The 2015 SHOT Show, held this past January at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, has proven itself to be one of the best across the collective spectrum of exhibitors, buyers, law enforcement personnel and media members of the show, according to a recent survey conducted by NSSF.
While attendance was down slightly from the record-setting number of 2014 that reduction was due to a concerted effort by NSSF to purge the attendance roster of 2,200 non-qualified buyers, an effort those admitted greatly appreciated. Many comments we received indicated both exhibitors and attendees noticed that the crowd quality was higher, leading directly to a more productive show for everyone.
“The show was beyond expectations,” Arthur Grant of Packin’ Fur Defense told us. “We found several suppliers willing to work with us despite our being a small start-up in the restricted Southern California concealed carry market space. We were able to find a distributor to work with, as well as a half-dozen vendors who are new themselves to distributing to retailers.”
It wasn’t just the show floor that got rave reviews. Every one of NSSF’s dozen Retailer Seminars was sold out to capacity, as was SHOT Show University, while many press conferences were filled to standing room only. NSSF’s press conference announcing our research department’s newest report, “Women Gun Owners: Purchasing, Perceptions and Participation,” was still turning people away at the door 20 minutes into the presentation.
Several other areas of the show displayed remarkable growth. The New Product Center had more than 600 products on exhibit, double that from 2014, but the real boost there came in the product scans: 28,000 versus 8,500 from last year. Our International Buyer’s Program was also another event that doubled its participation. Overall, the 2015 SHOT Show was a tremendous success, as you can see below, and that’s something that prompts us to make next year’s show even better.
I’d love to hear your SHOT Show success story. Email me at cdolnack@nssf.org. Contributors will be randomly selected to receive SHOT Show swag.
Chris Dolnack is Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Follow him on Twitter at @ChrisDolnack.
Not only is SHOT Show the place for law enforcement personnel to get a look at today’s innovative firearms, ammunition and gear, it’s also a center for educational exchange. Completely free to attend to members of law enforcement, the Law Enforcement Educational Program—LEEP—is the result of a partnership between Law Officer Magazine and NSSF. LEEP is a series of topical sessions taking place at SHOT Show from Tuesday to Thursday, these sessions covering a wide range of subject matter germane to law enforcement and private security job performance. In addition to these special seminars, law enforcement also have two networking opportunities available to them. The first is a meet-and-greet with armed forces members, while the second is a networking luncheon designed for interaction between various law enforcement agencies, LE personnel and the editors of Law Officer Magazine.
“The law enforcement area of the show has been growing incredibly, attracting more law enforcement exhibitors. In order to attract more LE personnel to the show, we added classes so there would be a great educational component for them,” said Debbie Murray, conference director at Law Officer. “It’s also justification for their agencies to send them to the event, because the program provides very practical training for them that they may not be able to get – for free – in their local area.”
Building on the success of 2010, Law Officer Magazine has again partnered with the National Shooting Sports Foundation to present a unique education program for law enforcement professionals at the 2011 SHOT Show.
A new SHOT Show feature this year will benefit law enforcement professionals and, at the same time, generate more attendance and traffic in the law enforcement section of the show.