national shooting sports foundation – Page 2

Retailers: Getting the Most Out of SHOT Show

One of main focuses of National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) at the upcoming 2014 SHOT Show in Las Vegas is to provide educational tools for independent retailers. Thus, NSSF, owner and sponsor of the SHOT Show, is offering a schedule of information-packed classes from ATF compliance to range operations to maximizing your sales per square foot. These classes were designed to meet the needs of the new retailer while providing information and an opportunity to network for the veteran firearms merchant. Here are some highlights.

MONDAY, JAN. 13
SHOT SHOW UNIVERSITY

On the day before the exhibit floor opens, NSSF hosts the premier education seminar for the firearms retailer. This day-long event starts with a keynote delivered by Dan Mann, founder of the Mann Group. He’ll address “Strategies that Grow Revenue (and Profit) Even During Lean Times,” which will identify proven sales processes that maximize both revenue and the potential of each customer once he or she is in the store. Ann Baldwin will deliver a presentation on “Media and Crisis Training,” preparing retailers and range owners for any emergency that might arise that would cause the media to come calling. Then we will be offering four different educational tracks: ATF Compliance; Retail Operations; Marketing; and Range Operations. Each track will offer five courses that cover various aspects of the main topic. The seminar will close with an address by Dr. Chip Bell entitled “Strategies for Creating Growth and Bottom Line Impact,” which will draw upon Dr. Bell’s decades of work helping leading brands stay ahead of the competition by maintaining world-class customer-experience strategies.

The learning doesn’t stop with the start of the SHOT Show; NSSF has classes planned throughout the show.

TUESDAY, JAN. 14
RETAILER SEMINARS, ATF COMPLIANCE SESSIONS

The following day, NSSF will be hosting classes on “Grass Roots Political Organizing” so our retailers can learn how to protect their rights and their industry by organizing at the state and local level. The next session will cover “Building a Gunsmith,” presented by instructors from Montgomery Community College. They will discuss the training that they provide the modern gun-smith, and how, as a retailer, you can take advantage of their skill set to build your business. The next class is “New Customers: How to Attract, Engage, and Retain Them,” which covers the techniques that two of the top independent retailers have used to meet the needs of the younger and more diverse customer base with which firearms retailers are dealing today. Two ATF compliance courses round out the day. “NFA Compliance” will review how to legally sell one of the hottest commodities in the firearms industry, and we will close the day with our NSSF FFL Compliance Consultant panel, hosted by two former ATF executives. They will conduct an open discussion on any ATF-related compliance questions.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 15
INCREASING SALES, AND MARKETING TO WOMEN

The SHOT Show continues its formal educational program with a presentation on “Increasing Your Sales per Square Foot and Inventory Turns.” This program will be presented by two of the nation’s top independent retailers and will cover their strategies to maximize store space and inventory while meeting their customers’ needs. The next session is a panel discussion with seven of the top women in the firearms industry covering the do’s and don’ts of marketing to women.

THURSDAY, JAN. 16
FOUR DIVERSE, VALUABLE CLASSES

The formal educational programs at SHOT Show will wrap up with an exciting and diverse lineup of sessions, beginning with “What Business Structure Is Right for My Business?” presented by two partners from the Renzulli Law Firm. “Loss-Prevention Strategies” are covered in the next session to help ensure the longevity of your business. The next seminar, “Store Layout,” will cover techniques used by two world-class retailers that can help you provide the best customer experience while maximizing your return on investment. The day will wrap up with “Hiring and Retaining Employees,” which will cover best practices to retain your most valuable asset— your personnel.

A goal for NSSF at the SHOT Show is to provide a world-class educational experience so retailers can maximize profits while meeting the needs of their customers. For more information about these programs, please visit shotshow .org/education.

SHOT Show Law Enforcement Education Seminars

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has partnered with Law Officer magazine to present a quality education program for law enforcement professionals at the 2014 SHOT Show®.

The SHOT Show will take place Jan. 14-17 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev. The largest trade show of its kind in the world, the SHOT Show is owned and sponsored by NSSF, the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry, and is produced and managed by ConvExx.

“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.”

The Law Enforcement Education Program (LEEP) will offer seminars by experts in the field during the first three days of the SHOT Show. Seminar topics include:

The Tactical Patrol Officer
Low Light Training: The advantage of using weapon lights, lasers and handheld lights with handguns and long guns
Tactical Deployment with High Output Illumination Tools
Law Enforcement State of the Art Aiming Systems
Response Planning for Critical Incidents
Recruiting and Retaining Today’s Tactical Officer
Enhanced Carbine of the Future
Lessons Learned on Building and Operating a Gun Range

Sessions are free to law enforcement professionals with their SHOT Show registration. Attendees will also receive a certificate of attendance.

