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January 18, 2018
SHOT Show Update: 10 Articles to Check Out before You Head to Vegas
The 2018 SHOT Show opens in just a few days, but before you pack up and head to Vegas you will want to read this. With thousands of exhibitors, attendees, booths and opportunities for success at SHOT Show, we want to help you and your business thrive amid the excitement. As you set meetings with retailers, distributors, suppliers and manufacturers, we remind you there are a lot of important things happening at SHOT Show. We have highlighted several education sessions and stories that will help you make the most out of the show.
40th Anniversary
SHOT Show will be celebrating its 40th Anniversary. To commemorate this event, we have asked a handful of today’s top outdoor writers to interview major exhibitors in hope that their SHOT Show stories will help you avoid similar mistakes and experience similar triumphs.
1. An interview with Redding Reloading
Redding has provided the reloading marketplace with innovative, American-made products of the highest quality since 1946 and has attended all 40 SHOT Shows. See why this thriving company’s longtime Executive Vice President and industry veteran Robin Sharpless says, “SHOT is Redding’s most important event by far It’s [their] entry to markets worldwide!”
2. An interview with Timney Triggers
Real riflemen have always known the importance of a good trigger. It is, after all, the primary point of interface that will ultimately decide the outcome of your hunt, competition or fun day at the range. Timney is now the largest replacement trigger manufacturer in the world, and company owner John Vehr “guarantees you will learn a ton [from] people in the industry at the SHOT Show.”
Working the Show
“Working the Show” is designed to help retailers and range owners of all sizes realize the most from their time and money spent in Las Vegas every year at SHOT Show. We share how various successful firearms retailers across the country plan for SHOT Week and what they’re looking to accomplish while they’re at the show.
3. Ace Sporting Goods
With 70 years of gun selling and buying under the company’s belt, Ben Romanoff, general manager at Ace, along with his father, George, take a unique approach to SHOT Show. For them, it’s not so much real-time buying as it is browsing and making and solidifying relationships. But SHOT Show isn’t as simplistic as the duo wandering around and posting pictures on social media. Romanoff cautions those who are going to try and wing it that it’s going to be pretty difficult, because of the number of people and exhibitors there.
SHOT Show University
SHOT Show University is a one-day conference taking place Monday, Jan. 22, the day before SHOT Show, featuring high-profile keynote speakers sharing their expertise on leadership, economic forecasting and other important retail topics. Add some of these key sessions into your SHOT plan; registration is open.
4. New Range Technology
Gone are the days of dark ranges with boring beige paper targets sent back and forth via the tin-can-on-a-string setup. Today’s shooters want more. Much more. This session will demonstrate how modern range technologies — everything from highly interactive video target systems, the latest in indoor range filtration, live-fire apps and more — can enhance not just the functionality of your firearms range, but the overall customer experience.
5. ATF Inspections
Sooner or later as a licensed FFL you will be inspected by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). It can be a nerve-wracking experience, but knowing you have everything in order can keep the sweat from beading your brow. During this session, you’ll discover what the ATF inspection process entails and how to be best prepared.
6. Turning over the Keys
“Nobody lives forever” and “You can’t take it with you” are two truisms we hear throughout our lives. But whether it’s in preparation for your final days of doing business or a much looked forward to retirement, you’ll want to have a strategy in place. This session will take you through the reasons business owners sell, what smart buyers are looking for and the essential tools you’ll need to know in order to value your business like a professional appraiser.
7. FFL Compliance Form 4473
Of all the compliance areas today’s FFLs need to focus on, the ATF Form 4473 is perhaps the most important. That form is one of increasing complexity, bringing accuracy and accountability challenges to even the most seasoned FFL salespersons and compliance managers. If you want to reduce your stress level and have an error-free report back after an ATF audit, the NSSF and SHOT Show University are here to help.
Executive Management Seminar
The Executive Management Seminar takes place the day before SHOT Show, Monday, Jan. 22. This event offers specialized training that addresses the needs of industry professionals from up-and-coming managers to presidents and CEOs.
8. Lt. Col. Allen B. West
After a 22-year military career, West knows well how soldiers are trained to face hidden enemies and adjust to changing landscapes. Today he uses his expertise to teach organizations how to apply the principles of military training to the business world and ensure success in today’s markets.
Learn the hottest management techniques and business practices taking place today at the final keynote address of the Executive Management Seminar “Workforce Development.”
Retailer and Range Seminars
The retailer and range seminars run throughout SHOT Show, giving you the flexibility to mix each day with education and exhibits. Each course is designed to help you learn more about industry challenges, better management practices and provide a plethora of information to help shooting ranges and FFLs: Don’t miss out on these great tips.
9. Dream Team Staff
In today’s marketplace, having the best facility in the best location isn’t enough to separate you from your competition. Customers select your business because of the experience you offer. That experience can only happen with a fantastic team of employees, but to build that team, you need to clearly identify your business vision and then share that vision with your staff. Discover how to structure your facility’s personnel, tools for hiring more effectively, the metrics for assessing your company’s performance at the Retailer Seminar “Building a Company Culture.”
10. Operation Secure Store
If you’re an FFL, you undoubtedly have questions about your store’s security: How is my FFL at risk for loss such as burglary, theft or robbery? What do I do if my business becomes the victim of a crime? What can I expect from the ATF after a loss? What are other retailers doing to deter and mitigate this threat? How do I start building a security plan? Where can I get some help with a security audit? NSSF’s Operation Secure Store (OSS) has been launched to help the firearms industry answer these questions and more, and we’ll tell you how in our 2018 SHOT Show Retailer Seminar “Operation Secure Store.”
You may also be interested in: SHOT Show Update: More Popular Articles to Help You Make the Most of SHOT Show
Categories: BP Item, Featured, Top Stories
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