Well Shot Show 2016 has come and past, and I am now a Shot Show veteran LoL. I want to share several things I learned, some of which I picked up from others who have attended shot show many times in the past. So here is my list of recommendations and things to consider if you are planning to attend your first shot show.
1)- Shot Show is only open to registered members of industry, if you have proper credentials register before attending the show.
2)- Comfortable walking shoes, you will walking miles everyday one friend tracked his mileage and he was doing over 10 miles a day.
3)- The Shot Shot crud, many people find themselves catching the bug you will be traveling and shaking hands so wash your hands, carry some hand sanitizer with you. Some people also bump up their vitamin C and other vitamin a couple weeks before in attempt to boost their immune system.
4)- Stay hydrated, with all the walking and talking this is easy to loose track of your water intake. This will help keep you focused, your mouth from being dry, and may help flush your system to avoid the said crud aka shot show plague.
5)- Gold Bond, I thought about skipping this one but several people mainly men mentioned this one. So I’m going to include it to keep your self dry and from getting chaffed it might be something to pickup. That’s all I’m going to say about that one.
6)- Make a plan & map it out, figure out who you want to see and what booths you would like to check out and map out a plan and time frame. Remember to make it adaptable because as one marketing rep said we operate on a sliding time schedule. You never know how things will work out, and the show is larger then you can imagine. (You will not cover the whole show in 4 days)
7)- Business cards make sure to bring enough of them, I have a business card holder I use, however I found one of the best places to carry your cards is on the back side of your lanyard / I.D. Carrier (which I suggest you bring one but sometime vendors give them out)
8)- Make notes, bring a pen and a sharpie so you can make notes on business cards if your doing it right you will have a thick stack of cards from people you meet and talk with. Notes help you keep track for later follow ups, they also work for signatures you will have the opportunity to meet many known people in this industry.
9)- Travel to from airport, this one I found there are shuttle services you can buy a round trip however you have to know exactly when and where you will be when you are ready for a pickup 24hrs prior and setup a pickup time. For me next time I’ll skip the round trip and just go with the one way shuttle service as I couldn’t guarantee myself a specific time.
10)- Swag & product bag, plan on bringing an extra bag or have room for swag and products you might be taking home with you. One thing to note gun parts and magazines can go in your checked luggage, I have no issues transporting projectiles (just the lead), Bullet Key Chains, Gun Key Chains, AR-15 magazines ect. in my checked bags. Also note while at the show travel light as possible especially media crew because the more you carry the quicker you will become fatigued.
Those are just a few of my tips for surviving #SHOTSHOW , if you have some thoughts on this please let me know if the comments below…
