SIG Sauer announced this week that it will not be exhibiting at the 2022 Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show. The event is the industry’s largest annual gathering—a tradition disrupted in January of this year when 2021’s event was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. It attracts distributors, manufacturers, buyers and media from across the globe.
“For over 30 years SIG Sauer has attended SHOT Show, and we did not come to this decision without much thoughtful deliberation,” the company explained in its announcement. “Our number one priority throughout the pandemic has been, and will remain, our employees. SIG Sauer has an extremely large presence at SHOT Show sending over 140 employees to the show and our pre-show Range Day event. Maintaining this presence, or even a scaled back minimum presence for 2022, represents a significant health risk to all 2,600 of our employees across our 13 U.S. locations, as individuals attending the show return to our facilities and risk continued exposure to our entire employee base.”
The SHOT Show is owned and organized by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). It has conducted the event each year since 1979, when it took place in St. Louis, MO.
SIG Sauer also cited the significant investment required to transport, house, feed and compensate staff on site—as well as create and transport its exhibits and gear—as factoring into its decision. To help buoy NSSF’s efforts in trying times, however, the company will, “…be making a $500,000 donation to NSSF to support both its mission and ongoing critical support of our industry.”
The 2022 SHOT Show is scheduled to take place Jan. 18 to 21 in Las Vegas, NV. It will span more than 800,000 square feet of exhibit and conference space and, when there are no pandemic concerns, attracts roughly 60,000 industry professionals.
