Following a reported rise in COVID-19 cases throughout the world in late fall, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) made the difficult decision on Oct. 30 to cancel the 2021 SHOT Show, which was scheduled to take place in Las Vegas this month. “Given the sheer complexities, diminishing timeline and immense logistical planning required to conduct a trade show as large as SHOT, NSSF simply could not move forward at this point with so many unknowns and variables,” NSSF President & CEO Joe Bartozzi said in a statement.
Since the pandemic began in early 2020, the NSSF staff and its show partners worked around the clock to plan its largest show in history, while still focusing on the health and safety of all involved. With three months to go until the show, the floor space for both the Sands Expo Center—and the expansion to the new Caesars Forum—was nearly sold out. “All of this positions us for a 2022 SHOT Show that will be undoubtedly the best in our industry’s history, and we look forward to bringing our entire community together again at a show that will be one to remember,” Bartozzi said.
While this year’s show—now dubbed SHOT Show On Demand, which takes place Jan. 18-22—has gone fully virtual, the Officer Media Group editorial team looks back on what will be missed from this year’s canceled show, and what to look forward to in the future:
No Family Reunion, from Lt. Frank Borelli, Editorial Director
For many, the annual pilgrimage to Las Vegas to attend the Shooting Hunting & Outdoor Trade Show—otherwise known as SHOT Show and owned by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF)—is a tradition. The tradition is long steeped in early morning breakfast meetings, late night beer meetings and unexpected reunions somewhere unpredictable on the vast exhibition floor. Once a four day event that ran over a weekend long weekend, the show now runs Tuesday through Friday usually in the third week of January each year. Or it did. Thanks to this nasty thing called COVID mixed with another nasty thing called liability, the 2021 SHOT Show was cancelled. For some it meant a reprieve from a brutal first-half of January preparing, packing, shipping, organizing, etc. for the show. For others it marked a sad moment when, for the first time in many years, they wouldn’t get to reunite with their shooting sports family.
For some, SHOT Show now encompasses almost double that original four days. With events starting Sunday evening before the show, Media Range Day on Monday, four days of the show itself and then a day of travel home to begin recuperating, the show can easily span seven days. Your outlook is what determines whether or not seven days in Las Vegas is a good or bad thing. Long days, late nights, early mornings, too much (or not enough) food, social beverages and more mean it’s an exhausting week. On the other hand, walking somewhere between five and ten miles each day (at a minimum) almost always means you’re going to lose a pound or two (or five).
Seeing all the new, latest, greatest, tacticool stuff is another hallmark of the show. Some attend because work mandates that they provide media coverage for all of that. Some because they are gear junkies and get pure enjoyment from seeing and handling it. Some attend because they have to sell it, buy it, resell it, etc. Those who seem to get the most enjoyment from SHOT Show are those who are there because they both have to be and want to be and they mix mandated work with the happiness of a family reunion... minus the drama (usually).
What I’ll miss most are the people I usually only see during that week, once each year. Those who are part of my shooting industry family; brother and sister police officers who are recognized leaders in their respective fields of endeavor; internationally known instructors I’m proud to call friends; and military service veterans who hold a respected voice on current events and world challenges. The true gold value of SHOT Show is not all of the stuff in display cases, on shelves and hanging on hooks. The true gold value is found in those walking around, waiting to greet you with a smile, a handshake and a hug. Let’s all look forward to enjoying such again in 2022!
What I'll Miss, from Hilary Rodela, Associate Editor
We all know SHOT Show has been cancelled for 2021. For many the exhibition has been a staple, a vacation, and a long standing tradition. We take a look at the positives of attending such shows as SHOT Show in person and why these events are important to all who attend. Each part and every person there plays an important role in the big picture of the event. Here are a few aspects to consider on the benefits of SHOT Show.
Seeing the Products in Person
Attending SHOT Show is overwhelming at first. You walk by booth after booth filled with new items that catch your eye and you feel like you need to look at everything at once the first day you’re there. Once you get into a routine, you can map out your “plan of action” so that you can visit each booth on your list. It is exciting and can be nerve wracking all at the same time but in the end it is an overall learning experience.
Many of the products displayed at SHOT Show are often revealed right before the show or during that week on websites, social media, and advertisements. However, seeing and handling the items in person is far different than reading about it online. Though product descriptions, press releases, and reviews of these items always help bring the item and it’s benefits to light, there is something to be said about experiencing the items in person. Each company that attends SHOT Show puts forth much effort to display their products at their best, taking into consideration lighting and what works in order to catch the eye of prospective buyers.
Seeing the People in Person
By far one of the best aspects of attending the show in person is meeting with everyone. For those who attend the exhibition annually, it is a time to catch up with those in the industry they have created bonds and reputations with over the years. It is a time to catch up with those colleagues that may also be considered friends. It is also a time to meet new people with whom new adventures and opportunities could begin. There is nothing wrong with phone calls or emails but meeting in person is better and creates better business bonds.
Missing SHOT Show
Though many of us will go through “SHOT Show withdrawls” we have to keep in mind we are keeping each other safe. It also may allow everyone to appreciate the event that much more next year when (hopefully) it resumes back to normal. At the end of the day the entire mission of the show is to bring like people together in order to work together for a bigger and better purpose. Vendors bring their best foot forward to purchasers, writers report to those who rely on them to give them feedback about what’s new. This can still be done virtually, however, by missing a year of physical attendance maybe we will appreciate the show that much more and next years’ will be better than ever.
Looking to the Future, from Paul Peluso, Editor
Although I have been with Officer.com for more than 14 years, I’ve only had the pleasure of attending SHOT Show once. Despite that fact, the time I did spend at the conference without a doubt lived up to the hype. The sprawling show floor sure did a number on my feet as I logged mile after mile while making my way to booths that seemed much grander than those I’ve visited at other conferences.
While SHOT Show offers a lot to the recreational shooter, there was so much that catered to the needs of law enforcement. The sheer size of the convention dwarfed any show I have been to and it was very fitting that it was held in a place like Las Vegas. The only thing that matched the excitement inside of SHOT Show, was what was happening outside of it. I was slated to attend this year’s show, and the fact that it was supposed to be the largest yet is not lost on me. I will truly miss the sights, the sounds and will especially miss the massive pressroom that hosted reporters and editors from numerous magazines and websites throughout the country. Here’s hoping that SHOT Show will return again next year and will be as big as it has ever been.
