to advertise in the printed version of the New Product Guide. With the expansion of the New Product Center at the 2015 SHOT Show, its high show traffic volume and the dedicated post-show usury of the printed New Product Guide by media members and buyers, this is an excellent opportunity for all exhibitors to boost their visibility, whether they have a product in the Center or not. Contact me at djeannnette@nssf.org or Chis Tatulli, NSSF Director, Exhibitions and Sales, at ctatulli@nssf.org.
“No Soliciting” Sign Request Deadline: For exhibitor use, to help control traffic and meeting availability, as well as to help identify potential “suitcasing,” soliciting by vendors who are not SHOT Show exhibitors. Contact Jennifer Carr at jcarr@convexx.com; 702-216-5852
Press Conference Application Deadline: For exhibitors and public relations and marketing firms expecting to host press conferences either on the show floor at exhibitor booth locations or in reserved meeting rooms. Contact Tricia Hanisko at thanisko@convexx.com; 702-216-5865.
Sponsorship Artwork Deadline: For those advertisers and exhibitors sponsoring various aspects of SHOT Show and its publications (SHOT Show University, Law Enforcement Education Program Workshops, digital media, Exhibitor Spotlight, Showcase Theater and others), this is the deadline for which artwork must be received by Freeman. A detailed list of 2015 SHOT Show sponsorship opportunities can be found here. For information on artwork formats and delivery avenues, contact Convexx’s SHOT Show Manager Susan L. Schwartz, CEM, at sschwartz@convexx.com; 702-216-5858.
Visa Letter Request Submission Deadline: This deadline is intended for those international exhibitors and those who will require booth staff arriving from foreign countries. Non U.S.-based exhibitors requesting booth badges for themselves and booth staff have the option to check “yes” on their Exhibitor Dashboard during registration and receive a Letter of Invitation to the 2015 SHOT Show. That letter is then printed out by the exhibitor for presentation at the Visa appointment in their country in application for their tourist or business Visa. As the Visa application can take some time to complete, once again, we urge everyone to register for SHOT Show immediately, especially our international guests. For additional documents that may be needed for Visa application completion, email visa@shot.convexx.com.
Fabric Order Early Bird Discount Deadline: This is the deadline to order booth drapery and other fabric needs from Freeman at the discounted advanced rate. Contact Freeman Exhibitor Services Department, exhibitorhelp@convexx.com; 855-355-7468.

December 15—One Deadline

December 15 marks the halfway point of this month, but it’s an important date for exhibitors shipping materials ahead of time. This is the first date that Freeman will accept exhibitor freight in advance of the show for storage at Freeman’s warehouse until setup in the days before the show (these pre-show freight shipments stored ta Freemans warehouse will be in your booth for your scheduled setup time). For those taking advantage of advanced freight shipping, it will be important to convey this information to your freight carrier and provide them contact points with Freeman so that your shipment does not arrive before this date and incur possible holdover fees. For more information in coordinating freight shipping to Freeman’s warehouse in advance of the 2015 SHOT Show, contact Jennifer Carr at jcarr@convexx.com; 702-216-5852.

I’ll cover a second set of December deadlines in another blog post shortly. For the full list of 2015 SHOT Show deadlines, click here.

Dave Jeannette is Senior Director, Sales for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Follow him on Twitter at @DaveJeannette.

Two Newest Speakers to SHOT Show University to Address Veteran Retailer Needs

Our world is constantly changing, and today’s modern firearms dealer is anything but immune to those changes. Demographics shift, purchasing abilities go up and down and trends come and go—and if you’re not making the necessary adjustments to meet those challenges, your product is going to sit on your shelves and your business is going to suffer.

This is precisely why NSSF has an educational track devoted exclusively to driving sales in its SHOT Show University Lineup. We’ve already told you about expert business professionals Larry Mersereau and Gene Marks, scheduled to speak on topics such as digital marketing and market differentiation and content marketing. Now NSSF has added well-known firearms retailing veterans Doug VanderWoude and Miles Hall to the Drive Your Sales Lineup as the featured speakers for the all-important Power Promotions session.

In this session, VanderWoude and Hall will show retailers how to drive sales and increase margins and turns with a number of unique promotional ideas that the pair have developed over their combined 60-plus years of experience in the firearms industry.

“It’s not often the an FFL dealer gets to engage with successful, veteran retailers like Doug and Miles,” said Randy Clark, NSSF Managing Director, Business Development. “Not only do these have the ‘street cred’ to speak on what works, they have the profitable and long-standing successful businesses to back them up. Having gone through innumerable ups and downs during their tenure in the firearms business and come out ahead, their insight into what works and what doesn’t should prove invaluable to today’s retailers.”

Doug VanderWoude is a 32-year veteran of the retail firearms industry, having spent 29 of those years behind a gun counter. He started a firearms retail store with an indoor shooting range from scratch and was a charter member of the industry’s first performance group. He is a current and active member of the NSSF Range Committee. Today, VanderWoude is a firearms retail and range consultant who has visited more than 190 firearms retail facilities in the past 38 months. He has worked with multiple firearms companies on proven nationwide promotions that drive consumers into ranges, and he spends many of his days helping other firearms retailers improve traffic flow inside their stores and increase profitability.

