There are a handful of companies that can lay claim to have exhibited at every SHOT Show® since the inaugural 1979 show in St. Louis. Of course, to have exhibited at each one means the company has been in continuous operation for at least 46 years. Likewise, when it comes to SHOT Show buyers, there aren’t many with the distinction of having attended every SHOT Show. Even fewer have represented their retail store at each one.

We had the opportunity to speak with one of them, Richard Sprague, owner of Sprague’s Sports in Yuma, Ariz., and NSSF Board of Governors member. With the experience of literally every SHOT Show under his belt, Sprague brings authoritative insight on the benefits of attending the SHOT Show and how it keeps businesses on the cutting edge and motivated for success.

Sprague knows the value of what his attendance at the SHOT Show brings to his business.

“What drives all businesses is new products, and that’s what we go for — just to get introduced to the entire line of new products and get hands on. At the SHOT Show, we can also talk directly to the people behind the new products firsthand, face-to-face,” he said.

It also doesn’t hurt there are 50,000 highly motivated professionals together in the same venue — adding even more value for attendees.

“My whole investment in attending the SHOT Show is met the very first day. The energy, enthusiasm and optimism are there, as well as the passion we have for the industry and customer base we serve,” Sprague said. “It’s something you can’t ignore; it makes it all worthwhile for me.”

Planning for Success

Coming to the SHOT Show with a plan in place is a critical component to SHOT Week®, especially with two venues — The Venetian Expo and Caesars Forum — packed with engaging booths and new products. Sprague brings four employees with him to the show each year (including one gunsmith and others focused on new opportunities, such as NFA, optics and new products). They coordinate with each other before, during and after the show each day.

“There will be times when we pair up — my gunsmith will have different priorities — and we’ll meet several times a day to encourage each other to stop by and see a particular product or to check something else out,” he said. “We always do meals together and recap the day and talk about what we want to accomplish the next day.”

Sprague advised buyers should be strategic about appointments with exhibitors.

“We don’t have a strong focus on appointments, outside of seeing key accounts,” he said. “The SHOT Show is so large, inevitably, you’ll spend a lot of time crisscrossing the map just go to an appointment — resulting in a lot of wasted time going from point A to point B.”

“If you want to be the best at what you do, you go to SHOT.”

— Richard Sprague

A benefit of an appointment at the SHOT Show, of course, is dedicated one-on-one time with a manufacturer and access to the entire product line.

“The difference between SHOT Show and other buy-group or regional shows is you can see everything a manufacturer makes,” Sprague noted. “At smaller events, they’ll bring the top-selling products, but you’ll miss out on seeing everything. The only place to see everything really and with consistency is at SHOT.”

“A Major Differentiator”

Face-to-face meetings — whether planned or impromptu — is one of the pillars of a prosperous SHOT Show, as Sprague can attest.

“The face-to-face component at SHOT is a big deal. When you come away with somebody’s business card and you call them later and say you spoke at SHOT, you suddenly have a relationship with them,” he said. “You’re real to them, and they’re real to you. It’s a major differentiator, in my opinion.”

Another venue to meet key contacts in a relaxed setting is attending a SHOT University™ session.

“Don’t forget about the SHOT University offerings, they give an opportunity to meet with the guys who help with compliance and more,” Sprague said. “To be able to call them in the middle of the day because you have a relationship with them is huge — a lot of that starts at the SHOT Show.”

Predicting 2026

To say the past two years have been challenging for our industry would be an understatement. Economic headwinds continue to impact discretionary spending, and successful businesses will need to be nimble and responsive in 2026, Sprague predicts.

“We expected a bump in 2024 and didn’t get it. This year we felt the effects of a Republican administration. We all love to have that, but it has a settling effect on the industry, so to speak,” he observed. “Everyone who is going to stay in business and stay viable, they’re readjusting their marketing plans and releasing new products and tweaking established ones — coming in with more competitive price points. We’ll continue to see lots of adjustments in the industry to reenergize our customer base with these new offerings and price points.”

Don’t Settle for Less

Sprague offered his “bottom line” argument for those on the fence of whether to attend the 2026 SHOT Show or not.

“To me, if you want to be the best at what you do, you go to SHOT. If you’re willing to settle for less than being the best, then yeah, you can trick yourself and think you’re saving the money by not going and incurring the expense of the travel. But you’re not exposing yourself to all there is out there,” he said. “By not going, you’re not getting the full gamut of opportunities; you’re settling for less.”

In addition to competing against other retailers, Sprague is aware the battle for discretionary income goes beyond the shooting sports.

“In business, it’s so competitive out there. We’re not just competing in our industry, we’re competing with the discretionary dollar, period,” he noted. “It’s exciting to see the potential of what’s out there and to have the options to engage with people you didn’t even know about before you went to SHOT.”

As a rising tide lifts all boats, a strong SHOT Show bodes well for the industry’s long-term growth and a stalwart defense against those seeking to dismantle gun rights.

“Most people aren’t familiar with everything NSSF does, but if you support SHOT, you support your trade association — which is going to battle for us every day, at so many different levels,” Sprague said. “When your trade association is supported, you’re supported at all levels. And that’s very important.”

The opening day of the 2026 SHOT Show is right around the corner. Don’t miss your shot to start off the new year exploring the best new products, making better connections and setting your business up for success in any market. For more info and to register, visit shotshow.org.

– Jade Moldae, Director of Content, NSSF