SHOT Show (short for Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show) is not just any trade show. It's the largest gathering of its kind, and it's packed with more size, energy, and industry power than most people can wrap their heads around. Every January in Las Vegas, the industry descends on the Venetian Expo and Caesars Forum for a four-day sprint across gear, guns, and business. But what most people outside the show don't realize is just how massive this thing really is. So here's a hard-hitting look at what makes SHOT Show a beast of a trade event.

Acres of Gear, Trucks, and Tactics

SHOT Show 2026 spans over 810,000 square feet of floor space. That's over 18 acres. It covers more ground than the White House property and could eat four NFL football fields for breakfast.

Picture four aircraft carrier flight decks crammed full of booths, banners, video walls, and tactical displays. You could park 2,586 M1 Abrams tanks in that footprint. Or 556 F-16 fighter jets if you're more into aviation.

Moving all that gear? It takes over 800 semi-trucks to get it in. That’s just for exhibitors and displays. Another 20 trucks are needed just to bring in carpet. The freight load has clocked over 6.6 million pounds in recent years. That’s 55 full tractor-trailers or about 550 elephants. SHOT Show isn't built in a day, but it is built in about six.

Walking It Is a Full Workout

If you're thinking you'll stroll the floor and see everything, think again. SHOT Show packs nearly 14 miles of aisles. That’s 13.9 miles on concrete if you walk the whole thing. More than half a marathon. Expect 30,000 steps a day, and don’t expect sympathy from anyone. Everyone else is limping too.

Try to see every booth? Good luck. With over 2,800 exhibitors, you’d have to hit more than 80 booths per hour over four days. That’s less than 45 seconds per booth.

Back when the show had 1,600 booths, someone ran the math and figured you'd get 78 seconds per visit. Today, you'd need to teleport. So nobody sees it all. You build your route, hit your priorities, and the rest goes in the rearview.

The Numbers Behind the Spectacle

In 2025, SHOT Show hosted over 2,700 exhibitors and showcased more than 100,000 products. This year it’s even bigger. The show has become a proving ground for companies across firearms, hunting, optics, accessories, law enforcement gear, and every kind of outdoor tech you can imagine.

Attendees? Over 54,000 professionals showed up in 2025, and the number is holding strong.

SHOT is not open to the public. These are dealers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers, agencies, and military personnel. People come from all 50 states and well over 100 countries. Last year’s crowd represented 126 countries.

The press shows up in full force too, with more than 2,500 media badges floating around the floor.

It’s loud, fast, and global. You’ll hear ten languages before noon. You’ll pass shooters, instructors, company execs, designers, and influencers. It’s not just a gear showcase, it’s the nexus of the entire shooting and outdoor industry.

Building a City for Four Days

None of this just happens. The logistics are unreal.

Hundreds of workers build out booths, lay miles of cable, install lights, hang signs, and plug in everything from video walls to Wi-Fi.

Exhibitors show up days early to assemble what often looks like a pop-up store, or sometimes an entire building. Some companies go two levels high.

The floor is carpeted from wall to wall, and that carpet alone fills 20 semi-trailers. Behind the scenes, forklifts buzz non-stop. The show floor becomes a freight terminal, a construction site, and a showroom all at once.

Even the food is industrial scale. Hundreds of concession stands fire up to keep everyone fed. In a past year, more than 250 vendors worked the floor, serving meals, snacks, and endless coffee.

Vegas loves SHOT Show, and for good reason. The event drives over 88 million dollars in non-gaming revenue into the city each year. Hotels fill. Restaurants pack. Rideshare and cab drivers hit overtime. It’s one of the biggest events in town, right up there with CES.

From 1979 to Now: SHOT Keeps Growing

The first SHOT Show was in 1979 in St. Louis. It was small. A few hundred exhibitors, around 200,000 square feet. Still big for the time, but tiny by today's standards.

Since then, it has jumped around cities like New Orleans and Orlando, before settling permanently in Las Vegas.

SHOT Show has never stopped growing.

In 2022, after the pandemic shutdown, the show came back with 804,000 square feet of exhibits. That was a 20 percent jump from the previous full year, and it earned an award for making such a strong return.

The law enforcement section alone now takes up 170,000 square feet. That’s three football fields just for tactical gear, armor, vehicles, and LE-focused tech.

New sections like the Supplier Showcase and Industry Day at the Range have been added to give even more room for innovation.

The show reflects the strength of the industry. More exhibitors show up. More gear launches here. More buyers make deals. If you're in the industry, this is where it happens. Missing SHOT Show means missing your moment.

Coreware Is at Booth #72627

SHOT Show is massive. It’s loud, fast, and unforgettable.

If you're attending, pace yourself. Make a plan. Hit the targets that matter most to your business.

And when you're working your way through the maze, come find us. Coreware will be live on the floor at Booth #72627.

Whether you’re looking for software to drive your business, want to see what’s next in point-of-sale tech, or just need a minute to catch your breath, we’d love to meet you.

SHOT Show is about making connections, and we’re here for it.

See you in Vegas.