NSSF Supplier Show Case Continues to Grow

SHOT Show Supplier Showcase is a dedicated two-day event for OEM third-party suppliers to present their products and services to shooting, hunting, and outdoor manufacturers. More than 600 OEM suppliers meet with manufacturers from around the world over to address needs in materials, machinery, and software. Logistics is also a key element, as it helps streamline the industry supply chain.

“This two-day event begins on Monday and overlaps with the SHOT Show on Tuesday to provide engineering, manufacturing, purchasing, and quality control professionals with an opportunity to source potential partners under one roof in a time- and cost-efficient venue,” says Chris Dolnack, NSSF Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer. “To further connect industry manufacturers and OEM suppliers, NSSF has partnered with The Outdoor Wire to develop the monthly email newsletter, The Supplier Wire. All Supplier Showcase exhibitors are automatically enrolled in the program to help them promote their goods and services year around.”

The Supplier Showcase debuted at SHOT Show 2017, and right from the start those that attended knew NSSF was onto something. Summit Steel Corporation, based in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, was just one of the many companies that exhibited in 2025. Summit Steel Corporation is an IS 9001-2015 processor and stocking distributor of SBQ (special bar quality) cold finished and hot rolled carbon and alloy steel bar in a variety of shapes (for instance, round and hexagon), including Gun Barrel Quality steels in carbon, alloy, and stainless steel, all known for their dimensional accuracy and precision.

“There are two main benefits for us having a booth at the Supplier Showcase of the SHOT Show,” says Ross Bushman, CEO of Summit Steel. “First of all, exposure. As one of the largest U.S. distributors of Gun Barrel Quality steels, you will rarely find so many prospects in one place. Secondly, many of our customers are there, either as attendees or with their own display booth. This affords us the opportunity to meet with them personally, and as anyone in sales knows, there is nothing quite like ‘pressing the flesh.’”

Supplier Showcase arose out of need to carve out more exhibitor space at SHOT Show. As the the industry’s premier trade event, bringing nearly 55,000 industry professionals from 115 countries together for what is now called SHOT Week, demand for exhibit space has steadily increased.

“We had to prioritize prospective exhibitors by product categories,” says Dolnack. “Core hunting and shooting products were designated tier one because those are the products that drive traffic at retail. General hunting and shooting products were designated tier two because accessory products are also key to retailers. OEM manufacturers and service providers fell into tier three, and we soon had a backlog of suppliers that wanted access to the shooting, hunting, and outdoor markets.”

“Jeff Pressman, who is CEO of our show management partner ConvExx in Las Vegas, suggested that we should consider a separate, concurrent event for suppliers, much like the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association does with its highly successful SEMA Show. ConvExx was SEMA’s show management partner prior to agreeing to partnering with NSSF on SHOT Show.”

NSSF took the idea and ran with it. A quick look at attendance numbers shows just how much the idea has resonated with its core audience. In 2017, the first year of the Supplier Showcase, there were 264 exhibitors. Each year, more suppliers have signed on, and last year the two-day event had 601 exhibitors. As they say, this is an event with legs.