“We tend to max out the classes every year. Popular classes include low-light training, decreasing line-of-duty deaths, and anything tactical. At the end of the classes, people keep coming up to you to thank you for the educational content,” Murray said. “They say, ‘We really need this, our budgets are so tight,’ so having it free and having it at the show just works really well for them.”

In addition to NSSF and Law Officer magazine, LEEP sponsors are National Tactical Officers Association, Streamlight, Combined Tactical Systems, Meggitt Training Systems, Trijicon, Below 100, CTS, SIGSauer, US Night Vision, XS Sight Systems, Heckler & Koch, and SureFire. For more information about LEEP and a full description of the seminars, visit shotshow.org/education.

Diedra Cauley is the senior director of exhibitions and conferences for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Follow her on Twitter at @dcauley.

ArmaLite Is Title Sponsor of SHOT Mobile App

ArmaLite Inc., the internationally known manufacturer of AR-10, M-15, AR-30 and AR-50 rifles, has returned as the title sponsor of SHOT Mobile for the 2014 SHOT Show®.

The SHOT Mobile app allows show attendees to search for exhibitors, navigate the show floor by using interactive maps, find new products, learn about show specials, view the show’s education schedule such as for SHOT Show University, set up appointments with exhibitors, request callbacks and find show services.

The app will be made available just prior to the 2014 SHOT Show.

With its renewed sponsorship, ArmaLite joins Outdoor Channel and GunBroker.com as major industry supporters of the SHOT Show.

“We are extremely pleased that ArmaLite will be the title sponsor of SHOT Mobile,” said Chris Dolnack, NSSF Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. “This show-navigation technology enriches the SHOT Show experience for buyers and attendees. We greatly appreciate ArmaLite’s support in this effort.”

“ArmaLite used the 2013 SHOT Mobile app’s messaging system on Days 1 and 2 of the show to invite attendees to our booth for free tickets to the Day 3 raffle of our new AR-30A1 rifle,” said ArmaLite Communications Director Arthur Steadman. “Thousands of enthusiastic people crammed our booth — and much of the surrounding show floor — for the Thursday raffle. This year, we’re bringing a bullhorn for the raffle!”

In recognition of ArmaLite’s continued support, the company’s logo will be featured on the splash screen of the SHOT Mobile app, on the SHOT Mobile webpage at www.shotshow.org and in the app download section of iTunes, in addition to the company receiving other sponsorship and text-messaging advantages.

The SHOT Show is owned and sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry, and is produced and managed by ConvExx. The show is the largest of its kind in the world, attracting more than 60,000 attendees and 1,600 companies exhibiting firearms, ammunition, outdoor apparel, law enforcement, optics, cutlery and related products and services.

ArmaLite has one of the broadest product lines in the firearms industry. ArmaLite manufactures and sells semiautomatic rifles in a variety of calibers including 5.56mm and 7.62mm, long range super-accurate bolt action rifles in calibers including .308 Winchester, .300 Winchester Magnum, .338 Lapua, and 50 BMG, and classic 9mm pistols.

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

GunBroker.com Returns as Exclusive Sponsor of NSSF Member Lounge and Business Center at SHOT Show

GunBroker.com, the world’s largest online auction site for firearms and related accessories, will return as exclusive sponsor of the NSSF® Member Lounge and Business Center for the 2014 SHOT Show^®.

“GunBroker.com continues to be an extraordinary partner of NSSF and the SHOT Show,” commented Chris Dolnack, senior vice president and chief marketing officer. “GunBroker.com is a great example of an NSSF member that makes the extra effort to help grow hunting and the shooting sports, from supporting the SHOT Show and the Shooting Sports Summit to distributing NSSF’s “Pull the Trigger” newsletter to its list of nearly one million opt-in email subscribers. GunBroker.com’s SHOT Show sponsorship demonstrates the company’s commitment to all that the industry’s premier trade show stands for.”

NSSF members will find free wireless service among many other amenities in the NSSF Member Lounge and Business Center, which serves as a central point for NSSF members to take a break from the show floor or to network and conduct business.

