This was the sixth year I have attended the SHOT show. It was the fourth time in Las Vegas, with the other two being in Orlando. Las Vegas has always drawn more attendees to the show, which is generally attributed to lower airfares and hotel prices. I don’t have much preference in terms of the actual show layout, but I personally prefer Orlando for everything outside the convention center. For example, I bring my family to Orlando which is something I would never do for Las Vegas.
This year was interesting for a couple of reasons. The show was moved from the Las Vegas Convention Center to the Sands Convention Center – which are only about a mile apart. This is the first of a three year deal for holding it at the Sands. Many of the exhibitors I talked to were not pleased with the Sands. At the former location most exhibitors were in one of two main halls (although some were forced into tents outside in the parking lot). The Sands had the show split into two main halls, one upstairs and one down, and the rest of the booths were in several smaller rooms on both levels. On the first day, several folks in the smaller rooms had very little traffic and were understandably upset. However, on the second day the attendees seemed to branch out of the main halls and the smaller rooms were significantly busier – and the exhibitors much happier.
As an attendee, I only had a couple of major complaints. The show layout seemed chopped-up, with similar products scattered throughout. In previous years most manufacturers with similar products were located in close proximity to each other. As a dealer, if I am interested in a product, I can visit all manufacturers without having to walk to the other end of the 700,000 square foot exhibit space. That was the major issue for me, and several other attendees (and manufacturers). The second major issue was that there was no cell phone signal on much of the first floor – not even enough to send/receive text messages. That is ridiculous in 2010, and I have come to expect better from the show organizers.
The show was extremely busy. I attribute that to the great year most firearms dealers had thanks to the ‘Gun Salesman of the Century’ – President Obama. What I was more interested in was talking to dealers on their projections for the upcoming year. Most weapons manufacturers are catching up on inventories and demand is slowing. Ammunition is becoming more available as individuals have reached their own comfort level with stockpiling. Once the spike in demand is over, what will the next year look like for retailers, given the overall challenge in the economy?
My decidedly unscientific poll of manufacturers and dealers showed that most expect a solid year, although not close to 2009. Several manufacturers were pleased with the orders they were getting at the show. My conclusion of the overall mood of manufacturers and dealers at the show: confidence and cautious optimism.
As always, there were a large number of new product introductions at the show. Depending on your interests, these introductions were either very exciting or no big deal. In my opinion, there were no ‘wow’ items introduced this year. Most were ‘next step’ improvements in products that we probably already knew were coming: better battery life, better resolution, better patterns, etc. For example, there were more illuminated reticles on scopes and longer battery life for many of them. One particular scope I handled had a laser rangefinder built into it – which was new to me but not an unexpected product development. Another company has developed their attempt to secure a weapon with technology, so that only a specific individual can fire it. They have some interesting new concepts, but I found their attempt to be too cumbersome to have mass appeal. However, with every iteration we get closer to a technology that will work easily.
Over the years I have come to expect significant product improvements from a few manufacturers. Laser Shot is one of those. Their highly interactive booth always has new twists and is just plain fun! Crimson Trace is another, and they introduced their lasers in several new models and added green ones this year. Another company, Laser Devices, is not one I have followed the last six years but they have significant ongoing product development, especially for military and law enforcement applications.
A pleasant surprise was a company called Laser Ammo. I was an early adopter of the Bullite, a dry fire laser training device manufactured by Rovatec. The concept is simple: give people visual feedback on their dry-fire practice. The Bullite accomplished this, but had a few design challenges. The intellectual property now belongs to Laser Ammo, who tweaked the design and lowered the price.
But the best part of this year’s show was having my Dad join me for most of it. He recently retired and had never been before. Prior to the show I told him I would be asking for his general impressions for this column, so I could share them with you. One part of his background was running a week-long major trade show/convention, so I thought his insight would be particularly interesting.
“First, the show is big – nearly overwhelmingly so. If I came back next year, I would prepare a list of the product lines and/or manufacturers I wanted to visit and map out my strategy.My next impression has to do with the product mix. Lots of camouflage apparel, the number of knife manufacturers is incredible, and the sheer number of manufacturers with AR parts, components, accessories and complete rifles was amazing. I knew the AR was a popular platform, but had no idea it was this large.
The organizers did some things very well and need to work on a few things. Maps were readily available and the help booths knowledgeable. The shuttle busses to/from the hotel were always available and seldom had a line. Often the show felt chopped up because similar vendors were widely scattered among the two levels and the different rooms. Vehicular traffic flow to the center was a mess, with only one relatively small area for car/taxi drop-offs. Foot traffic flow faced a couple of bottlenecks as well, which could probably be easily dealt with via show layout. Most food areas appeared thrown together – and if I were a vendor next to the food I would have been very upset as diners spilled over into my booth and disrupted serious conversations with interested attendees. Only a couple of dining areas were large and well thought out.”
So there you have it – impressions from SHOT 2010. Of course there was more – like the arrest of 21 individuals in an FBI sting operation for allegedly violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. That made big news since it occurred right at the open of the show. Despite that, I still find that among the incredibly diverse world of the SHOT Show there are primarily decent, hardworking, honest people who enjoy their freedoms and love their country. I’m already looking forward to next year!
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