What does everyone think about the venue this year?

Better or worse than the convention center in years past?

Not there this year but the one of the first years I went it was at the sands (99/00/01 not sure), Didnt make much differance to me, its still a lot of walking.

lots of tactical posers all over the place!

No kidding wave. It was like a BDU and multicam convention today!

I do not like the new venue. It took me 6 hours to see all the LE stuff. Usually takes 2 hours. Everything is spread out.

I heard the SHOT show will be in Vegas for the next 4 years so get used to it...

And i bet it will not come close to the attendance of last year in Orlando

I'm not a fan of the new venue either. It seems that everything is all mixed up. I thought I had seen all the LE/MIL stuff, when I discover a whole other section.

Anyways, I bet the attendance is up, I've never seen so many people in the aisles and this is my 6th SHOT.

See ya in 5 yrs, SHOT!

As a reference: I've attended 2 or 3 Vegas shows and 2 in Orlando. (memory is bad, at the very least 2&2)

I believe the Sands is either all new or totally remodeled.

Last year was not so good mostly due to the economy supposedly.
This year from what some friends say .... is much better. I'm regretting not going already.

Orlando is much better in my opinion.
I actually like the Convention Ctr.
Orlando has better weather and is easier For Me to get to.

Vegas has all the Glitz and THE BEST RESTAURANTS.
Vegas is a 5hr non-stop flight with crying babies that make you want jump out of the plane @ 20,000ft.
I now have a solution for the plane whenever I go west, but it costs a lot.

Why SHOT couldn't find a place more centrally located is beyond me. Now we're stuck in Vegas for 3 more years. They're just saying Screw You to all of us East of the Mississippi.

What's wrong with TEXAS??

You mean to tell me that they can't find somewhere else, a compromise that can handle the show that's more convenient for everyone.

They want it to be all "Business", but we have families and with the Holiday season just behind us a mere 3 weeks no less. Heck, I just took two weeks vacation! It's expected of us to run across country, NOW mid-week to a not so friendly family location.

I think they can do better.

*just a little bitching & moaning because I didn't go this year*

Blowz.

It's worse, IMO.

The last LVCC one, in 2008, ran like clockwork.

LE stuff was all in the LE pavilion.

Firearms manufacturers were kinda spread out, but everything was incredibly easy to find: "Meet me at the Kel-Tec booth" elicited an immediate understanding of where to go.

This year, a flare gun for signaling or maybe a GPS would be better. Pretty much a mess. LE spread out all over. Firearms. kind of centralized, but over two floors. Everyone seemed to have much bigger booths, though, especially Kel-Tec (love that PMR30!).

And transportation...the absolute worst I've seen. Huge cab line out front, with mostly shysters in limousines pulling up and trying to lure groups to go with them. Absolutely not enough buses/free shuttles..

2008, that same scene ran like absolute clockwork, buses quickly lined up, no lines, great organization. Hopefully more shuttle buses for other hotels (I stayed at the Flamingo, which had a shuttle in 08) in 2011.

I'm hoping next year will be better; I'm willing to give them a break this year, but I thought the organization was incredibly sloppy this year.

wonder if it's to keep all the companies suing each other apart...never know, WW3 might start at SHOT...

the convention center is better for show attendee's, easy to navigate. BUT i like that the sands is attached to the venetian and palazoo

Hard to say.

In my opinion there were far too many people there on Wednesday. SHOT is clearly not doing enough to keep the looky-loos out. Wednesday it was like an airsoft convention with all the young kids with their Multi-cam.

This was my 20th year. I much prefer Orlando.

1st year attendee...

I thought ALL of the LE related shold have been in ONE venue.

WHY were there so many "Air Softers" there? (Great "people watching" fun though...LOL)

Tuesday seemed to be a far easier day to get around...less people.

WHY do asshats have to drag those stupid milk box carts behind them...then stop short...so I run into them??

Why did I succumb to a Sebenza folder at the Chris Reeves booth???? $330 for a pocket knife??? What was I thinking?


FN in MT

This.

Seriously. Unless you are disabled leave the milk crate on wheels at home.

Unless you are working at the Crye Booth dont wear your multicam uniform complete with battle belt and 3-day pack to a TRADE show.

