NSSF Range-Retailer Business Expo 2022 Wrap-Up

The NSSF welcomed ranges and retailers to New Orleans July 11–13 for two-and-a-half days of education, networking and a hyper-focused trade show: The Range-Retailer Expo. This unique event, now in its third year, aims to bring the range and retail portion of the industry together in an intimate setting.

This year’s attendees seemed to be a good mix between those looking to open ranges (or currently in the process) and industry veterans looking to improve their operations. The slower pace of this event, compared to SHOT Show, facilitates a perfect environment for longer conversations and meetings. Eavesdropping on some of the booth conversations, the dialog between vendors and attendees seemed very in-depth versus the “quick handshake and move to the next person” trade shows can become.

New Programs For Ranges

There seemed to be more retail-focused offers on this year’s show floor, included Springfield Armory unveiling a new simplified range program. Ranges can now replace Springfield Armory range guns after only six months, allowing them to keep the guns fresh. The new program also trimmed down the selection to firearms Springfield regularly has on hand, allowing customers to rent the firearms the ranges actually have to sell. Those in attendance were first in the nation to participate in the new range package.

Springfield Armory Event Manager Drew Herbst shared he was glad to be back, talking to existing ranges and enjoyed showing new ranges what Springfield has to offer. Herbst also appreciated the slower pace, which allowed for networking with not only ranges but Springfield Armory distributors on the show floor.

Crow Shooting Sports spoke to many range owners at its booth about the range-specific programs offered by Crow. Troy Rahn, Crow regional sales manager, thought it was a “fantastic event” as he was able to connect with new retailers, engage in conversations with existing retailers and connect with other exhibitors. Troy added the custom logo eye/ear protection program Crow brought to the show was very well received.

At the Gearfire booth, Director of Retail Product Management Eric Wille was excited to back at the Expo to share the numerous software enhancements across his suite of products. The new Gearfire Ecommerce Pro and Gearfire Capital Consumer Financing generated the most buzz with his visitors.

Education Focus

A large focus of the Range-Retailer Expo is the educational seminars, and the 2022 event did not disappoint.

First-time presenter Brenna McCoubrey, marketing manager for the newly appointed NSSF 5-Star Range White Birch Armory in Dover, N.H., presented “Elevate Your Social Media Strategy.” She was able to share real-world examples from White Birch Armory to help attendees understand all the social media options available and, more importantly, what techniques she uses to manages them. McCoubrey taught how she established the brand standards for White Birch Armory and integrated them into her social media strategy.

“I hope the attendees of my session took away the importance of humanizing their brands and found ways to start building their online presence,” she said. “Having a transparent foundation online provides comfort to new shooters and establishes a connection with future customers before they even enter their range.”

Hank Yacek, CEO of Point of Impact Consulting, wrapped up the education sessions late in the morning on Wednesday with “The Power of Used Firearms: Closing the Sales Cycle Loop.” Yacek pointed out attendees who implement the strategies he discussed “would more than pay” for the whole conference. He walked everyone through a step-by-step process from best ways acquire used firearms, how to market them and finally the selling process. Yacek pointed out: With the surge in new firearms sales, there’s a massive opportunity coming in used firearms for retailers who implement the plan he detailed.

What Attendees Had To Say

To find out what those new to the range business had to say about the Expo, I spoke with Jared Meeks owner of Jared’s Tactical, soon to be rebranded as Alabama Firearms Academy, in Rainbow City, Ala. Meeks and his new business partner Devin Campbell are getting ready to open a second location, this one with a range. The Expo was a perfect event to learn from industry experts on merchandising, training and to get hands-on with products the new range will need, like a HEPA vacuum from Tiger-Vac, Gun Fun Targets, filters for the range and other items. They each brought their wives and Store Associate Matt Stuard to gather information and enjoyed getting lots of casual advice from current range owners during the cocktail reception event held after hours on the show floor Monday.

Wanting some insight into what the veterans of the industry thought, I talked with Bill Edwards, co-owner and founder of Triangle Shooting Academy in Raleigh N.C (an NSSF 5-Star range). Edwards said he received good information from every class he attended. He’s attended NSSF educational events for years and comes away with at least one nugget of information from each class. Events like the NSSF Range/Retail Expo is one step that continues to keep Triangle at the forefront in our industry.

At this year’s Expo, Edwards shared he walked away with a lot of information from the “Understanding the Risk Factors of Suicide and What You Need to know to Implement Suicide Prevention Programs and Practices” presentation. His team already had a good plan in place, but this seminar alerted him of a few additions to his current checklist and he’s had plans to reach out to his local AFSP (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention) chapter immediately afterward.

Edwards also mentioned being able to see vendors at the same event as the education was a big plus, he’s looking for new technology to improve his ranges — the two in-lane camera system vendors at the Expo, Long Shot and Target Scope, piqued his interest.

Mark Your Calendars

This is a great event, held in the perfect time of the selling season, I’d encourage anyone engaged in the range or even just retail portion of our industry to attend. There was so much information provided to improve your retail business and plenty of vendors on the show floor with retail-centered offers to make it worth your effort to attend.

Don’t let your competition get ahead of you, next year’s NSSF Range-Retail Expo will be held July 10–12 in Milwaukee, Wis.

For more info on this year’s event, visit nssf.org/expo-2022.