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SHOT Show is the pinnacle of firearms industry tradeshows and takes over Las Vegas every winter.
This year, the Wyoming State Shooting Complex will have a big presence at the show, with …
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SHOT Show is the pinnacle of firearms industry tradeshows and takes over Las Vegas every winter.
This year, the Wyoming State Shooting Complex will have a big presence at the show, with new CEO Patrick Giles set to go along with a number of joint powers board members to make connections with industry representatives that could facilitate sponsorships and other partnerships to assist with the complex going forward.
Giles told board members Thursday he’s “been drinking from the firehose” since his first day, and a lot of that work has been preparing materials for the big event.
“I’ve spent a lot of time putting together materials for sponsors, potential sponsors at SHOT Show,” he said.
Giles said board member and Cody Firearms Museum Curator Danny Michaels has already planned a number of introductions for Giles to meet with industry leaders, and fellow board member Jason Byers, head of marketing at Gunwerks, will also be making introductions as Giles embarks on work to find sponsorship to help fund the complex.
A couple of complex proponents, including Scott Weber, went to Pete Lien and Sons Sport Shooting Complex in November (Giles also took a tour of the facility in early January) and shared their observations and information from their visit, including the long list of sponsors of the state shooting complex in South Dakota that combined pump millions of dollars into the complex.
Attempts to get a similar list going for the Wyoming complex have already begun.
Chair Glenn Ross said roughly $70,000 was received before the end of the year and more meetings have been planned with both individuals and businesses to look at raising more funds.
That money is being collected by the new Wyoming State Shooting Complex Foundation set up to handle donations, which are now being accepted.
But SHOT Show is a way to make a lot of connections fast. According to its official site, the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s SHOT Show draws in 50,000 attendees, 2,000 media members and people/businesses from 100 countries.
Giles will be making the most of his time down there, as he’ll head to the renowned Clark County shooting complex — recommended by Weber — prior to the show opening.
