Pre-SHOT Show 2016 Blog Blast

Every year as I prepare for SHOT Show I get almost overwhelmed by the number of companies (booths) that I feel like I NEED to visit, not to mention the number of events I actually look forward to attending.  My attendance at SHOT Show is responsible for me having met some truly cool folks, both celebrity and not, and I’ve learned things at SHOT that I’d likely not have even been aware of elsewhere. Launching in less than four days (as I type this), SHOT Show is billed as, “… the largest and most comprehensive trade show for all professionals involved with the shooting sports, hunting and law enforcement industries.”

I remember when the law enforcement section was much smaller than it has been in recent years.  It’s hard to relate size to anyone who hasn’t been there, when discussing show floor relationship.  The law enforcement section used to be a small piece: maybe 5-10% (just guessing).  Now if you look at the floor map, it looks like it’s closer to a third or more. When you take into consideration that the 2016 SHOT Show boasts over 1,600 exhibitors covering a floor space of over 630,000 square feet, that “third” for law enforcement takes on a whole new meaning.  Reportedly there is over 15 miles of aisle to walk and, based on past experience, I expect to walk between eight and ten miles per day (at a minimum). SHOT Show also includes a law enforcement New Product center, reportedly displaying over 400 new products.  There’s free training: ten sessions in various topics (separate registration for the sessions required).

For me, SHOT Show seems to be growing in length.  The formal exhibitor event is Tuesday through Friday, January 19-22.  When I first started attending SHOT Show, that was all I had to cover and Friday was usually a short day, so I arrived on Monday evening and left Friday afternoon/evening. Then I was lucky enough to get invited to Media Range Day which occurs on the Monday before SHOT Show formally opens.  Now I had to arrive Sunday evening so I could be at the range on Monday, followed by the four days of show floor and other events through the week.  Leaving Friday afternoon or evening to head home felt like a relief.  Make no mistake: attending SHOT Show is NOT a vacation; it’s work!  This year my first scheduled event is actually occurring at 1700 hours (local time Las Vegas) on Sunday evening.  My arrival is now lunch time Sunday with a departure late Friday afternoon.  On the one hand, it’s hard to complain about having so much fun while at work.  On the other hand, without any effort, I usually end up losing about five pounds during SHOT Show week simply by virtue of the amount of walking done and how little time there is to actually eat.

Officer.com will do our best to cover SHOT Show as thoroughly as we can.  Our editorial team consisting of myself (Editorial Director), and the editors for Law Enforcement Technology magazine and Law Enforcement Product News magazine, will be taking pictures and posting them from the show floor with the basic and important information needed so you know what the heck you’re looking at and why.  Behind the scenes, our news editor will be posting regular updates to the main website and to our facebook page (www.facebook.com/officercom) and our twitter feed (@OfficerCom).

So, stay tuned.  It’ll be a busy week for us and, if you actively try to stay up to date about everything posted on the web from SHOT Show, a darned busy week for you too!

(ps – another cool thing about SHOT Show is that you never know who you might run into or meet.  On the list in past years is Gunny R. Lee Ermey, Ted Nugent and Lou Ferrigno.  This year I think I get to meet Marcus Luttrell!)