What Are Your Goals For The 2014 SHOT Show?

Goals, you say?   Does a person who goes to the SHOT Show to experience all there is to see in the outdoors really need goals?   I suppose not, if you are attending merely for fun.   But quite honestly if you don’t attend with a specific purpose in mind you are probably the sort of Attendee whom the show is trying to weed out of its ranks.

Let me say this.   There was a time back a couple decades ago when the show would be held at venues, such as the New Orleans Convention Center, where space was a luxury.   You could look from one end of the show floor and truthfully not see the wall on the other end.   Back in those days the sky was the limit when it came to exhibitor space and possibilities.

A person who walks the SHOT Show floor with purpose and confidence is someone who has taken the time to set a few personal goals for the event.

Not the case anymore.

These days the show is much more strict on who it lets in because the show has grown and space is more condensed.   Not only does SHOT limit how many exhibitor personnel get passes based on display size, but even attendees and media are much more closely scrutinized in an effort to add greater legitimacy to the business environment.   That all being said, the days of getting to attend the SHOT Show as a reward or prize of some sort is over.   Bottom line, if you don’t have a bona fide business goal chances are you are in the crosshairs of show management for future events.

So, if you are attending SHOT you have goals or outcomes you want to accomplish.   Of course, it’s really hard to draw up a master plan because an outdoors writer will have objectives much different than a buyer for a small gun shop.   Still, I contend if you walk into the show it is just too damn easy to become overwhelmed by the entirety of the event, that a few goals will give you greater focus to maximize the outcome you desire.

The enormity and fast-pace of the SHOT Show will utterly confuse and consume a person who doesn’t enter the show floor with a well thought out plan.

During the past few days I have focused on networking as a necessary strategy to achieve desired outcomes.   I won’t continue to beat that drum, but realize that should be part of everyone’s plan no matter what your other goals may be.

Here’s a short list of my goals (as a communicator) for the 2014 SHOT Show:

  • Carefully observe the way companies are marketing via apps and social media.   My hunch is we are at a pivotal point where companies have discovered how smart phones and tablets are here to stay and hunters and shooters are definitely using them.
  • Find the handful or so of new products that will be creating the most post-SHOT Show buzz.   This may sound easy, but each year it seems more challenging to determine what product truly has “legs” and will take off in the marketplace.
  • Measure the industry pulse.   Much like a physician who observes and listens, I think it’s important as a communicator to monitor the overall health of the industry by being at the epicenter of its activity…and then report on it.
  • Key in on products that enable increased enjoyment for older sportsmen.   Seriously, I think older hunters and shooters are often forgotten and that’s why they eventually drop from the ranks sooner than necessary.   Now that I am pushing past 50 I seem to better appreciate advancing age and what limitations it does to the body.
  • Discover products that are oddball or strangely unusual.   It’s always worthwhile to poke fun at what some folks think will sell in the marketplace.
  • Look for industry trends and subsequently report on them.

There you go.   That’s my goals short list for SHOT.   Let’s here some of the goals you have for next week in Vegas!

©2014 Jim Braaten. All Rights Reserved. No Reproduction without Prior Permission.

Discover Even More To The SHOT Show Away From The Exhibit Floor

Would it surprise you if your best discovery while attending the annual SHOT Show came to you when you weren’t technically at the show?   In many ways, the SHOT Show is about connections with people and I’m here to tell you not all networking or business opportunities will occur at the Sands Convention Center next week.   Here’s what I mean….

Now first, let me be perfectly clear…I am not talking about “carpetbagging” or “suitcasing” practices that the SHOT Show strictly forbids.   Essentially both of these tradeshow practices are activities undertaken by companies who try to take advantage of attendees at the show without paying for or actually participating in exhibitor booth space.   In other words, some companies in order to save money will conduct their sales activities on the fringe of the tradeshow in order to capitalize on a high concentration of prospects.

LetsTalkInstead, I am talking about keeping your eyes and ears open at all times for any opportunity.

Several years back I was at the Dallas/Fort Worth airport and needed to catch a taxi to my hotel.   As it turns out, the guy standing near me needed a taxi for a different hotel just around the corner.   We shared the ride (and the expense) and the journey made an awesome new industry connection for a new writer.   Not only did we share a mutual activity in both arriving to town for SHOT, but the ride gave us an opportunity to discover how a mutually beneficial relationship could evolve out of the chance encounter.

