It seems like with every one of these conventions/trade shows that I cover, it gets easier and easier. The goals are better defined. The plans get better. The results are more favorable. Also, each time I walk away less wrecked and exhausted. That really makes me feel like my diet and exercise is working.
To reiterate my original post, NRAAM was truly more relaxed than SHOT. To be honest, though, I don’t know if I like that. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the heck out of the show and if my budget allowed it I would go every year. My budget being what it is, however, means I have to choose and I think I’ll be going to SHOT from here on in. Like I said, though, this show was an absolute blast and I highly recommend it to anyone who can make it there.
Thoughts and Musings
It seemed to me that every other booth was an AR-15 builder. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some ARs and I plan on getting some more. Still, I can’t help but feel like there’s going to be an AR bubble sometime in the near future. The supply is going to outpace the demand and it’s going to push a lot of people out of business.
While there were still few, I’m noticing fewer and fewer booth babes with every show I attend. It’s great to see vendors adapting to the times. Some move faster than others but the momentum is there.
Even though this show was geared towards the general public, it’s interesting to see some of the booth/staff attitudes of that were prevalent at SHOT Show carried over to this show. I won’t name names but there were a couple of booths that seemed to have a “Make sure you sanitize the guns after they leave so we don’t get their filth on us” kind of attitude. It was only one or two booths, mind you, but still. They way they’ve treated us as well as other people trying to give them free publicity has really affected my opinions on them and I tend to recommend their guns far less now (if I recommend them at all, really). It’s not that their products are bad, mind you. But if they treat people trying to help them like that, how are they going to treat customers?
Conversely, it’s a heck of a testament to the different booth workers when they recognize me from year to year. The fact that some said “Great to see you again. Missed you at SHOT this year!” and variations thereof shows that those reps care about their booth’s visitors and understand the concept of “free publicity”. Admittedly, some of that could be that I’m the only one that ever seems to wear a bowler hat (outside of the stylish dudes at Turnbull) but still.
Friendliest Booth Staff – Taurus
Back when I first attended SHOT Show, I was averaging about 5,000 to 10,000 views a month. Still, someone at the show didn’t do their homework and I was somehow granted media access. The great people at Taurus treated this nerd from a rinky dink site like he was one of those huge blogs. Three years later, they treat me like a rock star. To those booths I mentioned earlier: you dudes need to go spend some time talking to the reps at Taurus and learn from them the right way to do things. You won’t find a more consistently friendly group of people.
Thinking Outside the Box – Polycase Ammunition
The words “game” and “changer” are often used for things that aren’t, in fact, game changers. The stuff that Polycase is doing, however, is going to be a big deal. Mark my words. We’re going to have an extensive article on them in the very near future but, in the meantime, keep an eye on these dudes.
Shut Up and Take My Money – Cobale Kinetics
Two words: Cylon AR. The people over at Cobalt Kinetics have made the most awesomely ridiculous AR15 on the planet and I want it. I predict some operator wannabe will see that and say something to the effect of “rambling about operator stuff Magpul operator operator wargarbl” but I don’t care. Those are people who don’t smile anymore when they fire a new gun. For the rest of us, there’s this thing and it is glorious.
Makes Me Want to Punch A Wall Award – Staggering slow people
If you walk slower than others, that’s fine. If you walk slower than others and then won’t walk in some semblance of a straight line making it impossible for anyone to get around you, you completely wreck the necessary flow of crowd movement. I can assure you that it is possible to walk slowly AND take in the sights of the show without meandering from left to right as you go down the aisles. I assume they’re typically the same people who drive 10 miles under the speed limit in the fast lane while trying to pass someone going 10.1 miles under the limit in the middle lane.
Best In Show – Chris when he discovered the electronic plinking cans from LaserLyte
I’m laughing my butt off just writing about it now. Let me set the stage for you: the ever awesome LaserLyte has these little cans that will fall over when shot by a laser from any of their training devices. I guess Chris had never seen them before because when I shot one while playing with their new full size training pistol, I hear “ARE YOU FREAKING SERIOUS!?”. Next thing I know Chris drops the camera grabs the nearest training pistol and starts going nuts on the cans. He was walking around the booth shooting every single can they had set up. Not only that, but giggling (literally giggling) every time one of them fell over. It was almost like he was playing a game of whack-a-mole. He would shoot any cans that he could find that were standing up. Even shot one that someone else had set up. The look on that dude’s face was priceless. The dude was like 12 or 13 and just had this look like “why? I worked so hard to stand that up!”. He saw the humor in it too when Chris skipped off to shoot more of them. Ok, he didn’t exactly “skip” but he might as well. I wish I wasn’t laughing too hard to get the whole spectacle on camera.
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