All The people I spoke to at SHOT all agreed that who ever layed out ShOT this year needs to be kicked in the "junk"
There was a LE guy mixed in with camping products,

The layout sucked a dead dog's dick...I've only missed 2 shows the past 17 years. The CC was the better venue.

this was my first shot show so i cant compare to years past. but the layout was fucked all the stuff seemed to be mixed up pretty bad. fine example is you's walk by an le/mil booth and they would have a booth with sigle action revolvers and leverguns right behind them and the another le/mil booth next to it. just keep the fudd stuff in the basement next year. and FUCK those damn carts people were dragging around behind them. i had a lady run up the back of my leg with one and spill it all over the floor.

John Farnam's take:

http://www.defense-training.com/quips/22Jan10.html

Yes, the leaky roof was a treat. Was dripping water in the magpul booth right by the ACR display guns. Not likely to be a problem next year though, that was more rain than Vegas usually sees in a year.

I'm going to be blunt. The convention center sucked. Big time. Everything was mixed up: there were fudd booths mixed in with the Mil/ LE stuff and the roof leaked all over the damn place. We were stationed at the Magpul booth, promoting our recent partnership with Magpul Dynamics. The entire area around us had trash cans all over the place to collect the water. The lower level was a basement. Low ceilings, dark, etc. Overall, the lower level reminded me of a cheap gun show. There was little to no signage which made navigation difficult. Overall, I wasn't impressed.

It is Vegas. We don't get rain. All roofs leak, as we do not know what rain is... .

I hate how there were separate rooms though. LVCC is a better venue.

I absolutely agree with all of the above.

This was my first SHOT show, so I can't compare to the previous shows, but I can sure confirm all of the complaints here.

What's with all of the milk crates? Are these guys so out of shape that they can't carry their catalogs and papers in a shoulder bag? The rest of us have to dodge those things left and right because the people with them usually have no idea how to maneuver them.

The roof leaked... just WTF?

The basement felt like a cave... warm, poorly lit, low ceilings.

Overall layout just seemed bizzare. Good luck finding the concession stands, bathrooms, stairs between levels, and exits, not to mention the booth that you're looking for. And the map and exhibitor list was spread out on two folding map packets, so you'd often have to wrestle with both to figure out where the booth you wanted was.

Layout caterogies included Firearms and Ammunition, General Shooting and Hunting, Outfitters Post and Taxidermy, and Law Enforcement and Tactical gear. And of course Firearms and Ammunition were kinda plopped into the center with General Shooting and Hunting around them. Or was it the other way around? I can't remember, because neither way made any sense, and almost everything could fit in either category. And most of the Law Enforcement and Tactical gear was stuffed into assorted ballrooms separate from the main hall. Plus a number of exhibitors had 2 or 3 or 4 booths, all in different areas. What's at which booth and why? Who knows?

Best moment of SHOT: I saw all of these fools with the carts blocking an aisle holding up traffic everywhere and one man had enough, he promptly kicked the carts out of the way, sending the carts along with their contents sprawling everywhere, but opening up room for people to walk around, he was quickly thanked by many

I was at Vegas in 06 at the Convention Center and Orlando last year. Either one was preferable to the Sands IMO. Like everyone else has said, layout sucked, stuff was split up, and even the booth numbering seemed screwy. It was hard to find stuff and hard to keep track if you'd cleared one area all the way or not. All sorts of little side rooms and spots not directly connected to the main show rooms.

I asked for help a few times from Sands staff and was met with a poor understanding of English in most cases and not much knowledge of the setup on their parts either.

Food prices were criminal, but I guess thats to be expected.

I've heard they're signed on there for anywhere from 3 to 7 years depending on who you talk too. Either way, I guess its going to be a while...

Crappiest layout in the four years I've been going. Vegas is cool and all, but Orlando is a much better convention center (than either in Vegas).

I've heard its going to be in Vegas for the next four years.

I just wish it would go back to the Vegas Convention and not the Sands. On top of the fact that the venue sucked, none of the people working the convention had any idea where anything was. It was useless to try and get any info out of them. The logistics before and during the show were atrocious. Half the folks on our guest list were never sent their badges. Hell, I work for the company and was never sent mine. I had to go wait in line like someone signing up on the day of the convention to get my damn badge even though I was pre registered.

Another word about the basement. I was appalled at the way it was laid out and felt sorry for the vendors down there. Due to the low ceilings, there was no way for a booth to have any tall or hanging banners to draw attention to their company. At least in the upstairs area, you could look up and have a hope of trying to find a location of the booth you were looking for. But downstairs, it was impossible to find landmarks without a map. Then, you looked like a damn tourist in Times Square standing there, blocking traffic, trying to figure out where to go.

