Boisterous Supplier Showcase Sets Tone For SHOT Show 2025

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The energy on display at the Supplier Showcase before SHOT Show 2025 officially opened
represented a good sign for the industry.

Officially, SHOT Show 2025 commenced Tuesday, Jan. 21 — but don’t tell that to those who exhibited or attended the Supplier Showcase.

The event ran Jan. 20–21 up on the fifth level of The Venetian Expo, featuring a record 605 exhibitors capable of producing countless materials and solutions for manufacturers and dealers.

Whether attendees were looking for barrel improvements, updated packaging, machinery, custom point-of-sale displays, engraving enhancements, springs, textile manufacturing, leather sourcing or software to track productivity or compliance, it was all on display at the Supplier Showcase.

Monday morning, the Supplier Showcase was a flurry of activity — pervasive echoes of business chatter were taking place in packed booths and aisles throughout the exhibit hall. Even with President Trump’s inauguration taking place inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda some 2,000 miles away, thousands of buyers, gunsmiths and manufacturers were present, focused on getting business done.

In dozens of conversations I had with vendors, not one had a negative thing to say about their experiences in the first few hours of the two-day event and all noted an uptick of traffic over the first day of the showcase in 2024. The 2025 Supplier Showcase was, in a word, boisterous.

Carrying Over ...

It’s safe to say the energy from the Supplier Showcase carried over to the rest of The Venetian Expo and Caesars Forum.

Eager buyers perused products throughout the show floor, looking to capitalize on early finds to bring in to their stores.

Major firearms launches from the likes of Ruger (RXM), Smith & Wesson (No Lock Classic Series Revolvers), KelTec (PR57), Staccato (HD), Mossberg (590R), Henry USA (Lever Action Supreme Rifle), FN (Reflex XL) and GLOCK (9mm pistols with Aimpoint COA Optic) commanded attention from attendees.

Other booths with a buzz from the opening day included Magpul, Holosun, Burris and Hornady. Suppressor booths were also a hub of activity, including at HUXWRX, SilencerCo, Silencer Central and Dead Air. (And SIG SAUER returned as an exhibitor at the Show, generating significant foot traffic.)

Have a thought to share on what stood out to you during the industry’s premier trade event? Send me an email anytime: editor@shootingindustry.com.