SHOT Grows Even Larger

Conventional wisdom dictates that growth stops in the teenage years. After that, it’s simply a matter of maturity and eventual decline. Well, somebody forgot to tell the 2008 SHOT Show, which opened yesterday morning at the Las Vegas Convention Center. This is the show’s 30th year and, judging by the enthusiastic crowd that poured on to the convention floor yesterday, the show is displaying no signs of slowing down.

“This is the largest show in the history of the SHOT Show, which is a great way to celebrate our thirtieth anniversary,” said Doug Painter, president of the NSSF.

“We have just under two thousand exhibitors, including hundreds of new exhibitors.” Much of that growth comes in the form of new product lines, which, as Painter noted, “is a healthy indicator of continued growth.”

According to Jim Buckley, show manager for Reed Exhibitions, which runs the show for NSSF, attendance is up 10 percent over last year. “Total attendance is expected to be around forty-two thousand,” he said. “Total floor space is seven-hundred-fifteen thousand square feet.”

That means show attendees can graze over more than 16 acres of the latest in shooting sports gear and accessories.

“This show has always been a must-see for me,” said Miles Hall, proprietor of H&H Gun Range and Shooting Sports Outlet in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. “It’s an essential part of my yearly business plan.”