My 4 big things for dealing with (read enjoying) SHOT.
1. Sensible Shoes!!! I actually bring 2 pair....I cant underestimate the amount of walking.
2. Sensibel Shoes!!! see where Im going with this.
3. Make a plan- the show is so damn big that you need to plan out where you want to hit. Get the map ahead of time and plan your day....practice your land nav! Follow your plan on Day 1-3 making notes on what you want to follow up on, Day 4 go back to anywhere you had a special interest in.
4.See a show, go to Battlefield Vegas, just do something not stuck inside the convention center
4A. DO NOT GO TO THE AVN AWARDS! To some the porn awards seem like a bonus to being in Vegas for SHOT. All I can saw is the highly polished "top tier" stars are not what you will end up seeing....in reality much more like the C team from a Wed afternoon at a 2nd class strip joint.
I am not a huge fan of literature unless it is something I am very interested in. I usually still come home with about 6-8" tall stack of brochures, catalogs and sell sheets. I do a decent bit of business and do always seem to get a card from every 3rd person at the show
. You could conceivably collect enough that you would need to visit FedEx to avoid the oversize baggage charges. There is always a ton of swag as well. Lots of morale patches, hats, occasional T shirts....all the way to Bags, Jackets, BCGs, Charging Handles, Brass, Sights, Mounts, Optics if you know the right people.
Keep your eyes open and it usually isnt hard to snag an invite to one of the big parties (Crye, Agency, Q, Trijicon, Leupold, etc). Almost every night there is a big party or 3 to go to if you want. I must be getting old because now I really only do 2 parties tops over a 4 day stay.....hell that used to be the first night.
A big takeaway is this. The guys displaying are trying to make a living and sell their product. Believe only 1/2 of how great that new product is, "everyone" is a former pipe hitter (my best sarcasm), and if some of the guys at the biggest and coolest booths start getting a little short dont hold it against them....they are there for 6 days and will be burnt out by the end of day 2.
Chris
