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SHOT Show Shatters Records in 30th Year

LAS VEGAS -- SHOT Show, the shooting, hunting and outdoor industry's largest trade show, smashed all-time records in its 30th year, posting new highs in attendance, exhibition space, exhibiting companies and media turnout.

"What better way to celebrate the SHOT Show's 30th anniversary than with a turnout that not only broke, but shattered, all previous records for attendance and exhibit space," said Doug Painter, president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, owner and sponsor of the SHOT Show. "The buying activity reported is a strong indicator of a good year to come and reflects the strength of the shooting, hunting and outdoor industry."

The show, held Feb. 2-5 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, comprised 715,000 square feet of exhibit space, a gain of nearly 60,000 over last year, with 1,950 exhibiting companies, up from last year's 1,870.

With a total registered attendance of 58,769, the show eclipsed last year's attendance record of 42,216. The show attracted 30,686 buyers, 1,725 members of the press, 25,854 exhibiting personnel and 504 guests.

Before the closing bell had rung, exhibitors had already booked 700,000 square feet of exhibit space for next year's show in Orlando, Fla.

Business was better than ever at this year's show, according to exhibiting companies and retailers.

"I've been coming to the SHOT Show since 1982 and this is the busiest one I've ever worked. We didn't even lose booth traffic during the Super Bowl," said Randell Pence,
Sturm, Ruger & Co.'s executive director of sales and marketing.

Ruger is one of 80 companies that have exhibited at every SHOT Show since the first in 1979 in St. Louis. Aimpoint, another 30-year exhibitor, echoed Pence's remarks.

"Traffic was non-stop at both our law enforcement and hunting booths. In fact, it was so busy that it was tough for anyone working the booths to even take a break," said Steven Giordano, Aimpoint director of commercial sales.

Retailers were also impressed.

"This is my first show, and it's bigger than I expected," said Chris Dunn, owner of Chevlon Canyon Guns Co. in Queen Creek, Ariz. "I've spent all four days here, and I have found some products that I think will really be a big seller for me."

For first-time exhibitors, the show was eye-opening.

"The key customers and the key decision makers in the industry are under one roof and that's great for anybody," said Matt Kriesel, chairman of Impact Jel, a first-time exhibitor. "A phenomenal show. I don't see how it can get better with the connections we received."

Retailers, exhibitors and media from outside the United States continue to flock to the show each year. Attendees came from 75 countries.

"I have been to all of the large European shows, but they can't compare to the SHOT Show. This is the best. Everything is here. I have found five or six companies for which I will be their exclusive dealer in Spain," said Rico Cabezas Roca, a dealer specializing in law enforcement from Madrid.

Press attendance at this year's show increased nearly 30 percent. Each year, the show is the largest gathering of outdoor media in the world.

"When it comes to media, there is nothing like SHOT where nearly 2,000 members of the press are in one place," said Tom Taylor, Smith & Wesson vice president of marketing. "This year was great. Press attendance was up, and, since our company has expanded, we were able to meet with many other publications that we hadn't in the past."

Other News

A capacity crowd attended the show's annual State of the Industry Dinner & Concert Gala. The night included positive words from Painter, NSSF Board of Governors Chairman Robert Scott, other industry executives and a performance by country music superstar Randy Travis.

NSSF's SHOT Show University -- a series of seminars for firearms retailers -- experienced a record year, attracting a sell-out crowd.

NSSF presented its annual Achievement Award posthumously to Ken Sedlecky for his efforts in promoting the shooting sports and helping others get started in them. Sedlecky's wife, Kathy, accepted the award on his behalf.

NSSF and the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) honored veteran journalist Jim Carmichel with the POMA/NSSF Grits Gresham Shooting Sports Communicator Award. The award was developed in 2005 in honor of legendary outdoor communicator Grits Gresham. It recognizes communicators within the firearms/shooting sports/Second Amendment arena who grasp the ideals, foster the commitment and display the talent Gresham has shown during his storied career.

