Outdoor Channel Marks Five Years of SHOT Show Sponsorship

Corporate sponsorship is an important part of making each SHOT Show more successful than the last. Exhibitor demands, attendee needs, technology, events, seminars and more change and grow each year. Those changes, of course, take funding to be a success.

We have been honored to have tremendous industry support at many levels over the years, but there is one company that stands above the others and has stood the test of time: Outdoor Channel.

The 2015 SHOT Show marked Outdoor Channel’s fifth consecutive year supporting the SHOT Show at a notably high level. Outdoor Channel is, literally, everywhere you turn when it comes to SHOT Show, providing tremendous support through its pre- and post-show publicity and their televised and web broadcasts that bring celebrities, products and show news to those who can’t make the trip to Las Vegas. A laundry list of behind-the-scenes projects also come together thanks to Outdoor Channel’s sponsorship.

Simply put, Outdoor Channel’s commitment to helping NSSF put together a show that has such immense value for every manufacturer, buyer, distributor and media member who takes the time and money to attend the show sets a benchmark for all others. Thank you Outdoor Channel, let others look to them as an example.

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

Generous Industry Sponsor Support Key to Successful 2015 SHOT Show

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The success of the 2015 SHOT Show was due in great part to the many dedicated industry sponsors that contributed generously in support of the firearm industry’s largest trade show. For many of our sponsors, this was not the first time they have stepped up to the plate.

Outdoor Channel made a remarkable fifth consecutive appearance as one of the show’s top sponsors, demonstrating unwavering commitment to the industry, as did Ram Trucks, returning for the third straight year as another top sponsor, its hunt-worthy vehicles on display garnering tremendous attention from the show’s 62,000 attendees.

Daniel Defense came back with strong support for the third year in a row. Not only did everyone staying in the Palazzo and Venetian have a room key sponsored by Daniel Defense, the company was the sole sponsor of the SHOT Show Mobile app and contributed to many other aspects of the show.

GunBroker.com continued to be an extraordinary partner of NSSF and the SHOT Show, again sponsoring the NSSF Member Lounge and Business Center. Nissan also returned, sponsoring the 2015 SHOT Show Press Room for the second year in the row. Both are great examples of companies making the extra effort to help our industry thrive.

Other important sponsors returning to support the 2015 SHOT Show included Brownell’s, Gamo Outdoor USA, the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Mossy Oak, Trijicon, Smith & Wesson and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, among others, and NSSF offers many thanks to each and every one of them. Their support is invaluable to ensuring the continued success of the SHOT Show and NSSF’s mission of promoting, protecting and preserving hunting and the shooting sports.

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

You’ve Got Mail: Keep an Eye on Your Inbox for SHOT Show Surveys

All SHOT Show attendees and exhibitors should keep an eye on their email inboxes. Our post-show surveys have been deployed 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.

2015 SHOT Show University, Retail Seminars Set Record Attendance

SSU1The 2015 SHOT Show University and NSSF’s numerous Retailer Seminars earned compliments across the board from their hundreds of attendees as being the best ever SHOT Show events dedicated to educating retailers in the firearms industry.

Designed to provide the latest information on compliance, marketing, inventory management and dozens of other topics important to firearms retailers, SHOT Show University provided a variety of educational tracks for retailers ranging from those new to the business to those veteran entrepreneurs who have been in business for decades.

It’s an annual must-attend event for hundreds of retailers, such as retailer Matt French, who echoed similar statements from many others in post-University reviews, when he said, “This was simply the best SHOT Show University I’ve attended. The day started out strong with Dr. Linda Talley’s presentation. Everyone loved the breakout sessions, and the Afterburner keynote address was one of the best I’ve ever seen.”

Retailers Robert Kenger and Susan Galloway were also impressed by the breadth of information at SHOT Show University. “I have been to all the SHOT Show Universities NSSF has held since their beginning in 2002, and this was the best ever,” said Kenger, while Galloway commented, “This was awesome and I was very impressed. I learned so much about maturing and growing my business.”

The dozens of Retailer Seminars were also a noted success. Not only did the 13 sessions have record overall attendance of more than 2,600 retailers, several sessions such as the discussion in NFA (National Firearms Act) sales and legalities and the seminar on how retailers can profit through improved used firearms marketing, were at standing room-only capacity.

“We’re extremely pleased that so many attending this year’s SHOT Show University got so much out of the event,” said Patrick Shay, NSSF Director, Retail Development. “To receive the tremendous amount of positive feedback we did from both University attendees and those sitting in on the many Retailer Seminars we offered throughout the week of the 2015 SHOT Show tells us we’re providing the right information at the right time to the key people who introduce our industry’s goods to the consumers. Combined with the huge industry support we received for this year’s SHOT Show University event from sponsors Smith & Wesson, Celerant Technology Corp., Howard Leight by Honeywell, iTech Digital, Camillus, Joseph Chiarello & Co. Inc. and the National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers, the favorable response from our retailers tells us that NSSF’s work to improve how our industry works together from manufacturer to retailer is succeeding. That certainly gives us the motivation to make next year’s event even better.”

 

SHOT Show New Product Center: Top 5 Most Popular

Often the first stop for Buyers and Media, the SHOT Show New Product Center hosts many of the industry’s latest innovations. Here are 5 of the most popular products in the 2015 SHOT Show New Product Center. Product popularity is based off of the number of times product bar-codes were scanned during the SHOT Show.

