How to make the most of the enormous SHOT Show
Dennis L. Clay photo Vista Outdoor is one of the outdoor companies accumulating several other outdoor manufacturers. This is the Vista Outdoor booth at the 2020 SHOT Show. The brands under the Vista umbrella include Bushnell, Weaver, Simmons, Primos, RCBS, Hoppe’s, Federal and others. Yes, this is only one booth.
The SHOT Show is enormous. As reported recently: The show covered about 692,000 square feet of exhibit space. If a person walked down each aisle of the show, they would cover a distance of 12.5 miles.
So, what happens at the SHOT Show? The show opens at 8:30 each day. Sometimes we have a breakfast, so we need to arrive at 7 a.m. The magazine folks at “Field and Stream” and “Outdoor Life,” now under the umbrella of the Bonnier Media Group, have a banquet room which is setup as an eating room, seminar room and relaxation room.
We are invited to join the group for breakfast and lunch the first two days of the show. A seminar of some sort is part of the breakfast and lunch during the first day.
Subjects, such as wolves and elk in Idaho and Washington might be discussed. On another occasion the recruitment and retention of hunters was discussed. Sometimes 150 people and sometimes 300 people attend these events.
On the other days of the show, we first need to travel from our hotel, The Stratosphere, to the Sands Convention Center. We accomplish this by taxi, which is a bit expensive at $12 to $15 a trip one way.
Once at the show we head to the National Shooting Sports Foundation Press Room. The NSSF is the owner and sponsor of the show. They realize the importance of press at the show and accommodate press members with a sizable room for a place to work and some much-needed realization during the show.
At one area of the press room is a bank of at least 20 computers. Plus, there is another table for members who bring their own computers.
The bank of computers was important to me this year. My laptop’s hard drive died and there was no other way for me to send columns to the Columbia Basin Herald. Each morning the day’s column was written and submitted to the CBH from the press room.
The floor of the show is a bustle of activity. We know which booths or exhibit areas we want to visit. Those spots are located on the floor map and the number of the site is noted. This makes it easier to find. Otherwise, it is easy for a person to wander around the floor for a considerable amount of time looking for a specific site.
Manufacturers we visit each year are Hodgdon Powder, Buck Knives, Spyderco Knives, Nosler bullets, Vista Outdoor, Sierra Bullets, Filson, Leatherman Tools, Otis, Remington, O. F. Mossberg and several others.
Tomorrow: Visiting with famous people.