Yesterday was Day 3, here are the stats from the day:
- 10.6 miles walked (33.5 miles total)
- Two comms/marketing classes taken with tons of information
- I am probably up to about 10 new patches – I need a better strategy next year.
- AND, don’t judge me, I am down $170 (I think I learned my lesson).
I find it interesting that as each day passes, I find new portions of the venue that include new exhibits. Realize, I don’t intentionally go looking for these areas, I kind of just stumble upon them. Ultimately, this means that I still have not seen everything and there is no way I get every last bit in today. A word from the wise, come with a group of people and divide and conquer.
While all hope seemed lost, I finally made it to the Holosun booth to see the thermal optics, and let me be the first to say, it was just as cool as it sounded! However, don’t tell Denny because testing it required pointing it in unsafe directions. Denny, if you are reading this, let it be known that it was not a complete firearm, only the chassis.
As for my classes, I attended the best class about communications and crisis management in the industry. As you all know, the ATF and the anti-gun crowd are determined to find any flaw we commit. Many times how we communicate is critical to protecting not only our brand but the entire industry.
The instructor was actually one of the crisis managers brought in during the Sandy Hook tragedy and it was incredible to hear her perspective and understand key insights into the background. She then went on to run us through scenarios and test our ability to think on the fly in high-stress situations. It was incredibly valuable and I hope they expand the class next year.
I can report that I finally saw an industry A-lister: Garand Thumb. You will never believe it because he was running to a meeting and we couldn’t get a picture, but I promise I saw him. You’ll just have to believe me.
Now, I have saved the best story for last. We know that we are surrounded by like-minded individuals at SHOT, but you know where you don’t expect it? An Uber.
I was coming home from a late night on the Strip and as we got going, he asked me if I like Florida and if it was Democratic or Republican. I obviously responded, VERY Republican. The uber driver goes, “do you like that?” Me, not wanting to get a one-star review, goes, “I like not paying income taxes.”
I swear, he responds, “I left California because I couldn’t afford it, and did you know that I could only have 10-round mags there? As soon as I moved to Vegas, I went online and bought 10 30-round mags and 800 rounds of ammo for my AR.”
I had not told this man that I worked in the firearms space, was attending SHOT, OR even had my badge on. He took the liberty to tell me that he moved to Vegas and enjoyed his newfound freedom and complained about California’s very strict gun policies. I think this was the best conversation of the week and it wasn’t even at the show. Incredible!
I don’t have any definitive plans for the last day as things are winding down a bit, but I will still provide you with an update. Talk soon.
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