2015 SHOT Show Posts Second Highest Attendance Total Ever

The Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT Show) rang up its second highest attendance ever at the Sands Expo Center Jan. 20-23, giving the industry a very good indicator that a strong sales year lies ahead.

Long a bellwether for the industry’s prospects, the SHOT Show brings together buyers and sellers from the United States and more than 100 countries. Total attendance for the 2015 SHOT Show was nearly 64,000, second only to last year’s record-setting event, where nearly 67,000 came through the turnstiles. Lower attendance reflected strengthened pre-screening of attendees to enhance the overall experience of both exhibitors and buyers.

“We know from long experience that attendance at the SHOT Show is a reflection of the state of our industry,” said Chris Dolnack, NSSF Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. “This second highest attendance is in keeping with what we saw in the past year — that our industry is in good health and that manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers have a positive outlook for this year.”

NSSF®, the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry, owns and sponsors the SHOT Show.

From the opening bell, the show floor hummed with traffic. Cindy Daniel, Executive Vice President of Daniel Defense, a major sponsor of the SHOT Show, said, “It’s been a very busy show. We’re optimistic that with the good vibe we’re seeing on the floor sales will pick up again and we’ll have a solid year.”

Said Kort Nielson with Silencer Co., “We’ve been pretty busy, and there hasn’t been much down time. Increasing our booth size and design and its new position in this hall has been good for traffic, but we’re also focusing on education.” Silencer Co. put on two seminars this week for retailers on how to educate customers about suppressors, a fast growing sales area.

The $8 billion industry has seen rapid growth in the last several years, powered by newcomers to the shooting sports. More than 20 percent of firearms owners are in this category, in that they have purchased their first firearm within the last five years.

Women continue to be an undeniable market force. During the show at a packed press conference, NSSF released a new report on “Women Gun Owners: Purchasing, Perceptions and Participation.” Women, whose participation in target shooting and hunting as well as interest in owning a firearm for personal and home protection continues to grow rapidly, now purchase about 25 percent of industry products. “This report will help NSSF members better understand the products and features women want and to continue to serve women of all skill levels,” said Jim Curcuruto, NSSF Director of Industry Research and Analysis.

More than 1,600 exhibiting companies filled the convention center and rooms in the adjoining Venetian Hotel. Total show exhibition space was more than 640,000 net square feet, or 13 acres of product display, with more than 150 new companies exhibiting.

Manufacturers of firearms, ammunition, optics, cutlery, apparel, accessories and law enforcement equipment introduced new products and services that retailers will offer consumers during the course of the year.

On the first evening of the show, more than 2,400 people attended NSSF’s State of the Industry Dinner, where Steve Sanetti, NSSF President and CEO, delivered a well-received speech on the industry’s determination to counter its detractors with facts on firearm safety and deter efforts to burden law-abiding gun owners with unnecessary legislation. “Much of the public and the media are woefully misinformed about who we are and all that we do about genuine gun safety,” said Sanetti, who pointed out to such notable NSSF programs as Project ChildSafe, Fix NICS and Don’t Like for the Other Guy programs.

“Some pundits state that the shooting sports are ‘in retreat,’” said Sanetti. “Well, look at the facts. Last year’s SHOT Show, one of the fastest growing trade shows in the nation, had its highest attendance and satisfaction levels ever; the number of federally licensed firearms dealers is growing; firearm sales experienced the second highest year ever and ammunition sales continue at near record levels; firearms permit and safety classes report long waiting lists; and the number of apprentice hunting licenses increased to well over 1 million. If this is a ‘retreat,’ as those who see no appeal in what we do have alleged, I truly wonder what an advance would look like.”

At the dinner, Richard Lipsey, owner of Lipsey’s, one of the nation’s largest sporting goods distributors, received the prestigious NSSF Ken Sedlecky Award for longterm commitment to the success of the industry and supporting NSSF’s mission to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Mark Keefe, editor-in-chief of American Rifleman magazine, was awarded the POMA-NSSF Grits Gresham Shooting Sports Communicator Award.

Media was out in force again at the show, totaling 2,500, including international press. Some of the country’s most well-known radio personalities, including Mike Gallagher, Lars Larson and Dana Loesch, broadcasted live from the show’s popular “Radio Row.”

Prior to the show, NSSF hosted a fundraising golf tournament to benefit Honored American Veterans Afield (HAVA), an industry developed and supported effort to help the healing and reintegration of disabled combat veterans back into normal American life though participation in outdoor events.

The SHOT Show is not just about selling and buying products. The show provides educational opportunities for firearms retailers at SHOT Show University, which was sold out, and at other seminars, and for law enforcement professionals at the Law Enforcement Education Program.

The SHOT Show is managed by Las Vegas-based ConvExx. Major sponsors of the 2015 SHOT Show in addition to Daniel Defense were Outdoor Channel, GunBroker.com, Brownell’s, Gamo Outdoor USA, Georgia Department of Economic Development, Mossy Oak, Trijicon, Smith & Wesson and Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, among others. Ram Truck Brand was the official truck of the SHOT Show. Nissan was sponsor of the show’s press room.

The SHOT Show, the fifth largest trade show in Las Vegas, pumps nearly $90 million in non-gaming revenue into the Las Vegas economy. Next year’s SHOT Show is scheduled for Jan. 19-22 at the Sands Expo.