Every year at about this time, unscrupulous poachers emerge. These poachers are hotel or third-party housing agencies unaffiliated with the SHOT Show and can be very tricky in the way they present themselves. That’s why we caution all SHOT Show attendees and exhibitors to be wary of third-party services when booking your rooms for the show. In past years, we heard reports of hotel room resellers taking payment from SHOT Show attendees and exhibitors without actually booking the rooms, leaving attendees without a place to lay their head in Las Vegas.
In fact, we’ve received word that several companies, including Exhibitor Housing Services (EHS), Room Connections and Wholesale Travel Planners, are all fraudulently soliciting SHOT Show attendees.
The SHOT Show provides two sources for special hotel room opportunities; one is direct with the Venetian/Palazzo, and the other is through onPeak, the official housing partner of the SHOT Show and the service provider directly linked to the SHOT Show website for all hotels besides the Venetian/Palazzo.
Booking with onPeak or Venetian/Palazzo guarantees you a room and guarantees you room rate protection. So you never have to worry about having a room or paying too much for it.
The Venetian/Palazzo and onPeak are the only two entities authorized to contact SHOT attendees regarding hotel rooms, and the SHOT Show requires each communication to be pre-approved and branded with the official SHOT Show logo. Do not respond to any other related communication you may receive.
We want you to have a great experience at the 2014 SHOT Show and the surest way to start down that path is to apply for your credentials and book your rooms early. If you are booking a block of more than 20 rooms, onPeak can help you manage that efficiently.
Diedra Cauley is the senior director of exhibitions and conferences for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Follow her on Twitter at @dcauley.