By Fred Riehl
Las Vegas, NV –-(Ammoland.com)- In its sixth-year, the 2012 SHOT Show Media Day at the Range broke all attendance records.
The event which is held on the day prior to SHOT Show, was attended by over 1,200 members of the media. With over 100 manufacturers exhibiting,
Media Day at the Range continues to be the largest media event in the hunting and shooting industry, giving outdoor media the opportunity to shoot and test the best new products for 2012. Attending manufacturers get a jump on their competition with early media exposure highlighting their products for print, broadcast and internet coverage.
A special thanks to Media Day’s presenting sponsor NSSF as well as all our supporting sponsors, Winchester Ammunition, Caracal, Rock Island Armory, 5-11 Tactical, Tactical-Life.com, Action Target, Federal Premium Ammunition, Browning and GunBroker.com for their support in helping make this day the success it is.
“SHOT Show Media Day at the Range has become an important part of the overall SHOT Show experience,” said NSSF Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Chris Dolnack. “After its first year as title sponsor, NSSF looks forward to reviewing feedback from attendees and working with the organizers to make Media Day even better next year.”
The first annual Action Target Media Day Safety Award was presented to Remington Arms for demonstrating the highest standards of safety during the range day. Each exhibitor was judged by a panel of safety auditors from DOA Tactical. In addition to the recognition, Remington also received $3,500 towards their 2013 SHOT Show Media Day at the Range registration fee.
Open to all in the hunting and shooting industry, manufacturers, conservation groups and shooting organizations are welcomed on a first-come, first-served basis. This year’s exhibitors ranged from firearms manufacturers to tactical clothing companies. This year’s event also included an expanded short and long range shooting areas which allowed the media to test many more new products than ever before.
“Media Day dramatically improved our new product launch at SHOT Show,” said Jody Lamb, Marketing Manager for VANGUARD, a manufacturer of sporting optics and shooting accessories. “Hundreds of editors, writers and TV and radio hosts put our binoculars and spotting scopes to the test out on the range. You really can’t tell the quality of glass inside of a convention center so Media Day made it an effective setting for everyone. We’re so excited to see everyone again next year.”
Accordingly to Bill Dermody of Savage Arms, “I got more PR work done in one day than in months. It is going to take me weeks to get all the consignment guns to writers,” he said.
“Media Day funnels hundreds of people and products to the firing line– people with deep expertise in shooting gear, and products brand-new to market” said outdoor writer Wayne van Zwoll. “If you’re not part of Media Day, you’re missing a first look at tomorrow’s headline hardware, and a chance to buttonhole the engineers who designed it. No other event so clearly registers the pulse of the shooting industry!”
Media Day at the Range 2012 was also a fundraiser for Safari Club International. Through the generous donation of products to the silent auction from many of the manufacturers, funds were raised during the event in support of SCI’s many conservation programs.
Don’t miss out on next year’s Media Day at the Range to be held January 14, 2013. Details concerning exhibitor registration will be available in the coming weeks. For more information visit www.media-day.com or contact Cathy Williams (cathy@cmgmarketingandevents.com) or Cory Cannon (ccannon@triplecurl.com).