The Shooting Hunting Outdoor Trade Show is put on by the NSSF every year. This is the 21st SHOT Show. It is not open to the public, but you can certainly attend as a "buyer" for any FFL, sporting good retailer or similar cover. I think they had about 40k+ visitors last year.
Everyone in the industry, including the international companies, some of which can;t even import there stuff for sale (like those cool South Africans), attends.
Lots of cool displays, most of the major wholesalers are there, in addition to all the manufacturers. Lots of seminars designed to inform and educate dealers and retailers (not like the ones at the SOF Expo... which are much more fun). Lots of hospitality rooms with free-flowing booze hosted by manufacturers with Purcahse Orders wrapped around every beer instead of cocktail napkins...
This year it will be in Atlanta, Feb 1-4. The cost to get in as a buyer is about $35.00. It is probably not too late to talk your FFL buddy into getting passes for both of you.
Before I really worked in the industry I "sponsored" one of my buddies who owned a gun shop. He never would've gone, but I bought his plane ticket to Vegas. He set our passes and I got to buy a bunch of stuff through him at Dealer cost. I covered the plane ticket and then some when I bought a .50 BMG. He ended up becoming a distributor for several companies he never would've gotten a chance to deal with directly.
------------------
-Essayons
[This message has been edited by Rob (edited 01-05-99).]