SHOT Show, owned and sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), is the world's largest showcase of firearms, hunting and outdoor products. It provides a forum like no other for the industry to show off its newest products that will adorn the shelves of gun and sporting goods shops in the coming year.

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Phone: 702-382-8848

Attendees wearing their buyers’ badge on Tuesday, Feb. 5, the final day of the SHOT Show, will be eligible to enter, for free, the incredible and exclusive “Last Blast Drawing.”

For the grand-prize winner a Yamaha Rhino 700 FI Auto 4x4 ATV will provide years of service in the field.  The runner-up will also win big with a hunt of a lifetime donated by MyOutdoorTV.com, Babe Winkelman Productions and True North Safaris.  The hunt will take place at True North Safaris’ world-famous Mackay Lake Lodge in the Northwest Territories and includes a caribou hunt, fishing for trophy lake trout and grayling, upland bird hunting for ptarmigan and a chance to harvest a wolf or wolverine.

In addition to these exciting prizes, lucky buyers, chosen at random, can win firearms from Browning, Marlin, Smith & Wesson, Sturm, Ruger, Taurus, Thompson/Center and Winchester or optics from Leupold & Stevens. Another prize is a sterling silver Leatherman tool commemorating the company’s 25th anniversary.

But you can’t win if you don’t stay, so make your plans to be at the show for all four days.  To enter the Last Blast Drawing, get your buyer’s badge scanned on Tuesday, Feb. 5, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. in the lobby of the Las Vegas Convention Center.  Winners will be randomly selected after 2 p.m. (Note: to win a firearm, entrants must be at least 21 years old and otherwise eligible to purchase a firearm.*)

*Note: Additional drawing rules apply.  Please visit www.shotshow.org or stop by one of the drawing registration booths at the show for complete drawing rules.

SEE VIDEO 

Spotlight: Digital Deployment

• Thinking about doing HD? Don't miss NAB2007
  Station managers looking to broadcast HD radio shouldn't miss the three-day Radio Management Conference, which will feature start-to-finish instructions explaining how to incorporate new HD broadcasting technology into existing stations. Radio World (1/30)

• The North Hall buzz is all about HD radio
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• NAB2007 to focus on impact of HD Radio
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• Engineers prep for DTV countdown at NAB2007
  The Broadcast Engineering Conference, held under the NAB2007 umbrella, will feature sessions with engineers designed to help share information about issues relating to the February 2009 switchover to digital broadcasting. Topics include broadcast tower prep, HD news production and more. TVTechnology.com (2/23)

• Shooting in HD? Watch the light
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Speakers

• FCC Commissioners to speak at NAB2007
  FCC Commissioners Michael Copps, Jonathan Adelstein and Deborah Taylor Tate will appear at the Broadcast Regulatory & Legislative Conference on Tuesday, April 17, during NAB2007 in Las Vegas. Radio Ink (3/14)

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• Google's Eric Schmidt to headline Super Session
  Google CEO Eric Schmidt will headline the "Innovator Spotlight" Super Session at NAB2007, on Monday, April 16. Schmidt, who is serving as chairman of the NAB2007 executive committee, will discuss Google's impact on the future of radio, television, advertising and the public. Click here for more from NAB.

• NAB taps Robison for keynote speech
  Shane Robison, EVP and chief strategy & technology officer at HP, will be the keynote speaker at April 16's "Digital Content: The Race Is On" Super Session at NAB 2007 in Las Vegas. Radio Ink (1/19)

	Engineers: Avoid Going Off Air Unexpectedly The best insurance for staying on-air is a smart, fail-safe protection switch from Ensemble Designs. You set the switch parameters just how you want them - there are tests for black, freeze, TRS, audio presence, PIDs and more. FREE 10 day trial offer. Call +1 530 478 1830, visit NAB booth SU 2326, www.ensembledesigns.com

Awards

• NAB taps radio's Rick Dees for Hall of Fame
  The NAB will induct storied LA and national radio personality Rick Dees into its Broadcasting Hall of Fame in April, at its NAB 2007 Radio Luncheon, in Las Vegas. "Rick Dees has been one of America's most entertaining radio personalities for nearly three decades," said NAB President and CEO David Rehr. "NAB is proud to recognize him for his significant contributions to radio and American pop culture." Radio Ink (10/25)