“Throughout our history, GunBroker.com has strived to be an effective partner of those organizations that are working in support of our hunting and shooting sports industry,” commented Steve Urvan, GunBroker.com founder and CEO. “Clearly, the National Shooting Sports Foundation is a leader in those efforts and we are proud to return as the exclusive sponsor of the NSSF Member’s Lounge and Business Center and to seeing our fellow NSSF members at the show. Indeed, I would like to take this opportunity to urge any SHOT Show exhibitor that is not a member of NSSF to make a point of coming on board before the 2014 SHOT Show,” Urvan said.

The SHOT Show is owned by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry, and is produced and managed by ConvExx. The show is the largest of its kind in the world, attracting nearly 60,000 attendees and more than 1,600 companies exhibiting firearms, ammunition, outdoor apparel, law enforcement, optics, cutlery and related products and services.

GunBroker.com provides marketers of hunting and shooting sports equipment with extraordinary exposure to an active audience averaging 3 million unique visitors each month. GunBroker.com is a member and active supporter of NSSF and is the official host site for each year’s SHOT Show Auction.

The NSSF Member Lounge and Business Center sponsored by GunBroker.com will be located in the Venetian Hotel, Level 3, Lido Ballroom. The Venetian Hotel adjoins the Sands Expo Convention Center.

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

SHOT Show University Line-up Announced

Sign up now for the 2014 edition of SHOT Show University, held the day before the SHOT Show exhibit hall opens. This year’s theme is “Aiming for Excellence” and includes a keynote speaker, interactive sessions and a lineup of classes offer unparalleled training and education to operate businesses more effectively. Specialty tracks allow attendees to quickly identify sessions they want to attend: ATF Compliance, Marketing, Retail Operations and Range Operations.

On Monday, Jan. 13, the National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF) hosts THE premier educational series of seminars for firearms retailers and range operators. This daylong event features an incredible lineup of notable experts delivering information to take back to your operation and glean money-saving, business-building tips.

Retailers slow on the trigger have missed out before when trying to register for this perennial sell-out. Don’t wait. View the schedule of speakers and topics, then register and claim one of the still-available seats.

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

SHOT Show Update – Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed

Since we last gathered at the Sands Expo in January, it’s been an exciting and challenging year for the industry as a whole, and in particular for your industry’s trade association and its signature event—the SHOT Show. Throughout the process, our focus has been to maintain continuity for our exhibitors and attendees while delivering a continuously improving SHOT Show experience.

In May, NSSF ended its 30-plus-year association with Reed Exhibitions. After a thorough national search involving the trade show industry’s top management companies, we named Las Vegas–based ConvExx as our new show management partner for the next three years. ConvExx is privately held and has produced more than 200 shows and events, including the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show. Trade Show Executive magazine ranks the SEMA Show as the fourth-largest trade show in North America (SHOT Show is ranked 16th), with 2,250 exhibitors, 135,000 attendees, and more than 1 million net square feet of exhibit space.

ConvExx offers a unique combination of extensive large-show and Las Vegas experience, which will serve our exhibitors and attendees well. Rest assured that ConvExx is a pro–Second Amendment organization. We wouldn’t have selected them otherwise.

We have also struck a new five-year agreement with our long-time partners at Freeman as the official exposition services contractor for the SHOT Show. This new agreement with Freeman provides our exhibitors with the best-in-class services and cost certainty.

Freeman is the leading global partner for integrated marketing solutions for live engagements. It produces more than 4,300 expositions annually, including 135 of the 250 largest U.S. trade shows, and 11,000 other events worldwide. What’s more, the Freeman family is made up of avid hunters and shooters.

Also in May, NSSF selected CSG Creative as its agency of record for marketing the 2014 SHOT Show. CSG was selected at the conclusion of a national account review that included a number of well-known trade-show marketing agencies. Their experience in the trade-show and face-toface event business is unparalleled, and we have enjoyed working with them to make the 2014 SHOT Show the best event yet.

Based in Alexandria, Virginia, CSG Creative is a strategic marketing and creative agency with unparalleled insight into event promotion, branding, and strategy development. Its award-winning creative staff, stellar service, and innovative approaches have made CSG one of the premier agencies in trade-show, conference, and event promotion. We’re confident that our new SHOT Show website and new attendee promotion campaign, combined with our participation in the U.S. Department of Commerce International Buyer Program, will deliver new qualified buyers for our exhibitors.

We’ve also reached new agreements with our official housing partner onPeak, our registration services provider CompuSystems, and our mobile app developer Sherpa. All have done a great job for us, and we look forward to working with them to make the SHOT Show the industry’s “must-attend” event.