The other convention center was so much better. Regardless of the fact they had tents, at least they were spread out on the same level and allowed you to find your way. I'd much rather they had that again. But, alas, we are stuck in the same shitty location as this year. Next year we will have our own booth and, yes, we will be stuck in the basement...

Now I don't feel so bad that I wasn't able to attend.

Venue sucked balls.

LE was split onto two levels and all chopped up in those little rooms.....I heard that Black Hills Ammo had to spend $25k to cut down their booth to make it fit in the friggen basement.

I know 1800 booths is hard to accommodate but it was all chopped up. The numbers were always off on the aisles etc....

Great show but the venue sucked.

You do know that those "milk crates" were handed out for free at SHOT by a show sponsor, right? If they're offered, folks will take them up on it.

Me, I had a wheeled carry-on bag that I used, mainly because I was picking up brochures for myself and two other people. I was always careful about where the bag went, and never blocked any isles with it.

It was a blessing...80+ pounds worth of crap brought back from SHOT.

I think next year I'll use a backpack, and keep the bag as additional storage in the hotel.

Has SHOT management addressed any of these issues yet?

It's a hell of a thing for a vendor to pay for a slot at SHOT, and then find that nobody can find them on the map. I missed at least a dozen vendors I wanted to visit since it just wasn't worth it to trudge miles to try and locate them on a map that was nearly useless (no booth numbers so you couldn't triangulate your position).

Was a venor at the show. Had great booth placement but did not like the overall layout. I like Orlando better but I will see you in Vegas next year. If you want to go to a real show, go to the Modern Day Marine show in Quantico VA. Nothing says orginazation like the Corp, and much cooler eye candy.

It was okay......why don't you guys whine about it when it went to New Orleans one time...

I'd prefer anywhere in Vegas than Orlando or New Orleans...

The Sands Expo was difficult to navigate and the booth layout was confusing and awkward. The First Floor was really "The Basement". One of the roofs was leaking, due to the 4 days of rain. The Sands Expo Ctr. location is better than the LVCC, as it is more central to the strip, but the LVCC was almost easier to get to because of the Bus Parking lot and MonoRail. The layout might become easier to deal with as We become more accustomed to the new venue. The Casino entrance was a "Choke" Point at the start and end of the show, as it was narrow and long. Overall, My Vote goes to LVCC (the Old site)

I have been attending SHOT for 12 years. This years show was the most disorganized I have seen. Food was way over priced and quality of it sucked. It usually cost about 20$ for a sandwich, chips and a drink and the sandwiches all tasted like they were made a week in advance. Crowd actually seemed to be down. Didn't appreciate the 'bag checker nazis' at the exits on friday, really created a jam-up at the door. I like the Las Vegas Convention Center at the Hilton better but the Sands put more people closer to the other casino/hotels. We stayed at the Mirage and enjoyed the proximity to the Sands. As for the milk crates on wheels, have a little consideration for the other guy and life will go smoother. I carried a backpack and they get in the way, also, but you gotta have a way to carry your gear. Some guy starts kicking my gear around and he'll be talking to security PDQ, I don't care who he is.

This was my first SHOT show, so I don't know how the other convention centers were.

I like the location of the venue on the strip and how close it was to other hotels. The layout was chopped up, but our company deals mostly in clay target and hunting sports so it was actually pretty good for us. Everything was pretty centrally located on each floor for us. I can see how the tactical/LE focused companies would have some complaints.

The basement wasn't bad either, imo. The ceilings were low, but as long as the booths were lower priced and companies notified of the height limitations, I don't see a problem. However, if companies were not aware of the 1st floor ceilings before booth selection, then that would definitely be a big problem.

And lastly, you can't really blame them for the leaking roof. It rained more in Vegas last week than it did for the entire year of 09. They're already like 2/10" over the total 2009 rainfall and it's not even a month into 2010. How are they supposed to know the roof leaks if they never get more than a sprinkle on the stormiest of days?

[quote]Originally Posted By BigZ:
Why SHOT couldn't find a place more centrally located is beyond me. Now we're stuck in Vegas for 3 more years. They're just saying Screw You to all of us East of the Mississippi.

What's wrong with TEXAS??

{quote]

My boss told us that SHOT will never return to Texas because many years ago when SHOT was in Texas, the state comptroller's office went around assessing sales tax on all orders placed with manufacturers and distributors. All orders were cancelled and rebilled the next week.

The layout was confusing, but we found most of what we needed to see - just not easily. Improvement next year, either for layout or rolling cart behaviors, is unlikely.

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