• "Roots" executive producer Wolper to be honored by NAB
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Show News

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• NAB2007 to feature telecom sessions
  Telecom@NAB2007 is a new series of events for telecom professionals and network operators, set for April 16 to 18, during the NAB2007 convention in Las Vegas. The sessions are intended to meet "the needs of telecom professionals, telecom business entrepreneurs and network operators who are deploying next generation video networks or who plan to do so in the future," according to NAB. TVNEWSDAY (free registration) (2/1), Broadcast Engineering (2/15)

• NAB2007 hosts sixth annual Digital Cinema Summit
  The April 14 program will feature expert discussion of topics in digital cinema, including digital 3-D techniques and a keynote from Chris Cookson, chief technology officer for Warner Bros. Entertainment. Broadcast Engineering (2/15)

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Will the Apple Chic Do it Again?

NEW PRODUCT NEWS - VEGAS BUZZ NEWS - January 10, 2007]

Apple has had an incredible history of taking the mundane, 'committee-designed' products, and making them just plain sexy, and, in the process, given that Apple logo the most powerful brand image around.

Now, in a field of over-crowded, multi-functional cellphones that do just about everything - including downloading and storing music - Apple has come in with yet more of its inimitable disruptive technology - a cellphone that does everything.  Well, just about. 

Tue Jan 9, 2007 7:30 AM IST

By Kenneth Li

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Top U.S. satellite TV operator DirecTV Group Inc. plans to announce on Monday it has secured agreements for 60 high-definition channels from major networks, as part of a goal to launch 100 of them this year.

The channels, expected to debut in the third quarter, will include HD versions of well-known networks including those owned by General Electric -controlled NBC Universal and Time Warner Inc.'s Turner Networks, executives said.

The news will be part of a roster of announcements at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, where DirecTV will also discuss plans to allow subscribers to connect to Internet videos from home computers as well as a portable version of its service that fits in a suitcase, called Sat-Go.

Despite the gadget-heavy focus of the annual confab, where the $145 billion consumer electronics industry this year will trot out new devices that make connecting PCs to TVs easier, DirecTV will also focus on a topic of prior conventions.

"All of these add-ons that enable new features are fantastic," Eric Shanks, executive vice president of DirecTV Entertainment, said in a phone interview ahead of the announcement.

But, "Where the world is going is into HD. None of the wireless products is going to bring you 100 channels of HD. Once you have standard definition content, these things help you share it."

HD video delivers high-resolution pictures and better sound quality, and the promise of more HD programming helped boost sales of flat panel TVs. But buyers soon realized that while cable and satellite operators talked up plans to offer more channels, few actually carry more than a dozen HD channels.

INTERNET VIDEOS DIRECT

DirecTV's focus will be on HD video, but it will also discuss ongoing talks with top online video services including Google Inc.'s YouTube and News Corp.'s MySpace to let subscribers view Internet videos on TVs.

DirecTV customers with HD digital video recorder (DVR) set-top boxes can already view pictures and listen to music stored on home computers directly through their TVs and home entertainment systems.

From the second quarter, subscribers will be able to watch videos from PC hard drives on their TVs, and then videos direct from online services by the end of this year, Shank said.

Also in 2007, DirecTV customers with HD DVRs should be able to create personalized channels, similar to how Yahoo Web site users can tailor what they see on certain channels.

Subscribers will also be able to browse DirecTV's Web site to find what is available on-demand, click the link, and have the movies stored directly on their DVRs, Shank said.

Shank said with all the new sources of programs, finding things could be a challenge, and he planned to look for innovative graphic user interfaces at the electronics show.

"As we start to add all this content we really have to spend the next year to figure out a better way for viewers to find what they're looking for," he said.

DirecTV also plans to say it is starting an international video gaming league with competitive event broadcasts that will be available to more than 100 million homes through deals with News Corp.-controlled BSkyB Plc and Star Asia.