Here’s what’s in store for you. You’ll receive the same outstanding customer service you’ve come to expect from NSSF and the SHOT Show, and enjoy the comfortable familiarity of our registration and housing systems. There will be additional newly designed, high-impact signage to help you find your way around, including arrows pointing to the main hall exits on Level 1 and Level 2.

Retailers will have more opportunities to learn new skills and take innovative ideas back to their stores from SHOT Show University and our expanded retailer education seminars. In addition, select retail buyers will be invited to participate in a hands-on shooting range experience on opening morning.

The Law Enforcement Education Program will begin the day before the show opening, providing LE professionals with the opportunity to earn continuing education unit credits while learning from nationally recognized experts.

Outdoor Channel has returned as the Pinnacle Sponsor of the 2014 SHOT Show and will be providing attendees with amenities such as mobile-device-charging stations and Internet hotspots. State of the Industry Dinner attendees will be treated to a performance by renowned illusionists and Second Amendment supporters Penn and Teller, courtesy of Outdoor Channel.

The 2014 SHOT Show is just too good to miss. I hope to see you in Las Vegas.

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

CSG Creative Named Marketing Agency of Record for SHOT Show

NSSF has selected CSG Creative as its agency of record for marketing the 2014 SHOT Show®. CSG was selected at the conclusion of a national account review that included a number of well-known trade show marketing agencies.

We’re pleased to partner with CSG. Their experience in the trade show and face-to-face event business is unparalleled, and we look forward to working with them to make the 2014 SHOT Show the best event yet.

Based in Alexandria, Va., CSG Creative is a strategic marketing and creative agency with unparalleled insight into event promotion, branding and strategy development. Its award-winning creative, stellar service and innovative approaches have made CSG one of the premier agencies in trade show, conference and event promotion.

“CSG Creative is pleased to be selected as the strategic marketing agency for the SHOT Show,” said Paige Cardwell, CSG president. “The trade show industry holds the show in high regard for delivering a must-attend event experience that truly supports all aspects of the shooting sports industry. We are looking forward to working with the SHOT Show team to enhance their marketing initiatives in target and emerging markets.”

The 2014 SHOT Show will be held Jan. 14-17 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas.

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

Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show Sets Attendance Records

The Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT Show^®) concluded four successful days at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, setting new attendance records and marking the 35^th anniversary of the event.

The largest trade show of its kind in the world and the fifth largest trade show in Las Vegas, the SHOT Show attracted a record overall attendance of 62,371, including a new high for buyers and more than 2,000 media representatives. More than 1,600 exhibitors filled booth space covering 630,000 net square feet. The show, which is a trade-only event, attracted industry professionals from all 50 states and 100 countries.

Exhibitors and attendees alike said the SHOT Show is critical to the success of their businesses.

“The SHOT Show is the springboard for every new product that we introduce each year,” said Frank Devlin of Otis Technology. “It gives industry the opportunity to see our new products and allows us to get feedback from them to know that we are heading in the right direction.”

John Anthon, president of GATCO Sharpeners/Timberline Knives, said, “For the 24 years we’ve been going, the SHOT Show is the most important show we do each year. It is the largest venue globally and the most important. Every important customer comes to the show for that reason.”

Industry veteran Ron Coburn of Savage Arms said, “It’s the industry’s trade show. Everybody who’s in the trade needs to be here to see what’s going on. It’s the place to see friends and showcase our own products.”

Dwight Van Brunt of Kimber said, “It’s a powerhouse show—the place where you can talk to writers, dealers and industry VIPs.”

“We get to talk to our biggest customers and show them what we have,” said Ernie Callandrelli of Quaker Boy Inc. “We’ve been here all 35 years of the show, so two important benefits are seeing old friends and building key relationships.”

The SHOT Show is owned and sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms and ammunition industry. Revenues from the show support NSSF’s many programs that carry out its mission of promoting, protecting and preserving hunting and the shooting sports, along with promoting responsible firearms ownership and safe storage practices.

Showgoers recognize that the SHOT Show’s importance to industry extends beyond selling and buying on the show floor. “What this show generates for our cause is absolutely critical,” said Tom Taylor of Mossberg. Added Steve Lamboy of Micheli-Lamboy Marketing, “We need to communicate more to our members that the funds from this show are going to build the entire future of our industry.”

The $4.1 billion firearms and ammunition industry supports many small businesses and helps preserve the more than 200,000 jobs associated with the shooting sports.

NSSF added significantly to its membership ranks at the show, pushing its overall total of supporters to more than 8,300.

