Summer has undoubtedly hit early for our industry. Conversation with many of you over the past few weeks has confirmed that orders are easing off, and foot traffic seems to be a bit sluggish in retail. Spring is in full swing, schools in most places are winding down, and vacations are likely on the minds of many of our consumers. No need to worry; it's part of our normal pre-pandemic cycle for those who haven’t yet weathered these historical ups and downs. It seems like we’re finally returning to normal, or some would say, “new normal.”
It’s hard to believe we are already booking hotel rooms and registering for the 2024 NASGW Expo in Kansas City. It seems like just the other day, we were dealing with the Expo power outage at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. My, how time flies! This year’s Expo will come at a crucial time for our industry, at the start of Q4 and right before the November elections. This year’s event also marks the 50th NASGW Expo, and the staff is working on fun ways to commemorate the milestone. If you haven’t reserved your hotel room at the headquarters hotel, I can’t encourage you enough to get that done. The room block is already filling up, so do not wait. Be sure to purchase your badges early to take advantage of early bird pricing. I know it’s only spring, but the Expo will be here before you know it.
Beyond the Expo, a lot is happening at NASGW right now. Our team continues to look at additional ways to help our members beyond the week of the Expo. Look for additional webinar offerings, a legislative bill tracker by state, the SCOPE API, additional insurance offerings through Fortify, and more. These initiatives are currently in the works and will soon be available. This is part of NASGW’s commitment to seeking partners to create solutions and supporting shooting sports industry businesses 365 days a year. It is also a reminder that distribution is the solution in our industry. Stay tuned for more to come on these throughout the year.
Finally, I wanted to remind you of the invaluable insight from SCOPE. By downloading the Q1 report, released a couple of weeks ago, you can gain a clearer picture of the trends and results in our industry. The Overview Report is free to all NASGW members and covers a high-level snapshot across the country. The Detail Report is free to current SCOPE subscribers and available to purchase for NASGW members. The Detail Report provides a deeper dive and segments the data by region. All NASGW member businesses should be taking advantage of this resource to make better decisions in 2024.
I hope you all have a great month and enjoy some time outside in the beautiful spring weather.
Until next time,
Bill Sumner
NASGW Chairman