Most glaring of all, and not very good news for the SHOT crowd, was the difference in demographics. At SIA, most age groups were well represented, including plenty of kids and twenty-somethings, as most would expect. At SHOT, on the other hand, the overwhelming majority of attendees were in their 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond. SHOT celebrated its 30th Anniversary this year, and one got the feeling a lot of those in attendance had been to all 30 shows.
Clearly, the industry served by the SHOT show has to be concerned as to where their future participants will come from.
At present, however, SHOT could swallow SIA several times over. The SHOT show is massive, covering several exhibit halls inside the Las Vegas Convention Center, with additional booths in tents located in the parking lot and flooding over into the neightboring Hilton. And depsite the expansive nature, the floor was crowded and bustling everywhere one went. It simply was overwhelming.
SIA also was energetic and crowded, but it's hard not to notice how the show is about half its size from the days when it was held in March. The reduction, no doubt, is due to consolidation, a few years of poor snow and the fact that snowsports retailers simply aren't ready to buy in January, which is right in the middle of their peak season.
Here's a few less serious comparisons between SIA and SHOT; we'll add more as they come to mind, and feel free to shoot us a note if you think of any of your own:
Ya Brah vs. Good buddy
Skull caps vs. Bald spots
Samplin' beats vs. Beef jerky samples
Lots of skin on display vs. Dear hides and duck feathers
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