The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), owners of the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT Show) is looking to extend its commitment with the Sands Expo & Convention Center for 2015.
The SHOT Show, which finished a four-day run recently, set a new high for attendance with 61,000 industry professionals. Many companies set sales records at the show, reflecting the unprecedented growth in gun purchases nationwide. The show, which is the fifth largest tradeshow in Las Vegas , brought a welcome $60 million in economic impact to the city.
“Some have called our industry recession-proof,” said Chris Dolnack, NSSF senior vice president and chief marketing officer. “That certainly has been the case in this down economy. We have an enthusiastic and passionate buying community that we want to satisfy by having an outstanding tradeshow. By extending the contract at the Sands and remaining in Las Vegas, we can maintain the SHOT Show as one of the premier tradeshows in the country.”
The largest tradeshow of its kind in the world, the SHOT Show attracted some 1,600 exhibitors in booth space taking up more than 630,000 net square feet. The show brought industry professionals from all 50 states and 100 countries to Las Vegas, and it attracted over 50 businesses from the greater Las Vegas area and Nevada.
Americans’ passion for firearms and the $4 billion firearms and ammunition industry has remained unchanged throughout the economic flux of the past years and will remain unchanged this year, according to the NSSF, a 7,000-member trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry. Last year, the industry set records for the single most active buying month, December, and single most active day, “Black Friday.”
Keith St. George, Owner of SGF Firearms in Southern Highlands, Nev., attended this year’s show with the hopes of expanding his business.
“I am a small, local gunsmith shop, and I had come to SHOT to generate contacts to set up a vendor list with the intention of opening up a small store front. I’ve been in the business a long time, and it seems the right time to expand.”
“This is a great time to be in our industry,” said Sandy Chisholm, president of Utah-based North American Arms. “We see tremendous enthusiasm on the part of buyers and sellers, and we see the prospect of a very good year ahead.”
The SHOT Show will return to the Sands Expo & Convention Center January 15-18, 2013.
