NSSF Announces 2021 SHOT Show is CANCELLED!
Despite earlier statements that everything was going smoothly, nobody had anything to worry about, and acres of mask material with tanker ships full of hand sanitizer to keep everyone safe and healthy, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) announced today that the 43rd Shooting Hunting and Outdoor Trades show – a/k/a SHOT Show – has been cancelled.
Whether it was due to legitimate health concerns at the show itself, or vendor pull-out based on coronavirus worries, the 2021 gathering of the firearms industry in Las Vegas this January is no more.
Despite what NSSF President & CEO Joe Bartozzi called remarkable work by SHOT Show staff to “work around the clock to plan our largest show in history while keeping the health and safety of all involved” at the top of the list, he made the announcement this morning.
While we were disappointed to hear the news, it was not surprising as we have dealt the cancellation of several other large shows this year. The GunLink Team was on standby with flights scheduled, accommodations booked, and exhibit hall and range day passes secured to cover the show as we have for the last decade. Exactly a decade, as it were.
SHOT Show 2021 – originally slated to run from January 19-21 – was to mark the 10 year anniversary of GunLink SHOT Show coverage and we had hoped to make it special with extra coverage, giveaways, and more. Hopefully, if all goes as planned, the special event can be moved to the 2022 show.
Bartozzi issued the following statement:
Due to the recent rise in COVID-19 cases throughout the world, NSSF, the firearm industry trade association, today makes the difficult announcement that the 2021 SHOT Show has been cancelled.
NSSF has remained in constant communication with Nevada officials throughout the year in our planning for the 2021 show. While there has been a concerted effort to expand the allowable levels for large gatherings by the county and state, with positivity rates peaking during our key planning period we have made the difficult decision to cancel the 2021 show. Sadly, these spikes are currently transpiring worldwide. Given the sheer complexities, diminishing timeline and immense logistical planning required to conduct a trade show as large as SHOT, NSSF simply could not move forward at this point with so many unknowns and variables. We truly appreciate the guidance of Nevada and Las Vegas officials in allowing us to communicate this news to our exhibitors and attendees well in advance of the show. We would also like to thank the Sands directly for their help and efforts to navigate this unprecedented situation.
The planning and work that has gone into the 2021 SHOT Show has been nothing short of remarkable. Since the pandemic began in early 2020, the NSSF staff and our show partners have been working around the clock to plan our largest show in history while keeping the health and safety of all involved as paramount.
The support of our show exhibitors this year has also been nothing short of remarkable. With three months to go until the show, floor space for both the Sands Expo Center and our expansion to the new Caesars Forum was nearly sold out, with more companies than ever before represented at the SHOT Show.
All of this positions us for a 2022 SHOT Show that will be undoubtably the best in our industry’s history, and we look forward to bringing our entire community together again at a show that will be one to remember.
During the coming year, NSSF asks for our industry’s unwavering support as we continue our fight to promote, protect and preserve our industry in these unsettling times.
Throughout this year, NSSF has remained at the forefront for our industry. As thousands of businesses across the country were shuttered as being “non-essential” during the pandemic, NSSF worked nonstop to have firearm retailers, ranges, manufacturers and distributors listed as “essential” which allowed them to remain open for business.
NSSF is your trade association. Everything we do—from education, safety initiatives, compliance and security resources, import/export guidance, consumer activation initiatives, government relations, and the SHOT Show—is aimed at helping businesses in our industry succeed. Now, more than ever, we need your continued support.