With the show taking place amid heightened national attention about firearms ownership and potential legislation, NSSF President and CEO Steve Sanetti addressed more than 1,800 industry leaders at the State of the Industry Dinner. “I don’t think many of those who disagree with what we do appreciate the many things we’ve done to advocate personal responsibility with firearms,” Sanetti said.

“Ours is a responsible industry,” said Sanetti, “that makes and sells lawful products to law-abiding citizens. They in turn exercise their constitutional right to own, use and enjoy firearms safely and responsibly for all lawful purposes.”

NSSF supporters filled the sold-out hall for the State of the Industry event, which was sponsored by Outdoor Channel and included a review of NSSF’s accomplishment from the past year and entertainment from popular ventriloquist and impersonator Terry Fator.

Many awards are presented at the show. NSSF presented FMG Publications with its Ken Sedlecky Achievement Award for its longstanding support of NSSF’s First Shots program through funds raised at its Shooting Industry Master events.

Retired NSSF President Doug Painter was honored with the Professional Outdoor Media Association-NSSF Grits Gresham Shooting Sports Communicator Award for extraordinary achievements in communications in support of hunting’s heritage and firearms freedoms.

Approximately half of the media on hand to cover the show attended SHOT Show Media Day at the Range, where they had the opportunity to review and test products offered by 100 exhibitors.

In conjunction with the SHOT Show, NSSF sponsored the PGA Charities’ Birdies for the Brave golf tournament that raised $100,000 for groups that provide support for injured armed service veterans.

The SHOT Show will return to the Sands Expo & Convention Center January 14-17, 2014.

“Hats off and thank you to the NSSF for putting on a great SHOT Show,” summed up Dave Baron of Baron Technologies.

SHOT Show: The Event That Keeps on Giving

The show is a few days long; its impact is year-round

When more than 60,000 industry members converge on Las Vegas and, more specifically, the Sands Expo and Convention Center, in January for the SHOT Show, they will gain the immediate benefits of the grandest show for the shooting, hunting, and outdoor trade.

Many other benefits, however, result from SHOT Show revenue. Much of the funding that propels the National Shooting Sports Foundation, owner and sponsor of SHOT, to fulfill its mission comes from the SHOT Show. “Promote, protect, and preserve hunting and the shooting sports” is the mission of the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting, and shooting sports industry, and NSSF invests in hunting and the shooting sports to do just that.

Participation in the SHOT Show generates as much as 80 percent of the funding for NSSF programs. One such effort is a proactive government relations program to guard your rights and business interests. Today, for example, NSSF continues its multifaceted campaigns against legislation that would enact microstamping, ballistics imaging, and limitations and outright bans on traditional ammunition. One visible result of its efforts this year was New York’s deactivation of its costly ballistics imaging program, which never contributed to the solving of even one crime.

In addition, NSSF invests SHOT Show revenue in customer-recruitment campaigns, such as Families Afield and First Shots. The former has actively remedied legislative barriers preventing family hunting participation, and the latter has offered newcomers the opportunity to learn firearms and firearms ownership fundamentals at member ranges, while actually experiencing the fun of shooting under the careful supervision of qualified instructors.

Other NSSF investments of SHOT Show revenue in hunting and the shooting sports’ future come in the form of the Hunting Heritage Partnership (HHP) Grant program, the Range Partnership Grant program, the Collegiate Shooting Sports Initiative (CSSI), and the Boy Scouts of America Challenge Grant program. HHP awards grants to state and regional wildlife management agencies to create hunter access and opportunity. The Range Partnership Grant program funds new marketing approaches to put more shooters on the firing line at shooting facilities. CSSI helps strengthen existing collegiate varsity and club shooting programs, and it aids in the founding of new ones. The Boy Scouts of America Challenge Grant program funds and equips BSA Councils with shooting equipment while directing their spending to NSSF member retailers.

In the long run, the entire hunting and sport shooting industry benefits from the revenue produced at the SHOT Show, and the greatest beneficiaries are the members of NSSF.

NSSF’s government relations actions led to the passage of legislation that preempted the frivolous lawsuits that nearly crippled the industry. The law allows the manufacturing industry to concentrate its resources on constructive research and development, rather than on unwarranted legal defense. NSSF’s successful efforts on behalf of firearms and ammunition manufacturers to gain uniformity with other industries in the schedule of Pittman- Robertson excise payments alleviated much paperwork and debt, freeing manpower and money for further R&D.

