LAS VEGAS, Nev. — The 36th edition of the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade ShowTM (SHOT Show®) will take place January 14-17 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center. More than 60,000 industry professionals are expected to attend.
Owned and sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF), the SHOT Show is the industry’s most anticipated event of the year. The show provides a first look at new products and services used by target shooters, hunters, outdoorsmen and women and law enforcement professionals. The show also provides members of this multi-faceted industry an opportunity to network and attend educational seminars.
The SHOT Show is the largest trade show of its kind in the world; it is open to the trade only and not the public. Shooting sports enthusiasts will see the new products unveiled at the show on retailers’ shelves during the year.
The $6 billion industry has seen record sales over the past several years fueled in part by the surging number of new gun owners. A recent study by NSSF showed one in five target shooters is a newcomer–that is, someone who has taken up the sport in the last five years. The same study showed that the industry’s customer base has greatly expanded, with new target shooters being younger, female and urban-based.
During the show, NSSF will present a first-ever study that looks at the impact target shooters’ spending has on the economy. The study, “Target Shooting in America,” will complement the “Hunting in America” economic impact study released last year by NSSF and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. Together, the two studies capture how billions of dollars in spending by millions of target shooters and hunters support many thousands of businesses and jobs, and broadly contribute to the financial well-being of the nation.
Another driver of sales in recent years has been firearms purchased for personal and home protection. Many of industry’s newest model firearms and accessories have been developed to satisfy this rapidly growing market. Women, in particular, have a high interest in obtaining their concealed carry permits after purchasing their first firearm, according to NSSF’s First-time Gun Buyers Report. Also, women’s participation in both target shooting and hunting has increased dramatically over the last decade.
Even as Americans purchase more firearms, the industry points out that violent crime continues to decline, demonstrating that more guns do not lead to more crime, as anti-gun groups often claim.
“The variety of new and existing products that will be on display at the SHOT Show reflects the tremendous interest in the shooting sports by Americans from all walks of life–across all income levels, including men and women, adults and youth and those from rural communities to urban areas,” said NSSF President and CEO Steve Sanetti.
“This growing interest demonstrates that despite continued challenges to our industry and our sports, our hunting and recreational shooting traditions are here to stay,” Sanetti added. “And we will do everything possible to protect those freedoms and the way of life that we cherish.”
Back in Las Vegas
The SHOT Show will take place for the fifth straight year at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, which continues to make improvements to ensure a comfortable environment for those attending. SHOT Show attracts buyers from all 50 states and more than 100 countries.
The 2013 SHOT Show pumped over $73.1 million into the Las Vegas economy.
On the exhibit floor, which covers 630,000 net square feet and has 12.5 miles of aisles, manufacturers and distributors display a wide range of products, including firearms, ammunition, gun safes, safety locks and cases, optics, shooting range equipment, targets, training and safety equipment, hunting accessories, law enforcement equipment, hearing and eye protection, tree stands, scents and lures, cutlery, GPS systems, holsters, apparel, leather goods, game calls and decoys.
Industry’s firearm safety education program–Project ChildSafe, which is managed by NSSF–will be among the 1,600 companies and organizations exhibiting at the show. The program has provided more than 36 million free firearm safety kits and gun locks to gun owners, complementing the 70 million gun locks that manufacturers package with new firearms.
Recent enhancements to the Sands Convention Center and the SHOT Show are a new business center, coat check and exhibitor services area; new escalators and stairs; renovated upper and lower lobbies, new carpet and tile, and new digital signage.
“NSSF, Sands Expo and our new show management company, ConvExx, have worked diligently to provide our industry with what it rightly deserves–the premier trade show in the world, one that all exhibitors and attendees can be proud of and that benefits their businesses,” said Chris Dolnack, NSSF Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer.
On the first evening of the show, NSSF will present its State of the Industry Dinner, with Outdoor Channel again serving as the title sponsor of the event. Sanetti will give a speech capturing NSSF and industry’s “year of resiliency” to an audience of 2,000 industry leaders. Las Vegas headliners Penn & Teller will provide the evening’s entertainment.
In addition to Pinnacle sponsor Outdoor Channel, other sponsors of the 2014 SHOT Show are GunBroker.com, ArmaLite and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. Ram Truck Brand is the official truck of the SHOT Show.
The show brings together all segments of one of America’s oldest and most storied industries. Manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, shooting range operators, outdoor media and representatives from wildlife conservation groups conduct business, exchange ideas, renew contacts and reaffirm the unity that has been the hallmark of the hunting and shooting sports industry.
The largest number of outdoor media in the world turns out at the SHOT Show to cover the introduction of products and to report on the firearms and outdoor industry. NSSF has credentialed about 2,500 media members for the 2014 show. On the day prior to the show, members of the press can handle, test and learn about the new products at Media Day at the Range. Buyers can do the same at the new Buyer Day at the Range on the first morning of the show.
The SHOT Show provides a perfect setting for organizational and educational meetings. Retailers take advantage of SHOT Show University to learn from experts about new marketing strategies and compliance with federal regulations. Law enforcement professionals also will have a series of seminars to choose from as well.
The SHOT Show is a “must-see” event for industry professionals. Anyone with an interest in the show and new industry products can learn more www.shotshow.org or by following the show on Twitter and Facebook.