That’s what I am talking about.   Even though it may not be in your personal nature to chat up people who are perfect strangers, the nice thing is if you know someone is at SHOT you already have something in common with them.   In essence, you have a conversation begging to happen.   Furthermore, within the first 30 seconds you can usually gauge how receptive the other person is to continuing on.   Granted, some people will have a lot on their minds and don’t care to lose their focus talking to some person they will never meet again.   That’s perfectly fine.   It’s not a rejection of you, it’s more a statement about them and the lost opportunities they are not willing to experience with their chilly personality.

Several years back a colleague of mine, Jeff, stepped outside the exhibit floor down in Orlando where they had an area set aside for smoking.   Now, I will never suggest a person take up smoking to put yourself in a position to socialize with others, but Jeff started chatting up a show attendee and discovered this guy was selling the primary item Jeff wanted to discover while at the show.   Things don’t always work out that perfectly, but it certainly can happen.

Honestly, I can’t tell you how many times I have been riding in an elevator with other show goers and had to ask…”where the hell did you get that?”   They will respond how such and such booth is giving the item away.   Perhaps you totally missed it at the show, but away from the show is also when discoveries can be made.

Here’s a few quick pointers for striking up a conversation with a SHOT Show stranger(either at or away from the show):

  • Consider what is happening at the moment.  Are you both waiting in line for a shuttle bus?  Say something like “I hope that bus driver didn’t get lost…I have a HOT date tonight!”   Break the ice with a statement that begs for further conversation.
  • Watch their eyes.   If they purposely avoid making direct eye contact with you than it’s a good bet they don’t want to talk.   On the other hand, direct eye contact is akin to a personal handshake non verbally indicating…TALK TO ME!   Make the verbal move immediately.
  • Ask open-ended questions that cannot be answered with a one-word response.   “So, tell me about the best product you’ve seen so far at the show.”
  • Wear something odd or unique that encourages people to ask you questions.   Let others begin the conversation by being inquisitive.
  • Above all, appear receptive to others talking to you.   Put a smile on that face.   Look positive.   Strive for a confident appearance.   Appear as the type of person who has what others seek and appear willing to openly share a minute or two of conversation with them.

In closing, the SHOT Show networking potential extends far beyond the walls of the convention center, or even Las Vegas, for that matter.   Once you treat the entire SHOT Show experience as a unique business adventure, you’ll begin to understand how the show can positively change lives from the moment you leave home.

©2014 Jim Braaten. All Rights Reserved. No Reproduction without Prior Permission.

10 Attendee Tips To Ensure SHOT Show Success.

Today kicks off a series of blog post I have planned about the upcoming Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT Show) to be held next week in Las Vegas.   I know that perhaps a large majority of this blog’s readers do not attend this annual trade show, however, my hope is that it gives both show attendees and non-attendees alike some greater insight into what happens at SHOT.   In the outdoors world this show really is a BIG deal!

The fast pace at the SHOT Show will wear you down quickly unless you come prepared for success.

I just counted it out and since attending my very first SHOT Show held in Dallas back in 1989 I think I have only missed two shows since that time.   That makes the 2014 show my 24th  SHOT, I do believe.   In any case, I have witnessed a bunch of changes and have had lots of experiences over the years.   I’d like to use some of this past show knowledge to help both first-timers and savvy old veterans, alike.

Consider these pointers to achieve SHOT Show success next week:

