Tag: ranges

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 Diversity Panel Helps Retailers Reach New Customers

Retailers seeking to grow their businesses should constantly be seeking for ways to reach new customers and engage them in a way that they become loyal customers. There are many ways to do this, but one often missed is community outreach.

“As humans, we’re prone to getting stuck in a rut,” explained Patrick Shay, NSSF Director, Retail Development. “That holds true as much for firearms retailers as it does for anyone else. We get comfortable with our current client base, comfortable knowing what they like and want, because they’re the same customers in front of the counter or lining up to use the range every day, every week, every month. It’s easy to sell to what and who you know.”

“Having a solid and reliable customer base is good for business, no question about it, but it’s not a recipe for growth,” Shay continued. “Growth requires connecting with new customers and turning them into what should be an ever-expanding client base. To do that, retailers have to think beyond the faces they’re used to seeing in their stores and realize there are many more people out there who shoot. To help our retailers and range owners embrace that idea, as well as help them understand the barriers those potential new customers may be experiencing when it comes to finding firearms stores and shooting ranges that meet their needs, the NSSF developed its first Diversity Panel for the 2015 SHOT Show.”

Featured speakers will bring their “outside” intelligence to today’s firearms dealer:

  • DonnyDonny Adair is president of the African American Hunting Association. Since 2008, he has been working to prompt African Americans, other people of color and urban residents to get involved in hunting, shooting, fishing and other outdoor recreation and sports. His efforts, including his website, aaha.com, and television program, The AAHA Outdoor Show, have resulted in a resurgence of interest nationwide among these non-traditional audiences. Adair’s background in public speaking includes more than 40 years in public agencies, private companies and as a consultant in equal opportunity, diversity, and human relations.
  • FranklilyLilly Gibbs was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. She immigrated to America as a young girl and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. Gibbs currently heads the Real Estate Division of La Femme, Inc., which, in Oct. 2012, secured financing for the development of Montgomery Indoor Shooting Complex.
  • Frank Manuel, Gibbs’ husband and co-owner of Montgomery Indoor Shooting Complex, is a highly respected master tradesman in the Alabama construction industry, Manuel heads the Design and Construction Division of La Femme. Together they opened Montgomery Indoor Shooting Complex in Sept 2013.
  • The panel will be moderated by Jim Curcuruto, NSSF, Director of Industry Research & Analysis, who has lead several projects on the subject of diversity for NSSF.

“We are thrilled to have this panel of distinguished and successful entrepreneurs join us at the 2015 SHOT Show to discuss with our retailers the challenges non-traditional shooters face in understanding and utilizing the vast resources the NSSF and, indeed, the industry in general has to offer them,” said Shay. “We think that through this discussion and learning about the face of today’s shooter, our retailers will realize that they already have the common ground needed to connect with a new and continually expanding customer base.”

The 2015 SHOT Show Diversity Panel will be held Wednesday, January 21, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Location in the Venetian to be announced shortly.). Tickets for this event are $20 for both member and non-member retail and range owners, but seating is limited, so we urge you to register now for this important event. Anyone already registered to attend the 2015 SHOT Show may revisit shotshow.org, log in, and purchase panel tickets on the event listings page. For more information, contact Patrick Shay, pshay@nssf.org.

Diversify Your Marketing—Special SHOT Seminar for Retailers Hosted by Shooting Stars Julie Golob and Randi Rogers

In case you haven’t noticed, the clientele walking through your door is increasingly young, urban, and female. Or at least it should be. New data released by the NSSF in its latest Industry Intelligence Report, “Hunting and Target Shooting Participation, 2014 Edition,” shows that during the most recent eight-year period studied (2006-2013), female participation in shooting of all kinds rose a whopping 42 percent. How significant is this? One doesn’t have to look any further than the comparison number for males: up just 1.1 percent for the same time period.

What do such numbers mean to firearms and shooting retailers and ranges? It might just mean it’s time to change gears with your merchandising plans and marketing efforts. But how? What products should you stock to bring more of this growing segment into your store? And how do you keep them coming back for more?

To help answer those questions and others, the NSSF has designed a new SHOT Show seminar for FFL retailers and range owners. “Merchandising to Women” will be held Thursday, Jan. 22, from 9 to 10 a.m. Hosted by top action-shooting pros Julie Golob and Randi Rogers, this special event will provide the insight needed to adjust product inventories and marketing efforts to bring more women into your stores and onto your ranges and keep them as loyal, regular customers.

“We’re extremely excited to have Julie and Randi headlining this event,” said Patrick Shay, NSSF Director, Retail Development. “Both are household names in the shooting sports, and being as successful and skilled as they are with firearms, I can think of no two better able to speak to what sells and what doesn’t sell to the female consumers in our industry.”

“The trends we see in women getting their concealed carry permits and heading to the range is great news for the shooting industry,” said Golob. “Being able to provide women with the guns, accessories, and training opportunities they want and need to help them shoot better is critical to continuing that momentum. I am excited to work with the NSSF and fellow shooting champion Randi Rogers to help retailers prepare for this growing market and help them truly welcome women into their stores.”

To register for SHOT Show’s “Merchandising for Women” event, click here. We look forward to seeing you there!