First Shots has demonstrated that participants come back to the introductory range to shoot and to make purchases. The Boy Scouts grants can be used only at NSSF member retailers’ businesses.

NSSF research gathers information, including customized market surveys, that help businesses better understand industrywide trends as well as local demographics. At SHOT Show, formal educational opportunities present themselves through SHOT Show University and Retailer Seminars. Throughout the year, in different parts of the country, Retailer Education Seminars give FFLs a better understanding of ATF compliance requirements. Planned meetings, like the Indoor Range and Retail Development Workshop held in St. Louis this past year, give start-up businesses a practical education.

These many activities of NSSF are only a sampling of the programs that are funded, in great part, by the revenue generated at the SHOT Show, a four-day event in January that’s success is felt throughout the year.

Retailers have questions. SHOT Show University has answers.

Offered each year on the day before the SHOT Show opens, SHOT Show University is a day of seminars specifically tailored to the needs of those in the firearm retail business. This year’s lineup of classes will bring a new level to attendees for education and interaction. Keynote addresses coupled with strategic sessions will leave each firearms store owner/manager with unparalleled training and education to operate their businesses more effectively.

The 2013 SHOT Show University, with a theme of “The Retailer’s Playbook,” is set for Monday, Jan. 14. If you haven’t already done so, get registered today.

Here is one retailer’s take on the value of SHOT Show University and NSSF membership, as published in SHOT Business magazine:

*****

By Joe Keffer, owner, The Sportsman’s Shop, New Holland, Pa.

SHOT Show U. Is a Must

A gold mine of guidance is delivered in one day

Today’s retailer faces a multitude of factors that constantly affect his or her business. Retail has always been a fast-paced, everchanging endeavor — the retail environment can turn on a dime and leave nine cents change. Stores that are on the cutting edge are the survivors; stores that don’t keep up with the rapid pace of change are soon left behind and forgotten.

Firearms retailers are not immune to these challenges. Granted, the industry has enjoyed tremendous growth over the past few years, but the landscape for the firearms retailer continues to evolve at a blinding speed. Customers are more educated than ever before about their purchasing decisions. Thanks to the Internet, the information that’s available to consumers has reached unheard-of levels. Retailers are constantly trying to stay in the lead on this information highway. And the availability of this information has changed the shopping habits of consumers, as well.

Customers obviously drive sales, and are the top priority in any retail business, but other complexities face firearms dealers. Competition is fierce from many different sources. Other firearms retailers, be they small independent stores, gigantic mega-stores, or even online sellers operating without a physical storefront, all are trying to get a larger piece of the pie.

Retail businesses constantly face new challenges in day-to-day operations. Obviously, financial performance is critical to the health of a business. Being able to control and understand the complex issues of profit-and-loss statements, cash flow statements, and the like is crucial to a firearms store owner’s continued success. To remain competitive and on the customers’ radar, a retailer’s understanding of how to market his or her business is a top priority. Meanwhile, other areas of operations can never be neglected. Compliance with the requirements of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the resulting paperwork, for example, must be adhered to and strictly monitored and controlled.

Firearms retailers often ask themselves, “How can we learn to stay on top of the changes and challenges that we face today? Where can we get the education to meet our specific needs?”

The answer is SHOT Show University.

SHOT Show University is a daylong event held the day before the SHOT Show officially opens; for 2013, it takes place on Monday, January 14. I’ve attended SHOT Show University for the past several years, and it has been extremely rewarding, helping me run my business more efficiently and effectively. The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) works very hard to bring such a quality experience to firearms retailers, and I know that for past several years, SHOT Show University has been sold out.

SHOT Show University hosts 300 retailers from all walks of life for this event. NSSF brings in presenters at the top of their fields, covering a variety of subjects, including marketing, advertising, financials, media training, merchandising, compliance training, and social media, to name a few. (The list often reflects what retailers requested via the surveys administered at the previous SHOT Show U.) The subjects are always timely, well thought out, and presented in layman’s terms so retailers can grasp the concepts and immediately implement the ideas and techniques in their stores.

To further complete this experience, NSSF provides a lunch and a reception for all attendees. The lunch break and the reception provide opportunities to network with other retailers. In addition, all of the presenters are available to have one-on-one time with anyone who may have further questions.

I’ve always come away from SHOT Show University energized and ready to implement new ideas and changes to my business. I can’t wait for SHOT 2013 to see what new, valuable information NSSF and the Shot Show University presenters will deliver. You can register for SHOT Show University when you register for the SHOT Show, at shotshow.org.