Veteran-Owned Businesses Showcase American Innovation at Annual SHOT Show
March 3, 2016This post contains external links. Please review our external linking policy.
Warren Anderson is an International Trade Specialist
This was another bright year for American companies at the hunting, and outdoor industries 38th annual SHOT Show that took place several weeks ago in Las Vegas! As the Safety & Security industry sector continues to rapidly grow, more than 1,700 exhibitors and 65,000+ attendees filed into the Sands Expo Center to showcase the latest and greatest in recreational, military, and law enforcement tactical equipment.
Another record-breaking year for the industry coincided with the third straight year that the show organizers, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), partnered up with the U.S. Commercial Service as one of our key International Buyer Program trade shows. The International Buyer Program is a fantastic way for U.S. companies to get real facetime with international buyer delegates who are actively vetted and recruited through our network of offices at the U.S. Embassies and Consulates around the world.
This year we had more than 545 official foreign buyer delegates that we directly recruited from nearly 30 countries, 14 of which were personally escorted by our overseas U.S. Commercial Service colleagues. More importantly, this provided 360 degree access for U.S. companies to not only receive direct introductions to key decision-makers who are looking to buy quality American made products, but to also receive free market consultations from country-specific industry professionals that companies would like work with.
As a veteran and current International Trade Specialist, I was pleased to see the huge role veteran-owned businesses continue to play in Safety & Security industry and at the show specifically, so much so that at times I felt more like being back on the range than in the middle of a 630,000+ square foot expo center! That being said, we want you to know that we on the Vets Go Global team are here to help your company zero in on target markets and grow your business in the global marketplace.
Tradeology, the ITA Blog 