The SHOT Show (Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show) was held in Las Vegas, NV from January 17-20, 2023. It is sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation and is the largest trade show of its kind in the world. Each year, the industry’s latest and greatest products are on full display at the show, attracting industry professionals from around the world.
It is the 5th largest tradeshow in Las Vegas and the 19th largest in America. The SHOT Show typically brings in over $88 million to the Las Vegas economy. It is the largest held at the Venetian Expo and Caesars Forum. There were 13.9 miles of aisles displaying products of 2,600 exhibitors. The total exhibit space was more than 816 thousand square feet or 18 acres. There were 52,000 visitors and 2,600 members of the media in attendance.
The exhibitors, buyers and media come from 115 countries and all 50 states.
Due to the COVID pandemic, the SHOT Show was cancelled in 2021 and I was unable to attend the 2022 Show. I went through the Exhibitor Directory and circled the names of the exhibitors I planned on visiting.
Then, I listed their booth numbers in ascending order in each of the three areas I planned on traversing during the four days.
As I followed my outline, I also stopped at booths that were not on my list, but caught my eye. By late afternoon, before the 6PM closing time, my thighs were letting me know I was no longer in my youth.
In the Press Room each morning, I was pleased to meet fellow writer, Larry Case, of Fayetteville, WV.
Larry is a retired West Virginia Environmental Officer and his columns are syndicated in the Southeastern United States.
A few of the products that I would like to mention are LOWA boots, Fisher Space Pens, Nexbelt, Nukem Hunting Blinds, Case Knives, Zippo lighters, Utica Cutlery, MantisX Laser Academy, Otis Technology, Bone-Dri gun cases, Wiley X glasses and Grainger McCoy Artisan Cutlery. These are only a few of the 2,600 exhibitors at the SHOT Show and I have mentioned them to give you a flavor for the Show. I have not mentioned any of the law enforcement or tactical exhibitors as I did not have enough time and stamina to visit that portion of the SHOT Show. Lord willing and the creek don’t rise, I’ll visit all of the booths at the 2024 Show.