Miles Hall is Founder and President of H&H Shooting Sports Complex in Oklahoma City. Started in 1981, H&H is a community educational and retail complex with a focus on developing and promoting shooting sports. The current facility houses 61 shooting lanes for Olympic air rifle and pistol, standard pistol, high-power rifle, and archery. H&H has been ranked as a top 10 dealer by the majority of major manufacturers in the shooting sports. Hall is a founding member and serves as past president of the Association of Shooting Ranges, is a founding member of the Association of Firearm Retailers, and a past board member of the National Shooting Sports Foundation. He was named 2004 Retailer of the Year by Shot Business Magazine. H&H was also selected for that magazine’s Range of the Year honor in 2006 and was the first facility to receive NSSF’s prestigious Five Star Range Rating. Inc. Magazine has selected H&H as one of the fastest growing, privately held business in the United States for the last seven years and is the only gun dealer ever on that list for four of those years.

SHOT Show University is the premier event for firearms retailers. Seats are limited and this event will sell out, so retailers are urged to sign up now. Remember, NSSF Premium Retailers are offered a complimentary ticket to SHOT Show University. Additional tickets for both Premium Retailer members and all other NSSF members who wish to attend is $250; non-members may attend for $500. To learn more about SHOT Show University and its many sessions, click here. To upgrade your membership to the Premium Retailer level or to join at NSSF at the level that best serves your business needs, visit www.nssf.org/join or e-mail membership@nssf.org.

Pre-SHOT Show Golf Event to Support Disabled Veterans

NSSF and Honored American Veterans Afield (HAVA) are joining forces to host a charity golf event at the 2015 SHOT Show on Sunday, Jan. 18, at Bear’s Best Las Vegas.

The new HAVA Invitational Golf Classic will be a strong statement of industry support for America’s disabled veteran heroes as we enter the new year. We encourage everyone headed to the SHOT Show to get involved — register a foursome or become a sponsor.

For those not familiar with HAVA, it is an industry-run organization that helps the healing and re-integration of disabled combat veterans back into normal American life through participation in hunting and the shooting sports. The HAVA Board of Directors, which I’m proud to serve on, is comprised of industry executives who look to put the funds raised to work to benefit these returning heroes and their families. All the proceeds from this event will benefit HAVA outreach programs.

If you’re not familiar with Bear’s Best Las Vegas, it’s a pretty phenomenal golf course. It’s a Jack Nicklaus-designed course, where “The Golden Bear” himself hand-selected 18 holes from his more than 200 course designs worldwide, encompassing all of his favorites into one extraordinary round of golf.

Participation in the HAVA Invitational Golf Classic is only $200 per golfer, however companies registering for a foursome receive one free registration (foursomes can be registered for only $600). Each participating golfer receives the following:

One Round of Golf at Bear’s Best Las Vegas
Backpack full of Valuable Welcome Golf and Outdoor Gifts
Golf Cart
Breakfast / Lunch
Roundtrip Ground Transportation from the Sands Expo Center to Bear’s Best
Opportunity to Win Valuable, High End Raffle Items
Chance for Prizes for Winning Teams and Contests

This is a great opportunity for our industry to provide even more support for those who have sacrificed so much for our country.

Learn more about this new event and register yourself or a foursome today.

Are You an NSSF Member? If so, Save Big on SHOT Show Registration Fees

NSSF is urging all members of the firearms industry to complete their registration to attend the 2015 SHOT Show now and to take advantage of the significant savings offered to NSSF members during registration.

Due to multiple trade shows taking place at the same time, hotel rooms across Las Vegas are in exceptional demand during this year’s SHOT Show and we want to make sure everyone who wants to attend can and has a place to stay. It is critical that everyone who plans to attend the show complete the registration process as soon as possible.

As an incentive, remember that this year qualified NSSF buyer members receive a complimentary ticket to attend the show, and we’ve reduced the price of NSSF retailer and range member registration for SHOT Show by 50 percent over the non-member pricing. Join NSSF now as a retailer or range member (some other buyer categories also apply) and the fee to attend SHOT Show is just $35, half that of the $70 non-member fee.

NSSF also discounts the non-buyer member rate. NSSF members who are not buyers can register to attend the show for just $175 versus $350 for non-NSSF members. Media, as always, may attend the show for free, but still must register if they did not receive the emailed invitation to register.

If there’s only one trade show you can attend, this is the one you don’t want to miss. Register now. Join NSSF here.

Diedra Cauley is the Director, Exhibitions and Conferences, for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Follow her on Twitter at @dcauley.

NSSF Statement on Jay Leno Cancellation of SHOT Show Appearance

We are clearly disappointed by Jay Leno’s decision not to perform at the 2015 SHOT Show State of the Industry Dinner. He unilaterally cancelled his promised appearance due to pressure from the anti-gun lobby, which included false statements about our industry and its commitment to genuine firearms safety, which we attempted to personally correct with him, but to no avail.

We are not deterred by their publicity seeking nor are we unfamiliar with the bullying political tactics of the gun control groups that seem to have as little respect for the First Amendment as they continually demonstrate with regard to the Second Amendment.

We are proud of the many programs that we run that meaningfully contribute to public safety including our long standing Project ChildSafe and Don’t Lie for the Other Guy initiatives in addition to our members everyday work in compliance with comprehensive federal and state laws. We will not allow the lawful commerce in firearms nor our industry to be demonized and we will continue to speak out for the Second Amendment rights of the millions of law-abiding citizens who are our customers.

Despite Mr. Leno’s cancellation, we look forward to having our biggest and best State of the Industry Dinner to date with a performer that respects the contributions of our industry and the customers it supports.