2014 NSSF SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Nevada
The 36th Annual Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT Show) presented by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) is fast approaching with the coming of the new year. Las Vegas, Nevada will again host this international event, one of the largest gun and outdoor gear expos in the world. With attendance doubling over the last 10 years, the 2014 SHOT Show is likely to break new records yet again.
This year’s attendees will certainly be focused on the exciting new products on display throughout the 630,000 square feet of net floor space in the Sands Expo Center housing the more than 1,600 exhibitors presented at this world-renowned event, but one important factor to make note of is the introduction of a new management firm that NSSF has contracted with to produce this year’s SHOT Show. Recent changes and ideological conflicts in the political climate surrounding the firearms culture and industry in the U.S. led to the end of a long-running partnership between NSSF and Reed Exhibitions, and this summer it was announced that exhibition and event coordinator ConvExx – best known for their management of the Las Vegas BikeFest and iconic Special Equipment Manufacturer’s Association (SEMA) held in Las Vegas the week before the NSSF SHOT Show – would be stepping into the role of putting on this monumental event.
ConvExx brings to the table “extensive large-show and Las Vegas experience” according to Chris Dolnack, Senior Vice President of NSSF, and if their demonstrated success wasn’t enough to convince exhibitors and attendees, NSSF also announced that it hired two sales executives previously employed by Reed Exhibitions who have had extensive experience with SHOT Show to fill the roles of Senior Sales Director and Director of Exhibit and Sponsorship Sales for NSSF. David Jeannette and Chris Tatulli bring a combined 22 years of experience with SHOT Show and will prove a valuable team contributing to ongoing NSSF events including the Shooting Sports Summit, Import/Export Conference, various industry conferences and the annual Congressional Fly-In.
SHOT Show Industry Days on the Range:
Media Day on the Range and Buyer Day on the Range
One of the most exciting events related to SHOT Show in years past has been the popular Media Day on the Range held on the Monday before the show begins. This year, NSSF in conjunction with CMG Marketing and Triple Curl PR & Advertising are introducing the first SHOT Show Buyer Day on the Range which will be held the day after Media Day on the Range, and together will be referred to as Industry Days on the Range.
The first half of Media Day on the Range will run from 8am to 12pm on Monday, January 13th and will be available exclusively to invited members of the media, while the second half of the day will be open to at-large registered media. This engaging outdoor event is proudly recognized as the world’s largest hands-on media event in the shooting sports and hunting industry.
As the SHOT Show doors open on Tuesday, January 14th, around 700 invitation-only distributors, dealers and retailers will come out to the range to seize the opportunity to browse the over 140 manufacturers in attendance and perform live-fire testing of the latest firearms and accessories on the market. This new component of the NSSF SHOT Show program offers an opportunity for retailers to personally experience the products that they will showcase and sell to their clients in a uniquely centralized and organized environment.
Industry Days on the Range will again be held at the Boulder City Rifle & Pistol Club located in the desert outside of Las Vegas and if past years are any indicator of what to expect this time around, attendees should be prepared for beautiful, clear days with bone-chilling cold and gusts of high wind: a small price to pay for this memorable and truly valuable experience.
Unfortunately for late-comers, exhibitor registration is now closed as is media registration for Industry Days on the Range due to capacity but be sure to stay tuned to Guns & Tactics Magazine for video, photos and reports as we bring you coverage of product presentations and reviews from the range to the exhibition floor throughout the entire SHOT Show week.