  1. Arrive well-rested.   I can’t emphasize this enough.   No matter what physical condition you are in the SHOT Show will find a way to kick you in the butt.   I guarantee you will discover muscles that have not been sore for years.   This condition is only amplified if you arrive worn down.   Besides, your body stands a better chance of fighting off illness when well-rested.   Who wants to get sick at SHOT anyway?
  2. Bring your most comfortable shoes.   I’ve written in the past how many miles of walking the SHOT Show represents on non-forgiving cement floors.   Oh, sure, there is carpet in booths and most isles, but don’t kid yourself…several hours in and you will find your “dogs” barking for relief.   Again, this situation is only made worse when your shoes are chosen for fashion and not primarily for comfort.   If necessary, wearing tennis shoes with dress clothes is both permissible and somewhat expected.
  3. Drink plenty of water.   Do this before the trip, during your stay in Vegas, and also when you return home.   Why?   While you might think food is the energy source for your body, in fact a healthy body can only perform with adequate water intake.   Don’t forget…Vegas is a desert and the air will dry you out because of that fact.
  4. Travel with a plan.   Write some goals down on paper you want to accomplish.   Keep it simple and don’t try to accomplish too much.   Refer to this written plan often.   Maybe you have a goal of finding 20 new product suppliers for your store.   Perhaps you have a list of rep names you have been wanting to finally meet in person.   No matter what outcome you desire from SHOT, it works best to quantify it and write it down so the plan can be reviewed and you stay focused.
  5. Be sociable.   I’m not necessarily talking about tweeting on Twitter.com or any of the other Social Media outlets…although it would benefit you to do so.   Instead, I’m talking about being sociable the old fashioned way with your mouth.   Talk to folks while in line at the concession stand.   Engage booth exhibitors by asking questions or having them demonstrate product.   Most people at SHOT are friendly and willing to converse, but it takes a bold person to start the exchange.   Be that person who is bold enough to introduce yourself to a stranger.
  6. Get a show floor map and use it (or download the new Smart Phone app).   I often tell new attendees how the most important 5 minutes they can spend is reviewing a map and learning the SHOT Show exhibitor layout.   The National Shooting Sports Foundation(NSSF), who owns and administers SHOT, has put a great deal of effort into show management.   Two decades ago booths lacked any logical order, but no more.   Today, if you want to maximize your time spent in, let’s say the tactical area, that is entirely possible.   Getting familiar with a map will make you more efficient with your precious show time.
  7. Prioritize your literature and show samples.   Generally I take a wheeled carry on bag when traveling to SHOT.   When I get to the hotel I empty the bag and this becomes my literature carrier all during the show.   Then each day I fill the bag with catalogs, price lists, trinkets, samples, etc. and haul it all back to my hotel room each night.   Once I get there and I’m relaxing, I then created two piles.   One pile is the show materials I have an IMMEDIATE need for once I get home.   That stays in the hotel room with me until I pack for my departure.   The vast majority gets sorted and taken back to the show with me the next morning.   Why, you ask?   Simple.   It gets placed in a handy, dandy shipping box (services near the escalator) and when I am done filling it on my final day…this box gets shipped by UPS/FedEx directly to my home/office door.
  8. Open your mind to new possibilities.   Several years back I overheard a bunch of product buyers lamenting all this “Zombie Crap” on display, to use their words.   Well, that “Zombie Crap” helps increase sales potential, but only for the folks who were forward thinking enough to realize this would become a new shooting craze among many.   You go to SHOT to see new things.   Indeed, some ideas or products will leave you shaking your head.   Others, well, it might just be the next better mouse trap, so to speak.   Don’t overlook potential (or profits) because you are stuck in your old ways of doing things.
  9. Take time to have some fun.   This may seem silly, but I truly believe it is vital to having a positive show experience.   Don’t spend all night in your room getting room service or even down on the gambling floor.   Make plans!   Make fun plans!   Include others and get out and spend some time unwinding.   Make dinner reservations or hit one of the upscale buffets famous in Las Vegas.   Remember, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas so if you go and end up having some fun…nobody will tell on you!
  10. Once you get back home, follow up with your new contacts.   I consider this one of the most important aspects of SHOT Show attendance.   You have a stack of business cards gathered(new contacts).   Drop them a quick e-mail and express how glad you were to have met them and your future business plans with them.   Not only does this act show you as an elite professional (less than 5% will do this), but it will garner you additional respect from that contact that you valued their time spent chatting with you at the show.   Folks, this is a must activity accomplished within five days upon getting home from SHOT.

I could go on, but I do consider these to be some of the big points you’ll want to consider.   Does anyone else have suggestions about SHOT you would like to include?   Comment below.

©2014 Jim Braaten. All Rights Reserved. No Reproduction without Prior Permission.