Gun Trade World - April 2023

FEATURE
Armament Technology’s
Trevor Publicover showing
off the company’s successful
and important laser filters.
Barnett Crossbows
owner David Barnett
with his new Hyper
Raptor Crossbow.
SHOT SHOW 2023
The CZ Shadow 2 Orange was
turning heads from the minute
the show opened its doors.
Hornady displayed an
impressive collection
from its security range.
The team at Leapers are
excited by the range of
AR-15 assorices on offer.
and Caesars Forum in Las
Vegas, welcomed over 52,000
industry professionals.
More than 2,500 companies
displayed products and
services in booths covering
more than 816,000 net square
feet and attracting attendees
from 115 countries and all 50
states.
These are pre-pandemic
level numbers.
Chris Dolnack, NSSF
Senior Vice President and
Chief Customer Officer
was particularly happy with
how the show unfolded. He
commented:
“The industry was back
in full force at this year’s
SHOT Show, and the energy
and momentum among all
attendees was palpable. I
always say the SHOT Show is
like Christmas morning and
the Super Bowl all in one, and
this year it was that and more.
We are thrilled at the positive
response from our attendees
and optimistic for a strong
year of industry sales to come.”
This was the largest SHOT
Show ever, marking the second
year of expanded exhibit space
at Caesars Forum, in addition
to The Venetian Expo.
Show floor reaction
Last year we told you that
80 per cent of the exhibitors
we asked said they had
experienced a positive show.
Well, this year that number
has climbed to 100 per cent.
Yes, that’s right. Not one
of the companies we spoke
to over the course of the
exhibition was unhappy with
how the show was performing
for them. They were all
happy and relieved that the
show was back to pre-Covid
numbers and all seemed to be
conducting the business that
they were expecting to.
Supplier Showcase
The two-day Supplier
Showcase featured 539 OEM
third-party suppliers meeting
with exhibiting manufacturers
and exploring their needs for
extrusions, fabrication, fabrics,
machinery, metal, plastics,
software, logistical support,
and tools.
Jeff Miller, Sales Manager
at Active Manufacturing, told
the NSSF team:
“For a company like us
with 40 people, it’s a great
fit. We can come show our
wares for two days. The
bigger companies come up
here and walk around and the
engineering people will talk
to us. We’ve done it every
year, and it’s really helped us
increase our business.”
Education Sessions
This year over 6,000 industry
members attended SHOT
University, Law Enforcement
Education Program and
Export Training Sessions to
receive in-person classes on
compliance, operations and
much more.
Traci Lewellin, Owner of
Gun City spoke to the NSSF:
“SHOT University adds an
amazing value for us. I can
come in here, I have our
managers out still looking at
booths, and I can learn some
of the educational processes
to take back to our stores and
try to implement them over
the next year.”
A word from the
President…
“This year is one of the
best shows I’ve ever been a
part of,” said Joe Bartozzi,
NSSF President and CEO.
“On behalf of NSSF, I’d like
to thank all the attendees,
exhibitors, media members
and our guests this week
for helping the industry
to succeed and supporting
NSSF’s mission.”
For your diary
Preparations have already
begun for next year’s 46th
SHOT Show, which is
scheduled for January 23-26,
2024.
www.nssf.org
22 WWW.GUNTRADEWORLD.COM